•• • Gillian Harris

easy techniques and 25 great projects

co e e •

e a In EASY TECHNIQUES AND 25 GREAT PROJECTS

G ILLIAN HARRI S

COLLINS & BROWN

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olIN! C00VflW11 owner

COmmIS'OOOIJlg (d,IOf M.chelle la

()e<,lgn Manager Gemma Wilson

()eo;i&f1'!I' Roser Hammond ptx,. ~raphef Mark W'nwood

Illuslrat'lI' Kana CIlerl

Copy W!lOf: Ma'>e Clayton

SenIOr Pl'OdoctlOll CoIltrQllef Moma M-Pherson

ISBN I 84340 369 2

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I

contents 8 IntrOduction 74 knittc.:.'d fdri ng 154 templates

10 11 story 01 lelt 80 fhrty flow~ 156 glmsary

12 woof fleece 84 ICy strtpes 158 resources

16 eqUipment 88 carousel cushIon 160 acknowledgements

92 patdlWOfl<. perfect

20 \ 111 1 pit· flu felt 96 I. You

26 pe'at play

30 paper chase 100 1lL'L'dk ti:lring 34 luU bloom 104 toolh fairy cushion

38 ewe elrod me lOB heart to hearts

42 heart!! I rug 112 under Covel 116 lingle beU

46 3- d ~h apc::. 120 pauling trout

54 hIghly strung

58 dolly spotTY 124 :ldv,lIlCI.:d (ceh 11 iqlll:'1 62 culle boolles 126 cobweb cool

66 lea lime cosy 132 nuno f(>l\ Shaw

70 dapper flapper 138 blOOrTlIng shpper5

142 bowl OVer ball

148 field of POPPIes

introduction

I've been obsessed with making things from as far

back as I can remember. At the age of six, I pieced together a small wobbly pincushion from felt and sent It along with my parents to a dinner party as a gift for the unsuspecting host's daughter - my best fnend Joanna. Although this meagre offering was naively constructed from synthetic felt II was stili soft to the touch, it was vibrantly coloured and appealing, and It didn't fray -an important discovery for any six-year-old.

The word 'felt' often conjures up Images of mass­produced multicoloured squares, or perhaps the green sluff found under plano keys or on pool tables.

However, as you are about to discover, 'real' handmade wool felt is quite a different material and bears little resemblance to the synthetic variety.

Handmade or hand-rolled felt is often made

8 ilHro d ucrio n

entirely from wool fleece that has been cleaned and combed (carded). The felting process starts when microscopic scales on each fibre of wool move and link together, by rubbing the fleece with soap and water. Once the fibres have clung together, the felt is then 'fulled' into a dense, hardened mat using heat and friction. The fulling process makes the felt shrink quite considerably.

Of course, most of you will be familiar with this

irreversible process, which may have happened to a faVOUrite wool sweater in the washing machine! A simulation of this washing machine cycle is re-created dUring the feltmakmg process, but in a far more controlled manner, What we are left with at the end is a fire retardant, water repellent. warm and insulating, soft and cosy, breathable, protective, pliable, colourful, non-fraying

fabrIC - namely wool felt. With a multitude of applications, It'S no wonder that so many of us love making It.

I had two goals In writing this book. The first of whICh was to encompass all aspects of feltmakmg. While wet felting. needle fellmg. and knitted felting differ greatly when It comes to technique, they all start With the same elemem, wool, and they all elld Wit I! the same result, felt. The different ways of making fell lend themselves britllantly to different end results. This book starts With simple flat felting and sculptural felting In 3-d uSing templates, then covers soapless waterless needle felling. moves through felted kOltling. and ends With more advanced projects such as felting onto fabric (nuno felt) , cobweb felting and other Interesting techniques.

My second aim was to Inspire, motivate and unleash creativity In as many people as posSible. So often, people come to my courses feelmg sceptical or unsure about their artistic potential and creativity, and I really want to try and get across that 'letting go' and HAVING a go is what It'S all about. No matter how Inexperienced you are at crafts, and regardless of your level of creativity, It IS difficult to go wrong. Felt IS forgiVing In the extreme for beginners. and yet

receptIVe, transformable, diverse and full of endless possibilities for enthUSiasts and experienced artists. Making felt is one of the few thlOgs In life that rewards lis maker With a warm fuzzy feeling on the Inside AND the outSide!

Feltmaklng 15 an art. not a science. My Instrucllons. lips. and tricks In this book are what I have found works best for me, but If you discover different ways of dOing things for yourself, use them! Nothing In this book IS set 10 stone. but I have created a range of proJects that I trust you Will learn from and enJoy. I hope you wlilihen be Inspired 10 experiment a little too and take your fellmaklng forward With your own Ideas.

co mplet e fc lr lll 3k ing 9

history of felt

F eltmaking is a very anCient bUSiness. Don't be fooled Into thinking this is a recent discovery - far

from It! Making felt from wool was around way before spinning or weaving with wool. Felt has been In existence for hterally thousands and thousands of years and dates back to the early Neolithic cultures.

As wool fleece from sheep was placed around the feet and under saddles for protection, comfort, and warmth, the moisture from sweat coupled with the fflctlon and heat from movement resulted In the first felts, and so feltmaking was born. Felted saddle blankets. masks, animal figures, socks, boots, hats, clothing, shields and carpets are In eVidence all over the world, In places as far away as Persia, India and China.

Nomadic tribes in central Asia , Siberia, China, and Mongolia soon discovered the protective qualities of felt, and covered their movable tents ('gers' or 'yurts') With it for thousands of years - some continue to do so today_ Groups would work together 10 deSign and make large pieces of felt to be used as shelter for the community as a cool retreat in hot weather and a practical Insulated haven dunng winter months.

The worldwide felt phenomenon was also apparent in AnCient Greece, where the Greek soldiers allegedly used wool felt to line their helmets. Not to be outdone, Roman soldiers also used felt in breastplates. To provide Insulation from the extreme cold, Scandinavians have also been using wool , felt and felting for thousands of years. likewise In Turkey,

10 h is t o r y of fel t

where they stili make felt rugs today. Since the Industrial Revolution, felt has been

made by machines In large sheets of varying thickness, often from a mixture of synthetic fibres mixed with wool. There IS a wet method, and also a dry method using thousands of barbed needles on a flat bed, which are pushed in and out of the fibres until they become meshed together and form sheets of fabric. These are the same sort of needles that are used for needle felting In this book.

Machine-made felt has many uses. Apart from machine-pressed felt hats (caps, trilbies. bowlers, cloches, and berets), mass-produced felt is used in many other applications for its sound deadening and Insulating qualities. For example, felt is used in planas to deaden the sound by preventing wood and metal banging together. It is also used as an Insulating roofing material, a protective material In

packaging, as the cover on a pool table, as an air filter or a washer - and so the list goes on.

If you would like to learn more about felt and feltmaklng, various museums around the world showcase relics from ancient Civilizations. Many faSCinating artifacts dating back to the 5th century Be - preserved by the freeZing conditions of the high Altai mountains where they were found - can be found at The State Hermitage Museum In

SI. Petersburg in Russia. In addition, there is also a Felt Museum In Mouzon, France, which covers the historic and contemporary aspects of feltmaking.

•

• • •

wool fleece

The wool normally used for feltmaklng IS often referred to as wool lops or roving, although in this

txx>k I sometimes just calli! wool fleece. Wool top IS

wool that has been taken from the sheep, cleaned (scoured) and combed (carded) so all the fibres face the same way, then wound Into a continuous length. ROVing IS similar, but the fibres do not necessarily all lie in the same direction.

Many different breeds of sheep provide us with many different wool tops SUitable for fellmg. Of those readily available, Menno wool tops are the easiest and fastest to fell together because they are finer. Also Menno IS available In the largest palette of colours - a constant source of InSpiration to the feltmaker. Coarser, un~dyed wools do have their wonderful Qualities too, offering different textures and often a

robust felt when finished. Most wools WIll felt together eventually If you persevere. but fmer wools with a slightly finer crimp, such as Menno, Blue Faced leicester, Jacob. and Shetland, will felt that much more easily and quickly.

Wools are graded In several different and often confusing ways. The three most common are:

12 wool nt.'CCl'

Micron - The most modern and SImple measunng system. which measures the diameter of the wool fibre under a mIcroscope uSing a measunng system based on a mllhonth of a metre (1125,()()() of an Inch). Very precise!

Bradford count - A British measunng system dating from the 19th century, which represents fibre f,neness and length by measunng the number of 560-yard

skeins spun from one pound weight of clean wool. For example, you will sometimes see wool referred to as '64's', which means It has a Bradford Count of 64; there were 64 skeins of wool produced from one pound of the wool so the fibres are very flOe. If It had a count of 48. only 48 skeins would have been produced and the fibres Will be thicker and coarser.

Blood count - An older and rather Imprecise Amencan

system referring to the amount of Menno breed 10 the sheep that the wool comes from. Since Menno was conSidered the finest and most SUitable wool for felltng, this grading system refers to It as 'Fine Wool'. A sheep that IS a cross between Menno and another

breed will produce wool that is slightly coarser with a slightly larger crimp. This wool would be referred to as 'j Blood Wool'. If the sheep is crossed again ItS wool would be 'Yo Blood Wool', and then 'Y. Blood Wool' and so on.

As a general rule of thumb, the higher the wool count and the lower the micron. the finer the wool the grading systems therefore determine each wool's 'feltabllity'. Wools such as Merino, Carnedale, Blue Faced Leicester, Flnnsheep, Targhee and Jacob (to name but a few!) are all graded differently. They all felt well, but at different rates because of their different fibre length and thickness. As an example, Ihe Merino I Ildve used 10 this book IS about 23 micron, and 64 count and is 'Fine Wool'. It has very fine crimp and a short staple length, and therefore felts very quickly. As a contrast. Finn wool would be referred to as ' Y~ Blood' and IS 27-30 micron With a count of 50-54. It has a much longer staple length and a coarser or larger crimp. Therefore one can deduce that the Finn wool will take longer to felt than the Menno. ThiS IS worth remembering If you are combining different breeds and different grades of wool 10 the same proJect; it may take a lot longer to achieve the deSired result because different wools Will felt at different rates.

Once you have purchased your wool tops or roving for felt making. remember to store it away from mOisture - too much mOIsture Will make It coarse and

14 \\' 0 01 n l'ect'

harder to work With - but If posSible let air Circulate around It. Storing It In plastic bags for short periods of time does no harm, but do not leave It packed like this for very long penods. You should also take care to repel moths, which may decide to lunch on your stash!

Fleece wool tops get harder to pull apart the older they get. and If they are left out In the air for long periods of time they lose their springiness and feel harder and more matted. When thiS happens, they can stili be used for fell making, but the fibres need to be teased apart more than normal before pulling the wispy end fibres off.

The key to making successful felt IS to pull the wispy end fibres from the wool tops and then layer them up thinly and slowly. It IS really important not to cut corners by working With wads of fibres that are too thick. As you practice and become more In

tune With the process you Will be able to Judge how to use the wool fleece most effectively.

While working With wool fleece can be very rewarding, someilmes It can also seem time consuming .. especially for the beginner. If you can't finish a project In one sltllng. It'S fine to leave it In an OPEN plastic bag and go back to It another day. Make sure you don't seal It In a bag as It Will go mouldy and smell. You will more than likely have to re-wet it If you leave It for more than an hour, as the water WIll evaporate QUite quickly.

•

equIpment

The workspace and equipment requirements for feltmaklng are fairly simple and user-fnendly. A

reasonably large table or working area near to a sink is Important. Hoi and cold running water and access to a kettle are also a must.

I encourage fell making uSing minimal amounts of water, but bear In mind that the ocId soapy splash should be expected and your workmg area should be protected as necessary. When needle felling no water or soap will be required, so just a small table space in any convement posItion IS all that IS needed.

As well as the specific equipment listed here. you will need a selection of different sized scissors and baSIC sewing equipment, such as needle and thread and embroidery thread, for some of the projects.

Wet Felting

Net curtain/mosquito netting - A large piece of medium-weight polyester nettmg to layover your fibres before you begin wettmg them. This will enable you to start rubbing with minimal disturbance of your design.

Soapy water - A mlxlure of warm waler with a dash of washing up liqUid In some sort of bottle so you can dispense II slowly. A clean plastic ketchup bottle is useful when working with larger, thick layers of fibre and a spray bottle for small and delicate projects. You can also use a drtnklng bottle wllh a sports cap.

l6 equ lplll e lH

Dish cloth and bowl - A dish cloth IS handy to mop up excess water and to spread retained water through the fibres. thus eliminating the rtSk of 'overwetllng'. You will also need a bowl to squeeze the dish cloth oul Into, to save runnmg to the smk every five minutes.

Soap - Many feltmakers prefer to use an olive 011 or low lather soap. but any soap will do. The alkalinity of the soap IS what is Important here, Since It speeds up the feltmaklng process, and its Slipperiness aids rubbing. An ally soap is kinder to hands, but the lanolin present In wool prevenls hands from becommg 100 dry. When fulhng Items In the washing machine, use ordinary washing powder make sure It does not have fabnc softener In II and Ihat IllS nol a special wool detergent, Since Ihls will prevent felling.

Kettle A kettle nearby to produce a constant supply of boiling waler when you need It IS very handy. While you can substitute very hot tap water [over 6CrC (14(JlF>J. uSing water straight from the kettle that is very near boiling point Will produce much faster and better results.

Rubber gloves There is no need to wear rubber gloves when rubbing, but you Will need them to prolect your hands when you are pouring boiltng water over your work.

-

\ ,

Bamboo blind or matlbubble wrap - When makmg a flat piece of felt. It is wise to work directly on a bamboo blind or a piece of bubble wrap to provide as much friction as possible underneath the felt while you are rubbmg. Also, once the first stage of the felhng process IS complete and the fulling stage begins, uSIng a bamboo blind for roiling is the best opllon for fast and effective results - this IS what I use throughout the book. Bubble wrap can be substituted If necessary, or as another alternatIve. some people prefer to use a washboard and simply rub the felt against II until It starts to shnnk, A smaller bamboo sushi mat is Invaluable for making smaller prolects.

Towels - Great for placing under your bamboo mal befOfe you start both to soak up any excess water and to keep the bamboo mat m place dunng the roiling process. Also Important for dryIng hands between rubbing wet fleece and touchIng the dry fleece.

Templates & blocks - The thick plastic that IS available from DIY stores or builders' merchants is Ideal for making templates. It retains ItS shape when hot, and you can feel the edge of It. even through several layers of fleece! You can also make templates from bubble wrap, A polystyrene hat block IS great If you mtend to do a lot of hat making, but for a one-oft projeCt, substrtute a head·slzed bowl! Polystyrene slipper forms are required for the shpper project tn

chapter 5, but If these are unobtainable, you can try uSing rubber wellington boots instead!

Washing machine - Most of the knitted projects require 'fulling' or fellmg In the machine, In case you don't have one available, I also outline alternaltves, for hand felling,

Need le Felting

Dense foam - It is Wtse to keep a rectangle of dense foam to use under all your needle felting. This Will protect your table, and Will protect YOU If you are not workmg at a table!

Felting needles - A seleclton of different sized feltmg needles for different types of work (see glossary on page 156 for further details). These are extremely sharp, so use them With caution and take care. A multl·needle tool that holds several needles for use at the same time IS useful for larger areas.

Foam shapes - When making larger pieces. either form a core shape USing bunched fleece or cut out foam shapes to work around.

cO lllp ler c felr lll akill g 19

•

S llll e at ThiS basic technique introduces you to the art o[ [eltmaking and acts as a platform on which to build new [elting skills. Learning how to handle the fleece and how to manipulate the fibres in order to shrink and harden the felt will shape you up for chapters to come! Experiment with different water temperatures and time of rubbing and rolling as you work to get a feel for the feltmaklng process - while creating some fantastic projects at the same time!

e t

The basic techniques will start you off on your feltmaking pursuits. The key thing here is to obtain wispy fibres that will be layered on top of each other -do not use great wads of fleece' The layers will always be applied in alternating directions, either horizontally or vertically. When welting the felt , it should be thoroughly dampened, but not soaking weI. The harder you rub, the quicker the results.

22 si mp le n :H fc lt

1 C hoosing fl eece Once you have selected your c%ur of

WOOl tops. hold a long length of fleece In Dfle hand about lOcm (4In) from the end

and wdh the other hand, gently pull wISpy

pieces of fleece away with your finger I1ps

and the fleshy base of your thumb. Keep

your hands apart - holding the fleece with

your hands too near to each other W111

prevent the fibres from commg loose and

separating

2 Laying Ollt fl eece Lay fleece directly onto the bamboo

mat. keeping all the fibres running In the

same direction to form the first layer. By a

'layer'. f mean laYing down enough fleece

to prevent you from seeing whatever IS

underneath - be that the table or mat or

netllng. You Will need 10 bUild up two or

three layers of fleece, depending on how

hardy your finished piece needs to be.

Conllnue With the next layer, by applymg

lleece in the opposite direcllon. ThiS Will

help the fibres tangle together when you

start (0 rub. Do not bunch the fleece up

Into a lumpy uneven wad - keep II as even

and fine as you can and bUild the

thICkness up slowly.

