Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Felt
- 1 February 2011
- click to send Christine a smile
Felt is entangled wool.
Hot soapy water causes wool to swell and the scales on the fibers to open up.When you lather the water and wool mixture it becomes slippery and slides and tangles together causing the tiny scales to intertwine.
When cooled and dried, the scales close and lock the wool into the tough durable material we call felt.
Things you will need for all the felting projects: Wool, dish washing soap and hot water
How to make felt rocks from wool
Wet your hands with warm water. Pick up a small ball of wool. Drop a tiny drop of soap into your wet hands.
Gently roll the wool into a ball. Roll very softly to begin with and as the wool begins to felt apply more pressure.
When the ball feels firm rinse it in cool water and set aside to dry.
How to make thin felt strips from wool
Place the raw wool onto a flat surface. I prefer a slightly coarse surface such as a plastic container turned upside down. Drop a drop of soap and a drop of warm water onto the wool.
Lather the soap gently with your finger tips. When the felt begins to firm, increase the pressure.
I make my felt strips extremely thin. I use them to drape over containers or to cover mechanics as you would moss.
Cover test tubes with felt
Wet your hands with warm water. Gather a small ball of raw wool around the tube. Add a drop of soap into your hands. Gently lather the wool around the tube until the surface is covered. Continue to lather until the shape firms. Rinse in cool water. Set aside to dry. Rinse out the tube carefully to remove all soap.
Sign up for my weekly newsletter
Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.
Related Designs
It's not really what we call things that matter but what they are made of- in this design, it's made of all three types of Oasis and wool.
Craft a haze of green around a log for a sweet pea swirl effect.