Tutorial - Wet Felt Making for Beginners

 

Hello!

This tutorial has been updated (as of March 2012)

Please click here for the new version

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This tutorial will show you how to make a basic piece of flat felt.

Anyone can make felt – it’s easy.  To start, all you need is some inexpensive equipment:

a sushi mat, some merino wool top/roving, bar of Olive Oil Soap, soap flakes - we grate our own flakes from the bar of soap, some small-bubble bubble-wrap, a piece of tutu netting and a clean milk container (with holes punched in the lid) containing some tepid water and 2 tsp of soap flakes.

The following steps will show you how to make a piece of flat felt and from there you can then make a lot of things -for ease, this tutorial will show you how to make drinks coasters.

1. From your merino wool, pull off a tuft as shown in the photo.  Never cut the wool as the blunt edge will not felt well.  Keep your hands about 15cm apart to gently pull the tuft of wool off.

2. You can make felt just using one colour, but if you want to add a bit of interest, try using 3 colours at the same time.  A quick way to blend the colours is to pull off 3 tufts,

   

then lay them one on top of the other, grasp the ends and pull gently apart.  Lay the 2 tufts one on top of the other and repeat until you get the colour mix you want – stop before it gets muddy.

3. Spread a piece of bubble wrap (bubble side up) on your work surface and lay out some tufts of wool on it, as shown, horizontally.  (The size to be a rough 30cm square.)

   

4. Lay more tufts to cover the first layer, but this time lay them vertically.

 
5. The third layer should be horizontal, the same as the first layer.

 

6. Carefully place a piece of netting over the wool.

 

7.Sprinkle water over the wool through the net – don’t over wet.

 

8. Push down all over the wool, through the net, with flat hands until you feel the water being taken up by the wool.  At this stage you will be able to determine if you need more water.

 

9. Without disturbing the wool, gently rub soap across the net.  This is easier if you hold the net with one hand while soaping with the other.

10. Gently rub the wool, using a circular motion across the top of the net, for a few minutes.

 

11. Carefully peel back and remove the net, releasing any trapped fibres, as the wool should be just about holding together now.  Carefully lift it off the bubble wrap and onto the sushi mat.

 

12. Roll the sushi mat up tightly and drain off any surplus water.

 

13. Roll the sushi mat backwards and forwards for about a minute – if you put the sushi mat on an old towel, it will be easier to roll as it won’t slide about.

 

14. Carefully unroll the mat and turn the felt through 90 degrees. 
Roll the mat up and repeat the rolling process for about a minute.
Repeat steps 13 & 14 after turning the felt over.
Repeat all steps, until the felt is ‘felted’.  You will know when it’s ready by doing the ‘pinch test’.  Pinch your thumb and forefinger into the felt and if you can pull the layers apart then it’s not felted – keep rolling until it’s ready.

15. Rinse the felt in tepid water to remove the soap. Do a final rinse in cold water - add a small dash of white vinegar to the water to help remove any soap residue - then pat the felt dry between two layers of old towel or kitchen paper.  Roll it again in the mat for a few seconds to flatten it.

16. Get a cookie cutter the size you want your coaster to be then press the cookie cutter firmly into the felt.  You will get an impression left in the felt that will give you a guide to cut around. 
Alternatively, you could cut around a template or cut freehand.

   
Don’t throw your scraps away – dry them and keep for a needle felting base or card topping decoration or for incorporating into a new piece of felt or using for altered art.

17. Put your coasters onto the sushi mat.

 

18. Roll up the mat and roll the felt 10 times.
Unroll the mat and turn the coasters through 90 degrees.
Roll up the mat and roll the felt 10 times.
Repeat this process until the coasters have been rolled 4 times.
Turn the coasters over, turn them through 45 degrees then repeat the 4 times rolling process.
After this, the edges should be nicely felted in – if not, repeat until you’re satisfied.

19. Put the coasters in a warm place to dry – then enjoy them!



Comments

[Annie and Lyn]

Soap enables the wool to take up water (wool is water resistant) and it protects the fibres from friction damage during rubbing.

[karina]

hi! great tutorial!!
is it necessary to use soap?
is there are other alternatives to soap rubbing?
thank you

[Lindsay]

Thank you for this tutorial.
I was wondering if you have to use wool or are there any non-wool alternatives out there...
(I'm highly allergic to wool)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Annie and Lyn]

Hello Vicky
Thank you for your enquiry.

Merino wool shrinks by up to 30% (there are factors, such as thickness of layers that can affect the percentage).
To get a square 16", you would need to lay out a square of dry fibres 23" x 23".
Make sure that you use the same amount of wool for each layer and roll the same amount each way.
Wool shrinks in the direction that it's rolled, so if you only rolled it one way you would get a rectangle.

It might be an idea to lay out a smaller square of dry fibres to start with, say 12", and full it completely to see what you end up with.
From that you should be able to work out, quite accurately, your starting size for your 16" square.

A sushi mat is ok for smaller projects, but you can get a bamboo roller blind quite cheaply (about £5) and all you have to do is remove the metal fittings.
We have blinds in several widths to fit all projects.

[Vicky Williams]

How big would you have to start your wet felted square if you wanted to end up with a 16 inch square?
Also, would this be too big to roll up in the mat?

