We want to share our felting expertise with you. This page holds the archived felting tips that we regularly change on the Home page. We will also continue to build various technique information for you. From this page, you scan lowly gather bits and pieces of information that will help you gain confidence and knowledge about felting.
Felting Tips Collection - continually builds as an archive from the Home page Felting Tips.
#1 Have you ever
wondered what to do with your partner's dead ties....Felt them!
Especially good for nuno felting....Unstitch them, remove the
'stuffing' bits, iron flat and use in your next nuno felting project.
Just be sure to cover the edges with extra fibre and to work in well
before rolling.
#2 When nuno felting
where the fibre is a top layer onto silk and other materials, Alpaca
fibre acts differently to wool. Rubbing as part of the felting process
is not necessary when using alpaca fibre: it can cause alpaca to become
hairy (which will fall off once the item is dry so don't be concerned),
and the rubbing is not needed anyway as the alpaca wants to felt as a
natural trait so not as much effort is required.
#3 Dry needle felting
is an easy way to gain more control over your embellishment design.
Using the 3-pin Clover tool allows you to work with finer threads for
specific placement, while the Clover 5-pin gives all over felting
options. Make sure that if you are using foam as your felting mat that
you keep your needles upright and your mind on the job...a moment of
distraction is a sure way to break your needles!
#4 When wet felting it
is helpful to wet both sides of your work. So once you have laid out
your 2 or 3 layers of fibre, wet the top side first then lay another
piece of bubblewrap on top - push it down to expel the air, flip the
whole thing over so that the top layer is now the bottom, remove your
original piece of bubblewrap and wet the fibre down on this side too.
#5 Alpaca fibre that has
been 'fluffed' and pulled apart prior to laying down on your
bubble-wrap or onto a silk piece felts exceptionally well. You still
need to have several layers, but there is no need to align fibres within
each layer as long as you have some overlap of each soft airy fibre
blob. While this may go against wool felting techniques, don't be
afraid to experiment with alpaca as this method is more 'in tune' with
the properties of the alpaca fibre which tends to spread out more than
wool fibres during felting because it is hollow inside. By creating
'blobs' of fibre rather aligned fibres, you are accommodating, yet
containing, alpaca's mobile tendencies.
#6 Don't be afraid to
experiment with different types of fabric when you are incorporating it
with your alpaca fibre. Most fabrics are worth a try but perhaps satins
and taffeta types are the least successful. Be prepared to work some
incorporations a bit more than you have come to expect but the effort
can bring you delightful results.
#7 When you are felting
around a resist for mittens and boots, you will generally not need to
include a full 30% shrinkage allowance as the alpaca fibre does not need
to be overworked...unless you want a really really really firm felt, of
course. My first effort at fingerless gloves, with a very full 30%
allowance, became felt gauntlets as I had to work them very hard to
bring up ~ or down ~ to the finished size.
#8 When you are
working with unprocessed fleece, the final outcome may seem a little
'hairy' to you...this is completely dependent on your individual animal -
the age and fibre quality. Our fibre from our older animals will often
give you this feel. There are several things you can do to accommodate
this hairiness: 1) spray your finished item with a quilting basting
spray and let it dry. Then wash in soapy water and dry as per normal.
This will give you a flatter look and smooth your fibres but gives it a
'plastic' feel. Trial it first to see what you think. Or, 2) When your
creation is dry, rub your hands over it to remove the unfelted fibres.
This is very soothing and does not undermine your felting. Or, 3)
Quilt your felting before making it into its final form. This will hold
your fibres securely. I always do this when I use the fleece from our
20 year old girls. Or, 4) Finally, simply enjoy the tactile feel!
