1. Lay out your wool roving - these are your natural
fibers
a.
Cover your workspace in plastic, or work
outside, as the felting process uses ample amount of water and can be messy
b.
Lay down a towel and one of your mats down on your
tabletop
c.
Taking a piece of your wool roving, gently
tug small tufts from one end
d.
Lay the fibers in a row, each going in the same
direction, and overlapping each other by ½ an inch
e.
Continue adding fibers this way – all in the
same direction – until the layer is approximately 30% larger than the desired
size
i. Wool
fibers will shrink during the felting process by approximately 30% depending on
the type of wool and other external factors
2. Sprinkle the roving with water
a.
Fill your bottle with hot water and a few quirts
of any soap you have available.
b.
Gently shake the bottle, and sprinkle the
mixture over your entire wool layer, generously covering the whole layer so it
is LIGHTLY saturated.
c.
Place your hand on top and gently massage the
water into the wool for a couple of minutes
3. Add your second layer of wool – also natural
fibers
a.
Start adding the second layer, make sure the second
layer is perpendicular to the first.
b.
Pull small tufts from one end of your roving and
lay your next layer, with all fibers going the same direction for this layer,
but opposite the direction of your first layer
c.
Again, overlap the sections of this layer by ½ an
inch
d.
Sprinkle with your water and soap mixture and
lightly press your hands on the fabric to saturate your fibers
4. Add your third and final layer of wool– these are
your colorful and dyed fibers
a.
This layer is perpendicular to the second layer,
and so should be placed in the same direction as your first layer. I like to
have my 1st and 3rd layers horizontal, and my 2nd
vertical. You may want your colored layer to be vertical depending on your
imagery, and so would adjust accordingly
b.
Pull small tufts from your dyed wool and lay
them according to the background color display you want your art scene, or
fabric, to depict.
c.
Lightly sprinkle your hot water and soap mixture
over (remember the additional layers need less added water as water will seep up
from the previous layers)
1 5. Begin the felting process
a.
Place your second mat on top of your project and
begin gently agitating the project, using pressure and circular motions, with
the flat part of your hands. Make sure to begin lightly in the beginning, your
fibers should not be separating and moving very much at first.
b.
Work the entire surface evenly, including the
edges, while increasing pressure and level of agitation.
c.
Continue this process for 10-15 minutes
d.
Flip your work and repeat.
e.
Pinch test your fabric, on both sides, to make
sure the fibers have stuck together efficiently and are not pulling apart from
one another.
i. If
the fibers pulling up in a solid piece, you are reading to move on
ii. If
the fibers are pulling up separate from one another, sprinkle additional hot
water, replace the mat and continue to work the fibers until they are ready.
6. Felt your project – the fulling process
a.
This is the stage when the fibers will shrink,
harden and form your solid fabric piece.
b.
Place your project inside of your rolling mat,
inside of a towel and roll the bamboo mat and towel up tightly.
c.
Use your
hands to roll the project back and forth for a solid 5 minutes. Use pressure
throughout the process.
d.
Unroll the project, turn it 90 degrees and
repeat this process of rolling for the second side. Using pressure and a back
and forth motion.
e.
Repeat this process for the remaining two turns,
making sure to work evenly throughout the fulling process.
f.
If you feel like your fabric has really taken
shape and shrunk considerably, you can move onto the next step. Otherwise,
re-roll your project in all four directions another time.
7.
Finishing your felted fabric
a.
The last step of the felted fabric is to throw
the piece down on the table, to finish the shrinking process.
b.
Make sure your table, or the floor, is clean and
take your project and throw it roughly down for approximately 30 times.
c.
Pick your project up, and check it.
i. If
you are happy with the product then you can rinse it out
ii. If
not, continue to throw it until you are happy. Remembering that the product
will get very hard and will shrink more – you do not want to overwork the
fabric
d.
Set up a tub with hot water, full enough to
completely submerge your project.
e.
Dunk your project into the hot bath
f.
Next, rinse the project with cold water
completely until no more soapy suds appear. You can use the kitchen sink or a
hose outside, whichever you and your family prefer.
g. Leave the project out in the sun, completely flat, until it is dried completely. Your fabric is finished!
8. Needle-Felting Designs
a.
First gather the colored wool you will need for
your design, you will also need felting needles and a foam pad.
b.
Begin by pulling small tufts of your wool and
placing them on your wool fabric in the design you have chosen, to get a
general idea of where things will lie and fit.
c.
Make sure to place the foam pad underneath your
work at all times when you are using a felting needle on your work.
d.
Begin felting the designs onto your fabric using
your felting needle.
i. Always
work in a straight up and down motion as the needles are fragile and will break
easily if you bend them awkwardly
ii. Enter
the fabric only slightly and do not submerge your needle deep into the foam pad
iii. Hold
the colored wool in place with your thumb and forefinger of your left hand, and
use your right to slightly imbed the needle within the fabric, over and over
again. Make sure to cover the entire length of the wool, so that the appearance
is even.
iv. Continue
to add wool fibers and needle felt them in place until you are happy and
finished with your design.
Wonderful work! You have finished your 7
th Grade wet-felting project, and I am so very proud of all of your hard work and dedication! Way to go students!
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