How to make felt using the wet method

There are so many ways to use handmade felt these days! Hats, purses, roses and other utilitarian items can be made with felt! Even today many cultures used felt to keep their houses warm and protect themselves from the elements. Try these basic steps and you too can make felt by the using the wet method remember this, that it is not hard to make felt it just takes some energy to meld the fibers together.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bubble wrap
• Wool fiber
• Warm soapy water
• Cold water
• Small washing tub

1. I like to start off with wool fiber that is already cleaned from all of its waste matter and it is dried. Next, I lay out a medium size hand towel on my work surface making sure that is laying flat.

2. 
   First Whisps

   Pull of wisps of wool fiber and lay them next to each other in all one direction. Next lay all of the next wisps of wool in the opposite direction for the entire piece. Build the layers up so that the piece is not transparent and you can built a design on top of the foundation. During this process you can think about what type of design that you would like to make with your wool. The wet method is a creative way to think about "painting" with different colors of wool by taking threads, multi-colored fibers, felt pieces and alternative fibers (dryer lint for example) to paint with. It is a blast to get really creative and make a landscape piece or a portrait piece and then felt it then bead the piece for accents.

3. 
   Lay bubble wrap

   Once the design has been completed, it is time to put another medium dish cloth on top of the design then lay the bubble wrap on top of the medium dish cloth. Then all you need to do is roll up the layers and secure the layers with rubber bands so it doesn't come apart.

4. 
   Rolling and checking

   Prepare some warm soapy water in your sink to be ready for the first bath after you have made your design. Soak the layers in water until it is fully saturated, then agitate the layers by rolling the bundle back and forth for a good ten minutes.

5. 
   Felting wool

   This is what the wet felt should look like after you have agitated and rolled the felt bundle after about twenty minutes in each direction. If it does not look this you need to keep rolling and firming up the bat of wool with cool and warm water baths to shock the fibers and help them mend together.

Tips & Warnings

• Try using frosting dyed wool for some variation in your design.
• If need be keep firming up the wool felt by rinsing the felt in cold and warm water baths and squeezing the bundle in between each bath.
• Once you get the hang of this you will want to get your hands on more felt than you ever needed in your life! So be aware this could be addictive.