How to make felt balls with Rachael Greenland

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www.rachaelgree.... Felt ball tutorial.
A simple tutorial video showing you how easy it is making felt balls using merino rovings (fleece), soap, hot water, and a blackbird. What you do with them is up to you - let your imagination run wild. Part of the fun is the felting, part is enjoying the colours, and the rest is up to you.
It's a fun project to do with children or granny - just check the hot water isn't too hot! The only limit is your imagination when you decide what you want to make with them afterwards - earrings, mats, garlands, necklaces, bracelets, embellishment on banners or bunting, there really is no limit.
Come and join me over at The Textile Tutor on Facebook for more videos and tutorials - / thetextiletutor , and check out my blog to see what I'm up to today with textiles, dogs, and getting creative. www.rachaelgree...

Опубликовано:

14 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 180

@oOoapril8oOo 13 лет назад

Oh my word! This is such a lovey video! Your accent, the balls, the tea pot and birds chirping in the background, lol! So adorable and I can't wait to make a million felt balls to do some fun crafty thing :)

@octiiXpies Год назад

This worked like a charm! I know it's been quite some time, but thank you so much for posting this! I feel a lot less frustrated that I failed with needle felting :)

@panthakurai5267 Месяц назад

Thankyou so much. Now I can complete my Misdreavus' necklace 😀

@rachaelgreenland Месяц назад

That sounds really interesting. I'd love to see how it ends up.

@pennypeberdy 11 лет назад

Lovely clear video and sound - thank you blackbird for the accompaniment! Many thanks - I'm going to try this! Penny x

@jonlilley2832 2 года назад

Oh, Rachael! Such talent! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you're a felter too. Such talent!

@rachaelgreenland5233 2 года назад

I would probably suggest that I have a low attention span and have a way of flirting between crafts!

@1884Winter 8 лет назад

love the tutorial, your bird sounds from outside are just beautiful

@rachaelgreenland 8 лет назад

I love our blackbirds - they make the spirit soar.

@sutchristine 6 лет назад

Fab tutorial especially smashing the ball with the bottom of bottle...LOL. Thank you so much 😀 x

@meadowlarkascending 8 лет назад

One must never underestimate what the liquid song of a blackbird can add to this process!

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

I use warm water because I have Raynauds and cold water is too much to cope with! To get a really firm felt you can alternate between hot and cold which "shocks" the fibres and can make them felt more, but it's entirely up to you which temperature you prefer. I just go for comfort! I leave my felt balls on a towel to dry naturally.

@fathen5322 11 лет назад

Ooh, thank you! As a complete novice (wool just arrived in post now!) I thought the only way to get these little balls was to have needle felted them. This must save some time! Inspiring, thank you.

@SaraNeff 9 лет назад

I have a huge load of roving that I washed and is much too ruined to knit a blanket out of. I am so excited to create some poms out of my roving - makes me feel better about it not going to waste. Thank you for this tutorial!

@redsus8721 3 года назад

I really enjoyed making felt balls with this video.

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

There is no specific ratio - I just do it by feel, so that the fibres are able to slip over each other and my hands don't stick. Some like more, others less. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful on that one! I'm glad you like the tutorial. It was great fun making it, especially with my friend the blackbird chipping in in the the background!

@thexeniumcrafts949 3 года назад

I love felt products. The video is very Informative. Thanks for the video :)

@lillieharden 11 лет назад

She begins with fibers (probably wool) that have been dyed and brushed out to form that loose rope that she pulls them from. It is not felt until she felts it! You can find fiber like this at most specialty yarn stores.

@janabush4684 9 лет назад

im impressed that you take the time to make as many balls as one beeds to maje that round carpet. I think, yarn bslls are much easier f or me. less expensive I think too? Happy Hollidays...

@yona-yama 8 лет назад

Thank you for the lovely tutorial! I can't wait to try this out. I'm going to make little felted balls for acorn ornaments as present for teachers.

@bigbrainforbes6604 9 лет назад

Very nice easy way to make beautiful balls

@dianehuntley3579 11 лет назад

This is fabulous and fabulously easy! Is it possible to make the felt balls considerably larger- say 5 cm or so- will they stay together? Thanks! Diane

@BlackCat_2 2 года назад

That's neat. I'm already used to rolling balls with clay that way. Well minus the soapy water and pounding with a bottle lol. Heidi

@Victoria-qy9ik 10 лет назад

Great. Thanks. Love the birdie noises in the background. :-)

@arpitchadda5406 7 лет назад

Victoria bakss

@buttermoment2748 5 лет назад

I love colorful things ... but what do you do with these balls once you make them? What are they for? I see them all over Pinterest and have no idea what they're used for!

