How to Make a Felted Stone Rug

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Things You'll Need

  • Bowl

  • Hot, soapy water

  • Wool roving

  • Towel

  • Scissors

  • Needle

  • Sewing thread, any color, or clear fishing line

A felted stone rug is a floor covering made with felted wool rovings. Wool roving is dyed wool that has not been woven into yarn. You can felt these pieces of wool yourself with hot water, and you can shape the wet felt into stone. By sewing these pieces together, you can create your own felted stone rug. The process does not require extensive crafting skills or any special equipment aside from needle and thread.

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Step 1

Fill a bowl with hot water. Add enough dish soap to create suds. Agitate the water with your hands to make the suds.

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Step 2

Pull apart your wool roving and gather it into a ball that is two times the size you want the felted stone to be. Use wool for wet-felting, not super wash wool. The label will tell you which roving you have.

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Step 3

Cradle the ball of wool in your hands and submerge it in the water. Wait 10 seconds, or however long it takes for your roving to become completely saturated. Lift the ball out of the water and let it cool in your hands. It will begin to shrink.

Step 4

Submerge the wool ball in the hot water again, then lift it up and let it cool. Repeat this until the stone is the size you want. Rinse it in cold water, then use your fingers to shape the stone how you want it. Keep it wet with cold water while you shape it, then set the stone on a towel to air dry.

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Step 5

Repeat this with each ball of wool roving until you have as many stones as you want. If the water begins to cool, dump it out and refill it with hot, soapy water. Let the stones air dry on the towel overnight.

Step 6

Trim any loose, fuzzy pieces of wool from the stones. This will give them a smooth, natural appearance.

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Step 7

Arrange the stones on a flat surface in the way you want them in your rug. If the stones are different sizes, you may have to rearrange them more than once to get them to fit together. There should be no gaps between the stones, or your thread will be visible.

Step 8

Thread your needle with your thread or clear fishing line. Tie a knot in the end of the thread. Pick up two felted stones from the edge of your template. Turn them over so they are upside down.

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Step 9

Insert the needle through the bottom of one of the felted stones, 1/4 inch from the spot where the two stones meet. Pull the thread through and insert the needle on the corresponding spot on the second stone. Repeat this until you have three stitches holding the stones together.

Step 10

Run the needle under the existing stitches to secure the thread in place. Cut the thread loose and tie another knot in the end of the thread. Pick up your next stone and place it in the proper spot against the two sewn stones. Secure it to the adjacent stones by stitching it to each stone it touches with three stitches.

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Step 11

Repeat this until you have all the stones sewn together. Secure each stone to its adjacent stones with three stitches. When you secure the last stone, turn the rug right side up and place it in your desired spot.

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