3 Designing w ith fl eece To make a mo\.l. pull off a small

''f'Igth 01 f bre. Spread and separate II

bet-l<een your lingers. working with the

fleece as loosely as you can. To make a

c IOe. pu away ill strand of fleece and cOIl

1\ so the ends overlap. WOfK with SImilar

coIoors on lop of ooe another to add depth

and LIllere5t Remember that your work 'Ii II

$lVmk and ltIat IndiVidual elements WIll be

defined as thIS shrinkage occurs. so keep

yos desagns as lOoSe and open as POSSible.

Keep it Loose

4 Wetting lay the netting on top 01 your neece,

laking care not to dl<,:urb your carefully laid

out deSigns. USing either ill spray gun or

another sort of water dispenser. sprinkle

warm soapy water atrO!.S the entire des'gn

area. AVOId over-welling your WOfk: you can

ill ways add more water IItte by little. but

you shouldn"t need to gel the mop outl

Creating tight. compact spots. spirals. lines. motifs or designs Will make life difficult

dUring lne rubbing stage. The little f.bfes w I not rTlO\Ie around and tangle With thOse

undt..>fllealh, so they Will only tangle and eventually felt With themselves. Keep your

designs open and loose to save a great deal of Iin;e and effort'

5 M opping lip Spread the water through Ihe f,bres

and soa~ up any excess by Wlpmg over the

nett.ng With a cloth, wtlng.ng out excess

water .nto a bowl. There is a fine hne

between 'too wet' and 'not wei enough', so

conllnue thiS process untl' your fleece leels

like IllS completely 'stuck- fla t or matted

When II IS J)fessed, lhere Should be no

puddles of water, but at the same I,me,

there should also be no alt p:x:kets of

spllngy fibres. Once the whole area IS wet, you can peel baCk the netting to adlust the

placement of any elements of Ihe design

that may have moved around dunng the

wetting process_

cO l11pl e r ~ fel rlll3 k i ng 23

6 5wdlin <Y <> Rubbing a bar of soap over the

netllng WIll help to make the next step of

rubbing the fleece much eaSier In

addition. and more Importantly, the

alkahn ty of the soap will encourage the

felt ng process to c;larl by makul8 the

rnlcroscoptC scales on the wool fibres start

to swell and move open. In my experience,

the soapier the betler. although some

feltmakers feel lha\ too many alf bubbles In

the lather may Impede the felting process.

24 ..; illlpil.' n,1( fe lr

'-._ -

7 Rubbing Keep the netting as flat as you can

while you rub. The agltahon from the

tubbing encourages the fibres 10 entangle,

so use both hands and plenty 01 pressure

don', tICkle II' Some hbres may come

through the netl lng. but If you find an

abundance, simply remove the excess by

peeling back the nettmg while holding your

fleece down underneath With the other

hand al the same lime, Continue rubbing

for about ten minutes. You w !1 know wilen

you are done once you are able 10 slide

your hand across the tleece design and the

fibres no longer move. When your pIeCe IS

well held together. rinse II In warm waler

unlll mOSI of Ihe soap IS out It may stili be

a IIltle delICate, so don'lleave II under a

running lapl Squeeze out all excess water.

8 Il..olling LIp your felt ThiS part of the feltmg process IS lhe

fulling part, which is when the felt really

starts to harden and shnnk Roll the fell up

In the bamboo mal as tightly as POSSible.

Don't WOlry If It dIStorts a bit as you roll II

up II w I all fIa llen out In the end

9 R.olling the ll1at Because your felt will shrink In the

drrectlOn In whICh It IS rolled, II IS Important

Ie Ie It In all dlreo.:llOns to p!'event uneven

Shnnkage. Roll the mal back and forth WIth

fm. even pressure atxlut 20 limes. Unroll,

1 .. 10 the !)Ieee 90". and repeal. Conllnue \,in'I)'OIl ha~ moved through a lutl 3f£1'. !nen turn )QUI felt Cfl/CI and repeal the

roIbn8 process. Rinse your proteCt WIth very

ha: water. Leave II to cool slightly. then

shock II under a heeling cold tap. Repeat

*he r~ process. making sure the fell 15

nnsed thcMooghly and all soap IS rernoved.

WMe IllS SlIIi warm. repeat the roIling

pfOce'iS untilihe PIece has 'ihrunk to the

deSlred SIze. lay 11.11 to dry In a warm place

an IrOll set on the wool seiling can be

IB!d to speed up the drying process

beginner

26 p e t a l pl ay

eta ay This simple and flowery hair tie is an Ideal beginner project. Make two pieces of flat felt, cut them Into flowers, and adorn with a scattering of colourful sequins and beads. The pretty project IS so versatile, It can also be made Into barre!!es and brooches.

M ateri als

Menno woof lops:

Small amounts of pink,

orange, yellow, purple,

turquOIse and pale

green

A matching half elast iC or

small barrette

Small selection of beads

and sequins

Fine needle and thread

Fabric or craft glue

Size Approx. 8 x Bern

(3~ x 3 \1:: ln)

28 peta l p la y

1 Make up a square

measUring about 20cm

(SIn) with tlNO layers of pink

fleece and one of orange on

lop. Remember the fell Will

shrink. Add a WISPY layer of

yellow fleece radiating out from

the centre.

2 Neill to It. layout a similar

size square with two layers

of purple and one of turqUOise

over the top. Then add fine

wIspy layers of pale green

radlallng out from the centre.

3 Cover both squares WIth a

piece of netllng, wet. soap

and rub.

4 Rinse both squares In

warm water and roll In a

bamboo mat in all dlrecllOns on

both Sides, as descnbed on

page 25.

5 Pour boiling water over the

felt. Leave to cool slightly,

and then nnse WIth cold water.

Repeat the hoi water rinse and

then repeat the roiling process.

The felt should have shrunk

and become a 101 harder. Make

sure all soap has been

removed from the squares and

leave them to dry. Press them

flat If necessary.

6 Draw a 7.Scm (3In)

dlameler circle on a pIeCe

of paper, cui oul as a template

and place It over the centre

/lOInt of the blue fe ll . Cut out

the blue Circle. Make a second

Circle 6 .5cm (2 Ihm) In

diameter and repeal for the

orange fe ll.

7 To lorm the petals. make a

senes of cuts 2.5cm

( I in) long from Ihe edge

towards the centre, spacing

Ihem eq ually about every

12mm (lhm) around each

Circle. Then Simply round the

outer end of each petal With a

small pair of sharp SCissors. If

you find It eaSier, you could

mark the petals out With small

pins or a chalk penCil before

you start to cut

8 Place the flowers on top of

)(Ie another With the blue

one underneath and sew them t(.llelhef USlI1g a fme needle

elM thread, stItch a selechon of

beads and seqUins randomly In

the centre ollhe lop fIO'Ner,

9 Cui a small c"ele of felt about 2.5cm (lm) In

diameter from a piece of the

refl'lcUf'I ng fell. Slrlr:h the hair

ew..oc onto thP. back of the

blue flower, then glue the small

orcle of fell over the top to

hIOe the Shtchlng. uSing craft

or labnc adhesive. Alternatively,

glue the hair acCe5SOf'y onto a

barrette.

Felt Down

When making Simple flat

felt. It IS hne to walk d reclly

onto a bamboo mat. but

SOmellme5 placIng netting

on top 01 It 11I'S1 WlI' help

you to see what you are dOing and WIll prevent /itves

from becoming trapped In

the mal

COlllpl ctl.' ft.' l rlllaking 29

• • • •

beginner

30 p ap er c h ase

a er c ase

Imagine having a constant supply of handmade felt greeting cards In your drawer ready for any occasion, including Happy Feltmaklng Dayl A good way of learning the feltmaking process is to make this Simple two-layer piece of flat felt , which can then be adhered to a card. Once you've made one, you'll be inspired to create more.

,.. • • ,

• ~ • , - .. ' • , , I , • -, - , ., •

• - , , , , ,

• .~ I .' . . ' I • , I

• , .' , -- - , , .. -

, -.~ • • ... ,. , I . \. .. ,-

• • • , , • • ,( . .. I

..... ,"",

Materials 1 lay out a thin layer of

cherry red In one direction 3 Cover. wet, soap and rub

until there IS no movement

7 Leave the piece 01 lelt llat

10 dry. or press It Wllh the

and then another In the 01 fleece In the design. IrOO on a wool setting. Once

Merino wool lops: oPPOSite dlrechon. to create a the felt is complete!y dry.

Small amounts of lnTle. rectangte measuring about 4 RlOse the felt In warm thread a needle with pale blue

cherry red, orange. 17.5 x 12.Scm (7 x 510). water and then roll It 10 a embroidery thread and

green, pink, yellow, bamboo mat In all dlreclloos on embroider a line 01 simple

pale blue and dark blue ') layout vertJcal and bolh Sides. running sti tch around the

-.. hOrizontal SlJlpes of orange outSide of the cenlral Circle. Do

A needle and pale blue, over the top to creale a 5 Pour boiling water over the the same 10 pink thread around

pink and orange chequered effect as a feU, then cold water and the pll1k blobs at the points of

embroidery threads background. Next layout a thm then hot water agam. RlOse It the star

star In green. With a large clfcle well, making sure 10 remove aU

Sewing machine and of blue In the centre. HlShhght the soap 8 Add a seqUIn wllh a seed machine embrOIdery the blue with the light blue bead on top In the centre

thread (optional) here and there. then outline It 6 Repeat the rolling process 01 the motif. uSing orange

With a yellow edge. Add a dark again unlil you are happy embrOIdery Ihread

Blank card red spot In the cenlre. Add Wllh the amount of shrinkage

PInk spots al the DQints of the and the size of your p!CCe.

Fabric or craft glue green star

Size 10 x 8cm (4 x 3~ln)

32 pap e r c h a<;c

9 USII18 a sewmg machme.

~:ltch a random SWIII~

pc.uern O'ier the green <;tar

ConSIder It."'>hng the tensIOn

and panern on anoU1er p ece of ;_ t or OIher mater tal firs! The

tensK)l"l of lht: stitches made by

me machIne s!ltchlng will gIVe

the fell a qUilted effect

10 Trim the edges of the

lelt as required and

SlICk 1\ onto the frofl! of your

tunk :.ard wIth fablle Of crafl

~ue Voila yov'le In bU<;lness!

co mplete fl.'ltmaking 33

intern1.ediate

34 full b loo m

u oorn Whether you're serving afternoon tea or hosting a Sunday brunch, this striking table runner makes an unforgettable centrepiece. Blossoming pansies In

saturated hues come to life when set against a sprightly polka dot background. SpraYing the table runner With fabriC protector Will protect it against unforeseen spills and stains.

I J

1 Working dtrectly onto a two stde petals and a lop one. 7 Usmg the bamboo blrnd.

Materi als bamboo bltnd, lay a WISpy Oulltne each petal wtlh a roll In all dtrechOns and on

layer of whtte I!eece tn one narrow white line to help defme both sides. Then lake the

Menno wool tops: dlrechon to form a rectangle the edge. Use a contrastmg runner to the sink and pour

10Clg of white and sage measuflng apprOlumately colour fleece to create the boIltng water over II. leave for a

60 x l40cm (24 x 56m). centre. With veins runnmg into couple of minutes and then

50g of pale yellow, pink Remember always allow for the petals. Use small amounts rmse In freeZing cold water.

and purple shnnkage with measurements, of bnght yellow and green 101 Make sure all soap IS removed

so the final table runner will be the centre hlghltghts. Trim Wi th al thiS poml. Repeal the

Small amounts of bright apprOllimalely 20% smaller small SCISsorS If necessary. hot/cold water step again.

yello'N and Itme green than thiS. dependmg on hO'N Repeat this step until you·ve While the runner IS stili warm

long you work on II. Round the made Ihree flowers In each repeat the roiling process

ends of the rectangle. colourway. again. remernbenng to roll

Size more In the dltechon reqUtrmg

AI WIdest part ? lay a sold layer of green 4 Al ternate the flowers more shrinkage.

50 x ll&:m (20 x 471n) __ In the other dIrection over around the edge of the

the top, until the white fleece IS runner, With each flower facmg 8 Leave the runner to dry,

no longer visible. Add SIX raws rn a sltghtly different direction. then press flat With an Iron

of while polka dots on top of Place the flowers so they hang If reqUIred.

the green fleece, poslhonmg sltghlly off the edge of the

them .so they run diagonally runner

(see photo). Remember to ))ry Spe ll keep the fleece for the dots as 5 Cover. wet. soap and rub

'open' as possible to help them until the fleece no longer Fell can be spun dry In

\0 fel\. moves around. Apply more Ihe washing machine 10

pressure and soap on the polka remove excess water and 3 To create each flower. dots If they refuse 10 stay put . speed up the drying

make !rur rounded process. Just remember

teardrop·shape petals With the 6 Rinse briefly III warm not to set the machine to

main colour fleece, folding II waler, taking great care as wash. as thiS could

around to achieve the rounded the runner Will stili be very produce very different

petal shape. Overlap each petal fragile. resuits!

to form the flower. With bottom,

36 ru II b loom

• • •

beginner

ewe an me

38 t'WC a nd me

This decorative wall hanging accents bare walls while paying homage to our favourite provider of fleece. Interestingly enough, the body of the sheep is actually made from silk noil, but feel free to substitute it with any contrasting natural wool, such as Wensleydale, for a su bller effect.

Materials

50g of Menno woof tops

In whlte

50g of Jacob humbug an

a natural pale IYown

colou,

Small amounts of Black

Welsh wool lops an black

(Of substitute WIth dark

brown Menno)

50g of silk 0011

Yarn Of strmg fOf the

hanging loops

Size 24)( 41cm (9Y x 16Y,n)

40 c \\' ~ ~ Il d m e

1 Working directly Oflto a

bamboo blind, lay a vertical

and WISpy layer of white fie. 'Ce

In a rectan/lle measuring approxunalety 42 x 25cm

(17 x 10m) Always rememl:x!r

to allow for stmnkage WIth your

measurements

? Make a layer uSing the

__ Jacob humbug, running It

hOfizontally This lovely wool IS

striped, bul.' you can', obtain

any, use a medium bl'own wool

that w-II contrast well w,lh the

other cOlours you are uSing.

You need to make sure that the

sheep'll I stand oul well from

the background.

3 Now make two sheep

facmg each other. Lay oul

some Silk n~1 to form the

bodIeS. then make lillie legs.

heads and ears from the B ad(

Welsh. Use sma amounts of

white f1et."Ce to form mouths

and eyes. USing more white

fleece, credle Ihe !lUle heart

shape to Pl.t above sheep

afl~r all, they are In love.

1 illS Impof1':lnt to trap the

-;- Silk nOli onto the neece_

As Silk noll IS not wool, It ..... ,11

not adhere to the I\ee(:e

underneath, so you rnustlay a few very WISPY strands of fleece

over the lop of It to keep II In

plar:e.

5 Cover, wet, soap and rub

unilithe fleece no longer

moves arOlJnd

£. As the SheI'p are shll very

\.) fragile. carefully nnse the

wall hanging brIefly m ..... arm

water

Trap it in

7 Roll the wall hanging up m

the bamboo blind and roll

II In all d,rections and on both

Sides Take the prOject to the

Sink and pour oolrng water

over the top. Leave lor a COlJpIe

of mmutes and then rInse In

freellng cold waler. Make sure

all the soap IS removt.>d Repeal

the hot/cold water step_ While

the piece IS stili warm. repeat

the roiling process again.

8 Leave to dry. then press

flat w th the Iron on a wool

setting If needed

Try trapPing ilil SOftS of dIfferent things In your feltmaklng.

leaf skel'>tons, Silk. glitter. yarns and dry petals w II all work

beautIfullY. Just mal.:e sure thai very small amounts )1 fleece

either the same colour as the Item or the background

colour are placed over the top 01 whatever you dre

Irappmg You Will barely notICe thiS fleece on the finished

artICle, but what you have trapped In WIll add te)(ture and

rntereslta your WOf'k.

•• • \

~ f,r

• • '-

, •. , / •

... -• • , ~.

'f' • :-':-\0,. .. ~~ !>' •

•

• • • • • • ..>

~

'-'""1

.. i' • , • If' •

/' , . · • " .... ~ • I

,

-.. ...

j

~ I

, ... ~ f •

• ' \ " 'j • J , , •

• "< • ,-, - ,

j -" , • I • t \ ' . - ,

~ " •

J , .\

I '

.... ,

" •

• • ,

" • • I , \ • .J. "',

'" , , '. • , I

, • , , ,

• --. • , • • ...

beginner

e art e t rug

42 heartfe lt ru g

You'll never get out of bed on the wrong side again when you step straight onto this cosy mat from oh-so-soft Merino wool. If you're making a rug for a corridor or a hallway with plenty of foot traffic, consider felting with a more robust wool such as Finn or Icelandic, which pills much less.

---~ -

•

, •

M ate rials

Merino wool tops:

l00g of cerise

JOg of dark magenta

and peach

Small amounts of dark

green, sage green. hme

and olive yellow

Lace or frilled fabric trim

Non-slip rug backing

Size AI Widest part 67 x 67cm

(27 x 271n )

44 h e :lrr fc l r ru g

1 Working directly onto a

bamboo blind With the

cense fleece, lay out the outline

of your heart to about 80cm

(32in) high and the same

width. Remember It Wlil shnnk.

and that )'O<J can tnm It to size!