@melaniekaltenbach7778 11 лет назад

Thank you Rachael for the wonderful tutorial.

@jamkapha 8 лет назад

Lovely tutorial and lovely birdsong! When you find a fissure, other than smashing it with the bottle, do you ever add a wisp of merino and continue felting? I'm a newbie, and I'm interested in different approaches to cracks. Thanks so much!

@nightmute5197 5 лет назад

thank you so much! can't wait to try this!

@rachaelgreenland 13 лет назад

@westinmiyako These are dyed merino tops. Merino is a great wool for felting as it is soft, has a good length of staple (fibre) and felts quickly.

@EmilyPetersenHomemaking 2 года назад

Oh my gosh!!! I have that same mug!!!!

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

The soap helps the fibres to move over each other and changes the Ph, the heat from the water opens up the scales, and the rubbing ensures that everything locks together. If you have a lot of froth you may be using too much soap, and it also makes life harder when it comes to rinsing it out at the end.

@pattisanchez5313 11 месяцев назад

Hi, What kind of soap do you use?

@rachaelgreenland 12 лет назад

No. It has to be wool (it is covered in scales which open up with heat, bonding together with agitation. Acrylic fibres are smooth and do not bond together (unless melted with high heat). Merino is the easiest wool to work with, but other wools will felt too (although they require more effort). If you can't get the fleece, you could using knitting wool (but ensure it is wool, not synthetic), wind it into a ball and follow the instructions on the video. Have fun!

@Sav-ze4iz Год назад

Thank you!

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

You are very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.

@feltingme 11 лет назад

You can make large ones by rolling wool into the large ball, and then tying it into the nylon sock and securing with a rubber band or thread. Then put it through one or two washing cycles and the dryer.

@niclewis9731 Год назад

This was amazing ! Thank you

@rachaelgreenland Год назад

You're welcome.

@bravo2sugars 9 лет назад

Hi Rachael - great tutorial, thank you do you use a watered down detergent or a concentrated one? i notice you had used ecover. is that washing detergent or washing up liquid?

@audratafoya3850 11 лет назад

IT LOOKS SO FUN.... It's just soapy water in the beg. Right? And can u do more tutorials and make diffrent shapes and and animals and stuff?? Thanx :D

@alexapenn6399 8 лет назад

thanks so much - very good tutorial - and i thought it was so extremely difficult and needed all kinds of needles and things. can you use yarn - pulled apart a whole lot? thanks much :} n.b. love the birds. . .

@Nina-mr9mu 4 года назад

Love the tutorial, for todays stupid question... do you just let them air dry? and can you make pebbles (without actual pebbles inside) the same way please?

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

The key is to take the first stages slowly. If you scrunch the wool up too soon you'll quickly get cracks. What size are you doing? Have you experimented with putting wool into the foot of some tights, tying it off and putting it in the washing machine? You may get the desired effect, or you may end up with a squiffy felted shape! I haven't tried it myself, but it sounds a fun technique. I would start small and gradually build up the size of felt ball - it might identify when the cracks show.

@TheSammy1970 10 лет назад

Thank you for this easy to follow tutorial, fab!

@rachaelgreenland 10 лет назад

You are welcome!

@rachaelgreenland 12 лет назад

Anything soapy will do - I sometimes use a bar of soap. A little goes a long way! Happy felting.

@angelicarestrepor 2 года назад

Lindos!! Podría informar cuál es el nombre de ese material? Es lana? Gracias

@sandrajn 13 лет назад

The video is great. I wish I could get rid of my "cracks" that easily. I have tried felting a thin layer over them and that seems to work. It's a little hard to hear you, but I keep "re-winding" and trying to listen again. Yours are all so even! Thanks!

@emilyellis4052 11 лет назад

Hi Rachael, can I ask is the soapy water a specific ratio of soap to water? Or maybe it's not important! Thank you for your lovely and very clear tutorial :)

@napaea9460 Год назад

Do you know what the soap is for? Is it possible with only hot water?

@alzirachambel6560 8 лет назад

Gosto, è bonito, e ficam ideias Boas.

@meganpage9046 2 года назад

What ratio is the soapy water? Thank-you for this video!

@ritark 10 лет назад

Wow, is it THAT simple?! Thanks for showing :D

@rachaelgreenland5233 10 лет назад

It IS that simple! I shall be making more videos soon to demystify other techniques. Have fun!

@xXuf8 10 лет назад

Rachael Greenland HI Rachael :) Why does everyone use soap? What does soap do? Thanks :)

@rachaelgreenland5233 10 лет назад

xXnoXx The soap helps the individual fibres move over one another which increases the chances of the scales catching and enmeshing with others. It also raises the PH which makes felting possible. Have you tried it yet?

