Felt Papa Elephant Christmas Decoration

This elephant is needle-felted by hand in Kathmandu for Namaste, a UK Fair Trade importer, at a workshop that belongs to the World Fair Trade Organization. He is dressed in winter clothes, with pink furred ears and a small tail, and hangs from a thread so that he can go on the tree or in a window.

Needle felting builds a shape from loose wool by working it repeatedly with a barbed needle, which locks the fibres together until they hold firm. The wool used here is imported from New Zealand and felted by women who work from home, an arrangement the workshop offers so that makers with family commitments can fit the work around them. Because each figure is shaped by hand, the proportions and the expression of the face differ a little from one elephant to the next.

Namaste visits its producers and places repeat orders with them, so that the work stays steady from one year to the next, and a portion of the proceeds from its Nepalese felt range goes to the charity Child Rescue Nepal.

How to Care for Your Felt Decoration

Wool felt is best cleaned at the surface only. Brush away dust with a soft, dry brush, and lift any marks with a cloth wrung out until barely damp, since soaking the felt can loosen the fibres and pull the figure out of shape. Store it in a dry box between seasons, as wool keeps best away from damp and moths.

• Material: wool felt (New Zealand wool)
• Size: 18 x 9cm
• Made in: Nepal
• Decoration only, not a toy. Keep out of reach of children and pets.