Fill III the outline, placing the

fleece vertICally down {he heart.

Sltll usmg cerise. make another

layer In the opposite dnecliOn,

and then a third layer In the

anginal d!fecbon. A rug needs

a m!nlmum of three layers

and If for a busy roam, then

maybe four Of five layers.

? Add stripes of dark

-.J magenta and peach across

4 Rinse bnefly In warm

water, taking great care as

the heart Place SUt star shapes the rug IS stili Qulle fragile.

III lime fleece and add a coil of

dark green and a cOIl of sage ,- Roll 111 all directions 111 the

green In the centre. Add olive ..J bamboo and on both

yellow spots on the pomts and sIdes. Now take the rug to the

In the centre of each star. smk and pour boIling water

FUlaily place a small amount of over the top. Leave for a couple

dark magenta right In the of minutes and then nnse 111

centre of each star freezulg cold water. Make sUle

att soap IS removed al thiS 3 Cover. weI. soap and rub point. Repeat the hoUcold

untJlthe fleece no longer water step agall1 and while the

moves around. rug 15 shll warm repeallhe

rolhng process again.

6 Leave the rug to dry. then

oress flat If reqUired. wIth

Itle nOll 00 a W\XJ1 " !lIng

7 t.A¥h,ne Of hand·'>(>w your

lace or frtlled fabrIC Ir,m al

around the edge of

tfw:! heart

8 Attach a non-Slip Datkmg

10 your rug.

•

co mple{ e ft.' lrl11 J ki ng 45

s a

Having mastered the flat feltmaklng process, move on to working with felt In more of a sculptural way. Hand-rolled felt lends itself wonderfully to seamless

es

3-d forms and shapes, with most projects being worked around plastiC templates and forms. As the fleece IS manipulated around the templates, a strong seamless piece of felt IS created, which IS completely reversible once the template is removed. Another bonus IS that there is no sewing Involved!

Technique I: H ollow Fonm

1 Laying inside layer Start to lay WISpy poeces of fleece In

one directIOn acr05S the template. II is

rmJX)rtant to understand thai you are

working rrom the Inside out so you are

Ia'(lng down the design Ie» thE' INSIDE of

your PIece f lSI The black and white slrlp;~

shown here WI be the "lining· of thIS bag

when flntshed Make the lengths of fleece

slightly longer than the size of the template

so you have some overlap to fold over fOf

your "seams·

Fantasti c Plas ti c

? Wetting/ rubbing _ Lay a carge piece of nel!lng across

the lleece Wei the lleece through the

netting w th warm soapy wdler It IS

Important to thoroughly wet Itll,! fleece, buT

equally Important to make sure It Isn', too

weI by mopping up excess with a cloth.

Gently rub a bar 01 soap across the top of

the netting. then rub across the whole area

fOf about five minutes. Remove the nelMg.

being very careful not to punlhe neece

away Irom Ihe template underneath.

Belr'le you stdrt. cui your template 10 shclpe from some SlronB thICk plastiC Always

remember to cut the template about 20% larger than you wdnt your Ilm'iheel piece (0

end up, to allow fOf ">hnnkase.

48 3- d , h,pO'

3 Layi ng ?nd layer Turn the fleece and template over

and repeat step I. taylOg down the design

!Of the oppo! ':C Side. When you have

hmshed, fold over ttle edges from SIde one

to create your 'seams' and repeal step 2 on

thiS side. Remember you are WOfklng In

re'lerse so you must ·th,nk· 'rom the Inside

outward If you are makIng a design on the

InSide of your shape you MUST lay that

design down on the second side BEFORE

you fold over the seams from sode one,

(ltherw se the seams woutd be If'ISIde the

design, concealing the edge of It

1 Llyillg 111iddk laye rs "t Turn everything I)ver dRain U ng

wh ',. fO( thl~ middle layer. starl to lay

,111~ OPp05lle dllL'CllOrIlo layer one.

:JWet'"8 'he enl,re shdpe. a~ln leav ng

e)M kI J~f" ap for sedn~ A1thcugh Ihe

.dyt r s hidden a Vdgue h,nl (II the

)1001 may how mrough your final deSign.

so bear Ih > '" rmnd Repeal "tep!> 2 and 3

fe, UIl' tdd !dyer 1h s tune vou can fold

Ire seams over IrOfll s de one bl 'Ole you lit de ..... , the SE!Cood sld~ as you arc new n~tni I'IIl the middle k;y~r lhell no one w II

be able \0 '>PE!.

5 Llyillg top layer Turn over olgan! and flld In the

seams Lay your fmal tMckground colour

OUl1l1 the opJX)Srte dnectl(lIl to I.:lver 2 (m

me S<lme Ollect n as [dyer 11. lIg;1lo

leaVing ed/a to overlclJj dlOUnd 1I1C edgt-";.

C. Final design \.1 Now lay your d~,gn on top Wrwn

you are happy Wllh your layout put the

ndllng over tnt' lop again and rept'dl Sll'P

2. but thiS !low. t(Jhb.ng IOf much longer

(about 10-15 m lSI \0 fllmly dOhere the

layf'fS of fleece togdl't!f Plenty of pre$SUfrl

and enough soap Ie; nnportant Make sure

there IS nut 100 much r~ldlial watel IE-It In

the layers olllt>('te "you press dl'Wfl

hdld and d pudd () It)fm mop up the

e.l. .. ess water w th d Ie Ih, If the f br~ led

dry and sprmgy n places. then ddd a uk!­

more water.

COl11pit-tl' fe l[lllak ing 49

7 Fi xing fibres Peel back the netting and check lhal

the "btes no longer move around when you rub your hand across them If they do,

continue the rubbtng ptocess until they"re

stabtllzed' Turn the piece over. fold over the

seams and repeal steps 5 and 6, Smce thtS

15 the last Side, you do nol need any exira

for a seam overlap so you can tnm off any

excess fleece.

50 3 - d shapes

8 R.ubbing edges When the design IS f.xed In place on

your final SIde, remove the nethng and rub

around the sides of the pteCe with a wei

soapy hand unlit the edges are well felted

together. Rinse bnefly In warm water

don't leave under a runnmg tap. as II IS Sltl!

qUite delicate' Try and gel most of the soap

out now before you move on. Wrrng out

well but gently.

9 I<.o lling felt Roll up the felt In a pteee of bamboo

blind as hghlly as possible and rol It

backwards and forwards 20-30 limes.

Unroll rota te everything clockWise 90" ancl

repeal until you have rolled 20-30 limes

through 360". Turn the piece over and

repeal on the other Side. Shnnkage occurs

In the dlrectlOll In which you are rOIling. so

roll the same amount In each dlrecllOn for

even results,

10 I~ins ill g Wearing rubber gloves to protect

yolJf hands from the heal. place the fell

bag ,n the sink and pour boding water over

'I Wa I unto 1\ has cooled enough so you

c.YI touch 1\ and then wring out Roll aga'" as In step 9. but this lime, only iO times In

each directIOn.

'.

11 C utting Cut open the top 01 the bag and

remove the template. Tnm the top edges

straight If necessary. then rub gently InSide

and ar.xJOd the top WIth a weI soapy hand

10 fell me edges.

12 Final rinsing Put the bag back IF~- the sink and

pour boiling hot waler over It. nnse under

the cold tap, then repeat WIth hot water

again. RaU again fOf 1()'20 tllnes In each

dlrechon, depending on the shnnkage

reqUired. Stop roiling ooce your piece has

reached the desired size and thickness. 00

a final rinse in cOOl water to remove aU

soap. Lay fla t 10 dry and press on wool

seiling to smooth and flatten if requ 'ec!

complece fdrmaking 5 1

Technique ? :

Moulding 3-d Shapes

In Ih,s lechnlque, mould two useful 3-d shapes from fleece by wrapping and compacting the fleece together slowly, thus eliminating ali the air Inside. As the wool shrinks and hardens, dense shapes can be formed simply by USing just soap, water and friction. Here, a bead·slzed ball and a bag handle are used to demonstrate the technique.

C hea t\ M eth od

Ma ... ~ many It I balls 031 onr:e by

J'iH"lJ:: the washing machme and

some Old nylon lights. Place a fleece

ball Into the toe of the tights. tie

opening WIth an elastIC and repeal

up the legS~ Pop mto a 6O"C (14CfF)

wash with soap powder. addIng a

pair of Old Jeans to create Inchon

1 Making a ba ll eo. up a 1i!~1e fleece to form a core

and star! to wrap more 1It..>ece around ,I.

The bail Wlil shrink drama!!, .ally approx

50~ Of more so wrap the ball

substantially larger than you want II to end

up. Add different coloured fibres to create

depth and patterns. and wrap a fmal wIspy

I)jcce of fleece around It to keep everything

In place.

? Dampening -.J USing the soapy water mixture (see

page 23), spray the ball until 11 IS damp

Wet 11 suffICIently, but don'l drench I tn

wa:~1 a5 ,t IS extremely fragile and will fall

apart. Mclke your hands soapy. then roU the

ball very lightly In between your palms.

uSing as lIule pressure as possible. If It

starts to resemble a small bram. release a

IWe pressure. You don't want to squash II

before II has started 10 harden sutf~IenUY'

Aftef 5--10 minutes. you should notICe the

bat! starting 10 feel harder and denser.

3 Rolling )nee Iflj ball NO; hdloened shghlly.

rr.1 nfly)l'1 a bamboo mill As the bail

COO\llllJeS to harden. rncreilse the pres5ure

accordmgly unll11l all comes together.

RU'ISe thoroughly in hoi or boiling waler.

t. "8 care nO! to scald yourself and make

SLde til flnse out all the soap. Continue to

rrJ on bamboo unhllhe ball IS ,educed to

the desired Slle

4 Moking hond iL', To make a Hee-.:e handle, pull oH a

length of fleece 20 longer than you want

the handle to end up. fhoroughty Y;o.!l II

with warm soapy water from a spray OO1\le.

Keep pulling the 11e.'C(> length through your

hand 101' about 5-10 mmuh.>s unll you

notICe ,( beg,n to hardo.!"

5 R ollino/ rin "l in v ;:, b

Start II roll It back and forth on d

bamboo Old! ~t'ntly ell flr5t and men applYing mort: pressure a5 the handle gets

harder and more compact. Rinse WIth

boll og water, taking cafe not to scald

yourself and then rmse In cold to ensure a I

soap has been removed Continue III roll

until your hand'e has reduced to leQll red

length and thickness.

C Ol11pk ( ~ fC ItIll .lk i llg: 53

• •

intermediate

•

54 highly srru ng

y strung It 's official - felt jewellery has arrived! Even if you've never considered tufted trinkets before, you won't be able to resist making an assortment of these tachle felt necklaces. Not only are the beads made of felt here, but the choker band and button fastening are too. QUite frankly, nothing else would dOl

•

Materials

Menno wool tops:

Small amounts in

black, white, pale blue,

pale pink, pale green

and red

r abnc or craft glue

large embrOIdery needle

Seed beads

Beading or se'Ning needle

Transparent or matching

thread

Size length 40cm (16m)

56 highl y s trun g

1 Start by making your fleece

beads as described on

page 52-53. r have made five

for thiS choker but you could

add many more and carry on

all the way around. If you want

all your beads to be the same

Size, first layout the dry fleece

for all of them at the same

lime, making sure you use the

same amounts for each.

2 Make a smaUer red bead,

which Will aCI as your

button to fasten the necklace.

Then make the felt band on

which the beads will all be

threaded, uSing the fell handle

technique on page 53. You

need this to be approximately

40cm (16tn) long when

!Imshee!. so start off With fleece

about 55cm (2210) long and

tTim II down. You can make the

band as wide as you like, but

remember the thicker It IS, the

harder It may be to thread your

felt beads. I've gone fOf a

finished thickness 01 about

4mm (I/~ in), which I Just about

managed to thread through a

large embroidery needle, but

any thicker and you may need

a bodkin or upholstery needle.

3 Leave all the felt Pieces to

dry thoroughly. Thread the

felt choker band through the

eye of a large embroidery

needle. Work this through the

small red bead first and then

through the centre of the other

beads 10 your preferred order.

1 Ma..:e a small loop at the

;- end of the band, at the

r Sew contrasting seed

.J beaCls Into place on Ihe

~te end to the red bead II boggest bead ,n the centre.

The 13ead Goe~ O n

srwid be large enough for Ih(' Why nol expenment by ulhng beads ,n hall or slicing them

read to fit through. but nol so through tnlo sections' If you use a contrasting COIOlH wool I"

big that rt will come undOf1(, the centre, thiS Inner colour wI! be exposed when you CUI

G ~ l,n place and sew a f~w through, revf'~hng Interesting patterns.

SI: '~1'IeS as well to secure It. Side the small red bead f ight

to the other end and !Ie a knot

10 prevent II from slippmg aH. a dab of glue underneath

to secure 11 In place

CO lllpl c t t,; fc lrm akin g 57

intermediate

otty s otty

No woman can ever have too many handbags and this one IS definitely spot ani Create this stylish design with short handles or a longer shoulder strap and prepare to turn heads and attract attention wherever you go!

58 dott), spOtty

•

Materials

Mellno wool tops:

50g of black, wtllte.

pale hme

Small amounts of pale

blue, candy pink and

cherry rt=d

Strong plastiC for template

Some purple wool for

handles

Some yellow wool for the

ball button

Some peach wool for a

loop, or a small ptece 01

cord or nbbon.

Size Excluding handle

20 x 30cm (8 x 121n)

60 dott y ' pon y

1 USing the bag template on

page 154 enlarge by

ZOO'I. or 10 at least 20% bigger

than you In:end your final bag

to be. 10 allCM' for shnnkage.

CuI out the shape In strong

plastic.

'J Lay black and white

-.J ~Irl~ ul !let:I,;t: runfllllg

vertically over the template,

leaVIng approximately 5cm

(2m) extra overlap around the

template.

3 Cover, wet. soap and rub

as shown on page 48.

Turn the template over and

repeat. Idylng the stripes

verhcally on the other side

before fold ng over the seam overlap_

1 Lay Ihf white Uf ~e

~ hOrizontally for the middle

layers on beth sides. loldtrlg In

your OVefiap each time you

turn the template over.

5 layer the pale green fleece

vcrhcaHy as the linal layer.

Make large red spots and

.,pac.e them eqUdlly over the

top. then add a pink COIl

around each one and a small

blue centre. Complete With a

scalloped blue pattern around

the top edge.

£... Cover. wet. soap and fub

t) unllllhe fibres are stuck

last and the design no longer

moves when brushed over ..... ,:h

your hand. Repeat the flnat

design on the other side 01 the

bag. remembering nol to leave

an overlap on the last sKle.

Tnm off excess fleece. Soap tile

edges and rub until they

harden slightly.

7 Rinse the bag briefly In

warm water and then do a

complete roll as described In

slep 9 on P<lge 50.

8 Pc. r bOIhP8 waler ovel the

bag RQII len limes In each

! 10 and 'tlen .ut the Ii}p

at ''lE' bag open with sharp

SCI: 00fS and remove the

le.11p1dte Tnm \0 neaten ~gl.'S

ry and then soap lI,e

edges aod rub th~m lJnt,llhey

lett. SoaP and rub Ihe ,ns de cil

''I(' bag I an)' of your Inner

aes.gn !> silU mOVing around

9 Rinse the bag on hoI water

asa'", [hen freeZing cOld,

" er • Roll unll you are

happy w,th 1M Size and shape.

1 () Rln..e til I[,\o.( .... cllm

wale-f to lemov, Ia<;t

trrlc.es of soap Lt 1'1/. f al 10

dry, or lighlly press ....... th the

lIon on a wool setting.

AlternatIVely. sp n dry In a

washing mach nc

11 Mal<e hand e$ and a

bullon (see P<lge !)j).

AttaCh Ihe button to the top

frool 01 the bag. and make a

~II felt Inop (a very small

version oIltle h,mdlo» or attach

a piece of cord ()( "bOOn to

fasten the button. Make small

inciSlOlls at handle poulls. and

feed handles through fte a

kIlO! outside the bag at either

end 01 each handle dnd h im

co mp lere rC lr lllakilltr 61 "

intermediate

• •

ell tIe ootles

62 c utH: boo ti e.: ...

Create these adorable cosy baby booties uSing a double ended foot template which is snipped In half at the end. Parents will gush and very small people will give you a congratulatory gurglel

M aterials

Menno 'M)()I tops:

50g whIt;; and

peppermint green

Small amounts In pale

blue. pale pmk. pale

bUlt!, 1Jd1t! yt:uvw dllt!

"d

Gliner strands

Embroidery needle

Needle and thread

Strong plastiC for template

Size length 12cm (4 In)

Width 5cm (2m)

Helghl8cm (3r.10)

64 clI ri l.' boo rl e')

I The--.e bootIes are 1W11

'dyers thICk USing the

tNTlplOle on page 155. enlarge

In S 7e by 20()% or by at least

2(}.30% btgger than you want

the booties to end up. Then

trace your template onto strong

plas!1I and cut.

') N~t Iely d klyt:r of

_ peppermint green fleece

In one direction over the lop 01

the tempidtt!. remembering to

lea .... '" overlap. Cover, weI. soap,

and rub for a few minutes.