@vonniescrafts1 11 лет назад

Absolutely lovely I make glass beads but also want to make felt beads thank you so very much for the video.

@meganhoyal3225 8 лет назад

I want to make a wool felt necklace for my daughter. Do you know about how many balls 1oz will make? I guess I'm just trying to verify that it is cheaper to make them than to buy wool felt balls. thanks

@j.mcdonald8256 Год назад

Here 2023 !!

@goikyfan26 5 месяцев назад

here 2024 :3

@rainbowdark23 12 лет назад

Thanks for sharing! great video

@woomera77 10 лет назад

hello Rachel, great tutorial, my English is not good, what kind of water is on the plastic bottle, on the plastic jar and in the kettle?

@reggioemilia6863 10 лет назад

In plastic bottle just warm soapy water - clean cool water in jug for rinsing and I in the kettle more hot water to help bind

@oliverizzard8751 2 года назад

It seems like people either wet felt OR needle felt ... but nobody mixes the 2 techniques. Couldn't you needle felt the ball a little first to get the overall shape and get rid of folds and cracks and THEN wet felt it into a tighter ball?

@mariajosedeayala2637 11 лет назад

Beautiful, thanks for the tutorial.

@JennysSandBox 11 лет назад

Is there a special type of felt? The felt squares they sell in Cali are pressed and don't appear as thread like.

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

I've never made them bigger, but it would be possible. I'd suggest starting them off smaller and adding layers; you will need to ensure that you avoid felting each layer too much but you will need to do it enough that the whole ball doesn't collapse or get wrinkles and grooves. Let me know how you get on.

@katrinahamer4221 10 лет назад

Great video, very helpful! Can you add layers to make them bigger without them peeling or falling apart?

@rachaelgreenland 10 лет назад

You would need to layer them at the start, or certainly early on as once it starts to felt additional layers may peel away.

@Fruity_Cutie 7 лет назад

Thanks! Very informative.

@alexandra_vasileva Год назад

Can I do a soap water at home or I can buy it from craft shop? And if i can do it at home which are the proportions?

@rachaelgreenland 11 месяцев назад

Hi, any soap will do. I use a few drops of washing up liquid, but you can grate a little from a bar of soap into some hot water. You need enough to make the water slippy but try to avoid foamy. The wool fibres need to slide a little over each other for the scales to bond. If it's foamy then the scales won't catch. I hope that made sense!

@AllLinesAreBeautiful 4 года назад

Thanks for this! Can you tell me where I can buy fleece online and what kind? What I should look for.

@whitneywilson7556 4 года назад

Wool roving

@missmulla1936 6 лет назад

Is this cotton wool or fibre? Please help. I have never seen this kind of felt before.

@Smiley1311 12 лет назад

About how many grams would the felt fibres that you start with? I am going to buy some and want to know how many balls 10g would make me. Thankyou

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

It IS fun! I hope to make more videos in the future; I am in the process of setting up a studio where it will be easier to demonstrate larger pieces of felt, and also putting kits together for people to try it for themselves. Have you done any felting? Are you tempted to try if you haven't? R

@rmk6693 4 года назад

Harder than I expected! 😊

@emilyengeman8431 7 лет назад

Could you use offcuts from knitting projects and the like or does it have to be roving?

@ArielWidhibrata 9 лет назад

Hey, nice tutorial - just wondering how hard the balls are once they have dried completely? I'm planning on making a bedroom rug with these :)

@rachaelgreenland 9 лет назад

If they are well felted they will be firm. If they are less well felted they will be softer. To be used as a rug you'll need to get them felted as much as you can so that they don't squoosh down when you walk on them.

@ArielWidhibrata 9 лет назад

Thanks for the advice :)

@elizc4064 8 лет назад

Can you make bigger balls with same method? I remember bigger balls from Waldorf circles in Germany. Also, I want to make from my cat's fur? I have seen other crafts from cat fur so why not?

@TheBelindaAngel 11 лет назад

Thanks for the tutorial, is the rinsing water in the jug hot or cold? Do they just dry naturally at the end? Thanks again.

@nathanallen4385 10 лет назад

Rachael could you send me info on where you get your felt or your felt kits?

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

I'd want them to make the balls from scratch as it's so much fun. You'll obviously need to ensure that the water is hot, but not so hot as to damage their little hands. It's the agitation as much as anything which felts - you just have to work a little harder! I've felted many a jumper on a cool wash...

@Doremimi922 9 лет назад

Hey my english is not very good and i dont quite understand what materials do you use? ? Can you make a list to me? Like i know you use hot water but what are the others? Thanks and thanks for the easy tutorial c:

@TheTextileTutor 9 лет назад

Hi Makarena, I have put a list of things you need to make the felt balls here - rachaelgreenland.co.uk/felt-balls-tutorial-update/ . The felt ball kits will be available within the next week too, so all you will need is to add water, a little soap and a towel. Have fun! Rachael

@jocelynwelch3231 4 года назад

can you tell me what material to start with? thank you!

