ispin2
New Member
Looking forward to Free Motion Machine Stitching
Posts: 1
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Post by ispin2 on Apr 14, 2017 13:22:23 GMT
Hello Happy to find this group. Have gotten back into felting recently. Have been a devoted lover of wool and fleece for quite a few years. Recently noticed knitting so much might be damaging my wrists. Don't know if any of you have tried felting in the dryer but this is a way for me to play without so much wear on the hands and wrists. Just experimenting at this point, but may jump into making items for sale. Thanks for adding me to your group.
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Post by tracey on Apr 14, 2017 13:50:48 GMT
Hello and welcome to the forum. I haven't tried felting in the dryer, I know others have, but any way that helps continued play is a good way!
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Post by wyldandwooly on Apr 14, 2017 14:24:32 GMT
Welcome. I, too, am new to this forum. You'll find lots of great information.
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Post by Pandagirl on Apr 14, 2017 15:30:52 GMT
Welcome ispin2! I personally have only used the dryer to felt ornaments, but I know there are people who do use it for other things. I'm glad you found us. We love pictures so don't hesitate to share your work with us.
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Post by lyn on Apr 14, 2017 18:35:49 GMT
Hello and welcome to the forum. There are a lot of ways to reduce the strain of felting such as:
making sure your table is the right height (for your back)
breaking down the felting into smaller steps e.g. prep your work area and fibres one day, lay out the fibres the next day etc
using your forearms to roll (saves your wrists) but make sure the table is the right height so as not to strain your back
standing with one foot slightly in front of the other whilst rolling helps relieve back strain
covering your work with bubble wrap to keep it wet and warm to take regular breaks during the felting process
asking for help - is there someone who could supply the muscle work to your instructions?
I'm sure other members can add to this list!
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Post by MTRuth on Apr 15, 2017 15:23:27 GMT
Welcome to the forum and I'm glad you joined us. Lyn has some great tips there. I don't use the dryer much for felting either as I like to feel how the felt is changing as I work with it. I hope you'll join in the discussions, ask questions and share your work. We'd love to see some of your knitting projects too.
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Post by tracey on Apr 15, 2017 15:55:24 GMT
How to stand correctly, as Lyn mentioned, is invaluable I think. It was mentioned to us on my very first introduction to wet felting, and I have always thought what a top tip it was.
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Post by zed on Apr 19, 2017 10:57:07 GMT
Hi ispin2, welcome to the forum
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Post by Shepherdess on Apr 20, 2017 0:57:19 GMT
Welcome. I use the dryer too. I do my initial rubbing then roll up to go in to the dryer for a short time then out and reroll. I do et several times and then do the final fulling and shaping. I think you have to know how to felt well and understand what's happening to make it work well. I am usually laying out something else while the first piece is in the dryer.
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Post by feltmysoul on May 22, 2017 16:07:05 GMT
Hi i am so new in this , actually first time trying to write in a forum , i did not know how start a new thread .... and anyway i found here i can write... i am new in felting and i have just fall in love with the technique because i love to painT , but i realizeD we can design our own fabric with fibers and turn in in to something...... i just love IT ... but i have just been watching videos to learn never took any classes .. and i am really struggling with NUNOfelting.. somehow the wool doesn't felt .. i will try to attempt my third time .. i have the right wool merino 19 micron ... cold water .. maybe i am not using the right thing to roll and the soap .. but i wont give up or maybe the gauze i have isnt 100% COTTON ....HELP HELP Thanks
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Post by halay on May 22, 2017 17:10:25 GMT
Feltmysoul, welcome to this forum. To start a new thread you need to log in and then you chose one of the categories that your question would fit in. In the upper right corner there is a wondow Start a new thread and there you can post your question. As for rolling you can use any stick (even a broom stick), or a pool noodle). If the wool doen't fel it might bee that you have too much water or too little water. The soap is not very important. Many felters use even diluted dish washing liquid. The fabric does not need to be 100% cotton. Synthetic fabrics will felt too (see Zed's post, she has done a lot of testing). What is also important is that during first rolling you are not using too much pressure. I'm sure you will overcome these problems soon.
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Post by tracey on May 22, 2017 17:20:41 GMT
Welcome feltmysoul! Very happy to hear how addicted you are already, lots of practice and you will get there I'm sure.
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Post by Pandagirl on May 22, 2017 20:36:20 GMT
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Post by Shepherdess on May 23, 2017 0:19:56 GMT
Welcome. I think I see that you have posted a question elsewhere so I will comment over there.
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Post by MTRuth on May 23, 2017 3:00:22 GMT
Welcome, glad you joined us and look forward to seeing your felting.
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