Turn template over. fokl In the

ed~"S and repeal

3 Tll!n the t~'mplale elVer again. tJId In the edges,

and lay a layt"r of whl'c lleece

In Ihe )~l1e duecllcn, Cover.

wt't. soap and rub. Turn over.

fold In edges and repc "

t Lay the deSign on lop

--t us,ng WISPY Circles of the

olher colour,,>. randomly layered

00 lop of one cmoti1er. Add In a few gliller strands dllhlS po,nl

and make sure you trap them

In with a ,tile more wool fleece

Cover. wet, soap and rub unt I

the design no lOnger moves

arotnd WI'\e rubbed across

w th YOUI haoO

- Fold over the edge'i and

:> repeat slep 4 on the ,!';er

Side, rernerrbenllg no overlap

IS reqlJilOO on thiS final SIdt.

/.. Rinse briefly In warm

\.) watel. taking care as the

booties are stili very de lCd!e

7 Do a complete rott on born

Sides (see page 50. ",tep 9 tllen a boiling waler rinse. R

bnefly on all Sides and then CUI

the doubie-ended fool shape

cleanly In half and remove the

template from each foot Usq

some small sCissors. cui a

llgzag afOund the top of each

boohe and then add a I,!fle

soap and .ub to fell the edgeS

8 Pool 001108 wale' OVCf the

bootIeS le(lve lor d lew

lI'iIlu·es. then fln<;£' under a

'.:'eellng cold lap. Remove all

soap arK! repeal the hot waler

¥1m. Do another cample:t' roll

(J'! ruth SIdes. or until you are

haPO)' WIth the lulling and

-"Be.

o Leave to dry- Start to make

-; !.va fell balls (see page

521. usmg the white fleece as il

base. and lI1en wrappIng

Sl.'ill'lds ,\ the oak green and

Da~ OInk fleece OVt"f the top.

1 () M.'dSLlre out yoU!

ribbon and cut mlo I'oYO

pteCes, making sure they wl1

be long enough to t e Into a

bow at the 'rool. Thread the

I,bOOn through an embroidery

needle and sew It tn and oul

around the lop of each bootee.

Once the felt balls are

completely cry. anach lnem to

the lop of the booties with a

needle and thread.

r Ol1lplt'{L' fl'ltlllaking 65

• •

intermediate

•

tea tll1le cosy

. 66 t C.1 (llll e...' co"y

When It'S time for a cuppa, everyone knows It tastes much better brewed in the pot. With this In mind, I have designed this tea cosy to keep your teapot feeling warm and safe, and to preserve your integrity as a tea maker. Feel free to change the colours to match your kitchen, your teapot or your tea .

Materials

Menno 'NOOiIOps'

lOOg of turqUOIse

50R of green

Small amounts of while,

dark pink. light pmk,

red and black

Needle and thread

Strong ptasllC IOf template

Size Approx. 26 x 34cm

(lOY II 13i1n)

. 68 r ~a [I III c CO" y

1 USing the tea cosy

template on page 155. enlarge by 200% or measure

your potential teapot and then

'ncrease the Size accordlngly_

Trace your template onto some

strong plastIC and cui out

"') This tea cosy IS three

_ layers thick. Staft by IdyUl&

down the green fleece for the

IIlslde of your lea cosy.

overlappmg the template at the

edges. Cover. weI. soap and

tub for a few minutes. Turn the

template over and fOld In the

edges. Repeal the InSIde fleece

layer on the other SIde. Now lay

down your middle layer In

turqUOIse wool In the oppos. Ie

d.recloo on both Sides as

above. Turn over agam and fold

In edges. Now lay the top layer

of turquOIse fleece In the

onglnal direction on top. Cover,

wet. soap and rub .

'1. Now you are on the ',nal

':'J slCle, and Will not requ re

any overlap. Lay 001 the

turqUOIse Ut!E!Ce as a

background. Ihen lay wh Ie

fleece 10 make the cupcake

case. lay wrspy black stripes

over the top to indicate the

r.dges. Add dark pink and light

~lIlk "l.'t.'t;e lUI HIt: Il;IIIH.

graduallng from light to dark

and accenting small white Icmg

decoratIOns on top. Finally.

create a red cherry. highlighting

WIth some while.

f Once you are finished,

-t cover, weI. soap and rub

for about 10 minutes, or until

the flt'\.'Ce cupca~e IS secured

In place.

,..... Briefly rinse In warm wa:e'

J then do a complete roll on

bolh sides In the bamOOo!Tld:

Pour boIl.ng wa:er OYer lhe

cosy and leave. Now rob ~~

on both SIdes.

F-. Carefully cut open the

\.) base of the tea cosy and

1t:1l10Vt: tile templalt:_ Tllm the

edges to neaten, and soap, rub

and felt the edge.

7 Now pour boIIII18 water

over the cosy aga.n. leave

fOf a few minutes. then run

under a freezmg cold lap.

Make sure all traces of soap

are removed. Repeallhe hCI

water again, and then do

another complete roll on 001·'

SIdes (see page 50. step 9), ~

until you are happy With the

amount of shflllkage_

8 leave to dry and press flat

f requ red. Wllh the ,ron

111 a wool seIling.

(\ Start to make a Ie t ball for

'j the top of the lea CI <,y

~ pagE' 52) ~mg the

turQI.JOI!>e lleece w.th a "ttle pnK In ,I. or you can use a

arotrast1ng colour If you preler_

Once everythUlg .5 dry. attach

the bail to the top of the cosy

~ til a needle and thread.

1 () Have a nice cup 01 tea.

c o m p lere fe lrl1l akillg 69

intermediate

a er a

ThIS flower-accented cloche is a striped sensation that's perfect for rain or shine as the fetted fabric makes It water-resistant. If you cannot find a polystyrene block, you can use a suitable size bowl or ball instead.

70 d appe r n app er

er

Materials 1 Measure your head cQjours as you want to, 7 Remove the template, Pour

circumference and divide conllnue unlll you achieved the on more boiling water. then

Merino wool lops: In two. Usmg the template on desired effect and can no heezlng :oId. Remove all soap

75g of bnght pink page 158. enlarge II to 15-20% longer see the pink and repeal the bo hng walei'

wider lhan the measurement underneath Add In a lew again Conhnue roiling, but

258 01 assorted colours above. My head measured strands of Blue Faced lelCestef keeping an eye on shnnkage

60cm (2410) around. so I made here and thefe as a contrast here. Should the hat star! It)

Small amount of Blue my template 36cm (14In) Wide. look a little smaller lhan you

Faced leICester wool tops Make the template (see page 4- COver, weI. soap and rub wan! It. SlOp roillngi It can be

or other natural bmwn 154) aboul34cm (13111) high unlll there IS no movement stretched out qUite a bit while d

to give you plenty of excess to 01 fibres when you brush over I!O stili damp. so put It straight

Spray starch turn up as a bnm Of trim off. the dMlgn With your hand. onto the hat blOCk.

Turn over the template and fold

Vmtage butlonslbeads ') ThiS hat has been made over edges. 8 Spray With starCh. then (opilOf"lal) _ two layers thick. but you carefully use a steam !fon

can add an extra layey- In tile - Try and keep the flow of over the hat to help mould 1I!O

Needte and thread middle. If you onfy use two .J stnpes on thiS side of the Ihe shape of the block. Keep

layers like me. be sure to layer hat, so It looks like a spraying and smoothing until

PinS the fteece thickly and evenly contmuous pattern. Layout the you are happy. Leave the hat

Without any gaps. Layer up stripes. remember,ng that no on the block to dry, Try on. lISe

Strong plastic for template some bright pink vertICally eve/ overlap IS reqUIred as thiS IS pins to mark the correct length

the template for your first layer, the fmal Side. Cover. weI. soap or brim, and tllm as necessary

A hat block Of a head-size caving overlap around the and rub as before.

bowl or ball edges, Cover. wet. soap and <) Make two flat felt flowers

tUb. Turn over, fold In edges E Rinse the hat briefly In (see page 26) and att.lr;;h

and repeat on the other Side. ) warm water to remove tl1em off-centre at the front 01

Size some of the soap and then do the hat With a needle and

Approx. 15 x 23cm 3 Turn over the template a complete roll (see page 50, thread Add a small Circle from

(6x 9Jlin) agem and fold In the step 9). Pour boiling water on the excess trlmmmgs and finISh

edges. Now start 10 layout the top of the hal. leave a few WIth some Vintage beads.

strIpes running honzontalty mInutes then roll bnefly on

around tile hal. Usmg as many both SIdes.

72 d a pp e r fl a pp e r

13lock Porn'

Anolfl< 't way of fT\i;Ikln& a

l'kIt (:.,'1 a block IS 10 s'art

by makU1& a large square

of Ildllell Just aft~r rOilng

,1. place It centrally oyer

the block Add more soap

at 111,<; 1'X1 nl then start to

rub and mould the fell

over the block. Try and gel

rid 01 any wnnltles by

pu'Shmg them downward.

continUing lJllI the hal

lookS smooth a' OV~ Now

aod some realty hoI water

and conhnue to rub Nld .

• f nece<;.sary plaCing a

PIece of netting ov~r the

hal to !>Iop Ihe i bres

mevmg. Once \he hdlleels

wt!H felled and has 'ihllJl'1k

a link;:. r n:.e out a :;odD

With cool waH~1 Tnm. then

place bal" k on the blOCk.

"pray w,th starch and lion

carefully With a slt!am

Iron lCi,I\Ie!O dry.

73

•

III tt e e

Knitting is a popular art form In Itself - but now elevate Ihat onto a higher level by transforming your knitting Into felt. By knitting with interesting coloured yarns. you can take advantage of the dlfferenl patterns. textures and colour combinations that are created after fettlng. which are often QUite different to those possible uSing conventional feltmaklng methods.

•

1

76 knirtL'd fc lting

C"ti ll ~ 011 . Thu mb Method

1 Make a lP knot the requ red length flor a

practlCC pIeCe. make thIS ength about 1m (Iyd)

from the end of the yarn. Place the sl p knot 0f1 a

needle and hold the need e In the light hand with

the ball end cl yarn OVt!r your first f,nger Hold the

other end In the palm of your left hand. Wind the

lOOSE! end of the yarn around the left thumb from

fronl 10 back.

2. Insert the needle upward through the yarn on

the thumb.

3_ Take the yarn over the point of the needle w,th

your flght Index Imger.

4 Draw the yarn back through the loop on the

thumb to form a stitch.

5. Remove the yarn from your left thumb and pol

the loose end to hgt',len the shieh Repeal unlll t~

reQuired number of sUches has been cast on.

How to Pu rl

I Win Ihe yarn at thf' hont of Ihe work ,nsert the

~t-hand needle as Shown through Ihe "ani of

tte f!rst stitch on the left·hand needle.

2 Wind the yam from rtghllo It··1t over Ine POint 01

\!'It' nghl-hand needle.

3 Draw a loOp through onto the flght-hanO _. J Slip Ihe onglnal stitch off the left-hand needle

~o purl a row. repeal steps 1-4 unlll alilhe

S!~~ are transferred to the nght·hand needle,

men turn the work. transferring the needles, to

~ tile next row

,

H ow to Knit

1 Hold Ihe needle wIth Iht> ca~t-oo suches In

til< I(llt hand Wltr'I the yam at the back £lIthe

work. Insert till' (Ighl-hand needle as shown

through the fronl 01 the first SItch on the

1\ hand needle

2 Wmd Ihe yarn hom lell to nght over the poonl

01 the IIght·hand needle.

3. Draw the yarn back through the stItch,

forming a lOOp on the flghl-hand needle.

4 Slip the original 511\ch off the teiHland needle.

( OlllpiL't ... · f L' l tlll.lking 77

1 Sd ectin g YJrn In general. when selectmg yarn fOf"

felling. make sure the yarn 15 at least 70%

wool and that Irs not a 'superwash' wool (a

type of coatmg applied to wool 10 prevent II

from shrinking). Of course, l()(P~ wools

'NOrk best. but occaSionally, you may come

across a mixed fibre yarn thai felts really

well. Irs ollen a case of trial and error

78 k nirre d fc l rin u ~

2 Shrill kage The Importance of knitting a swatch

cannot be overemphasized. no matter how

temptmg II may be to Just dive In and start

knitting! Be sure to measure the

percentage of shrinkage of your wool by

creating a swatch. measuring II, felling II

and then measuring agam. The type of

washing machine. water softness. and

washing powder can affect the process

qUite differently, so monitor your set of

vanables before you begin.

3 13efo re feltillo Once knitted, your PI~e may look

rough and uneven as II Will have been

kmued on needles several Sizes larger than

normal. Don't palliC about thiS. Remembef

that after feltmg the oblect Will shrink doY."1

10 the planned Size, and many mistakes I'<

be handily concealed dUring Ihe feltmg

process. Also, mosl felled kmltmg can be

cui WllhOul fraYing so trimming edges y, II

probably be posSible.

4 Fel t;"" KMTlng IS :::;'mosl easily felled In the

l'Iastling machine. Temperatures required

'Jl felt vary dramatICally depending on the

'NOOI used, but as general rule of thumb

)OU 1',,11 need alleasl 3(J'-4O"C (S5°-l05°F)

-and more often than not. a 6O"C (l40"Fl "NaSh. Any holler than thiS and many wools

'I. lose their colour.

Bear In mind, WIth a front loading

machme you will have to wart for the entire

-NaSh cycle to finish before you can check

'esuJlS. If thiS IS the case, pay attention

....ten selechng a temperature - If

recessary you can run The Item through

:/le: ~Ie again to increase fellmg and

Shnnkage.

5 Piec ing In the maJooty 01 cases, you wOuld

Piece things together before you fell, but

WIth some prOjects II may be better to

piece together after fellmg In Older to

adlust the pieces 11110 place.

H and Made

11 you are a control freak like me and

want to felt your knitting by hand, that

IS entirely possible too. The benefit IS

that you can stop when It'S done and

you don't run the risk of over shnnking,

Wei your knitted piece wllh hot soapy

water and start 10 rub II together. Keep

rubbing It wllh your hands, adding

more soap and hoI water as reQUired.

Starl to 'full' It by rubbing lion a

bamtxJo mal or washboard 10 harden

and shrink. Atternatlng hot and cold

water nnses Will also speed up the

process. Make sure 10 nnse out aU

soap thoroughly before drying.

CO lllp k [ ~ fc ltlll a kin g 79

• • • •

intermediate

80 tllf{\' tlo\\t,.' r ,

•

lrty ower

Jazz up any outfit with this easy to make flower corsage. The Karaoke wool IS actually 50% silk and 50% wool, but felts beautifully. Knit first , then felt, piece together and Ihen feel very pleased with yourself.

MJterials

1 ball of Karaoke by

South West Trading

Company In Wild Cherry.

approx. 101m () lOid)

per 50(!; ball

(50% wooV50% silk) (A)

1 ball of Kureyon by Noro

In #147, approx. 101m

(1IOtd) per 50S ball

(100% _IIBI

I pair of 65mm

(US 1011) needles

A small brooch pm for the

back 01 the corsage

Needle and thread

Shrinkage rate ApproI'. 25-30%

Size Approx. 13 x 12cm

{5~ x 4J1lnl

82 ni rt y flowe r

Petals (make 5) With A. cast on 4 sts.

Row 14: Work In 51 51.

Row 5 Knit. Inc 1 sl each end 01 (aw, 6 SIS.

Row 6; Purl.

Row 1: Knct. Inc 1 51 each end of row 8 sts.

Row 8: Purl.

Row 9: Knit. Inc 1 sl each end of row 10 sis.

Row 10: Purl.

Row 11 - Krul.

Row 12: Purl.

Row 1 J: Knit, dec 1 sl each end 01 row 8 sis.

Row 14: Purl.

Row IS: Knit, dec 1 sl each end of rrm 6 sis.

Row 16: Purl.

Row 17: Knit 2 tog. 31Ime5: 3 sIs.

Row 18: Purl

Row 19: Knot 3 tog. Draw wool through loop.

Weave In end.

Bobble (make I) With B. cast on 6 sts.

Row 1·6: Work In 51 st.

Row 7: Cast off knctwtse.

Thread end of wool as drawstnng round edge. draw up light and tie off.

Le:wc;s (mah' 2) I'fih B. cast on 4 sts.

Row 1-4: Kmt

low 5: Knit, Inc. 1 sl each end of row 6 SIS.

Row 6: Knot

low 7: Knot. Inc 1 sl each end of row' a SIS.

Row 8-16: Kmt.

Row 17: Knit. dec 1 51 each end at row 6 SIS

Row 18 Knit

Row 19 Knit. dec 1 51. each end of rowe 4 SIS.

Row 20: Knot.

Row21 : Knot 2Iog.lw,ce.

Row 22: Casl off.

Fe,1 all pteCes either by hand Of In the mach ne

al4O'C (105"F1. Piece together .... Ith a needle

and thread by sew ng flowers together 'Irsl, tllen

attachmg leaves to back and bobble In centre.

Finally. auach brooch pm on Ihe ba,~k.

cO l1lpkrc fe lrm a king 83

advanced

. 84 I CY s tflp e~

• •

ICY strl es

This bag IS rapidly knitted to gargantuan proportions before felling. However, be quietly confident in the knowledge that Rowan Big Wool shrinks by colossal amounts when felted. The adorable bag you end up With IS respectfully average In size, durable and practical -but, of course, retains a chic disposition .

