Wool felting

[swirlyarts]

Not sure if this is th correct forum to post in but it will be moved if not!! I saw some beautiful scarves the other day that had been made from wool felt. I just want to know how to go about making it. I know that you need wool jumpers but do they need to be 100% wool or will a mixture of wool work? Also, what temperature is best to wash the jumpers at so that they shrink to the right size/gauge to be used?
Any advice would be much appreciated!
Lynsey

[Jane_Russell]

Whenever I've made felt, I've used raw wool which I dye using vegetable materials. I use boiling water, fairy liquid and a rolling pin on the draining board. You can get much more delicate weights of "fabric" if you do it this wayand you have better control over the the patterns etc. The only downside is that it's quite hard work.

Jane
100% wool but you can add interesting bits afterwards or anchor them in during the felting process.

Jane

[swirlyarts]

Thanks! I want to try it with jumpers first before I go out and buy lots of equipment and then find out I didn't like it!!

[Jane_Russell]

Depending on the quality of your wool stock, you'd only need a fine dog grooming comb, a couple of long tea-towels and rolling pin :) You can manage without carders or carding machine.

I've never tried felting jumpers. If you use the washing machine then you'll need a good hot wash temperature. I can't help with shrinkage I imagine it depends on how tightly the jumper is knitted and whether it's already suffered shrinkage of some sort already.

I'd be very interested to see your results :D

Jane

[swirlyarts]

I will post a picture when I've made something (you'll be waiting a while though!) and once I've figured out how to post pictures! :)

[Jane_Russell]

It's a good time of year for making scarves. I might try it myself since you mentioned it.

Jane

[swirlyarts]

Cool - piccies please when you're done!

[handmadeheaven.biz]

if you're felting jumpers they need to be HANDWASH. machine washable just doesnt work. make sure they have a high % of wool. angora's the best but not that cheap! acrylic wool's no good, it needs to be real wool. wash on your highest temp setting on the machine. there's no way to control the size of the finished piece as every jumper ends up different. good luck! :D

[Jane_Russell]

I had a look in the charity shops but nothing doing! I'm going to rummage through my yarn box for inspiration!

Jane

[handmadeheaven.biz]

the right kind of jumpers in charity shops are few and far between. charity shops aren't the cheap places they used to be - gone are the days of clothes for 50p

[Jane_Russell]

They're not too bad round here but the number of pure wool ones is probably less than in Cheltenham. I did pick up a couple of plain ones which I thought I might felt and cut squares from to make a blanket type thing from. They'll probably only gather dust :rolleyes:

Jane

[handmadeheaven.biz]

They're not too bad round here but the number of pure wool ones is probably less than in Cheltenham. I did pick up a couple of plain ones which I thought I might felt and cut squares from to make a blanket type thing from. They'll probably only gather dust :rolleyes:

Jane

Put them in the washing machine and get them felted, lady! lol!! Then that's at least a step in the right direction :p

[swirlyarts]

Jumble sales are great!! I go to an annual one where on the last day you can fill a black bag for £2!! Going to hopefully get lots of jumpers there as there is always loads of stuff left at the end!

[swirlyarts]

Am I right in thinking that when wool is felted properly, it shouldn't fray when cut? Going to felt some jumpers today!!

[Jane_Russell]

You are right. The felting process fuses the wool. You may get a bit of light fuzziness on the edges though. Depending on your design, you could always run a decorative blanket stitch along edges that might get a lot of wear. Looking forward to seeing what you felt.

Jane

[swirlyarts]

Typical!! I go to find the jumpers to felt and I can't find the blinking things!! :( Found some others though so they are in the washing machine as I type! I will update later :)

[handmadeheaven.biz]

pictures! we want pictures :D

[swirlyarts]

The jumpers have shrunk so that's a good start. I haven't had chance to do anything with them yet though......Story of my life! :rolleyes:

[swirlyarts]

So......if I make a scarf/blanket out of felted wool and then proceed to sell it, what washing instructions do I give to the purchaser? Wishful thinking so far but it pays to be prepared!!

[handmadeheaven.biz]

So......if I make a scarf/blanket out of felted wool and then proceed to sell it, what washing instructions do I give to the purchaser? Wishful thinking so far but it pays to be prepared!!handwash or wash on wool cycle! :D

[swirlyarts]

That was what I had assumed but just thought I would check!! :D

[handmadeheaven.biz]

it is only a guess but that's what i'd put on my stuff, if i ever have time to get round to making any! i'd go for handwash only tho rather than a machine cycle

[swirlyarts]

Thanks - just got to make it now!

[swirlyarts]

Well yesterday I cut a small piece off one of the felted items and despite pulling it (as well as hubby and sister in law doing the same!), it didn't fray!! Yeah!! That was the thing I was most concerned about. Might have a go at a blanket for Anya's teddy bear - or a scarf for her. Not sure yet but needs to be something simple!!

[manwanis]

Thanks... what is the target audiance for these products.

[twilightsewn]

I know this post is a few months old, but I have just read this article that is worth sharing:

Wool Whimsy Felting: A hot hobby for any age (http://www.eagletribune.com/pulife/local_story_070094606?keyword=secondarystory+page= 0)

It is something I'd like to try.

Shana

[euston-74]

I'm about to start stocking wool felting kits in my shop. They are the needle felting variation that is mentioned in the article, where you get hold on the ready felted wool and use it to create surface designs on a range of fabrics. It looks like lots of fun and I'm looking forward to having a go myself.
Sadly, they are not in stock yet so I can't sell you one right now!
Mel

[twilightsewn]

That sounds good, I thought starting with a kit would be best, I love working with felt, it behaves itself and doesn't fray!

When you have them in stock, that will be my little treat to myself, I'll find a good reason why!

Shana

[JayniffaD]

ooh just strumbled across this thread, we have been trying to "felt" jumpers at work(during break times of course:D ), we only managed to get one to work and it was a shetland wool jumper,most wools have been treated to stop them from shrinking,most of the "wool" jumpers we tried just grew lol
this one worked great, it started off about a size 22 and ended up a 8 year old lol

we would also like to hold a felting class as in felting from scratch.
if there is anyone out there that does classes or is willing to come along to one of our sessions and show us !!