How to Felt With Bubble Wrap
Felt is one of the oldest known types of fabric, according to Ebsqart. The process for making this strong, warm fabric is called "felting," which is where felt gets its name. This material is matted sheep's wool, made through agitating the fibers until the tiny scales on them hook and tangle together. In the past, felt was an essential winter fabric. Today, you can make original accessories from personalized felt material.
Things You'll Need
- Towels
- Bamboo window shade
- Small-bubble bubble wrap
- Squeeze bottle
- Unscented dish liquid
- Carded Merino wool: any colors
- Sponge
- Tea kettle
- Plastic tub
- Rubber gloves
- Cool water
- Apple cider vinegar
Instructions
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1
Layer two towels on top of each other and spread them out on a clean, flat surface. Your kitchen table or an area with an easily cleaned floor works best. You can also do this outside on a picnic table.
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2
Unroll your bamboo window shade over the towels. Make sure the slats are turned so you can roll the shade up and away from you. Place a piece of small-bubble bubble wrap on top of the bamboo shade. The wrap should be about twice the desired size of the felt piece you want to make.
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3
Mix about four tablespoons of dish liquid with a pint of warm water inside your spray bottle. Shake the bottle gently to mix the soap and water thoroughly. Sprinkle just enough of this mixture onto your bubble wrap to make it evenly damp.
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4
Very gently tug apart your carded Merino wool pieces, which can be found at craft stores and online, into clumps about one inch wide and half again as long as you want your piece to be. If you want your piece to be 10 inches square, your wool clumps should be about 15 inches long. Lay them horizontally across the center of your bubble wrap.
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5
Add a second layer of wool clumps, placing these vertically over the top of your first layer. For your first attempt, just try two layers.
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6
Squeeze water over your wool layers so they're wet through but not dripping or soaked. Press the wool with a sponge to push the moisture further into the wool. Squeeze any excess moisture in the sponge out over the wool. Continue pushing water into the wool until all of it is absorbed.
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7
Roll the bubble wrap and wool up into a scroll. Roll the bamboo shade around the bubble wrap scroll. Bear down on the bamboo scroll and roll it up and down 50 times. Unroll the wool, turn it 90 degrees, roll it back up and roll 50 more times. Repeat twice more, turning the wool 90 degrees each time.
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8
Bring about one-half gallon of water to a boil in a tea kettle. Empty the kettle into a plastic tub. Unroll your felt from the bubble wrap. Set the bubble wrap aside.
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9
Put on rubber gloves and immerse the soapy felt in the water. Wring the felt out and throw it very hard down onto the bamboo screen. This helps the binding process between the wool fibers. It's also very cathartic. Repeat up to 10 times.
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10
Empty your plastic tub and refill it with cool water and about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Gently swish the felt around in the water for a minute and wring it out. Lay the felt on a clean towel to dry.
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References
- Photo Credit ballyscanlon/Stockbyte/Getty Images