M aterials

Big Wool by Rowan,

approx. 80m (B7yd) per

lOOg ball (100' wool), 3 balls lee Blue (A)

2 balls PistachIO (S)

I ba l ucky (e)

1 ball Glamour (0)

1 pa r of 15mm (US 19)

needles, 40cm (16m)

long

Needle and thread

Shrinkage rate Approx_ 40%

Size Excluding handle

36 x 29cm (1 4 ~ x 11 1m)

86 ICY q np l'S

Front and back o r b:lg (ll1;l ke ? i ll to"l ) With A. cast on 20 sis. Row 1: Knit

Row 2 Purl.

Row 3: Knit, Inc 1 51 each end of row 22 SiS.

Row 4: Purl

Row 5: JOin In S, knIt. Inc I sl each end of faN

24 sis

Row 6: Purl.

Row 7: Knit, Inc I sl each end of row 26 sis.

Row 8: Purl.

Row 9: Knit, Inc. 1 51 each end of (OW 28 sis.

Row 10: Purl

Row 11 : Jom In A. kmt. Inc I SI each end 01 r(J.N"

30 SIS.

Row 12: Purl.

Row 13: Knit, Inc. I 51. each end of row 32 sis

Row 14: Purf.

Row 15 Kntt

Row 16-23: Repeal rows 14 and IS.

Row 24: Purl.

Row 25: Jom In B. kmt.

Row 26: Purl.

Row 21-30 Repeat rows 25 and 26.

Row J 1 JOIn In A. kmt

Row 32: Purl

Rows 33-42: Repeat rows 31 and 32.

Row 43: JOin In B, knit.

Row 44: Purl.

Row 45-48: Repeal rows 43 and 44

Row 49: JOIn In A. knit.

Row 50: Purl.

Row 51 Knit. dec I sl each end 01 rrm· 30 sts

Row 52: Purl

Row 53: Knit. dec I st each end 01 row 28 ~

Row 54: Purl.

Row 55: Knit dec. I sl each end of row 26 sts

Row 56: Purl.

Row 57: Casl off 26 sis kOltwise.

JOin Sides of bag by stolchlng together w!h

mattress shlch

Base of bag USing Ice Blue casl on 6 sis.

Row 1: Kml

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: KOiI. IOC I sl each end 01 row 8 sts.

Row 4: Purl.

Row 5: Kmt. IOC I 51 each end of ((]W·IO sis.

Row 6: Purl.

Row 7: Knn. Inc I SI each end 01 row· 12 sts.

Row 8: Purl, Inc I sl each end of row 14 sIS.

Row 9: Kmt.

Row 10: PUrl.

Rows 11 -12: Repcalrows9and 10.

Row 13: Kmt. dec I sl each end of row 12 S15.

Row 14: Purl.

Row 15: KOtl . dec I st each end of rrm 10 s,s

Row 16: Purl.

Row 17: Knit. dec 1 sl each end of row. 8 515.

Row 18: Purl,

Row 19: KOII, dec I 51 each end of row 6 sis.

Row 20: Purl

Row 21 : Cast off knrtwlse.

JOin base to txxfy of bag With mattress stitch.

Handle Cas!: on 16 sts.

Raws ' ·6: W Ih A. work In 51 51

Raws 7 -12: JOin B. work In 51 51.

Repeat rows I 12 unlll handle IS approx 80cm

(32 n) long.

Cast off.

W:h RS together JOin long edge. (hen turn RS

rulWards.

Sew handles to bag on either Side with matching

wool before felling

Felting Fe! the bag In the washing machine at 6O"'C (14O"F). Mould the bag to shape when wei by

bQ:k ng usmg it towel and leave to dry. ThiS WOOl

wnks a 101 In the machine, but I might be

more dlffcult to achieve such dramatIC resu Is If

yOlI ate felting by hand

Flowers (make (o ur) Wlh C. caS! on 15 Sis

Rows 1-18: Work In 51 51

Castoff

Repeal once again with C, and tWtce w,lh D.

When felted, each rectangle can be :ul

diagonally to form two triangles. To make the

flowers, COIl each triangle from one end. stitch

Into place, fold down the lop corner of the

Inangle behind the COil and stitch Inlo place

again. Attach to the bag In alternating colours

I have put three flow"ers on each Slde_

cO lllpl e re fe lrm a kill g 87

intermediate

carouse eus

The Inspiration for this project came totally and utterly from an amaZing hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn - and I want your Inspiration to be the same tool Be brave, grab the vibrant colourful yarn of your choice, and start to crochet round and round and round ...

88 ca ro ll st= 1 ClI shi o n

•

Ion

• , ~ • 'I •

J,. .-~

- ". ,-- ">-:-.

• ' .

Ma teria ls

I ball of variegated yarn.

approx. 90m (lOOyd),

(at least 90% wool)

A large crochet hook

5-6mm (US Hf8-J/lOJ

dependmg on yarn

A piece of cotton velvet or

other material for the

back. of the cushIOn

5 handmade felt leaf

shapes made from nat felt

(see pages 22-25)

Contrast hand or machine

embroK:iery thread

A cushion pad approx.

40cm (l6mj In diameter

Needle and thread

Shr inkage rate Approx. 10%

Size 34 x 42cm (131 x 17m)

You will need to know how to

chain (eh), slip stitch and

double crochet (de) - for Ihls

prOJeCt and lhat"s all!

The object of the exercise

IS to create a round circle

measuring about 42-45cm (17-

18m) In diameter, which IS as

flal as possible. Don" worry if II

Isn'! perfect or completely flat.

because the felling process wi ll

hide most mistakes or puckers.

Your yarn will be different

to the one I used so my

instructions may make your

piece seem too flared. If so,

decrease the number of

slllches as you go round by

miSSing every or 4th or 5th

stitch until It IS flalter. If your

Piece seems 100 cup-like,

Increase the number of stitches

every 4th or 5th shtch by dOing

two stitches In one. until it

flattens out again.

My yarn only shrank by

about 10% srnce I hand-felted

It you should create a swatch

to felt first to measure your

yarn shnnkage and adjust sizes

accordingly.

90 ca ro u se l cus h ion

1 Ch 4, lOin Into a fing With

slip stitch.

2 a dc In the flng and then 2

dc In each dc: 16 sts.

3 "I dc In 1st shtch, then 2

In follOWIng stitch' repeat

all the way around; 24 sts.

4 Idc In each de.

5 'Idc rn Isl2 sis, then 2dc

In third sl' repeal all the

way around.

6 Dc In each sl. Increasing I

dc every 5 sis.

7 I dc In each st for nexl 5

'''''''.

8 Keep gomg round for about

another 10 rows uSing

double crochet. Increasmg or

decreasmg as necessary, untlt

the piece measures about

45cm (lain) In drameter.

9ShP stitch to flfllSh, Dc and

ch 12 In approx. e....ery 7th

stitch aU the way around to

form the scalloped petal edge.

Slip stitch to finish and tnm

thread.

1 0 Freeform crochet a

bobble for the centre ty

cham 4 and Jorn With sliP

stitch. Now dc Into the fronl of

each stitch and go round unl

IllS bobble shaped. Finish al'(j

trim.

11 Either machine or hand

fell the cushion front

and bobble (see pages 78-79)

depending on your yarn and

how in control you want to ~

If It IS a hand-dyed yarn like

thiS one. take care With the

temperature and start by fellrng

at no more than 3O"C (85°F). II

IS Important nollo lose cOlour

from the yarn - you can always

repeat the process again If It

has not felled suHlclenUy. Once

you are happy, flatten It by

presSing while damp on a woo setting.

12 Leave to dry then attacl!

the bobble With some

matching yarn or thread.

Machine or hand embroider on

!he leaves y.. Ih some

cOll1rastmg embrOIdery thread

des red and then clUach In

me same way.

13 To make the back. cui

two semi-CIrcles 01

cotton velvet the same SITe as

the CU~lon front. and add a

2.5cm (lin) seam allowance

around curved edge and a 5cm

(2 n) overlap along straight

edge. With WS logl'ttler, place

the seml-clrc aga,nsllhe

leI1ed fronl Piece. making sure

:0 O\'ertap the Sira ght edges

Fold under a seam around the

C\Jrved outSIde edge. PIn and

hand·5e'N together around the

edge. Insen a round 40cm

116tn) cushlOfl pad ,nslde the

fiilp.

• • • •

beginner

ate wor er eet

Here's a great project to recycle old sweaters from your wardrobe or a local charity shop and give them a new lease of life by Intentionally shrinking and felting them In the washing machine. Once felted, cut them Into squares and create a shabby chiC accessory to wear when temperatures drop!

92 pa tc h wo rk pt' rfccr

-

M aterials

Several wool sweaters In

coordinated colours made

from at least 80% wool

(see notes, fight)

Needle and thread

Coordinating embroidery

threads (optional)

A couple of buttons or

beads (optlOrlal)

Size Approx. 17.5x210::m

(7 II: 84ln)

1 Fell the sweaters In the 3 Lay the rectangles out on a colours and two 2.5cm (lln},n

washing machine, adding table and move the pieces diameter in contrast CQIours to

an old pair of leans to creale around un!!1 you are happy make two flowers. Cut a coople

fnction. Repeat if necessary with the COlour combinatIOns. of leaves for each flower.

until sweaters are completely Try alternating colours and

felted. Allow to dry. tones to prOVide contrasts. 6 Centre the smaller Circle

over the larger to form the

2 Decide how long you want 4 Pm the rectangles flowers, then stllch the leaves

your scarf to be, and then together \0 make the searf m the centre of each pocket

cut suffiCient 17.5 II: 20cm and tack together. Machme· or with the flower on top.

(7 x 81n) rectangles from the hand·sew each piece together Decorate the rlowers With

sweaters. The longer dimenSion 10 form a long scarf. Press the thread and buttons or small

IS to allow for the seams at reverse If reqUired. to open out beads if you so desire. Sew the

each end of the rectangle. the seams p:x;kels onto the scarf, takmg

Don't Just cut from the centre care to leave the top edge 01

of the body - think about 5 Cut two pieces to make a each pocket openl

opening up the arm seams too small pocket at either end

and maybe Include cuff and of the searl. Then cut two 5cm

hem details. (2in) diameter CirCles m bright

A few words about which wool sweaters to

choose. A goOO IndICation 01 SUitability for this

prOject is a combination of the words '100%

Wool' and 'Hand Wash Only· ThiS means the

Item WIll probably shnnk and felt m the

machine which IS exactly what we want!

them. likeWise, don't use any Items With

synthehc fibres, or a mlll:ture With less than

80% wool. Anything such as regular wool.

alpaca. mohair. angora. lambswool or

cashmere would be Ideal. I would suggest

washing SUitable knitting at between 5O.6O"C

(l20·140"F) to make sure IllS well felted. The

outcome IS Similar to boiled wool, although a

bOil wash IS not recommended as 1\ often

results In colour loss. Once cut. your felted

sweaters Will no longer unravel or fray

Steer clear of wool sweaters labelled that

they can be safely washed at 4QOC (104°F)

- these are more than likely made 'rom ·Superwash' wool and won·t shrink or felt, as

the wool fllxes have been coated to protect

94 p :lt c h w or k p e rfec t

intermediate

96 You

I ou

Some of us will have fond memones of our first baby blanket, often still held With the highest regard well Into adulthood. This wee knitted coverlet IS felted for warmth and endurance, IS stlmulatlngly colourful and IS fashionably fnlly. I. It I

• • •

• •

• •

• •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• •

• •

•

Materials

Skye by CoilOette. approJ(

138m 042yd) per 10Clg,

(100 WOOl):

2 hanks In Jamboree (AI

2 hanks In Fire (B)

I pair of very long Bmm

(US 11) needles

Needle and thread

Shrinkage rate Approlt. 25<

Size Approx 54 x 4lcm

f21 x 161 oj

98 1 . You

U1ankct w Ih A. cast on 71 sis.

Knl\ In 51 51 until the work measures

approxunalely 82.5cm (33ln) In length

Cast off kM'Wlse.

Edging Shaft ends

Pick up 71 SiS across one short end.

Row I: With B. knit.

Row 2: Purl.

Row 3 Knit into front and back of each stitch:

142 sls_

Row 4: Purl.

Row 5: Kmt Inlo fronl and back of

each stitch: 284 sis.

Row 6: Purl.

Row 1: Cast off kMWl5e.

Repeat for second Short end

long ends

PICk up 92 5ts across one Ioog end.

Row 1: With B. knit

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: Knit Into back and Ironl of each strlch:

184 SIS.

Row 4: Purl.

Row 5: Knllrnto front and back of each stitch:

368 sis.

Row 6: Purl.

Row 7: Cast off kmtW1se.

Repeal lor 2nd long Side.

Jom fnlls at each corner of blanket and darn 11"1

ends of wool

Heart l110tif With B. cast on 6 sIs.

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: Knit. Inc 1 sl at each end of rCIN: 8 'St..,.

Row 4 : Purl.

Row 5: Knit. Inc 1 sl at each end of rCI'N' 10 st ...

Row 6: Purl.

Row 7 KM. Inc 1 SI at each end of rCIW 12 sts

Row 8: Purl.

Row 9: KflL!. Inc 1 51 at each end of row' 14 sis.

Row 10: Purl.

Row 11 KM. Inc 1 sl at each end of row 16~ Row 12: Purl

Row 13: Kmt. mc 1 st at each end of fCHi 18

Row 14: Purl

Rows 15·24: Work In St 51

Row 25 Knit. dec 1 sl each end 16 sIs.

Row 26: WorlMg on first 8 SIS of the row Oflly.

P6. P2 tog. Turn.

Row 27: K7.

Row 28: P2tog. P3. P2 tog. Turn.

Row 29 K2tog. K3.

Row 30 Cast off 4 515 krlltWl5e. JOin wool 10 last 8

sts. Row 31 P21og. purl to end: 7 515.

Row 32: Knit.

Row 33: P2tog. P3. P2tog: 5 sis.

Row 34: K2tog. knit to end: 4 sis.

Row 35: Cast off remaining 4 sts.

Fe 1 the bla",,!'! and the he(lrt ,;epafa°t'ly ,n the

.... ash'ng mac:hrne on a 3O"C (85"F) wash cycle This

.... JOI 's hand-<lyed and WI I loSe ,cI(lUf ,f .1 .s

washed any hi. Iter. Ab~rnall>'{'ly. tell by hand.

Once dry. DI'E!S" wllh lilt> .fon on a .... 001 <;t'ttong to

'.,tten and attach the heart by hdlld. USing running

sttch Of machme stitch

•

nee e e Needle felting offers numerous benefits: it lends Itself to very different types of sculptural projects; It combines wonderfully with wet felting to produce interesting effects; and last but not least, needle felting reqUIres no water, soap or rubbing. Using extremely sharp, barbed needles, fibres are pushed up and down until they start to tangle and bond together. By repeatedly stabbing the needles In and out of the fleece, 3-d shapes can be formed and very fine detail can be added, which is easier to achieve than With other felbng techniques such as wet felting.

1 Eq uipment When dry fellmg v..-lh needles. try

always II work 00 a dense polystyrene

block 10 protect your work surface and

keep your fe'ling needles together to

prevent accidents! Felting needles are

available In a range of SIZes and gauges.

whICh lend themselves to different

apphcatlons. Bigger needles are used to

mould and shape. whilst finer needles ale used to apply detal and pattern II IS useful

to have a sell dlon.

102 Il l.'edlc ft'lting

? M o ulding wool fl eece --' t prefer to work fret'form wtlefl needle

fell ng. usmg scraps of Old fleece as my

core and bunching t up to mould II Into

the required shape. Hcwever. If you're new to the needle felting prOCe5S. I strongly

adVise you 10 work your flr<;\ few prOjects

USing a foam core or shape and wrapping

the fleece around It. Not only IS It easier to

creale your reqUired shape, Ifs much safer!

3 Using felting needles When us ng felting needles over

areas. a mu tHleedle [001 WIth four)f ~

needles helps speed up the process Use

larger felling need,~ at the start oIlhe

process. As you continue to stab. the Ilarb$

on the needles Will tangle the wool fibres

together and create a dense and hardened

felted malis. Rernember to work safely w I~

the needles pomt ng away from your

fingers. and make sure you keep the

need es as upnght and perpendICular <IS

posSIble as you stab Ute fleece 10 prevent

needle breakage.

1 Shaping "-t After creating (he general shape. slart

10 refine It usmg one nf'eclle Col1llnuously

fOiate the p.ece to ensure eVen!'1eS5 around

~roe shape To create an Inden:a\1On.

·epea!edly slab 0f1~ area 01 the fell uSlnR a

large Single needle. Th S IS a gled! wa'llo

create shaDeS such it ... slars w",Ctl may

require ,ndental on on Y'veral Sides

Remember, as a begin r. do not rush the

process and ".,<)rk til a slew and .,:\'ady

pace to aVOId puncturing your <;kln

ac:ClClef11ally.

5 Attaching lll oti t~ By uSing a finer gauge needle,

decorat.ve patterns can be added WithoUt

d stortlng the shape of your prOject lake

IN spy pieces of tleece and allach them by

slabbing them mto the rna n ~ece un!

they mesh.

