The Crafty Retailer thecraftyretailer@gmail.com

Embedded Crystal Felt Cuff Tutorial – Part I

Fiber jewelry has become increasing popular as more

jewelry and textile artists discover this versatile and tactile

medium. There is something particularly appealing about

the play of sparkling Swarovski Crystal against the warmth of

handmade felt.

The ability to embed crystal or another object (wood, stone,

etc.) into fiber will expand your crafty world! The best part

is that high style does not have to mean an exorbitant price!

A few grams of fiber and some sparkling crystal is all you

need! Once you master this technique, you will find multiple

applications in jewelry, home décor, and apparel!

Supplies needed:

Wool Fiber (about 15 grams of wool top or roving)

Brass Cuff Blank

Toile or other netting

Bubble Wrap

Hand Towel

Small Container of hot water

Olive Oil Soap Solution

Crystal to embed and assorted embellishments

Beading Needle and Fireline beading thread

Step 1:

Lay your hand towel on the work surface and put the

bubble wrap on top of the towel, bubble side up. Put

a layer of fibers down on the bubble wrap. This is

called shingling. Shingle your first layer of fibers

from left to right. The fiber will shrink about 25% to

30% during the felting process, so make it slightly

larger than your cuff blank to accommodate the

shrinkage.

Step 2:

Now put a second layer of shingles perpendicular to the first. If you

find it hard to pull apart the fiber, try putting your hands farther

apart. I find that if I use my left hand to hold the fiber in position,

and then position my right hand about 8 inches away, the fiber will

pull apart easily and with minimal effort. You should not be exerting

any pressure. This should be easy. If it is not, your hands are too

close together.

1.

Step 3:

Now put a third layer of shingles down, perpendicular to the second. You

should have a fluffy little pile of fibers. Now to add the crystal! Some

crystals have sharp backs, so I like to make a little nest for them to nestle

in. The extra fiber will prevent the sharp edge from “popping” through

the back. Simple take a small bit of fiber and make a cushion for each

crystal.

Step 4:

Place each crystal into its little nest. I used three 27x18.5mm

crystals. (Swarovski Article 4625 in Crystal Vitrail Medium)

Very sparkly!

Step 5:

Cover the stones completely with more fiber. You need to make sure

that the stones are not visible AT ALL. This is the fiber that will serve

to capture the stones and keep them in place. You will be doing a lot

of rubbing to turn the fiber into felted fabric, so put three

perpendicular layers over the crystals to make sure that there is ample

coverage.

Step 6:

Cover the fiber with the toile netting and sprinkle

liberally with warm water and olive oil soap

solution. Oops! Don’t forget to put a tiny bit of

fiber in a contrasting color on the bottom of the

piece. This will ensure that you know the top from

the bottom when it is time to cut the stone!

Step 7:

Gently rub your hands on top of the fibers to distribute the soapy water. Try to

keep the stones in place as you rub. I actually use my fingers to secure the

position of the stones as I am rubbing. This is such a small piece that there is

no need to “roll” the fiber as is typically done with wet felting. Your

hands will easily get the job done on this project.

Step 8:

After a few short minutes of rubbing it is time for the pinch test.

Remove the netting and see if your fiber has developed a bit of a “skin.”

You should be able to pinch the fiber gently and watch it come together

as one piece. Good job! You are getting there! You will notice that

your crystals are able to wriggle around freely. Now is the time to get

serious about beating them into submission!

2.

Step 9:

Keep the netting off and rub very vigorously against the bubble

wrap. Don’t forget to use your hands and fingers to keep the

crystal in position. The more you rub, the tighter the fibers will

become, ultimately locking the crystals into position. Once the

crystals start to become more firmly imprisoned, pick up the piece

and toss it on to the bubble wrap with a fair degree of force.

Repeat 10 times. This is part of the “fulling” process and will cause

the fibers to tighten further.

Step 10:

After about 10 minutes of aggressive rubbing you should find the crystals are

pretty tightly embedded, although there is probably a small amount of

wriggle rooms. There can be no wriggle room! At this point I am usually

ready for a glass of wine. Put your piece into a container of very hot water

(I keep a tea kettle on hand…heats to boiling within 1 minute). Go get a

class of wine or fold a load of laundry. Pet the dog and empty the

dishwasher.

Step 11:

By now the water has cooled and you can remove your piece. The

fibers will have absorbed the water and expanded so your crystals

might seem even looser. Do not become concerned. Simply give it

another minute or two of vigorous rubbing and gentle tossing and

things will tighten right up! The piece has shrunk quite a bit since

you started. Once you can no longer wriggle the stones, it is time

for THE BIG REVEAL!

Step 12:

THE BIG REVEAL!!! Make a VERY SMALL incision into the

right side of the fiber in the middle of a crystal. There

is a lot of fiber so you might have to work at it. Do not

make a big incision. The fiber “wound” will expand and

too large an incision will result in the stone falling out.

That would be a real bummer after all the work you have

done. Proceed with caution…

Step 13:

Dip your finger into

the soap solution and

gently rub around the

wound. You will be

healing the wound in

the fiber and opening

up the hole as you go.

One little cut will be enough to reveal your stone….just keep rubbing! Feel free to trim any stray fiber hairs

with your scissors.

3

Step 14:

SUCCESS! The stones are secure and it is

time to embellish the piece. The entire

process to this point has taken about 30

minutes. You will need another piece of

fiber—without crystals---to serve as the back

of the piece. Use the same technique to

make a second piece of felt. You will not be using any crystals so this one should be finished in about 5

minutes.

Step 15:

TIME TO RUMINATE. Gather the materials

that you are considering for embellishment

purposes. I generally find it helpful to keep

the work in progress within view for a day or

so … it helps keep my creativity flowing as I

decide on the next step…embellishment!

Stay tuned for Part II of the tutorial!

Voila! You did it! Aren’t you proud?

Crafting is uncomplicated joy….pass it on!

Have any questions? Shoot me an email!

TheCraftyRetailer@gmail.com