DIY Network

Felting and Finishing Felting and Finishing From "Knitty Gritty" episode DKNG-103

Now all your knitted purse needs a warm bath and a pretty needle-felted flower, and it will be ready to go out on its first big shopping trip.

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Felting Instructions
1. To protect your washer from excess fiber, place the purse in a zippered pillow protector or a fine-mesh bag.

2. Set washer for hot wash, low water level and maximum agitation. Extremely hot water is not needed or desired. You must be able to handle your project during the process. Using the rinse and spin cycles is not recommended as they may set permanent creases in the felt.

3. Add a small amount of Wool Mix (see note below) or use a mild detergent.

4. After about five minutes of agitation (this is very important), check on the progress. Remove the purse from the bag to get a good look at what is happening. Check again every five minutes, resetting the washer to continue agitating if necessary. Do not let it drain and spin.

5. When you are happy with the size, remove from the washer. If felting with Wool Mix, no rinsing is needed, but if detergent was used, the purse should be rinsed thoroughly by hand in warm water.

6. Roll in towels to remove as much water as possible.

Finishing
Pull purse into shape, flatten bottom and smooth straps, then allow to dry completely. Once dry, the felt may need some grooming to remove any extra fuzz or clumps of wool.

Wool Mix Note: Wool Mix is a rinse free wool-wash that is excellent for felting. It is available in many yarn stores.

	A view of the bag showing the needle-felted flower decoration.
	A felting needle contains tiny barbs that perform the actual felting process.

Needle Felting Instructions
A dry felting technique, the barbs on a felting needle do the work of binding the fibers together. A few stabs will create a temporary bond and stabbing repeatedly, or "needling", creates a permanent felted bond.

Some Basics
1. Warning! These needles are very sharp, and the barbs make stabbing your finger doubly painful. Keep your eyes on where you are stabbing at all times and your fingers out of the way. A pair of tweezers and a double-pointed needle are both handy tools for moving and holding fibers in place while keeping your fingers safe. When your needles are not in use, place them back into their protective sleeve, and always keep them out of reach of children.

2. Stab straight in and only deep enough for the barbs to pass into the felt below. Stabbing too deeply will only carry fiber into your foam work surface.

3. Do not try to move the fibers with the needle, as this may break the point. Instead, use a pair of tweezers or a double-pointed needle to push or pull fibers into place.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Can't draw? Try using a cookie-cutter as a template for your needle-felting project!

Needling a Flower
You may find it helpful to make cutout paper shapes to help decide on size and position of your flower.

1. Place a piece of thick foam inside the purse before beginning.

2. Pull off a thin piece of fiber about 3" long. Twist it a couple of times, then lay it in an oval petal shape with ends toward the center. Tack it in place with a few stabs of the size-38 needle (figure A). At this point it is still easily removed if you decide it needs repositioned. Repeat for each remaining petal, adjusting size and shape as needed and cutting away excess fiber from the center.

3. When you are happy with the size and placement of your design, it's time to "needle" it permanently in place. This is done by repeatedly stabbing over the entire surface. Continue until the fiber is well attached to the purse (figure B), remembering not to stab too deeply. Move the foam every so often to be sure that you are not pushing too much fiber into it.

4. Add a contrasting center to your flower using a small piece of fleece.

5. Go over the design again using the finer 40-gauge needle to give a smoother surface to your design.

RESOURCES :

Woolpak wool yarn
14-ply (bulky) 100 percent New Zealand wool

Fiber Trends' Needle Felting Starter Kit and Colored Roving Variety Pack
Fiber Trends
Web: fibertrends.com

Felted Knits
By Beverly Galeskas
Interweave Press 2003
Website: www.interweave.com

GUESTS :

Beverly Galeskas
Fiber Trends
Website: www.fibertrends.com