Felting: Mastering the Art of Wet Felting
Has your wet felt been less than satisfactory? Or maybe you haven’t tried it yet and want to get it right the first time. The following tips will help you master wet felt wool.
Choice of fiber
First, you need to select the right wool for felting. Some fibers don’t feel good at all. Try felting alpaca wool or merino wool. A little more expensive, but the finer fibers felt great. Fibers from other medium sheep also felt good.
When choosing your yarn, make sure the staples are of uniform length. Your finished project will be less hairy and shed less hair. 3 inches is a good length.
Test the fiber by felting a small sample to see if it will be satisfactory for your finished project.
Layers
Lay your wool at 90 degrees until the last layer. In fact, 5-6 thin layers is better than 2-3 thick layers. Your layers will be more uniform and your fibers will feel better.
Check your layers to see that there are no fine spots. This one-time inspection will go a long way toward making sure your layers are even and will avoid a lot of trouble on your finished project. You will have to throw away the felt you just made if there are too many fine stitches, or spend a lot of time going over with a felt and fiber needle to fill in the thin areas. Save yourself some time and get it right the first time.
Felt stage
Use the screen felt and sponge method. It holds the fibers in place and prevents the fibers from sticking to your hands. It really helps make you feel more enjoyable.
Watch the amount of soap and water you use. Too much water and its fibers float away from each other instead of felting. If water collects between your fingers when you press down, you have used too much. This is where the sponge really helps. You can better control the amount of water you use and keep it to a minimum.
Is more soap better? No. It will create bubbles that separate its fibers so that they cannot meet and feel. You really only need a small amount of soap.
Don’t push too hard at first. Gradually adding pressure will make your fibers feel better and create a more uniform felt yarn.
Keep your water as hot as possible. If the water gets cold, add more hot water. If this is going to cause a problem with too much water, soak up some of the water with a towel before adding more to your fibers.
Fulling stage
This is where you will make or undo the felt you just made. During fulling, you are removing air from between the fibers, making them tighter. If you don’t squeeze the fibers, your project will compress and flake until it falls apart.
Which Sweet Potato Method Is Best? It’s not the method, it’s if you complete the whipping process. So choose which is the best method for you. How do you know when it is finished beating? If you pull on your felt and it stretches, you are not done. You should feel it until it is firm.
Keep the water warm while bathing. If you can, do it in your sink or tub so you have access to hot water during the filling process.
Refinement
When you have finished the whipping process, you should thoroughly rinse the soap off with cold water. Leaving soap in could damage the fibers making them brittle or they may even disintegrate over time.
Just gently squeeze out the excess water. Never twist. To speed up the drying time, roll the felt in a towel to remove more water.
Let dry completely before adding anything else. Wool has an excellent memory. It will hold whatever way you dry it. It takes a full 24 hours for the wool to dry completely.
Now that you have mastered the art of wet felting, your projects will be of high quality. Your friends and family will love receiving your felt gifts or if you sell your felt you will have satisfied customers. Now go ahead and create a great felt!