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Hollow Forms

You Will Need:A piece of thick plastic or cardboard covered and taped with bubble wrap.Old TowelSheetNet (larger than the size of felt you want to make, bridal voile is best)ApronBubble WrapCotton ties/string for tying up the roll of felt.Soap, grater,JugOr liquid soapOld plastic milk bottle with holes punched into the topBroom handle/rolling pin or pipe lagging tube.Rubber glovesChoice of fibre : Felt in the colours you likeChoose fibre to suit the purpose of the planned bag, e.g. small decorative bags and purses can be made from merino while larger bags intended for harder wear require a harder wearing wool e.g Icelandic, FinnWool, Gotland or Blue faced Leicester.For Soap SolutionFill jug with boiling water and 2/3 tablespoons of grated soap (stir to mix).Add this solution to the milk bottle and top up with cold water so that it’s hand hotDraw your design template or just play with the colours first. Allow for 1/3 shrinkage.

Anne Gunnars

1.Lay out template onto bubble wrap.2.Think about what wools and silks you want on the top layer of your bag. Bear in mind your bag will be viewed from all directions.Pull out small lengths of combed tops and lay over the template so the wool overlaps by a few cm.N.B – remember the first layer will be the outside of your bag and the last layer will be the inside. You can also think about tassles here. If you would like to add tassles : separate a 10cm length of dyed top for each colour tail. Keep 3cm of the end dry by covering in plastic. Feather out the other end onto the template,wet it down with felting solution and felt on top of it.3. Cover the first layer with net. Wet down and turn over. Remove the net carefully. Fold the edges over onto the template and start the whole process again. You will eventually need 3 or 4 layers, folding the edges over each time. Each layer will be at 90 degrees to the last. The last layer will be the inside, remember to add a pocket now if you want, by cutting out a piece of bubble wrap to create a resist.N.B to add more colour, use complementary colours.4. Wet out fibres with soap solution. Rub gently for 10 minutes. , Paying special attention to the detailed areas in the centre – leaving the edges.5. Gently remove the net and turn over, do the same process on the other side.6. If you would like to roll a handle at this point, you will need a bamboo mat and a long length of wool tops. Lay the wool in the centre of the mat and protect either end from getting wet with cling film and a rubber band. You can also roll smaller pieces for fastenings.7. Slit the top with a pair of scissors.8.Roll the wool in bamboo mat until it is hard enough for you.9. Feather out the ends (take off cling film) and place the handle in its final position on bag. Pull out some more tops to strengthen the joins. Using your net, felt the handle into place with hot water and soap.10. Once you are happy that the handle has felted you can concentrate on felting the edges. Carefully place one hand inside the package and with the other hand gently rub around the fold on the outside to avoid having a ridge.11. Now, roll up the felt firmly with bubble wrap, dowel and sheeting – tying with the cotton ties to prevent it from slipping. Roll 200 times.12. Open up the roll and give the material a quarter turn and turn the bag inside out, reroll 200 times.

LHS -White Puffball,RHS -Sophie Getz Needlefelted form.

13.Continue in this way until the fibres begin to harden but take care not to form a hard seam around the edge. Rolling should be done alternately across the width and then along the length of the package to keep it even.14. The pinch test – is when you pinch the fibres between your thumb and forefinger to see if the fibres come away in your hand or not. If the felt is fairly hard then it’s finished otherwise keep on rolling.Finally re-roll in mat without the dowelling or bubble wrap for 30/40 times, opening up to ensure that the two sides of the bag are not felting together. Turn over and repeat.15. When it’s ready rinse carefully and squeeze the water out.Pull the bag back into shape with your hands or some pliers.16.You may need a button , in which case make a slit for the button hole now and sew accordingly.17. Iron on both sides and leave to dry flat..

Well done, what an achievement !.

Order felt making materials from www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk

LHS - feltgoodfeltfine , RHS - Purse with design in relief. Miklos Paiz.

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