What I have learned from my first experience wet felting :-)

[Deleted]

Hello Ladies

No pics yet but I will post some soon :-)

So here's what surprised me a lot!   I was shocked at the amount of water it takes to wet down the fiber! Gosh - it's like watering a thirsty camel! <LOL>

I got scared at the amount of fiber it takes to lay down the background on my scarf! My stock is not going to last very long <sigh>

It doesn't matter how much you have learned via forums or tutorials or download tutorials or the amount of video tutorials you watched (and I must have watched every single one on the net! <LOL> - until you actually start wet felting you realise how little you actually know! <LOL>

I have also learned that life will be much easier if I could have a specially designated assistant to make me a mug of coffee every hour <LOL> and another assistant to do the bladder emptying <giggle>

I have also learned that designs don't always work out as planned in your mind and to make changes as and when you go along, without stressing about it.  I am a perfectionist and normally stress if something is not 100% perfect but with Nuno felting I am going to have to learn to adapt and felt <LOL>

I also learnt that leaning over your wet project does give the impression as if you have just been competing in a wet T-shirt competition <LOL>  Because I can't stand and I have to sit down and work, and because I am well-endowed (all over!) I was sopping wet most of the time.  Robert then went to the shops and bought me a great apron ... which is still hanging on the outside of the cupboard because I forget to put it on! <LOL>

I also learned that making rolled fringes is a wonderful way to extend the length of the scarf (my piece of fabric was quite short) but a total pain in the you-know-where when it came to rolling the "dreadlocks" :-(  Almost 100 "dreadlocks" and I don't want to do this again for a very long time! <LOL>  I thought wearing my fancy ribbed special fancy rubber gloves would work better and faster but the fiber said "No way Linn - we want HUMAN FLESH!!!" and it went much quicker and easier. 

Tomorrow I will put the finishing touches to my first scarf, take pics and share with you.

Regards

Linn

[Pandagirl]

It sounds as if you've learned a lot and have been initiated into the wet felting world. Welcome to wet felting!

[lyn]

Sounds about right Linn - it's wet, sometimes unpredictable but always exciting. Looking forward to pics.

[MTRuth]

Good to get your hands wet at last! Glad you learned a lot and I find that I still learn something each time I felt. The wool seems to have a mind of it's own sometimes.

[Deleted]

Thanks Marilyn, Lyn and Ruth ... really exciting and fun to finally getting wet and creative! :-)

Regards
Linn

[triciaf]

Hi Linn, I really love the messiness and hands-on requirements of felting! The only time I put gloves on is in the rolling stage; otherwise, it's hard to tell what the fiber is "doing". Then, when I'm exhausted and cleaning up the big mess I've made, towels and bubble wrap and soap and water, etc., i feel so great!  DH tells me I look like a kid in a candy shop the whole time. Lol.

[Deleted]

:-) Hello Tricia, I absolutely love the feel of the olive soap! I bought the flakes which does not work so well for me; as well as two bars of the "Kiss my face" olive oil soap. Regarding the latter, I have never felt such bliss as far as soap is concerned! Of course, not available in South Africa so I had to import, and will have to do so in future again.

I did manage to get a blister on one finger from this weekend's rolling of all the dreadlocks. Putting a plaster on it and working with soapy water is obviously not a good idea! <LOL>

Regards
Linn

[elizabeth]

Wow, Linn. You felted wo much this weekend that you got Blisters!!??

Have you seen the sushi mat technique of felting 'snakes'? I've used cheap, textured plastic placemats sucessfully, too.

[Deleted]

Elizabeth, yes, I am quite aware of the sushi mat method :-)

The dreadlocks I made was part of an extended piece of felt attached to my felted scarf. I then cut this piece into thin strips and rolled it into dreadlocks.

Obviously, rolling those in a sushi mat would have been quite impossible!

Regards
Linn

[Deleted]

Hello Elizabeth

I happened to come across this tutorial this morning. Russian website, but lots of pics. See link at
www.livemaster.ru/topic/206611-kak-sdelat-krasivye-kisti

But this is exactly what I did when I extended my scarf because the fabric was too short and how I rolled my dreadlocks :-) I didn't sand or iron it afterwards though.

Regards
Linn