Too Late Tutorial or Sharing the felted love
I fully intended to submit this to Whip Up for their January Crafting with Kids, but not being an early bird, here it is February first. My kitchen is on the dark side, so I did some photo editing, something I usually don't do, but full disclosure. So here for you is a tutorial on how to make felt balls.
Needs:
Wool roving
Liquid soap
Two basins or sinks
First you need to gather together your roving. I usually start with just plain white and then add a skin of color after, to be on the thrifty side.
And then you need some liquid soap. I have read claims that dish soap does not work and have read about the different chemical properties of soap and detergent. For this project dish soap will work, but it will also irritate your hands after a while, where as something like Dr. Bronners is much milder by comparison.
You want to fill two basins up with water. One with hot water and some squirts of soap. Get it good and sudsy. The second with cold water and ice cubes. This will serve to "shock" the wool and aid in the felting process.
Next take a hunk of wool
and tease it out, get it as thin as possible.
Then, starting from a corner, start rolling and folding it into a small, tight ball.
Continue rolling and folding. Add another teased layer if you run out. All the while keeping things tight and compact.
You want your ball to be a little on the large side to accommodate for shrinkage in the felting process.
Then dip it in the hot water. Really dunk it this first time to make sure it gets fully saturated.
Then add a little soap to your hands and roll it gently around in the palms of your hands. Squeeze it between your fingers every so often to make sure the fibers are staying in place. It's important to be gentle at this first stage to make sure the ball stays together instead of becoming a straggle of felted wool.
Then dip it in the cold water
and squeeze out the excess. Then back into the hot water and roll again. Repeat this process, increasing the vigor of your rolling as the ball starts forming. You can then add some colored roving using the same steps. The balls dry out by themselves after a few days.
This is an activity you can do with kids, but here are some points to be aware of:
Do this activity outside or on a day when you were thinking of mopping your floor anyway. It gets wet.
Don't expect them to get into felt ball mass production. It's a novelty for the first one or two.
They are balls and they float. Expect throwing and splashing from the under-three set. And remember it gets wet. I'll give you some ideas of what you can use your felt ball for next week. Have a great weekend!
Comments (14)
Oh my gosh, how cute are your kiddos??
Posted by Bertha | February 1, 2008 11:01 AM
Posted on February 1, 2008 11:01
Ahh, that looks like fun! Gotta get me some roving....
Posted by Pasha Plum | February 1, 2008 2:39 PM
Posted on February 1, 2008 14:39
oh...NOW i get it!! very clear, very cool, very...wet!
Posted by moxie | February 1, 2008 5:13 PM
Posted on February 1, 2008 17:13
great tutorial and the kidlets are adorable! what a great activity for these dreary, rainy days
Posted by mims | February 2, 2008 8:07 AM
Posted on February 2, 2008 08:07
very fun = and what cute kiddos!
(and your sean penn post cracked me up!)
Posted by kirsten | February 2, 2008 9:58 AM
Posted on February 2, 2008 09:58
First I was reallllly excited about this felting, then you gave me Sean Penn (see how I think you saw him just for me?) then you gave me dessert. Sonya, you have filled my plate with pure goooodness!!! xo
Posted by A Fanciful Twist | February 2, 2008 8:47 PM
Posted on February 2, 2008 20:47
Sweet! Now I know how to make little felted balls that aren't lumpy bumpy messes.
"Expect throwing and splashing from the under-three set."
I expect throwing and splashing from me!
Posted by Maia | February 3, 2008 8:06 PM
Posted on February 3, 2008 20:06
DR. BONNERS!!!
Damn, I haven't seen that stuff for years.
So glad to know that they still make it.
Posted by shula | February 4, 2008 12:30 AM
Posted on February 4, 2008 00:30
great tutorial. i will try it on my next day off. my poor fingers get so sore needle felting.
Posted by Jen b | February 4, 2008 11:10 PM
Posted on February 4, 2008 23:10
Yes - I think this will be a wonderful summer activity. Thanks for the how to and the real-life with kid tips :-)
Posted by Amy | February 5, 2008 4:26 PM
Posted on February 5, 2008 16:26
What fun!!! I adore the tutorial and accompanying photos. A lovely angel gave me all this gorgeous roving so I have all the supplies I need. I prefer the Peppermint Dr. Bronner's but any of their soaps are lovely for this. mwah!
Posted by WonderMike | February 6, 2008 9:31 AM
Posted on February 6, 2008 09:31
thank you, for this tutorial, i'm going to try.
excuse my not very well english :o(
annie
Posted by mazeyrac annie | February 14, 2008 11:23 PM
Posted on February 14, 2008 23:23
thank you , for this tutorial
annie
Posted by mazeyrac annie | February 14, 2008 11:25 PM
Posted on February 14, 2008 23:25
Great instructions. I had just bought some roving to try making a nuno felted scarf- now I'll use some for balls, first! I've had some trouble finding the right sort of thin [cheap] silk for the nuno- fabric shops only seem to stock fancy stuff and silk painting places have hemmed silk scarves at huge prices- you can't practice on a $15 piece!
Posted by Murfomurf | April 22, 2008 4:58 AM
Posted on April 22, 2008 04:58