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Author Topic: Felting  (Read 9367 times)

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Felting
« on: May 28, 2013, 09:57:09 pm »
While I was at the farm park yesterday, I visited a felt stall where they were giving wet felt making lessons. Now I fancy having a go. Has anyone tried either wet or needle felting (I fancy both) and how did you get on?

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: Felting
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2013, 10:40:32 pm »
I've done wet-felting and it was very good and easy. The trick is to keep it colourful and put the fleece on very thinly, to avoid the 'mustard coloured clumpy stuff' I remember from 70s craft fairs! I use a bamboo blind and bubble wrap to roll it and agitate it. technique here In section 5, you roll the felt back and forth inside the blind, like a rolling pin.

Our WSD Guild has a 'felt vessels' workshop next month which I'm signed up for.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Felting
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2013, 11:34:15 pm »
Oh!  I want to do the felt vessels workshop too, but was at the Spinners' Gathering this month so missed our Guild meeting - do you know who is organising it and I'll email them?

The other type of felting I want to do is felt art - I think I'll love that.  Needle felting doesn't appeal to me at all, it looks like a lot of work to achieve anything, and is likely to be the sort of thing I am awful at!    :D
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: Felting
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2013, 08:18:29 am »
I can picture the lady and think she might be another Judith but I'm really not sure. I would have thought if you email Judith Edwards she'd know and put you in touch.

smithycraft

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: Felting
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2013, 08:45:52 am »
I've done some wet felting.  Like JayKay I use bubblewrap but towels instead of a blind.  Personally, I prefer knitting and then felting. 

I do a lot of needle felting.  I like to decorate my felted items and it's easy to do although you have to watch your fingers as those needles are sharp!  I often use cookie cutters to get the shapes I want.

I have needle felted a few objects such as sheep or pigs but I really prefer to use it for embellishment.

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Felting
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2013, 09:25:03 am »
I've done wet felting onto soaps - it's very easy and straighforward  :thumbsup:
But I've not tried making a sheet of felt......yet  ;)

I was at a show at the weekend and met a lovely couple with alpaca's. The lady had a sheet of felt made from alpaca - it was sooooo soft and stunning to look at. SO good in fact, I had to buy a wee bag of fibre to have a go with myself (sometime !  ;D:innocent:
I love the look of needle felting, but like Sally, suspect it would be quite time consuming and possibly not suited to me  ::) (I see lots of needled fingers)

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: Felting
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2013, 09:40:59 am »
I've done a bit of both. So far just made a wall hanging with wet felting but want to make a hat and also some slippers. I think I will need more lessons before then though.
Needle felting is easy and less messy. I haven't done much with it but did felt some random shapes onto a bag for my niece and it looked lovely.
I was at a spring fayre where the woman had a stall of needle felted animals, horses, pigs, dogs, sheep etc. She had only been doing it for 6 months but was obviously hooked. They were good too.
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

animalcrackers

  • Joined Aug 2012
Re: Felting
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2013, 09:48:13 am »
Hi I have been doing wet felting on and off for years - it is fantastic and very versatile making all sorts including hats slippers pictures, cushions and vessels. I have done a wee bit of needle felting to add detail to pictures but much prefer wet felting.

clydesdaleclopper

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Felting
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2013, 01:28:36 pm »
I do needle felting. I make 3d things for my boys to play with. It's quite easy and I like that fact that I can do a bit then put it away for a while before I continue as I don't often get a long stretch of time to do things. It also means I can rest my joints a bit by doing it in small stages.
Our holding has Anglo Nubian and British Toggenburg goats, Gotland sheep, Franconian Geese, Blue Swedish ducks, a whole load of mongrel hens and two semi-feral children.

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Felting
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2013, 11:11:28 pm »
I think the ladies on the stall had items that were wet felted with some decoration added by needle felting. What I really liked was some bowls made by wet felting and I would love to do one of those.

Just remembered, there was someone at the Smallholders' Show who was needle felting a whole picture but that did look like hard work.

You've all convinced me. I'm going for it.  :excited:

FiB

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Bala, North Wales
    • Facebook
Re: Felting
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2013, 12:53:36 pm »
Lesley - are you mobile?  Come and have a day here!  I LOVE felting and dabble in all.  Made a very pleasing bowl last year, but my BEST ever felt project is welly liners!!!  Made my winter! I quite like felting beads too for jewelry.  I think needle felting is very satisfying because its much quicker (and portable) than wet felting and great for small objects (Christmas tree decos etc).

waddy

  • Joined May 2012
Re: Felting
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2013, 01:45:16 pm »
Never done any felting but it is on my list of things to try once we have moved. Has anyone got any pics of things they have done?


Helen

animalcrackers

  • Joined Aug 2012
Re: Felting
« Reply #12 on: May 31, 2013, 04:16:21 pm »
I have made bowls - they are good fun to make i find the best results i got were using a resist

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: Felting
« Reply #13 on: May 31, 2013, 04:41:11 pm »
I have made bowls - they are good fun to make i find the best results i got were using a resist
Can you explain what a resist is please
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Felting
« Reply #14 on: May 31, 2013, 08:48:11 pm »
Lesley - are you mobile?  Come and have a day here!  I LOVE felting and dabble in all.  Made a very pleasing bowl last year, but my BEST ever felt project is welly liners!!!  Made my winter! I quite like felting beads too for jewelry.  I think needle felting is very satisfying because its much quicker (and portable) than wet felting and great for small objects (Christmas tree decos etc).

I'd love to. It's about an hour and a half drive which is close to my maximum for driving these days (a great improvement on a few months ago. Let me know when is convenient.  ;D

 

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