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How to: Felting   Felting
Felting
Equipment

Wet Felting:

  • Natural carded wool in various colours
  • Felting soap
  • Bubble-wrap to roll the wet wool fibres
  • Kettle with boiling water

Dry Felting:

  • A base fabric or polystyrene shape to decorate
  • Felting needles
  • Foam pad for punching
  • Natural carded wool
 
 

Introduction
 
Felting is one of the oldest textile forms and it is still popular today. It can be used to make hats, bags and other fashion accessories. There are two felting methods. The “wet” method consists in making felt from wool fibres. The “dry” method is a way of punching natural wool fibres into a textile base to make designs.

 
Method

Wet Felting:

Traditionally, people used to make a fabric from wool fibres without weaving. This consists of putting layers of carded wool fibres in crisscross layers, applying an oil based soap solution to allow the fibres to slide and mix.

The layered wool is then rubbed and rolled, so that the fibres mix randomly, forming a thick wool fabric. When the fibres are well mixed, boiling water is poured over the textile, causing the wool to felt, a little like what happens to a woollen that is accidentally washed in a washing machine at high temperature.

The felted wool can be shaped into funny hats with dread locks, one piece handbags and all manner of sculpted shapes, or made flat to use as a sheet of felt.

Felt Bag
Felt Bag
 


Dry Felting:

The dry technique requires few but essential tools, allowing you to punch wool designs into felt, but also into denim, cotton or fleece. You can also punch wool into polystyrene shapes. To do this, you need:

  • a foam punching pad
  • special barded felting needles
  • natural wool fibres
  • the item that you want to decorate.

Place the item to decorate on the foam pad and using the felting needles, repeatedly punch the wool fibres into the fabric. The foam pad is essential as it protects your needles from breaking on a hard surface. The small wool fibres will be forced into the textile.

It is surprisingly easy to make your own design, and requires little artistic skill. You can also use a stencil or cookie cutter as a guide when punching the wool.

You can combine wet felting with dry felting, by making the basic shape in wet felting, then decorating it by punching accent into your felt shape.

You can also make felt designs using the ready made felt accents, such as flowers, bees etc. simply glued on to a base, or punching them in using wool fibres, or combining punched designs with applied ready made accents.


Project Ideas

Project Ideas
Project Ideas
 
  • Bags
  • Jewellery
  • Hats
  • Glasses Case
  • Mobile phone case
  • Purse
  • Scarf
  • Slippers
  • Cusion covers
  • Coasters


The information contained within this craft technique sheet is presented in good faith, but no warranty is given, nor results guaranteed. Product quantities and selections may vary at each HobbyCraft Superstore. Products are subject to availability and not all ranges are available in all stores. Before making a special journey please contact the store direct to check that they have your required product in stock. HobbyCraft Group Ltd disclaims all liability from any injury to anyone using this craft technique as a result of improper safety precautions. Since we have no control over physical conditions surrounding the application of the information herein contained, HobbyCraft Group Ltd disclaims any liability for untoward results.

 
 
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    Last updated: June 17, 2005 © HobbyCraft