Shrinkin" Fibrc~ "

ReOlf'o'ber thal)")U/ needl, Ie'

}foJeCs WIt shflnk down [Ust as

your w," tell does even though no

t'leal elf soap IS u5ed The consta~.l

SlabDll!t of the fIbres ccmpacts the

fleece drarnitt -al y

co mplete: fl'lrlll .l king 103

advanced ***

to ot ellS

•

•

aIry •

Ion

Fairies all over the world are thanking their lucky stars for this Tooth Fairy Cushion which IS designed to hang on the door knob or bedpost and therefore minimise sleep d,sturbance

' Complete With an Integral

tooth/money pocket, I'm sure It will delight many a small person - and many a tooth fairy.

104 tooth fairy c lI 'I hion

•

Materials 1 Bunch up some red/orange

neece ,nlo a round pouch

3 USing Ihe larger needles In

the multi-needle tool. and

~ Make the wings next.

:> Shape and needle felt a

shape. al\o<.vJng for a slighl working on a pIeCe of dense little Pink fleece Into two Wing

Menno wool tops: reduction In size once the wool loam. make a flat piece of hlaL shapes. stabbing In some heal-

50g 01 red/orange mix IS compacled together With the and blue needle fell measuflng bondable Angelma ILbre as

needles. Shape Wllh a about 7.5 x 5cm (3 x 2In), then well. If you have some. If you

Small amounl of blue, multi-needle fell 1001 and large cut out the fairy dress WIth Its use the Angelina rlbre. place

pink, beige, yellow, needles. Keep stabbing away scalloped edge Usmg a finer the wings between two sheets

lilac , white, orange, for between 30-40 minutes 10 gauge needle for detailed of parchment paper and press

black and burgundy establish your round shape. decorative work. add a sma!! gently With a warm Iron to bond

Keep turning the shape to flO'Ner design In the middte of fibres to the fleece and stiffen.

Small quanhty of space- make sure II remains even and the dress In orange and yellow

dyed curly kid mohair add some different shades of fleece. Make a slightly smaller 6 To assemble the CUShiOn.

the same colour as you work to pIeCe of flat blue needle felt first place the legs and

Length of fell or some add depth. With while spots and cui the then the wings. Needle felt

nbbon bag shape ou\ of II everything Inlo position on {he

? Once the shape IS defined, round shape. uSing the larger

A crystal bead -.. use one or two needles a\ 4 AgaUl working directly needle. Pay particular attenllon

a time to refine It Take some onto dense foam, make 10 the edges of the dress, but

Needle and thread burgundy wool and layout the the legs by taking small leave the base of the dress

SP,ral shape radlatmg out from amounts of pink and beige open. LlkeW1se. needle felt the

Heat-bondable Angelina the centre. Attach 1\ little by fleece and combining them edges of Ihe bag only. Do nOl

gliller fibre (optional) lillie using the felling needle. together into two long striPS. needle fell the middle of the

Once they are needle felted. bag onto the pouch as thiS IS

Felting needles Irlm uSing some small sCissors your tooth/money receptacle.

If necessary. Add a little white but make sure the edges are

sock and black shoe at the end well attached and Ihat there

Size of each leg. Make two Similar are no gaps.

Approx. 18cm (lin) In bul smaller beige and pink

diameler. strips for the arms.

106 tooth fa i r y c lI "i hi oll

•

7 Add some curly 'noha,r lor

the hat,. Ie hng ,n DOS hon

..... th the needle In the same

way_ Then add small eye and

mouth d~talls, Ma~l' a wand

..... :h a lillie yellow fleece, and

neectle felt some Angel na fibre

mto the centre of the slat, St ...... a lillie crystal bead Into fairy's

han falnes need 10

accesSOflze too you know!

8 Finally. make a lIny handle

lor the handbag Hl blue,

and a tiny fairy button IOf the

handbag In yellow. ,md clttach

firmly by need e fe'hng 'II th the

file need'e

9 FIniSh by sewing a felt )'

nbbon hanger 10 the top of

;he pouch on the re-.oerc;e sde.

(O l11p k t c: fe ltm a kill g 107

• •

beginner *

e art to ear ts

Featuring an endearing all over pattern, this heart felt deSign makes sewing even more fun

' The density of

the cushion has a springiness that's ideal for pins. A colourful gingham-patterned ribbon tie can be used to tie the pin cushion around your wrist.

\

J ' J

M aterials

Merino wool tops;

25g of candy pink

Small amount of cherry

red

Core loam shaJ..)e

35cm (1410) length of

ribbon

Hook-and-loop tape or

similar (optional)

Needle and thread

Selection of felting

needles

Size Approx. 10 It 7.5cm

(4 x 3in)

110 heart to hc,;art s

l lf you are usmg a core

foam shape, start to wrap

With pink fleece. Otherwise take

a dense bunch of any spare

fleece and form a rough heart

shape WIth It. Continue to build

up layers of pink fleece, using

the multi-needle 1001 With larger

needles to form the base

::;hape. Keep Jabbing away for

at least ten minutes - and

remember that thiS shape will

shrmk down In size just like wei

felling. The more you needle

fell, the smaller It gets.

? Refine the shape and

o...J make ihe mdentation at

the top of the heart by

repeatedly stabbing With a

single needle. Mould the

bottom of the heart 10 a pClInl

and keep turning It around to

make sure It (s even. Spend al

least half an hour making sure

the shape is nghl before you

move on.

3 Once you are happy I'Jllh

the core shape. SWitch 10 a

finer gauge needle. Taking very

small amounts of red fleece,

work randomly-spaced hearts

over the pin cushion.

4 Measure a lenglh cf

nbbon to go around your

Wrist or wherever you want to

t e ,I and then attach a

SQuare of hOOk·and·!oop tape

(or simIlar) at each end. If

reqUired. Alternal,ve1y you can

make the rIbbon IOnl':er and

Just lie II Sew the r,bbon firmly

onto the back of the pIn

cushion.

\

\ I

-

co mplt'r c fdrmaking III

intermediate **

un er cover

112 u nder cover

Store your favounte photographs In an album with a felted cover. Instead of uSing the word 'photos' you may want to have a name, or maybe adapt this design for a wedding album or scrapbook. For this project It'S best to start With a large piece of nat felt (see pages 22-25). I started With a piece of white Menno and 'space-dyed' It With some wool dyes. Alternatively, just make a piece of nat felt from coloured menno wool tops, perhaps mixing several colours together to achieve your desired background colour - in thiS instance a dusty blue With areas of purple and green.

Materials

large piece of dark colour

flat fell. the width of your

album and 12.5cm (5m)

longer than front plus

back, Including spine

Merino wool tops:

Small amounts 01 white,

yellow. orange, lime,

dark green, olive green,

candy pink, dark pink

Fine gauge felling needles

Blue embrOidery thread

SeqUins, seed beads

A beading needle

Contrast thread

Felt Of nbOOn for tie

Needle and thread or

fabrIC glue

Size 14 x 17cm (5~ x 6%inl

114 un d e r cove r

1 When making the nat fell

before you start, measure

the book 01 album or album

you wanllo cover, alfowmg for

the spine and a flap on either

end. then Increase the Size by al

least 20% aU round. You can

always cui II down further, but

you can', make It larger. SO

ovcrcstmlalc!

? When the flat fell IS lully

.;....J dry start needle felling

your design onto It. workmg

WIth some dense foam

underneath. As aillhe needle

felling WIll be decoratIVe rather

than sculptural. use fine gauge

needles. Mark out the area for

the fron t of the album With

some pins so you don't needle

felt in the wrong place. Start

WIth the flower stalks. lny striPS

of pale green neece down and

needle felt mto POSition.

Prepare small WISps of white

for the nowers by folding the

fleece Into petal shapes.

Needte felt about five petals

onto each stem randomly is

fme, the flowers don't need to

look Uniform. Some can overlap

each other

3 Add flower centres and

details With small amounts

of yellow and green and tmy

spots of orange In the centre.

4 For the lellenng. layout

the letters of your word

With some thread or string Just

slttmg on top of the fel! - this

rcally helps With spacing. Lay

down the leners In the light

pmk wool fi rst - If you are

using different colours, check

the lettermg contrasts well WIth

the background so It IS legible.

5 Before adding the drop

shadow (optional) 10 the

lellers, sketch tI out on paper

to see where the shadows

should fall. Use small Pieces of

darker pink for the shadow,

attachmg the fleece With the

needle as you work round each

letter. Use small SCissors to

Snip off any excess.

6 As a final touch.

embrOider around each

flower centre With a simple

running slltch, USing pale blue

embroidery thread. Finish w,(h

a sequin and seed bead in the

centre of each flower.

7 Work blanket stitch down

c.lher side of the cover

uSing a contrasllng embroidery

thread Then place the cover

on the book or album and

either glue or oversew the end

flaps In place. Sew or glue a

thm fell or fabriC nbbon onto

both end flaps and tie In a bow

))yc- nJl1litc!

Atthough W' 01 tOPS afE: available In it

spectrum 01 colours. II IS fun to

experiment ..... ,th dyeing your OW" fleece

either before or after you ha...e made It

IIlla felt to achieve some subtle and

tnteresllrlg variations In colour

Use an dll-in-one aCid dye powder

sUitable tor wool, In several contrasting

colour<;_ A hllle goes it long way, so you

don'l need much, Here IS an easy

method for space-dyemg wool feil

1 Lly lui the Ie 110 be dyed In it 1tl ~

heat proof bo .... 1 or tray. Keep one

SPf'Cldlly 101 dyeing dnd do not use iar

food afterwards beCause most dyes are

pcl<;onOll,

2 Bare y C~r the fell w,th bot ng

wah". then sprrnkle small amounts of

dye powder on top. uSing two or three

colours across different areas leave for

hall an hour to an hour. depending on the

depth 01 colour reqUired. Rinse

thoroughly and leave to dry. A small

amount of stlrlnkage may occur,

dl.J)('ndmg on ho ..... fulled the fell IS.

cO mpll'rL' fL'iull.lking 115

intermediate **

116 j i ng l e be ll

• •

e e

Trap a small bell in the core of this toy and a playful kitten will spend hours upon hours in amusement. Designed to stop just before it rolls under the sofa, this needle felted ball has small protrusions to give optimum roiling distances. You can adapt the design for fantastic jingling christmas ornaments, Juggling balls, and so on ...

• Materials

Menno 'NOOI tops:

258 of dark red

Small amounts of PInk,

green, yellow and blue

St:lel.hQIl of Idlmg needles

A small round bell

Size ApprOJl. 7.5cm (3m) In

diameter

liB j i ng le be ll

1 Stdft by wrapping the bel!

In a wad of red fleece. Start

wrapping further fleece around

thiS to form a rounded ba11

shape It needs to be about

40,.. large' than you want the

fUla! ball to be. as the needle

fethng compacts the fleece

dcrwn COflSIderabjy.

? Start stabbing usmg the

...... larger needles In the

mullH"Ieedle tool. while turning

the ball continuously to make

sure II remillOS round. Realty

persevere here II can laKe

QUite a while to get the shape

to compact evenly and 10010(

fight all round, Add rTlOfe

neece as necessary. until the

ball ends up about the size of a

tenniS ball.

3 Attach a thin yellow SPIral

of fteece uSing a finer

fellmg needle, radaatlng 1\ out

from ()(Ie end and gomg

around the ball uolll.! finishes

up al the olher end

t Usmg the larger needles

"""t again, start to needle felt

some bobbles. Bunch up ~rnall

amounts of red neece and

needle felt them to compacl

them Into a bobble shape. Add

the bobbles randomly onto the

mam bait one by one. Keep

reshaPIng as necessary

5 USing a fnlel needle, add

some decora\ton USing

blue neece around each bobble, and p nk and green

fleece spots on lop of each

txJbble

6 Call the cat and test the

ball out.

.-•

CO III pkrl..' fclrmaking 119

• • • •

advanced +*

•

outIng trou t

. 120 pou tin g trout

Inspired by the salty sea air, I made these fantasy felt fish while watching the boats bob off the coast of England. (I don't advise needle felling on a rocking boat!!) Hang these colourful fish from a piece of dried driftwood to keep to the seaside theme .

M ateri als

Menno wool tops:

JOg 01 pale hme,

orange and pale blue

Small amounts of

purple, dark red, lime,

Durgundy, olive green,

turquoise, pale

turquoise. black. white,

yellow, pale pink, coral.

magenta and cerise

Selection of felting

needles

3 foam fish shapes

(optional)

Fancy braid or ribbon

Ptece of dnftwood

Needle and thread

Size Each fish apPfOX, 20cm

(8m) long.

122 po utin g £fo ur

1 Start with a large fettlng

needle. For the orange fiSh,

begin by making a basic oval

shape for the OOdy_ Remember

thai fibres condense and mal

together as you are needle

fettmg. so the shape Wli shnnk

lust as In other forms of

leltmaklng. Spend some lime

on till! lJody, l;Ofl~t"lItty turllnlg

and refining the shape. Use

several different shades of the

same colour over the top 01 one

another to add depth and

Shading.

2 Next, working directly onto

dense foam, make a flat

flsh'lall shape WIth the same

colour as the body_ Tnm If

reqUIred and attach thiS to the

main body of the fish Fan the

tall end slightty.

3 Now make the f.ns_ Make

two smaller fin shapes and

one larger and longer one IOf

the top f.n. Trim to shape with

some small SCISsorS If

necessary. Pin the fins mto

p)S1!IOO to gel them looking

correcl before needle felling

onto the fish.

4 Usmg a fine needle,

attach the pattern detail

uSing the pICture on page 121

as reference. First Cflss-cross

the pale blue IlIles on the body,

then wrap and attach black

and white Stripes at the top of

the tall Make pink stripes fan

down the tall, then add the

coloured spots_ Finally add two

eyes In blue With a small pink

centre and outline In burgundy_

• •

• •

•

-

•

• • • •

• • , • •

5 To make the lips 'Of the

fish use larger needles to

make an oval shape 10 dark

red fleece Once you have the

nght shape attach It al the

Iroot 01 the fish by needling

around the edges. When IllS

'IXed start to push the needle

In more along the centre hne

and Indent the felt to form two

lips. Keep stabbmg unti l they

are firmly In place and well

outlined

C. Repeat 101 the other two

\.) fish. USing dlfferenl

colours and patterns use the

ptClure on page 121 as

reference or lusl use your

ImaglnatlOfl~

7 With a needle and thread.

shtch a pteee of cord Of

r bbon to the top fin of each

fish. Make each hanging cord a

shghtly d Iferenl !engln so thai

the fish float at dLfferent

helghts_ Attach the cords to

convement pomts OIl the

drfltwood Of similar. then bring

all three Pieces to the centre

above and lie off. Hang the

mobile from a small hook fixed

In the celhng_

c omplete felrmaking 123

-

vance •

te c nl ues In this chapter, I wantee to share some of the other excillng feitmaklng techniques I have d,scoveree over the years. Cobweb felting results in a marvellous gossamer-like fabric and proVides plenty of scope for artistic interpretation and deSign, while nuno felt IS a way of incorporating the feltmaklng process IOto a piece of sheer fabric. Felting with lasts and objects can be a terrific way of moulding wool felt, as you will see with the slippers and bowl projects that are fullee in the washing machine. Finally, working in a painterly style, lots of techniques come together 10 a hybrid felt wall hanging.

advanced ***

co we coo

126 CObWl'b cool

The ethereat and gossamer-like effect of thIS sublime scarf is achieved through a process known as cobweb felling. By layering tiny amounts of wool fleece, a very delicate sheer felt can be created, rather like a very fine lace. USing too much fleece will Simply result In a thicker felt, which will bear no relation to a cobweb

'

M aterials

Merino wool lops:

30g of pale blue, candy

pink and lime green

Small amounts of

peach, peppermint

green, red and

turquoise

2 different colours of heat-bondable Angelina

ghtter fibre Of Similar

Small amount of One Zero

yarn by Cohnelle In

Pops.cle, apprOK. 100m

(109yd) per lOOg hank.

(100% wool)

. l Ze

Approx. 16 x 196cm

(6y x 78/m)

128 CO bWl'b coo l

1 LJ\'ino" out fleece , '"

WOfklng on ndlong Nf>f thp bamboo

mdt. lay d(Jwn very WISPY layers 01 fleece to

form the under layer or yOllf scarl. keePIng

In mind lhat your scarf will shrink by

tlpprox male1y 20% dur ng the leitlng

PfOCess Lay SlrIp<; of p nk me and pa e

blue Ilee-'e 'engthwl~. wIth a small verhcal

gap he~n eoch cOlour. Then lay

alternate r~ of pellperm nl green and peach fleece at 7.5cm (3m) IntplVals

horlzootallv over Ire top

? How to design __ Remember to, v.~ry little f ~e to

make yoU! design and ftel free to leave

gi;lPS where there IS no fleece at al Create

C JI15 With the turqUOise fleece and place

lengthwise datifl searl at r~ular Intervals

Cr€!dle a sma ler red ~od and place inside

the lufQUOIst' 0 I

3 Trapping Lay two . ngthe of yarn clown the

length of the scarf. 5cm (210) In from each

outer edge CUi seven or eight pieces of

yarn the WIdth of the scarf and place them

hOrizontally bdwt..oen the Clr<;'es. Lay WI'-'~

of Angelina gI lief f bre In a Ime dcWT'l thf'

InSide ot the two lenglhs of yarn USing

small S(:Issors. cuI sn ppds of a conlrdst 'lg

colour Angtllna fibre Inlo the rtXf w ... fes 10

add some sJ)drkIC.

rOlllpine feh lll a king 129

1 Overl ay of fl eece -t Working bark to flonl, place a hlUe

more wool fleece over the top of these yarn

tlnd glitter components to trap them In the

<;carl and keep them In place. Next repeat

",:ep I In reverse. by Ilrsllaymg peppermint

green and pe.1ch hOrllontally. Then

verhcatly lay one layer of pink fleece over

Ule blue. lime over the ,me and blue over

the Pink.

