Things You'll Need:
- Wool roving or sheets of 100% felt
- Dish soap
- Hot water
- Washboard, bamboo mat or similar surface
- Awl or large needle
- Embroidery floss and hand embroidery needle
- Felting needles
- Button
-
Step 1
Lay out layers of wool roving. Lay strips in a horizontal direction for the first layer, then vertically for the second. Three layers of roving should be adequate for the felt for this project. Mix a few drops of dish soap into several cups of water and heat it to just shy of boiling. Pour the water into the layers of wool, allowing it to soak in fully. Gently work the water into the roving, moving it from side to side and up and down. Soon, the wool strips will hold together. Wring out the excess water and work the felt against a rough surface like a washboard to speed the felting process. Once the fiber has been adequately felted, rinse it in cold water. Spin out the excess in your washing machine and iron it on the wool setting.
-
Step 2
Cut your felt to size. You will need one 6-inch-by-13-inch panel and two or three 5-inch-by-12-inch panels. You will also need two 12-inch-by-1-inch strips of felt. These will form the body and pages of your felting needle purse.
-
Step 3
Use a pen or marker to mark hole placement on the 5-inch-by-12-inch felt panels. Mark two to four holes per felting needle, allowing each half page to hold approximately four needles. You should also mark a buttonhole centered on one side of the outer 6-inch-by-13-inch panel, at the 3-inch point on the 6-inch side. Size your buttonhole to fit your button.
-
Step 4
Make holes where you've marked with an awl. Use embroidery floss and a sharp hand-sewing needle to stitch neatly around each hole with a buttonhole stitch. Do the same around the buttonhole.
-
Step 5
Lay out your 6-inch-by-13-inch piece of felt. Use a felting needle to attach the 1-inch-by-12-inch strips to the 6-inch sides of the felting needle purse, placing each end of the handle approximately 1 1/2 inches from the edge. You should have a handle on each side of the needle felting purse. Use wool roving and felting needles to decorate your felted purse if desired.
-
Step 6
Stack the pages of your felting needle purse atop the outer piece. Fold the felt evenly in half and blanket stitch along the spine. Stitch a button on the inside of the felting needle purse, neatly matching it to your buttonhole. Slide the felting needles through the holes in the pages.
