Felting

Getting to know new materials and techniques are always a fun experience riddled with complications and achievement. Everyone has a different way of attempting each technique.

I learnt how to do basic felting during my days at college and over time honed my skill to create articles of costume and pieces of artwork. Each attempt I made had a different result. I found that my personal preference was using merino wool tops and a bamboo place mat to make felt and then cut everything by hand after.

Of Bees and Mist Costume

In 2010 I was commissioned to make a costume for a character called Eva in the book ‘Of Bees and Mist’.

Eva’s character was a manipulative mother in law who liked to control everything. She kept a rose garden that she was very proud of and the bees were her constant drowning.

Part of the costume was a headpiece, which I decided to make partly out of felt. I started out making the base for the headdress and decided to use sinamay as my main material and manipulated it with a thin silver wire to create the shape needed.

Using the cuttlefish method I cast bees out of pewter which were then drilled and wired with a thick steel wire to hold the weight. I finally made various sized rose petals out of felt using the method below. These were then sewn to the base of the headpiece, and beaded where needed for surface decoration. The wired bees were twisted into the base and then, using a dab of hot glue I added the felted petals to hide the attachment.

The overall finished piece included a dress to go with the headpiece, and communicated the character's personality effectively, while suggesting there may be more to her than meets the eye.

I enjoyed making the felt as it allows you to watch the material being made right before your eyes and you get to judge on the over all density of the material. I went for quite a thick density as it helped bulk out the base and gave added texture to the piece.

How to make felt 

You Will Need

• Merino wool (or other fine wool tops)
• Plastic bubble wrap
• wool yarn (if wanted)
• thread (if wanted)
• water
• bamboo matting

Instructions

• Using merino wool or other fine wool tops, pull the end fibers out gently and lay them down on plastic bubble wrap in a square with all the fibers in the same direction. 
• Repeat the process above but with the fibers laying in the opposite direction. Make sure that you cannot see the previous layer through the second layer but still keeping the wool tops fine. 
• Repeat this process with the fibers running in the direction of the first layer to create a third. 
• In addition to the basic felt it is possible to create a design on top of the third layer using whatever colours you like as well as using other fibers such as wool yarn and thread to add a raised effect. 
• Sprinkle a very small amount of soap flakes over the piece and then add a small amount of hot water. 
• Place a second piece of bubble wrap over the whole piece with the bubble-side downwards and rub over the plastic to disperse the water evenly. If necessary, add some more water to ensure that the wool is "wetted" out but not too much so as to drench the piece. 
• Carry on rubbing until the fibers start shrinking together. To increase friction it is possible to roll it in bamboo matting. 
• Finally roll the piece in a ball in your hands only when you believe the felt is nearly complete and throw it down onto the mat repeatedly, This shocks the fibers into shrinking more. 
• Rinse out the piece and leave to dry. 

If you are interested in learning more about felting, please contact me to discuss either private lessons, or attending one of my future craft workshops.