how to make felt from wool

I just love to make cool DIY projects. In this tutorial we'll show you how easy it is to make your first piece of felt. Continue until all the fibers are wet. As they walked, the heat, moisture, pressure and rubbing action had been making wool felt into a mat. will be. Your finished product feels like a thicker version of the felt you would buy at the craft store. Keep pressing down all over for a few minutes. The surface of hair consists of a hard, keratin substance, similar to that of a fingernail. The other form of felting is Needle Felting which utilizes special felting needles to create felt fabric. With a roving, pull off small tufts and lay them side by side, end to end, overlapping slightly (like the scales of a fish) until you have covered the area of your sample. Yes, you can felt projects in a front load washing machine! Wash and dry the sweaters as many times as need to get a tight weave on the wool. 2. It’s so fun and easy to make these colored balls from wool! Learn how to make a Sheep Felt Picture with an Artfelt Kit, available to buy at www.artfelt.co.uk Continue until all the fibers are wet. of felted wool into the dye water, and push the wool felt down into the dye using a wooden spoon. There are 17 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Check out her videos, I'm sure you will find them helpful. Press down all over your project. It is mainly just wool that felts well, but sheep wool is not the only kind of wool. Look out for more instructions as my site grows. Felt can be shaped, made thicker Stitch some tiny seed beads onto your finished felt balls to make them look more interesting. Consider getting some dyed wool! This makes the edges more even. Wool felt is purchased like fabric. Felting occurs when the wool fibers of the knitted sweater are agitated enough to bind to each other. wool felt fabric By using our site, you agree to our. Everything required to make felt from wool dryer lint can be purchased at a grocery store or supermarket. Use needles that are 2 to 3 sizes larger than recommended to create the open spaces % of people told us that this article helped them. Fascinating, eh? one layer North-South, next layer East-West. By transforming wool into felt, you can recycle discarded wool sweaters into an array of useful items and fun gifts. Have fun making wool felt! This will create sharp edges and make it difficult to felt. How much wool roving you need depends, obviously, on how large a piece of felt you want to make. If you are making a felt sheet, you can shape it while it is still wet. In my case, I used a slightly different method. The cold rinse after hot scrubbing helps to fix the fibers in place. There is no "right way" only the best way for you that gets the quality results you want. 2. Oh dear, busy me, four months since I've posted here. When you are happy with the feel of your sample you can rinse it off with COLD water. It’s really very simple though. Check out these easy felt projects! The fiber type / blend: I have found that a blend of 65% or higher wool content yields the best results. To make an owl face, take some grey wool and needle felt the whole ball except for a heart shaped patch, which will be the face. Gently tease it open with your fingers. Put a couple of different colors together for a multicolored project. MATERIALS: 4-6 ounces wool roving Dense foam hat form (see tip below) Multiple It is harder to felt already spun wool, but it can be done. You may wish to use some bubble wrap or a washboard to help reduce work at a later stage. This tendency can be frustrating as in accidental sweater felting, or you can take advantage of this fact and create something amazing! Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 214,924 times. Make your layers as even as possible. Remove the felted wool from the dye water, and rinse it out under clear water for 5 minutes until the water no longer contains dye. Felting is the process of connecting or blending wool, wool roving or fiber together to make a fabric. Anything that is gentle but firm will do. Most fabrics are woven, meaning they are constructed on a loom and have interlocking warp (the thread or fiber that is strung lengthwise on the loom) and weft (the thread that cuts across the warp fiber and interlocks with it) fibers that create a flat piece of fabric. Learn whether or Felted wool sweater (see “How to Felt Wool,” below) Sharp fabric scissors Rotary cutter, pad and extra blades or a 7-inch-by-7-inch pattern made from cardboard Permanent felt … You can also make rugs and capes if you're really ambitious! Copyright 2006 - 2012 Woolcrafting.com - All Rights Reserved. Learn how to make felt balls out of wool roving using an easy wet felting method, and then turn those felt balls into adorable felt acorns for all your fall decorating projects. What is Felt, and How Do I Get Started Making it? ", http://www.woolcrafting.com/making-wool-felt.html, http://rosiepink.typepad.co.uk/rosiepink/tutorial-how-to-make-flat-felt-wet-felting.html, http://rosiepink.typepad.co.uk/rosiepink/tutorial-wet-felt-making-for-beginners.html, http://rosiepink.typepad.co.uk/rosiepink/how-to-make-felt-beads-and-simple-jewellery.html, http://www.marthastewart.com/266261/felt-balls, http://www.lilblueboo.com/2012/02/how-to-make-felt-balls-wet-felting-101.html, http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/one-minute-tip-how-to-make-a-felt-ball-garland-apartment-therapy-videos-198227, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The