[Flick-85]

I just came across your page as I wanted to learn about felting. Im definately going to give it a go now, they way you describe the process is wonderful and easy to understand. One day I hope to make myself a pair of felt shoes :) Thank you

[Catherine]

Thank you kindly for taking the time to post such informative and wonderful visuals for how to felt. You have created an excellent resource for this Art Educator. Your work is beautiful. I admire your patience and dedication for putting this information on your blog for public viewing and resource.

[lisa dirigibal]

thank u so much rosie pink

[Alda Villiljós]

Thank you so much for this very easy to follow tutorial! Going to get my materials tomorrow and try my hand at this - I had done it this way before as a child with my cousin, but had forgotten the details.

[Ely Ane Santo]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOU KlNDNESS lN SHARlNG THE LOVELY FELT MAKlNG ART.

ALL MY BEST WlSHES TO YOU.

THANK YOU!!!!

[Annie and Lyn]

Hello Susan
Here are a few ideas, but if you're still not happy, please contact us again and we'll try to sort things out.

After you've wet the wool and pushed it flat with your hands, hold the net in place with your left hand and gently (no downward pressure) draw the soap in one direction only (left to right if you are right handed) across the wool. Lift the soap and repeat, left to right until you have covered the whole piece.
Don't scrub the soap over the net.

Then, instead of using your hands, scrunch up a small piece of bubble wrap and use that to rub the wool through the net.

Carefully and slowly, from one corner, peel the net away, releasing any trapped fibres by flicking them down with your fingertips, after every minute. Replace the net, smooth down with the scrunched up bubble wrap and continue releasing the fibres every minute until the next step.

[Susan Martin]

Thanks for the very useful tutorial, I am however having difficulty pulling the net away from the felt. The fibres are sticking through the net as I rub the soap around and refuses to pull off. Any tips please?

[Ilsa]

Hi! Thanks a lot for this easy to follow tutorial. Just had my first try at wet felting using this! Even though I didnt get it to felt perfectly yet (need to replace a few supplies cos I just used whatever I found around the house), my small piece of felt looks very pretty already and I'm definately gonna try more soon. Thanks a lot for explaining in a way a beginner can easily understand :)

[Amélie Lisle]

I'm new at flat wet felt making and I really wanted to make a present for my sister. This site was exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much!

[Tonya of Crafty Critter on Blogger]

Great pictures and very easy to understand. Thanks!

[evelyn hayes]

I have just become interested and founf your tutorial so clear and good but where do you buy a sushi mat I cant find an advert for one

[Mrs Emma Prior]

What a find! I stumbled across your site. Most useful as I'm teaching felting to small groups of pupils during activities week. I can felt but I was looking for inspirational work to give them some idea of the sort of things you can do!

Would like to know how the jewellery if formed as I make 3-D flowers, handbags corsages and my favourites Russian doll door stops!

Do you just roll small strands of merino wool in your soapy hands until a ball is formed?

[Katherine Cortés]

Me encanta tu blog
Yo soy un gran fan de su trabajo maravilloso
Me gustaría aprender a hacer flores, he hecho algunas cosas bufandas y otros grandes, pero no puedo hacer flores pequeñas.
Estoy fallando en algo y no entienden que, mis flores son grandes, gruesos y flores en lugar de buscar medallones grasa.
Quiero hacer un regalo a mi madre por día y quiero saber si me pueden ayudar con las flores, no puede descubrir el error de mi proceso.
Si tubieras flores y un tutorial que me ayudaría muy agradecida.
muchas gracias y tú eres grande, un artista sorprendente

[Annie & Lyn]

Hello Ann
Thank you for your kind comments about our blog and we hope that lots of people are inspired to try felting as it's a great hobby and so easy to learn.
With regard to your question, we hope this makes sense:

Wool fibres entangle when you agitate them and that's how felt is made - felt is a non-woven fabric.

Needle Felting is a dry form of felting. The wool fibres are entangled together by using a barbed needle. As the needle is pushed in and pulled out of wool fibres, they tangle together i.e. felt.
You can use just one needle or buy holders so that you can use several needles at once or you can use an embellishing machine (it's like a sewing machine but has felting needles in the place of a sewing needle).

Needle felting is mostly used to decorate or make small items, but it's possible to make a sheet of felt with a needle (if you have enough patience!).

If you look at our penguin, it's a wet-felted background with the penguin needle-felted onto it once it was dry.

Commercial felt is made by needle felting but of course it's done by huge machines with needle beds.

If you look on youtube, you can see people needle-felting - here's just one example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkdGCiu7Tzk

Happy Felting!

[Ann Avedian]

Love your blog - really inspirational for a beginner felter like me! Not sure what needle felting is tho - can you explain?
Ann Avedian

[Carole Wynn-Jones]

Hi. I love your beautiful felted items and would love to have a go myself. What exactly is merino wool'top roving?'
Carole
ps I just bought some coloured scrim from you and can't wait to get going with that as well.

[june edwards]

Oh thankyou so much what a brilliant tutorial it was so easy to follow, i've just bought an embellisher machine so any advice is greatly apprieciated.
june edwards