How to felt a princess out of wool. Wet felting of wool products for beginners. Is it easy to learn felting?

The necessary items for wet felting are wool, water and soap, and the only tools you need are your hands. Additional materials that will definitely come in handy are a rubber corrugated mat, a bamboo napkin and packaging film. You will also need a spray bottle with water and a mosquito net, under plaster or old tulle, a wooden rolling pin, a terry towel and tape. Rubber gloves are optional, but the skin on your hands will likely appreciate them.

Fine merino wool is suitable for scarves and dresses, it is very soft and light. Semi-thin is coarser, used for making hats and bags, and combed tape is the coarsest and hardest to work with; it is best to add it little by little when making products from other types of wool.

A soap solution is made by rubbing a piece of soap on a coarse grater and pouring two liters of boiling water over it. Everything is mixed until the soap is completely dissolved, then it is infused for about two hours until it thickens, after which the solution is ready for use. Suitable for wet felting and ready-made liquid soap. A bedding is spread on the table, using packaging film with pimples, in which wool fibers will definitely not get stuck. In order to determine the dimensions of the future product, its outlines on the film are outlined with strips of tape.

Wool is placed on the finished bedding, first the main layer - the base layer, then the background, on top of which - the pattern. The wool is laid in thin strands so that there are no gaps - overlapping, and the layers are laid perpendicular to each other. The thickness should be the same in all areas, but due to shrinkage, it should be 3-4 times greater than the expected thickness of the finished product. The finished wool is wetted from a spray bottle carefully so that the pattern does not move. The wet wool is carefully covered with a net on top and moistened with a soap solution more thoroughly. When soaking the wool, it is actively blotted with your hands, you can roll it with a rolling pin, but carefully so as not to displace the pattern or make holes. Excess water is blotted with a terry towel.

The wet felting technique is very simple - the wool is gently rubbed with your hands in different directions. Hands in cellophane gloves are protected from prolonged exposure to soap and glide better; the likelihood of getting caught on something is very low. As for the time and number of rubbings, there is a rule that states that for felting you need to iron each area a hundred times.

The readiness of the felt is checked by pulling the wool upward. If the entire fabric rises, and not individual pieces and strands, the product can be considered matted. If the mesh begins to move away from the fabric, but the wool does not move, you can remove the mesh and, turning the fabric over, felt it from the wrong side. Well-wetted fabric can be felted without a net. The fabric is rinsed in the shower in warm water to wash away any remaining soap solution. Excessively hot or cold water may cause the product to shrink, so the temperature must be carefully regulated. The finished washed felt should not be twisted; it is better to let it drain on a wire rack.

Felting wool is a very entertaining hobby with which you can create real masterpieces! How to learn this art from scratch and what you need to master the skill.

Handicraft is one of the main women's crafts. For some, it’s just a hobby, a way to meditate and relax the soul. And for some it is also a form of income (additional or main). Look on our website for publications about embroidery with beads and threads, crocheting and knitting, modeling from polymer clay, sewing and patchwork, beadwork, soap making, scrapbooking, quilling. But this article is dedicated to the warmest and fluffiest hobby - the technique of felting wool.

Felting wool is one of the most popular types of handicrafts. Like the mythical Phoenix bird, it was reborn from oblivion and, having flown around the entire globe, gave the craftswomen new opportunities for self-expression. Many felters were captivated by this marvelous material - sheep's wool - and called it “fluffy clay”. But it’s true that a wide variety of products are made from sheep’s “fur coats”. But first things first.

In search of the Golden Fleece: a little history

Several thousand years have passed since man tamed the wild ancestor of the modern sheep. And around the same time, women learned to felt coarse woolen cloth, which covered the floor and walls, and this is where the history of wool felting began.

Later they began to make tents, clothes and shoes from wool. The most popular ancient center of wool felting was the legendary city of Pompeii. His cloth was famous for its finest workmanship and extraordinary softness, worthy only of kings.

Wool was used everywhere, and amazing properties were attributed to it: in war, felt clothing warded off arrows and spears from a fighter, and healed the body from diseases. They did not forget to perpetuate the “sheepskin” in the myth of the prophetic ship “Argo”, which, under the leadership of Jason, set off on a long voyage for the Golden Fleece...