130 cobweb cool

i

- We rtill <t .... " ..J Mist down thl fleece USing soapy

water In a spray bollle. Because the proteCt

IS so delICate, take care not to over wet

You do not need as much water as In

prevIOUS proJects. It Just needs to be damp

,I IS the soap In the waler that IS

mportant.

6 Itolling lip bamboo Lay another pIeCe of nelllOg over your

scarf. TighHy rol the bamboo mat from one

end, lakmg care to keep the fleece d<; tlal

and undisturbed as you can.

7 R o llin g F,rm'J foil the bamboo rnal back. and

forth at lea~t 50) h~ before opening ,I

up to (heck lor fibre movement F,br~ should be ..... ell matted together, and shOUld

no! move when brushed against. If they do,

continue roiling between 100 and 200

limes more or until they are fIxed Rinse

the scarf with balling or YffY hoi water,

then alic;w to cool a I tile. Repeat the entire

rot ng prOCe50S agiM. rowtlf'lg tnc searl

through 9O"C Cl95"F) occaslOIlal Y to

control stmnkage In both directions. Do a

frnal rmse to make sure all the soap IS

removed and then a flna! roll. Allow to dry

•

8 Fin ishin g PlaCe a tea ,;., I CN 'r the scarf. set

your ron 10 the wool c;e:l!ng and press

f,rmly to bond the fIbres and fldllt'll your

searl Creale two fell balls (<;ee page 52) for

the ends. Decorate the 0011$ w,th some

lime polka dots uSlnR the IcilmB needle.

o Attaching :I Gatht'f Ih! rid of scarf together and

SIll a fell ball If place w lh a neeole dnd

thread. Repedl .lIthe other end

cO lllpln..: f..:lull .l ki n g 131

advanced ***

nuno e t s

"Nuno", the Japanese word for cloth or fabric, IS a term cOined to describe felting onto fabric. The advantages of this method are that a very flUid, lightweight felt fabric can be created, and Interesting effects can be achieved as the shrinking wool causes open weave fabric to pucker and Crinkle. Of all feltmaklng techniques, this IS the most popular one used to create clothing. As With the cobweb felt , don't overdo the amount of fleece you use - very little IS reqUIred .

132 n Ull o ft: lr sh J",J

aw

I

Mawriah

MefillO WOOl lOPS

50g of purple

Small amounts of

darker purple and olive

yellow

Small amount of silk tops

In space·dyed pmklyeUQw

lussah

I large tnangle of organza

with each ollhe fight

angle sides measunng

approxullilte1y 1000m

140m)

MatchIng Ihre.ld, braid or

nbOOn

Size Each right angle side

approx. 1000m (4Otn)

1 F.lbric choice, Opt'n Vlt ClYt' fabr s Su( 11 (I'> 'hl(jon

Ofganld. gauze VI lulle)1 C ecIoln

dre best for m,no fell rlR . .¥. Inl'lT (Ipe

w~"e kxture d ~'the w JOIl!bre to

Ifdvellhruuijh al1d lake .. good strong hold

As d rule of thumb. I' you can see tllfOUgh

II and feel your bredal through It. Ihe fdbTIf

ydl be hne to w'Jrk 01110

As. shr nkd~e occurs Ihe unte ki areas

of labt'1C will be g<llhered III to -fCetiL

h~e ling k~lures Filler and more

delicate effect'" afe d. 11Ievoo by uSlng SI ks.

but equaity Intt:restl"'lg outcomes dTC

POSSible when USing man-made (lbIL'S SUl h

as Ihe polyester organza I"ve used hefl;

~ Trapping .. A'thuugh liS 1111(' 10 wi)rk d fecUy

1\ .. bamboo mal, I )Tclef 10 lay a

e of neillng over the mat S It allOw';

me 10 ~-e the dmounts and IOUf$ 01 the

! e be ns aid out muc 1 100ft' clr'drly_

Te)(lurdl <'fret!s can be d ... hll~Ved by

\rilpplng In Silk lops or otllt" ntere<;tlll~

y..ll'l$ .ay your argonIa d( ""., then (fedT"

Tht! f\ l: out Ines by ~yrng v('ry fTne

amour h .)T dal~ pur~ and 0 v yelluw

,,'ound In a I II, dnd "d~ til

r iv'yell 'N Silk V¥,"'lffl iC

,.., L.lying fleece ldY .mal lmounls of "" PY purple

lit dt the t m ! It shaWl tl lorln tnc

hinges Tnt'IT lay ve"( sma <lmounh

allJund II, nldes so ttlel Ihe t ~ e JU'it

C 'vt'r<; the fdbrlC l.dy lleece along III

edges. buIIC<1Vt. Ii 5cm (2,n) gap rUlln ng

alunlOl the lop edge 1/1 order to reate d

tglll !fIll wh~ the wool 5hnnks. A alw".,..,.

vary me dlfecll()f1 !he fleece Ii'! j ut In a~

m J h as pass ble

cO lllpil-te fL'itlllaklng 135

4 Wetting lay a pteCe of netllng over the lOp

when you have finished creating your

design, taking care not to disturb the

fibres. It's important to wei thoroughly now

with a coal soapy water SOlutlOll. The water

should be cool because this felt,ng process

needs to be done slowly so the fibres w II leI! W1lh the organza USing hotter water might cause the fibres to lelt to themselves

before they have had a chance to travel

through the fabnc.

136 Il lill O fc lt shawl

5 Rubbing Use a cloth to mop up excess water

Rub a bar of soap over the piece and start

to rub the fabrIC thoroughly. The rubbing

process will take QUite a while here. as you

need to carry on unlilihe wool fibres have

travelled through to the back of your

organza to hOld the whole thmg together

6 Peel back netting Pefllxhca11y peel back the nel1lrtg to

prevent the fibres from trymg to felt

themselves to It Instead of to the Ofganza

Separate the fibres from the netting and

keep on rubbing.

7 Set felt Continue tubbmg unhllhe fleece has

bonded to the organza underneath. Check

by looking at the back of the fabl'lc 10 see

how many fibres have come through Also

rub )'OUr hands Oller the fronl to check .f

the fibres have thoroughly knitted 10 the

background and no longer move around.

Once the fibres have clearly come

through the faNoe. rinse the prOject with

warm waler. Do a complete roll In the

bamboo mat, roIling 30 times In each

d,rection and on both Sides, turning to

control shnnkiJge Rmse ,n hot water. The

temperature of the waler depends Ofl the

fragility of the fabnc you are uSlng- use

boiling water I' your fabriC can withstand II.

Repeallhe entire rolling process until you

achIeVe your de5lred result

8 Shrinkage effect Once the flbr~ have begun 10 shnnk.

the organza Wlil pucker and distort as IllS

pulled by them. Do a fmal flnse In warm

waler 10 IIOse out ill soap.

9 Finishing FInish the fa;; edge by fOlding OWl

the tap edge tWice. USing a decarallye

nbbon ()( embrOidery thread, sew a runn ng

slilch along the top_

co mplet e fl'ltlllaking 137

• •

advanced ***

•

OOnlIn •

s 1 ers

Feet flrst'

Lounge around In these totally toasty slippers and your feet will feel so warm you can pretend you are on a desert Island. The seamless slippers are made around polystyrene shoe lasts, which are available In most sizes. They are also lightweight and can be put In the washing machine at the final fulling stage.

138 blooming 'I hppl'r"

M aterials

Menno wool tops:

50g of turqUOIse, Ci trus,

me green, red and

dark red

A pair of polystyrene shoe

forms In the appropnate

size

FabrIC glue

Needle and thread

Slipper soles or plI~ce of

suede (optional)

Size Length 28cm (1 I /In)

Width IOcm (4In)

Height I l em (4 I.ln)

140 b loomill g I, iipp e r "

1 Covering The best results dre achieved by USing

proper polystyrene forms fOf" this prOjcct.

but you could try WOfklng over rubber

boots_ To make II easier to remove your

finished slippers from the lasts, start by

covering each w Ih a plastIC bag and

secUring the bag WIth an elastic band at

the top. Now mist the plastic bags w th

soapy water this Will help keep the Heece

rn place as you are laYing It on lOp.

When making slippers. you need a

minimum 01 three layers to make them

thICk enough. Irs helpful to maiole these

three layers ,n dl lferenl colours so you can

see when you have layered sufhclent lleece

for each.

? Laying fleece on last ---J Sian by laYing turquOIse fleece >flll

the last Work as descnbed on page 22.

pulling off WISpy amounts of fleece and

layenng It up slowly. Do not be tempted to wrap large bandage· like swathes of fleece

around the last. as this W II not workl

First lay Ihe turquoise fleece along the

sole 01 the last. overlappmg dl elthe{ end

Then wrap WISPY lleece crossways ClVef the

top In the opposite dlrectlon_ Cover Wi th a small piece of neltlng. wet. soap and rub

for a few minutes. Next. lay the last on one

side and CoYer the rltSt Side w,th WISpy

fleece from ·eft to rtght. and then In the

other direction from top 10 bottom. Cover.

weI. soap and rub again before dOIng the

other Side. Repeat Wllh a citrus fleece layer

and Ihen a fJme fleece layer. tt'.~n repeal

everything again lor the othel 100(

3 Rubbing Loy turQUOI<,l""'d~ ~'Jratlve stnpes

across the s!'ppers Cover, weI. soap and

rub untillhe fJbres no longer move when

you blush your hand across them This IS

Important' Next. pul tht! shppers In washmg

machine on a 6O"C (140"FJ wash cycle_

Add dn old pa f of Jean 10 the wash to

facl' Idle Ihe felting P'ICes5.

Attaching the Soles

4 Il..elllove I.tsts Us ng a sma pa r of sc 50 lIS. cuI

2.5·5cm 0-2In) down from Iht lop centre

to clld the removal of Ihe lasts from the lell.

If the slipper IS da'np. II WIll be eaSll'r to

remove the lasl. Ho ..... • ... cr, I("S benel -Id 10

dry the slippers on the last to malllli:tIP a

good shape. If necessary tnm the top of the

50 Ippers to mak.e them eY,m and match ng.

Pin the 501e to the bollom of the Slipper. USing colourful yarn or embrOIdery thread, sew the sole on USing a decorative SI,lch such 35 tross stitch. Sew the flower Into place In

the renlle altcr you have flnlsht>d. As an oltefl'ktllVe, cullwo ple(:es of suede Sl ghtly

smaller ttlan the sole- (Jf the shppers. TacK Inlo place w.th some adhestve, then OVt;!I<;t:'W

w.th some strong thread

- Making flower, .=> Start by maIling 25cm (10m) mares

of ba';tr nat fell (see page 22) In red .:lnd

dark red. Cu! a Ireeform flov.t"r shape 9cm

(3 In) 'n d.am('ler 11 dark red. then a

7.5cm (3In) Wide lOlA-petal llOwf'r each

cOlour Cut an unevt!n 30cm ( 12m) !engtn

In red to COil In the centre. Place 111(' four·

petal liNers 011 lOp of fhe petal base

aitellldlmg coIoors a'lCl thl.' COli 011 lup

G IJt! If necessary. then sti tch In place

cOlllplc-rt' fdrl1l:Iking 141

advanced ***

ow over

You'll have a ball making 111Is prolecl' Layers of fleece are bUilt up around a ball, and then a second shape - In thiS case, a small plastic bag With a core of aluminum fOil - IS placed onto the Side of the ball and the felting continues over the top. ThiS small appendage Will eventually become the flower on the Side of the bowl, once both shapes have been cut open.

142 bow l O\'l.' r ball

a

Materi als

Menno wool tops:

50s of candy pmk.

cherry red. cornfl(1wer

blue ohvc green and

"",' 20g of white and black

Small amounts of

orange and rust

20cm (81n) plashc ball

A small plastic bag

Fabnc glue

Needle and thread

Size Ht ght 14cm (5i<m)

Width 26cm (!Oiln)

144 b o wl over ba ll

1I Illi idc dL''ii~1l Fl' )1 al pray t~ ball 'Ii Ih 5f)(l "

IpY""dle!, <.I I'U'> will makf' Ilff ea<; PI

and he r> It e Uet' e 'ilay put Ta~e IOnp;

Mrlp!> 01 Cdrldy pm~ lleec.e and .... L.p II

around the ba I [see photo above) JOin the

strips together <1<; you go to make the

pattern <lOpedr conI nUOU$

? Co\'cring in tl CL'CC _ Wr)(Klng :n iI It Id II lilT' Idrllo

l: 'VCl Ir.", entire bat! H'i led f "e ody ng .1

n d 'efr.;.lImg d 'et.1tOflS At!, r ...... uk ng on

clle se::\100 place t~t; nt.:Ulllg cv~ the laid

f ece. <;pray It w th SOdoy wdter, ddd '5Oilp

dnd rub for it fe ..... monull.'S. Occasionally

pul the net! ng bd("k 10 St'pdldk Int· fleece

fr{)fTl It Keep add,ng f1t'ete LUIIII the enl'le

bel I '5 C Veted. repeallh with cordI fleece

tht>n 'Ii th 0 ve

'"') Appendagt' ) CrIll. it IT' b. U 001 01 alum n .l11'l

'{ I. th n WI f. d fT'.d piaq, 001-': around

" Ccwer one (II Ihls piashC. ba~ bal "

few klYl" of Ofange and rust fleece fer

the Dl'\dl<' Tllm Jff excess where

necessary. Place the sma ball onto the

Sid£" of the ITLi n ball c1nd star! to cover It

with the lllw ~reen t e Make SUfe you

jd e'loug.l1 ,ye ',t'1. e Iyer the top 'I)

keep the "rna ' f bit In place keep

addmg fleeCe In dr'1erenl dlfec.! ons oYef 't

Now clPPty the C( rnflowt;r blue fleeCe ayer

WOfkllg around I/ll' <;mali SIde ball til s

time Add your 'liMe polkadOI5.

rernemi:>enng to keep the dots fairly loose' Rub eYcryttling lmtilihe !leeee no longer

1TJ{;'1ie5 when you run your hand ovel II

c.:olllplc[L' fcl(Jllakil1~ 145

4 13o llIl Ci n(r " Now this pari; Just for fun, althOugh

the vlbI'ahon 01 the bouncing ball will help

to entangle the hbres, SO do It {Of a few

mlnull!5 II you can! Either bounce or rub

or a comblnaliOn of the two until the

htves feel completely ',oselhe,' and you are

coddenl your ball of fleece delln :ely woo', fal! apart Then .trs lime to put It InlO the

washing machine. put your feel up and

relax If IXlSSlble, add an old pair 01 Jeans.

Of some Old sheets 01 blankets (not towels)

10 the washing machine to add Inchon and

then wash at about 6O"C ()4{1'F) with your

normal washing powder.

146 h o wl OVl'r b a ll

5 C utting open fl ower Whl e\'erythmg IS slill damp, mark

seven 10 eight pelals In the small side ball

With some pins. CuI the petals from the

centre outward towards each pin. Bend Iht>

petals back mto Ihe shape you want them

10 dry In. Nr)W leave 10 dry before you cui

open the main bowl.

6 C utting open bowl Mafk your cullmg Ime on the rna n

bowl With pms or a PIece of string. Ideally,

your flower should Sit jusl below the lop of

the bowl, so the petals protrude over the

top. Cut around the ball 0f1 the cuttmg hne

and then remove " Tflm and tidy the

edges as necessary

7 Stifle n 3nd Sl1100 th Spra~ starch ,berit Iy OYer the ball 10

51.Hen Sellhe ,fon 10 the wool seUtng and,

Y( thout steam, carefully press the outside

of the bowl. laking care not to bum

yourself. If you fmd It eas er and safer,

place the lett bowl over another glass bowl

before you begin to press.

8 Felt bowl ~t3nd For your new fclt bov.110 remain

upnght (especaally onc.e you put ttMg5 In

It) you need to make a felt !:oland for II to Sit

on. ThIS IS eaSIly done Wlth a COiled length

01 fell, Make a fell handle (see page 53J by

twtSling 4()::m (16m) Pieces of red and

candy pmk neece together Once fulled,

walt lor the fell 10 dry, cui It to the correct

;t!llgth for your bowl. tben form a clfcle by

JOIning the two clean end~ together. Glue

them 10 hold, then sew 10 'ieCUiC

() ))ecor,lting 7 Create another twisted length In the

same way. but thiS time uSing black and

while fleece Allow to dry. then cui It Into

6mm ( In) slices, Glue some of these Inlo

the centre ollhe flower

CO III P il' l l' fc lt lll.lk in g 147

advanced ***

•

Ie o o

Although this prolect Incorporates many techniques, It focuses on USing the fleece with a more painterly approach than before. By trealing the fleece wool tops like paint and applYing It In very th in layers, tonal watercolour effects can be created. There IS also a 'pre' felt - or 'half' felt - Inlay In the wall hanging, Wllich IS a useful technique to learn as It caters to those who like a CIrcle to remain perfectly round!

