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Make your own piece of felt

Would you like to get started yourself? Learning to felt is not that difficult, but it does take some time. And as with everything, practice makes perfect.

Supplies

Felting is done with wick wool. That is a strand of combed wool fibers that all lie in the same direction. In addition to wick wool, you need the following: bubble wrap, warm water, olive soap and a dash of vinegar.

Shrinkage

When felting, the wool shrinks by about 30%. This means that you always start with a larger surface area. For example, if you want to felt a rug of 20 x 30 cm, you place the wool in a rectangle of 30 x 45 cm.  

Steps

Felt as follows:

  1. Place a piece of bubble wrap on the table with the bubbles facing up.
  2. Place the first layer of wicking wool on top of this. You do this by placing tufts of wool in a row next to each other. Lay the next row over it, like roof tiles, in the same direction. Place the second layer of wool perpendicular to the first layer. This way you place different layers on top of each other alternately. Use at least 3 layers.
  3. Now sprinkle the wool with warm water in which you have dissolved some olive soap. Start in the center and work outwards. Place a layer of bubble wrap with the bubbles facing down on the wool and press the work flat. Now work from the inside out. Remove the plastic and see if all the wool has become wet. If not, repeat the above.
  4. Place the bubble wrap back on the wool and apply some soap. Now you can start rubbing. Start carefully and now work from the inside out. The wool fibers become increasingly tight. When the fibers stop shifting, you can remove the plastic from the top and rub the wool directly with your hands. Make sure it stays sufficiently wet.
  5. It takes a long time for the wool to felt, so you need some patience. When the wool starts to felt, it shrinks and the rug becomes thicker. The felt is ready when you can no longer grasp a tuft between your thumb and index finger.
  6. Carefully rinse the piece of felt in lukewarm water with a dash of vinegar and let it dry flat.

At Vilt & Meer at Strijp-S in Eindhoven we are happy to answer all your questions about felt. Feel free to drop by!

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