@SuperSr1996 9 лет назад

Hey, it a nice tutorial. Can we do this with cotton ? if we don't find felt wool

@rachaelgreenland 8 лет назад

Cotton won't felt. It needs to be wool, but you can wind a ball of yarn and felt that instead.

@sofiaandia52 9 лет назад

hi! what a interesting video. I'd like to know whats the first liquid that u used. Thanks from Argentina :)

@spacejunk1251 8 лет назад

+Sofia Andía mixture of water and soap

@tamarajaynes2223 12 лет назад

Yes, wondering where is the best place to buy Merino wool?

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

Are you going to have a go? It's great fun!

@bevgray698 10 лет назад

That's great but what wool do you use and where did I get it thanks

@angel577391 10 лет назад

She used felting wool, you can either get it online or at your local craft center if they supply it.

@rachaelgreenland 10 лет назад

I use Merino tops, which is one of the easier ones to felt. Whereabouts are you? I can get details of your nearest supplier or best online store. I also have a few kits available to make the felt balls.

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

What sort of felt are you after and what do you need it for?

@jennagoudie8234 8 лет назад

What kind of soap do you use do you use fairy up liquid or soap you use to wash your hands with

@rachaelgreenland 8 лет назад

Either will do. You can either add a squirt to the water, or grate part of a bar of soap into it then swoosh it around to dissolve it.

@aliyaniazipitts9611 3 года назад

so helpful!

@Whatthehallyukp0pl0v3 9 лет назад

Hi Rachael: Is this only for certain wool or can Merino wool be done the same way?

@rachaelgreenland 9 лет назад

These were made with Merino wool. Some wools felt better than others, but Merino is the easiest to use. R

@Whatthehallyukp0pl0v3 9 лет назад

Thank you, Rachael!

@TheForeverEternity 11 лет назад

what r u using in your clip of making the Dryer Balls ?

@mysoultheunderground 9 лет назад

Hi, if I want to make 4cm balls that are all quite uniformly sized, how many grams of wool should I use?

@rachaelgreenland 9 лет назад

That's a tricky one to answer as it would depend on the wool you use and how well you felt them. I would suggest you buy 50g of rovings and experiment. I'm sorry I'm unable to offer more advice than that. Rx

@HB-mx5sk 4 года назад

how do you make sure each ball will be the same diameter?

@DeborahEliza1 11 лет назад

The material is wool roving, which is cleaned, carded and combed wool. No doubt it can be purchased online.

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

If you are able to wait a week or so, I will be putting some kits together and you can get them from me. Do you have a colour preference?

@uzmariaz8802 7 лет назад

Thank you so much I first time seen this.

@fizdepedobear 11 лет назад

Are they light-weight?

@rachaelgreenland 13 лет назад

Luckily for me, felting is not a precision art! I use about half a bottle of water and a small squirt of soap - so that would be about 1/3 - 1/2 pint water and 1/2 teaspoon of soap. You could also just rub a bar of soap on your hands, it's only to help the fibres move around a little more to give them a chance to find another strand to stick to. You'll know when there is too much soap as you'll get foam!

@babeysimba 6 лет назад

Where is a good place to get fun colors of felt?

@marlenep.1950 9 лет назад

very nice, thank you

@gwenjohnson5745 7 лет назад

I'm in Canada where would I buy this type of felt never heard or saw it before .

@SweetComfortScents 7 лет назад

Gwen Johnson You can order it online or most craft stores sell it.

@annielei8825 11 лет назад

Where do u buy the felt wool?

@steliosstelios539 8 лет назад

πολυ ωραια η ιδεα

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

I'm in the UK. Where are you?

@rachaelgreenland 12 лет назад

It's a good name!

@rachaelgreenland 11 лет назад

World of Wool in Huddersfield have a great range and ship worldwide.

@michellewoonton9628 11 месяцев назад

Where do you get the wool

@rachaelgreenland 11 месяцев назад

Hi Michelle, Which country are you based in?

@rachaelgreenland 12 лет назад

Which country do you live in?

@isabellegauthier-virol4156 7 лет назад

Bonjour, le produit vous le prenez ou?

@ellendeman8417 8 лет назад

I made four but all with the gap in in. I don't know how to solve that problem.

@rinadey4952 7 лет назад

fjgij

@rachaelgreenland 7 лет назад

Try taking more time in the early stages, and use less pressure at the beginning. you want to build up the amount you are squishing it very gradually, as this ensures you avoid the gaps.