Fabulous video, so glad I watch the whole video. Just starting on my wooly journey and processing my own sheep fleeces. This has given me the confidence to wet felt again. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Nicola, thank you so much for this wonderful video. Your detailed information at the start, as well as you work with the felt is so very much appreciated! Definitely will try this very soon, with confidence, after watching you work! 😊💗
You are so welcome! And thank you for the lovely compliments. You are more than welcome to join my public Facebook group, it's a lovely, supportive community of fellow eco printers and felters - facebook.com/groups/nicolabrown
I've only wet felted once, but I now see that I used way too much water! I also understand the embellishment process. Thank you for your time and expertise. I can't wait to try it again. Regards, Anne Smith from Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
I'm delighted this video helped you Anne. If you would like to share you creations, please do so in my public FB group here - facebook.com/groups/nicolabrown Greetings from Clasheen, Ireland!
Fabulous explanation of this process. Am a beginner and my two granddaughters want to felt with me, as they want to learn as well. Your thorough explanation will definitely help. Wish me luck and patience. The girls are 8-1/2 and nearly 12.
Thank you for your generosity in sharing this technique Nicola. A very easy, clear step by step demonstration. AS always you are clear and concise in your speech. I tried wet felting once some years ago however it was a far messier and wetter process than what you shared. 😂The tips regarding straightening edges is very helpful as my previous and only creation had very uneven wavey edges. I am encouraged to try again after seeing this video. 💖
I am a new felter and found this video so helpful. I am yet to try my first piece. I have done some needle felting using carded wool. I am not sure if I can use carded wool with wet felting. What do you think? I have a few pieces of wool rovings and am now sourcing the mulberry silk etc. Thankyou so much for sharing your expertise. So appreciated.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment! If you have enjoyed this and are on Facebook you might like to join my public group to meet other like minded peers and get inspired. facebook.com/groups/nicolabrown
thank you! again, really enjoyed that! I'd have loved to see the finished, dried and ironed piece at the end too - might you add a picture of it somewhere?
Ha Jenny, I was teaching in Australia last September as part of the wonderful Geelong Tetxile and Fibre Forum! My class sold out in 5 minutes though and unfortunately I didn't have time to teach anywhere else that trip. I'll definitely be back again although not during 2024 as there is a lot happening at home.
Having only tried this a couple of times - quite a while ago - excellent refresher (and probably a BETTER tutorial than we latched onto before!) I want to make Greenhouse prayer-type Flags with surface embellishments. This feels like a good place to begin with base layers... ♥
Thank you for the help! The video is very good. One question, does the water necessarily need to be warm? Can it be room temperature? If not, do you keep reheating the water while you do the felting process?
Hi Nicola. I’ve been needle felting a bit over the past year. But, I’m not as into it as I thought I would be. I always wanted to try wet Felting, as I like things with practical uses. With wet Felting, I can create items with a real use. Using your video, i made my first wet felt with green roving, and embellished it with some orange roving and gold Angelina fibers. I wasn’t sure how those would felt into it, but most of them felted quite well, although there are a few stray pieces sticking out. I may not use those again. I have finally broken my wet Felting ice. I would really like to create many things wet Felting. Now with your videos I can go confidently into it! Many thanks, Nicola. From Canada.
You’re so welcome. Thanks for your lovely comment and feedback. Wet felting is a wonderful technique so I’m really glad that you have started and intend to continue!
Oh Nicola ! This is so lovely. I haven't really done alot of felting since the class I took with you here in Canada...so many years ago now. But this video is so clear and concise I feel the need to felt again...and of course ecoprint on it afterwards😁 Thank you for sharing your excellent techniques.💕
Hi Sheila, I'm delighted that this video has inspired you to turn your hand to felting again!!! Of course you will love it when you eco print it afterwards. Have fun!
Thank you Nicola. I had never known about felt making and got introduced to this only during eco printing exposure. I tried to do one with a piece of an old pure wool shawl but the work was not so good as expected. This video is so clear . I have to source wool roving now. I have some eri silk rovings which look like wool but is actually eri silk. Hoping to try this in the near future ❤️
Hi Arunita, felt and eco print are a match made in heaven, each one compliment the other perfectly!!! Your eri silk will be lovely as an embellishment for your wool roving BUT once it is printed you will not see it any more. You will feel it though!
I would like felt a piano string cover. 63inchx6ft9inch. Do you recommend to felt small sections and then combine them later?what kind of soap do you use? What is the ratio of soapy water?
Fantastic tutorial, thank you so much Nicola. Very clear and precise and I love your attention to detail. I'm a complete beginner, so if I wanted to make a scarf would I want to continue until the fabric has no give at all like yours? and would I felt it in pieces as it's much longer to felt and roll, or do it all the same time? thank you.
Yes, I love to use a gentle olive oil soap or something similar without artificial colour or scents. Most natural hand made soaps that you can buy at craft fairs will work perfectly and you can also buy the olive oil soap in health food shops.
