How to Make Felted Wool Containers

A felted container can be made using basic craft supplies.

If you enjoy making handmade wool felt from wool roving, you can transform your handmade felted wool into a decorative craft with a few basic craft supplies. For example, cutting handmade wool felt, and forming it around a can can create a whimsical felted-wool container for pencils or pens. Placing the container on a table top or desk lets you enjoy your colorful felt.

Things You'll Need

• Jelly-roll tray
• Oil soap
• Spoon
• Wool roving
• Towel
• Scissors
• Coffee can
• Hot-glue stick
• Hot-glue gun

Instructions

1. Fill a jelly-roll tray with hot water, and pour in 2 tsp. of oil soap. Stir the solution with a spoon for one minute to combine the two ingredients completely.

2. Layer 8 oz. of wool roving into strips in hot, soapy water. Select any color of wool roving that you prefer.

3. Tap your fingers on the soapy wool roving for 10 minutes. Tap over the entire area of the wool. This will felt the wool into a dense sheet.

4. Flip the wool sheet over, and tap the reverse side of the sheet with your fingers for an additional 10 minutes to felt the reverse side.

5. Squeeze out the wool-felt sheet, then lay it on a towel to dry for six hours.

6. Cut the felt sheet into a rectangle 19 inches long by 8 inches wide. This will allow the felted-wool rectangle to fit perfectly around a coffee can that is 8 inches high by 6 inches in diameter.

7. Insert a hot-glue stick into a hot-glue gun, plug the gun in and heat its up for 10 minutes.

8. Squeeze a line of hot glue around the top and bottom edges of the coffee can, and wrap the felted wool rectangle around the can. Line up the rectangle with the edges of the can. Allow the hot glue to cool for two minutes.

9. Squeeze a line of hot glue vertically down the can where the two short edges of the felt rectangle touch, then press the edges together. Hold the edges of the hot-glue line for two minutes to allow the hot glue to cool before using the felt-covered container.

Tips & Warnings

• Hot glue can cause serious burns on skin.

• Keep hot glue out of the reach of children.

References

• Outback Fibers: Beginner Felt-Making Instructions
• Owning Alpaca: Fun Wet Felting Wool