water shouldn't be so hot that you can't handle it, however. There is a really good channel on YouTube called "Maqaroon." Yarns labelled "superwash wool" will not felt. wikiHow's. Start by pouring a LITTLE liquid onto your layered fibers and press down. References. There are two basic ways of felt making: Wet and Dry. You can buy raw wool in the needle felting section of an arts and crafts store or a fabric store. Save all the scraps of wool fabric, and you might need to even cut some more. wool felt fabric I decided to buy some felt, "Learned that the hotter the water the better. Use the cup to cut a bunch of circles out of the wool fabric. This felted piece will be about 20″ x 12″ so 2 ounces of roving is plenty. The hotter the water is, the faster the wool will felt. ", "Very simple yet informative and very detailed. I still wonder at the simplicity of it, but there are tons of uses for felt. Place another layer across the fibers of your first layer, ie. You do this by rubbing it against the bumpy surface of your choice. Find out about the 3 different ways to felt wool. The knit stitch: This one is a little harder to pin point or predict. If you are using a batt, start by pulling a strip off the side. Yes, if it is pure wool. From a bolt by the yard, in squares, or sometimes in strips. The hotter the water, the faster the wool will felt. Also, be sure to get pure wool and not acrylic; acrylic fibers will not felt. “I never knew I could sculpt until I found the wool. Make it! In order to use lesser quality, cheaper grades of fur, the process of carroting was introduced in the eighteenth century. Make a small, round wad of wool with your fingers. My circles are about 2 inches in diameter. Felt balls are quick and simple to make, and an ideal project for kids! Always pull the fibers apart gently - DO NOT cut them, as cutting leaves harsh edges. . Last Updated: April 8, 2020 Return to Wool Felt Fabric from Making Wool Felt. Remember, the wool/yarn tends to shrink once it is moist – so be sure to make the ball at least twice as the size you’re looking to get. No, I'm not saying you have to take off your shoes and trample your fibers (though it might be fun), just follow these simple instructions... You're almost there! Consider adding some pieces of loose-weave fabric or bits of Merino yarn on top for color and texture. Wear gloves if you have sensitive skin or allergies to wool. Learn about using felted wool for your craft projects. The bubble wrap needs to be textured side up. You can also find it online. Return to Wool Felt Fabric from Making Wool Felt Then, you'll cover the wool sheet with some tulle or sheer polyester fabric, spray everything with hot soapy water, and massage the wool with some bunched-up bubble wrap. Finally, you'll roll the wool sheet up in some bubble wrap, rinse everything under cold water to set the fibers, and lay out the wool sheet to dry. Once I felt the ball, can I keep adding more layers? When they arrived at their destination they basically had wool felt insoles. This felted wool can be used to make sewing projects, book covers and crafts projects from natural fibers. Squeeze out the felted wool. You will need: A large, round-stick sushi mat A piece of small After a while you will feel the fibers become more matted and stronger. As you can guess, the best place in your house to find all of them is your washing machine! (aka, get fuzzy and stick to one another so fraying doesn't occur) Here's how I make that magic happen: 1. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Felt is a dense, non-woven fabric and without any warp or weft. Shorten the piece to about 8 inches long by laying it down, placing a hand where you want to tear it and gently pulling away the extra fibers with the other hand. It’s also more fun when I get to make the materials I need to Felted wool can be made simply by throwing a thrift store wool sweater, or any wool fabric, in the washing machine! Fold over onto the top and work in to your sample any stray fibers. . Oct 26, 2020 - Things to make with scraps of wool. Put the wool sweaters in an old pillowcase and secure the opening with a rubber band. Basically, the wool is arranged in perpendicular layers to make an interlocked piece of felt fabric. Return to Homepage from Making Wool Felt. What other materials can I use besides wool? This article has been viewed 214,924 times. Now, they are the experts on making wool felt! Use your flat felt sheet to make patches, coasts, and other craft projects. From felt ball necklace to felt bead rug, the possibilities are endless. The swatch shown was knit in The water shouldn't be so hot that it is uncomfortable to work with, however. Note: your wool will shrink anywhere from 20 – 30% during the felting process so plan your piece accordingly. To felt wool, you need only 3 “ingredients”: Agitation Heat Moisture. If you accidentally soaked the wool, use a small sponge to mop up the excess water. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Yes, you can add as many layers to it as you would like. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/68\/Make-Felt-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-Felt-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/68\/Make-Felt-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid47994-v4-728px-Make-Felt-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"