|
Post by ScarletThistle on Feb 1, 2022 16:48:14 GMT
Hi.today I decided to begin a piece that I thought I might turn into a cushion. I used merino wool and added a picture of a bird using mixed fibres - corriedale, merino and satin silk. I did the usual wetting, soaking and rubbing before rolling. Then I spent some time fulling. Now that I've done all that it doesn't quite seem right. The base wool doesn't seem to have felted very well. The bird part is better. Maybe because it's made of different fibers? Not sure. The piece has begun to shrink and pucker which I thought was a sign that the process was complete, yet the fibres are sort of loose compared with other bits of felt that I have made. Any ideas what I have done wrong? Should I have spent more time rubbing? Is it too late to go back and do more?
|
|
|
Post by MTRuth on Feb 1, 2022 17:08:31 GMT
I have found that sometimes a variety of fibers have a hard time getting along. And that they take more time and patience than if you were using all the same type of fiber. I would suggest rewetting and continuing to work the piece. If it was me, I would be doing more rubbing and then rolling the piece upon itself. I usually find that you can get quite a bit more shrinkage and a harder felt than you thought possible if you keep working it. You can always rewet and do more.
|
|
|
Post by lyn on Feb 1, 2022 21:49:13 GMT
I agree with Ruth - work it some more. It could be that the bird part has felted more quickly because of the difference in fibres and the background just needs to catch up. Or it could be that the bird was 'proud' of the background and got more agitation?
|
|
|
Post by Shepherdess on Feb 2, 2022 1:55:53 GMT
I agree but I am the opposite of Ruth, I am a roller rather than a rubber but more is what's needed. If it's just begone to shrink then it's not done. I would expect at least 25% shrinkage. Maybe more for a pillow. You would want it really well fulled. I do roll on a textured surface like a washboard once I am fulling it. Fulling shrinks and strengthens the felt.
|
|
|
Post by ScarletThistle on Feb 3, 2022 15:35:20 GMT
I have found that sometimes a variety of fibers have a hard time getting along. And that they take more time and patience than if you were using all the same type of fiber. I would suggest rewetting and continuing to work the piece. If it was me, I would be doing more rubbing and then rolling the piece upon itself. I usually find that you can get quite a bit more shrinkage and a harder felt than you thought possible if you keep working it. You can always rewet and do more. Thank you. The odd thing is it was the main body of the piece that wouldn't felt all merino wool and same colour batch. I think you may be right though about the time spent rolling and rubbing. I should perhaps have spent longer.
|
|
|
Post by ScarletThistle on Feb 3, 2022 15:38:26 GMT
Thanks everyone for your advice. I do appreciate it. I think it comes down to the time I spent working it. I will need to be more patient I think. I resorted to needle felting and it is looking ok now. I'll post a picture once I'm finished.
|
|
|
Post by Shepherdess on Feb 4, 2022 17:50:22 GMT
Are you sure there wasn't some super was mixed in with it? You can always rewet it as well and work it some more. Felt is very forgiving.
|
|
|
Post by lyn on Feb 4, 2022 18:23:55 GMT
Another factor is dye - I find that the superwhite merino doesn't felt as easily as the ordinary white and I've had a few colours that were reluctant felters.
|
|
|
Post by caterina on Feb 4, 2022 21:21:38 GMT
Hello! It happened to me as well with merino wool when I started learning about wet felting, not long ago, so I am fresh of that experience and I feel you! I think that maybe what I was doing wrong was 1) not controlling the amount of wool better and laying relatively thick thufts of wool, some of which was also not so "fresh" maybe,and sometimes I was worrying the fibers before using them in the mistaken idea that it would have been quicker to felt...I have to say that I had been doing it sometimes when needle felting and it worked for that! Lol!
2) with such an amount of wool I was always under the impression of having already a thick enough layer (and could not see the holes) ,so I tended to find out only later on that I actually needed a thicker end result, and I had to add to a prefelted wool another layer of fibers, and that was again not very well laid out
3) finally, I was not rubbing enough, my rubbing was too tentative, and then I was not rolling enough.
Now I lay out much much thinner wisps and evenly, I open my fibers and spread them very well, I make sure to have no holes early on, and I lay out a good number of layers from the start. I rub a lot more and I am not afraid of doing it with gusto. And I get a timer and something else to pass the time when rolling.
Also, having tried the sander, I find that it can help the most stubborn fibers stick together, and it cuts the rubbing time. If you have one or can get one, I would try it to solve the issue in this case. But I got very used to having to stick a prefelted background with other prefelted wool and fibers, because that is how I made most of my portraits, and with a good intensive hand rubbing and passionate rolling everything comes together all the same in the end.
The hardest to stick are often the not-well-spread-out fibers, in my limited experience: for instance, I once tried to make small circles on a scarf by simply wrapping a good amount of merino wool fiber around my finger and laying those circles on the merino wool background: they did not want to felt to the background at all, it did not dawn on me that I had used too much wool and that the fibers were wrapped on themselves and not able to attach on the background, so to speak. I hope that I am making sense.
|
|