148 fil..'ld of poppil""

•

Ies ....

M ateri als

MerinO WOOl lops:

1008 01 pale pmk

50g of cornflower blue.

hght blue. pale blue,

dark green, sage green,

pale hme, dark red and

bflght red

JOg of black and white

Small amounts of coral,

peach, burgundy. dark

blue, grass green,

white, purple. black.

olive green and lime

yellow

Hook-and·loop tape

Size 115 x 38cm (46 II 15in)

150 fi e ld of poppie ,

1 Layi ng f1eec~ First lay pale pink neece lengthWIse to form a rectangle about 135 II 42.5cm (54 x 1 lin), or the

size you reqUire plus 20-30' to allow for shnnKage. Remeflll)ef, .1 IS easier to tnm the fell down atlhe

end. than to add on If It shnnkS too much! Follow the first layer w Ih another of pink gOing horizontally

To create the sky, gather together lengths of three or four dlHerenl blues to bjend together. lay a rme

layer of each In descendmg order, WIth the lightest allhe bottom. Next, lay the same blues hOrllontal1y

and slar! overlapping them. Conllnue to cross hatch with fleece where each blue changes Into another,

unlll the blendmg appears seamless. lay Ihe greens out for the grass In a slimlar manner, althOugh

havlI1g more defined areas of different coloured greens IS hne here, as you would w'th different fields.

lay a band 01 WISpy red Oeece acros~ the top 01 the gras~land Ii Imply some out 01 focus poppteS In

the distance.

... • ? Pre-felt _ Pre-' I III d'l' a common wdy of

'-rwh, ill d tdd Ok shapes and pa!t~m$

nt\l felt. WI .- h w,l feW,n the.r form clnd

'mwe a·o .. .,nd 'e""l when put througll the

felt,ng process. ThiS t<!tho qut· reQUlr~'5

some slfnple flat felt p eces to be mad!' In

advance In Ih t)IOllrs reqUired (,n 1111'>

case re(j-;) bIll t IDS bP'Ofe the PIP: es are

lulil y tu led If they we a ready ff'lt~ dod

have hI \Sf • tOO rnurh I WI be OlOfe

dill IJ t' gel 1llE'1l't I adhere 10 your flr'W

fedh:m

First OJ;}"t' tll(' fldl leI: (see Pdge ?)

but r 'P <lncr the fir'>' ral IIlg In lt1e mat dna

CUI lilt' shapes you I!'qUlre III thiS a

(witl Shdpt'" to I)d~alt! 1I't' POPPlt~ In the

tor grou"1d lily <;hdpes n1 the nl'N II Ie

'J, Loyollt poppy It pc bI' ll~ it dour pr I) fOf

ldy dow" the bare boI of Ihe

n ,,,,,,,,f uSing dl<k'~nl rOOs. and the stem

U ng d flerer1t greens. Lay!.!! small amour I:::;

01 d Uerem tones on lOP of ea~h OllIE" t..'l

create ghl and dark areas <lfld to add

Ofltra~

NO' .... start the felt ng prOCt~S dS

described on page') 1. .2~ OllCe you !Iove

j fllShed ledve the I -I' ... ,,11 h In 'lnb 10 dry

bet 'e .,;cnt nu ng lurf) r

U' e ,·ftoVf'f PI <!S of felt from Qther

PflIjects as pre felt pieces In the

same way. but flufl up the backs

USing a r<;llt knife so the fibres slill

stand a lWlCe c:1 bondIng

4 Adding needle fclt Now you can rea ~ start to Kid the

fleece In very sma I amounts. bUilding up

layers of lone and colour as you would w th

paint

Takt> WISPS of black fleece and create

the {Iny centres of the IXlPPY allht! bottom

01 the wan hanging, USing a felling needle.

Also needle fell a few stems WI[h some

dark greo·n Next. start 10 create YOUI

hOllZOO usmg small amounts of greens and

brown Oul of focus shapes WI I 100 ... ,ke

tfees when you step back and look Begin

to think about grassland and lay extremely

w'sPV 'itrands of fleece across honzontal1y

FIJI! In place with the muill-needle tool

Keep stepping back from your work. and

t n add ng fine layers of fleece In areas

whu.;h need to be bUilt up with colour

152 field of pappi " ,

5 Poppy design Really spend some time on the flower.

as It will stand out from the lest of the wall

hanging. Re!erflOg to a photo or draw,ng.

build up the petals uSing as many different

shades of the same cOlour as you can.

Here I have used different reds, burgundy,

peach and coral fleece Just for the petals.

look at the poppy centre and add black

and while fleece and sorne purple

stamens.

6 Finishin g: adding ti es If you're planning to make Ihls pr~ :1

1010 a blind raltler than a wall hanging,

make a lIat piece of black and wh Ie

striped 1('11 10 creale two long straps 10 use

as tIeS Attach a PIece of hook-and-loop

tape althe top back of Ihe blind, and IlIllO

the wall or Window Sew a he on either Side

allhe top. During the day when the blind IS

rolled up, use the [es to hold II In plare

Candid Camera

Your work WIt! really benefrt from

havlI1& photographs or prehmmary

sketches to work from. For example.

use photos of the countryside as a

reference to see how colours change

and alter In the distance. Half dose

your eyes when you look at a

photograph, and try and look at It OUI

of focus. By domg this you Will able to

see which colours of fleece will be

right for the eHect you are after.

complete felrmaking 153

Templates

154 tl' m pl-a'-· ...

dapper flapper

page 70

Enloil~ 10 2CX)%

do1\y spotty

Pa.-;e 58

En dlj.!C 10 2CO

lea !Ime :05Y

Pdge 66

Enlarge 10 200"

culle booties

Page 62

Enlarge 10 200%

cO mpl L' (L' fL'I(lllaking 155

Glossary Angelina fibre: A 'Vcry t ne.

glittery and light re1Iec!''it' fibre

that IS ~metlmes heat

bon<1able. Comes ,n three

types: Iridescent, holograptl

dnd metalhzed.

Batt: A carded flkl5S Of fleece

that an be separdted ,nto

dyt r Used lS an (jllt'fl1dll'oJe

to w,XlIlops Unl,,,t' wnol tops,

the f bres do ntl oil lace ,n III '

!;J!Tlt! d'fe<:llOfl Of len u<;eO In

Idrge expanses With kiting

needles to form flilt she(~t .. of

flt't.'iJ1e fell.

Block: A blo".. it lorm .:sed

In nldk ng and dryllg a ptpCe to

cl deSired shaDe Hat blocks

are often used .... hen milking

f I hcl:'

Blood counl: A'1 AOlt'f,ear'

mdt"rxf )1 gradlf'8 ..... )()I. b<lsed

In the percentage Of Mcrmo

'lIt d In the orlBlnal SI1('f>p

Boiled wool: T'd( 1\ malty th

~Mtt~ 'M) I thcJt has been

boiled In Jrder to ol, ;cure the

156 g- IO"",H Y

knitted S! lch~s_ Done In a

C Allrollcd er.Vlfonmenl 10

produce an e<Jcn clom from

'Very flllt'! wool. Many wools Will

distort dnd lose theu COlOur at

11\ I a high temperalure.

Bradford count: A Brlh<;h w'XlI

grading .. y.lem Whit) It!!'~r< 10

the number 01 560-)'dICl c;keills

of wool flom a pound ..... l·lghl.

Tht' hlghpr Ihe :001'11. the flncr

Ih w.)()1

Carding: A process vpry Slmll,u

I1dll brushlfl8_ USlflg ellher

fl1t'ldl·pron~~ hand CdrdNS or

a drum under. the woo fibre

are Co,nbed cut mlo long. even

engU's so Ihdl a Ilhe j bres

are f,-l( g In tht! same

dllectlon.

Crimp: Tile .... ')vu'ess of the

.... JOI fibre Finer .... ,XlIs hd..-e

ml (h m lfe cnmp per Imll

1Ii:ln .lrser wools.

Felling: The m.:Ifllng together

ofwooilibre lol)rmadense

fdbm Ihdl <,table and does

nell,,,),

Fulling: Tht> final stage of

ShrinKing and hardening the

felt Of knl\fed fabriC 10 make It

IhlCker and denser.

Felting needles: The balbed

!?edle \lldt IS repeatedl), POlled

In and out :1 w.XlI tops t:)

produce flat Jr sculptural

Pieces of Il:lt Without the net '(j

fOI water. The barbs on the

needle entAngle the w()()l fibres

as they are PUllf!d In and out

o flerent gauge need es have

d,fferent ellt- Is >n the v.ool.

Fleece: The wool from a sheep

In me pIeCe c )ntallling

lane In. AI.o tt!,m I use to

refe' to 'Ii. 10.1 lops being used

for fe UT'nkl

Gauge: Refers to the size of a

fell ng n~ie. The h gher the

gaugt lh,· mure delica1t-' the

needle. FII\! nf!('dles are su ted

to a fmer decordllve apphcall(ll't

of neece. n,e loW\!1 gauge

needles are u'>ed fOf formmg

OOw' shapes and sculpting.

The net."<I1Cs cll!,Q corne In

d,fferenl <;hapes. trlanguldl and

the mulll·larclt'CI Sldr shape.

whICh,s faster to wlJrk With

Firer r>eedles break mom

easily. In kn Ihng. It reters I

Ille number • .;rf kn Ited c;lllclles

dnd rows In a defuled SQuare.

Handle: Thf' ft.-e11J1 a hbre or

hbrlC

lanolin: The grCiI<;t' or wax produced by Ihe sebaceous

gland<. 01 the sheep. It has

welterprooflng qua 111t>'>. dnd

prt'vent~ the sheep from

becornlllg too ..... '" A though most IS removed dUling

scouring. what "'tie remalnc;

h.y the added benefit of

preven! ng sore chapped hands

alte-r mali)' hours 01 fdtmak. os.

Lallohn IS used by the

pharn,elCeUIICallf1duslry

lasts: Fnrm'3 over willi h shoes )( boots are m.,lde

Micron: A mnOrl IS a millionth

of a metre (or 1125.()(X) 01 an

Inch) and IS Ihe most accurate

way of grading woo The Io ..... er

Ihe IlllCron, the I,ner the wool

Nuno felt: Fell Illdt

Inc )rpor .. llf' d fine fatlr It IS

rno ,I ,llIldbl" for fell C othlnl2

as the Ie!>U 1':. mJl:lta n lhen

draPIng Q!Jillhes.. Come Irom

llle Japar.t Yo rd lUno

medii n fabf~

Pre · felt : Half·n ~dp fel! ttld: IS

lh(; Inldld ,nto further prott:: '15

on Illp of n 'VtI """.101 tnps. to

creole IJnform <.h:::;,gns thaI

don'l move ,.rl und 100 much

Roving: S 11' laf 10 lops, but It

liI.xes do n(11 ,I ..... ,l~ lace t'le

same dlle!. II m

Scales: The tiny ovt::rlapOlng

scales on the surface of the

.... ·101 flbles. whh.:h open up

hum the b,J'>e 10 lhe top and

then lock togethel once they

haVl' entangli~ d,lIIng Ie ling.

Hot Wd:t'f encoufage$ !I'e

sea t!S to )~'n til> and :old

water 10 I~p again

Scouring: Thl! .-Ifl of washing

the WQ. when ,1 IS flfSI shorn

to rem 1'If' dlrl. gled'>e and bI'

of vegetal" I

Silk noil : A by' prOduct 01 SII'I

Yo mder!\tl for rea'ing

1£'K\UH'" trapped III wool

Staple length : TI"I4 Ilbre length

of ...... ,101 wh h v II accord ng

to 1t1e ..,Ii

Stacking stitch (SI st): A

knlttlnij It'fm relf'rnng to

dllellng rows of KI1I1 and purl

Tops : WYlI tops relers to the

c !flI"lW IU<' I"ngth of 'NCO

t.ore pr )(juced dUI.ng the

ard of: pron.:ss n whICh all

tht! lit)res I e In Inc same

d rallon rnaktng tnem Ideal

for layertng In fellmaklng_ They

are <;old In dlfferenl lengths.

and pre usually between

2575cln"3 n, wKl('

Washboard: USf.-d (IS an

alternatIve 10 a bdmboo mat In

Ih~ fd·mak.lng pr, !Cess. dS part

0111'11' lulling Ie _hnrque, The

lell 1$ rubbed against It

vigorously IIlslf'.ad of being

rolled In a bamboo mat

Resources The Handweavers Studio Knitting Wools Hand Spun I Hand Dyed

29, Haroldstone Road Yarns: Fell Kits & Felt Courses London, El7 7AN Colinette Yarns www.matenalwhlrled.com

For staner kits. slipper kits, Tel- 0208 5212281 Banwy WOfkshops. www,pluckyflulf.com

wooiIOPS. and Fe I Makmg wwwgeocltles,comJAlhensl llanfa'r Caefelnion, WNW,Jennyneulronstar,com

Cou~ ,n the UK: Agoral9814flndex hIm POW)'. Wales. SY21 OSG

Tel: 01938 810128 Space-Dyed Textiles Gi1lian Harris Texere Yarns y.ww,cohnel1e.co.uk

WWoY_8,lhangladrag.co_uk College Mill, Barkerend Road Kale's Kloths

Bradford. BOI 4AU Rowan 58, Regent Street

Wool Tops, Silk Tops, Tel: 01274 722191 Green Lane Mill Blyth. Northumberland

Other Fibres, Felting wwwlexere.co.uk Holmflrth. HD9 2DX NE24 ILT

Needles, Angelina Fibre Tel: 01484 681881 Tel: 01670 354342

Hilltop wwwkmltowan.Com WNW kalesklolhs.co.uk

Crafty Notions Wmdmlll Cross.

Umt 2. Jessop Way, Canterbury Road, lyrmnge. Noro Yarn DYES Newark. NG24 2ER Folkesione. Kent. CT 18 8HD Designer Yarns lid

Tel: 01636 700862 Tel 01303862617 Ullil 8· 10. Newbndge Industnal Omega Dyes

WNW.craltynoIIOrls.com www.handspln.co.uk Eslale. Pllt Street. Tippets Cottage,

Keighley, West Yorkshire Kenwyn Church Road,

Wingham Wool Work Twist Fibre Crah Studio BD214PQ Truro, Cornwall,

70 MaIn SI. Wentworth 88 High Street. Newburgh Tel 01535664222 TRl3DR

Rotherham. South Yorksture. Cupar, Fife. KYl4 GAO WYtW.desyarns.co.uk Tel 01872 227 323

S62 ?TN Tel. 01337 842843 www.omegadyes.fsnetco_uk

Tel 01226742926 www.\WISlflbrecraft.eo.u ... South West Trading Company

www.w'ngharnwootwork.co.uk www_SOVSllk_com

George WeB Fibrecrafts The Knitting Parlour

Old Portsmouth Road, 4a Graham Road

Peaslml5h. GUildford, Great Malvern, Wores,

Surrey, GU3 I LZ WRI42HN

Tet· 01483 565800 lei 01684 892079

www.f'brecrafts.com wwwlheknrlhngparlour.co.uk

158 r t.'~O II r ct.''1 •

Trimmings & Ribbons

Regia Soles for Slippers

VV Rouleaux

54 SlOane SQuare

Cllveden Pldce

london

SWIWBAW

Tel: 0207730 3125 WNW.wrouleaux.com

Further reading and

mformatlon on feltrnaklng

International Feltmakers

Association

..w,w,fetlmallefs. :om

- , , " . • •

, , , " , ..' ... I .'" ~ ", ',,' f " ")

, "t' . , .... ..', . " "'\ , . ~ . ."I.~'( . " . (' . ., ~,. . , .,,' , , ,

• , '. ,

• • . t." II • •

• .'

\ • , • • • .. '

• , . I •

i

Acknowledgements

This book IS dedicated to my wonderful friend. the late Ahx Morze. who first suggested I should fell. and was the most unique. msplrlng and encouraging person I have ever mel.

I'd also like to thank my husband. ChriS. and my two daughters. Polly and Rosie. for bemg so patient

with me. Sorry If you found b ts of nuff In your dmner And SOfry If you dldn t get any dinner.

I'd like to extend my gratitude to Maureen Saunders for knitting up the corsage. bag, and baby blanket and ReeOle Hanlin from www.matenalwhlrled.com for donating yarn for

the Carousel cushion. In addlhon. Michelle Lo and Mark WinWOCKf for being so lovely to work with Laslly, to Mum

and Dad for their conslant SUPlXlrt and for pac;slng down the fluffy texltle gene.

A comprehensive guide to all aspects of feltmaking and felt work

Includes flat felting, 3D feltin needle felting and advanced

, knitted felting, lting techniques

Step-by-step techniques and a range of exciting fashion and home accents in each chapter

COLLINS & BROWN f.18.99