Hi, Nicola. Your videos are always so thorough. Thank you. Question? How do you felt using locks so they maintain their curliness and dont disappear into the fabric?
Thanks Myka, I”m glad that you enjoyed the video! I do share how to felt ruffles in my membership club but haven’t uploaded a video here yet sharing the technique. Maybe I will in the future though!
Thanks so much Kate, I'm delighted that you enjoyed the video! The net fabric that I used was a piece from an old net curtain but you can use any slippery net curtain material or medium to heavy weight mosquito netting. I'm not sure where you live but often thrift stores have really cheap net curtains for sale and they usually work wonderfully!
Hi, I’ve never done wet felling before but I’m very interested in starting thanks to this video! I’m wondering what kind of soap is the big block of soup-does it matter what kind of soap I use? (Sorry if you r already explained-I haven’t heard it if you have). Also can I use a block of soap INSTEAD of the soap/water mixture or do I need to use both? Thank you!
Hi Taffy, I like to use large bars of Marseilles olive oil soap, it's gentle on the wool and also on my hands! If you use a felting net (piece of old net curtain or mosquito net) it's easy to rub the bar on top of the net and add it that way, alternatively here's a video sharing how to make a solid bar into a solution. Have fun! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aFDwq8ypLEw.html
I would like to make my felting a bit thick so I can cut it and make coasters. Should I do extra layers of shingles? or pull less vigorously? (Great video - but am going to try to translate it to writing. Fingers crossed.
Hi Maria, just add one or two more layers of wool and you will have thick felt by the end! The quality of this flat felt is already good for coasters because the fibres are very well integrated, it’s not thick though,
Nicola : you mentioned that you sometimes cut out pieces of pre-felt and add to another project. Would you do that at the early stage, like the stage you added the orange and white on this project? Or did you mean you’d stitch them in?
Great question Patricia! If I was working with pre-felt I would add it in at the embellishing stage as you suspected and that way it will totally integrate with the rest of the fibre. Because it has already felted a bit the edges stay crisper than if I was just to lay out the same shape in loose fibre. It would also be possible to add cut shapes slightly later in the process, stitch them in carefully and then continue to felt but at the same time as the embellishing fibres is much easier as a novice
Hi Annie, what sort of wool are you using? How large is your sample piece? Making sure to start working the fibre very gently and taking your time really helps the felt come together more quickly. I suspect that you just need to work it some more.
No problem Peerie, ask away! Realistically I consider my felt finished when there is no more stretch to it and therefore it won't shrink more. Sometimes though (for a felt picture for example) you might be happy with it a little less felted but for wearable and functional it's it's important to keep going until it won't felt any more.
@@clasheen thanks a lot ! Im indeed trying to make some felt pictures now so that was exactly the reply i needed. I was doing the pinching test as i read somewhere and it wasnt 100% ok but i suppose for a picture it is strong enough. Thanks so much for your time. It is very much appreciated!
@@peeriepoppels1784 Personally I never use the pinch test, I find it too subjective. I suspect that you need to felt your piece MORE than you imagine before washing the soap out! As a novice it's always tempting to stop too soon so I'd suggest a little longer than you THINK that you need. Good luck!
You mention in another video, I'm not sure which, about short fibre merino - I've seen this used by another felter in Australia, but cannot find this here (UK) Where do you buy this from?
I recommend that you order it from Wollknoll in Germany Jeanie, the name is Kap or Cap merino. It’s beautiful quality and even with Brexit should be good value for you. www.wollknoll.eu/shop/pure-wool/colored-wool-in-fleece/cap-merino/
This is a really excellent question Peerie, thanks for asking. Felt actually comes together faster after a break so no worries if you need to leave it for several hours! The longest I've left a piece for was SIX MONTHS (you've read correctly!) and it was absolutely perfect once I continued the process. It had discoloured and looked brown but once I added fresh water and soap that disappeared. I recommend adding a towel on top of the top layer of bubble wrap if you are leaving your piece overnight and then just checking things once you start again to see if you might need to add a little soap or water. This is usually only necessary if you are in a very hot climate where the fibre might have dried a bit overnight. Good luck!
@@clasheen thank you so much fpr your reply. Your video is so clear . I have recently started felting after buying two books from moy mackay but seeing things makes everything so much clearer. Thanks again and have a great day!
@@peeriepoppels1784 You're very welcome and have a good day too! PS Have you checked out my community tab today? I've just posted about an upcoming free 3 day bootcamp!
It wasn’t how I was taught at first but once I was shown it myself and discovered the benefits I wondered why everyone didn’t wet between each layer! Good luck trying it out, I think that you will love the results.
You can use any sort of netting but I find that old net curtains or mosquito netting work best. The wool isn't so likely to stick to those fabrics as it is to stick to tulle
Hi Donna, Roving and batts are BOTH wool, the difference is in the preparation and how you use them. Here’s a link to a short video that I hope you find helpful! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ky4UIHSYVlI.html
Yes, I find that fibre does get caught badly in tulle so that is why I recommend something heavier and more slippery! Old net curtain material or mosquito netting usually works very well.