Fortunately, we do not need to sail far away to the thirtieth kingdom in order to buy a little (or maybe a lot) wool for needlework.

Main types of wool for felting

In the vastness of the CIS countries you can find 5 main types of wool for felting, which is presented in a wide variety of assortments in specialized stores for creativity or in online stores for needlewomen. This product can be bought even cheaper in Chinese online stores.

Wool curls shorn from Wensleydale sheep

• Sliver. This type of wool is a sliver that has gone through washing and primary cleaning. It can be light or dark (depending on the breed of sheep). Designed for dry and wet felting, suitable as the cheapest base for toys and paintings. Sometimes you come across dried plants and flowers in the sliver - a distant greeting from the steppe, where white sheep graze.
• Combed (unspun) ribbon. Cleaned, dyed or bleached wool that has gone a long way from clipped clumps to smooth, combed strands. This material can turn into a scarf, brooch, hat, toy, blouse, coat or boots...

The list goes on and on. “Trinity” wool and “Semenovskaya” wool are very popular in Russia, which is imported to Ukraine and other countries. The more expensive Australian merino "Wensleydale" is no less popular. As well as wool produced in England, Italy (mostly the most delicate “baby alpaca”) and Germany.

Another type of combed tape - multicolors(wool of different colors or shades of the same range) and blends (wool + mulberry silk). Want to felt a rainbow scarf? These sets are made especially for you!

IMPORTANT!!! Wool in combed ribbons is divided into categories: coarse (28-24 microns), semi-fine (24-18 microns), fine (18-14 microns). The finer the wool, the more expensive and convenient it is to work with. Do not use fine wool in combed strips for dry felting of toy bases, it is only suitable for final finishing.

• Carding. Beautiful multi-colored cotton wool - this is how this type of wool can be described. Very convenient for dry felting: thanks to its structure, there are no “bald patches” on the products, which so often spoil the appearance. In wet felting, carding is also very convenient: the product falls faster, and less effort and time are needed.
• Curls. They are perfect for doll hair, will successfully decorate felted items, can be easily dyed with vegetable dyes (for example, henna or batik)... This is a real treasure for creating designer and original items.
• Tips. They are mainly used for doll hair. Natural tips are very expensive, so only professional puppeteers can afford to purchase them.

Set for dry felting (filting): wool, needles, decor, brush

The modern felter has a few more secrets for creating unique products. We are talking about additional decor that transforms the product and makes it original. Most often used for wet felting:

• threads of viscose, silk, hemp, bamboo, linen (for creating beautiful watercolor stains);
• an Indian sari, which was skillfully torn into thin shreds in order to delight you and me with another opportunity to transform a felted product;
• boules or silkworm cocoons are useful for creating voluminous bulges on the product; they are also easy to dye with batik;
• silk scarves create unusual effects on products, and, painted with hot batik, they are indispensable for the most daring experiments;
• fabrics with a sparse texture for nuno-felting (silk, chiffon, sometimes gauze is used);
• thin silk ribbons, torn lengthwise, will save any product from being too “boring” and “correct”;
• delicate lace has always helped craftswomen to the rescue in the most hopeless situations, when there is simply no other decor at hand, but these same hands are “itching” to felt something;
• multi-colored skeletonized leaves have become a bestseller, because no felter can resist the beauty of nature itself, and skillfully felted leaves refresh the product in an autumnal way.

So, we’ve dealt with wool, now it’s time to talk about materials that make the felter’s work easier. Along the way we will get acquainted with wool felting techniques. And there are only two of them: “dry” and “wet”.

Wet felting: felting or nuno-felting

Felting(from the English felt - felt) and nuno-felting(from Japanese nuno - fabric) - the most ancient way of turning shapeless scraps of wool into neat felt boots, a carpet or a lampshade. What captivates beginners with the wet felting technique is the almost instant result. Agree that seeing the fruits of your labors after just half an hour of active work is much more pleasant than after many, many days.

Another house from Olga Artvanil

The technique itself has not changed over thousands of years: its main ally is water, preferably hot; “Nuno” appeared recently in Japan, when the inventive craftswomen of the Land of the Rising Sun first combined fabric and wool.

A nest house for a cat, made using the wet felting technique on a template, by German craftswoman Suzanne Karg

Remember the labels on new sweaters, they indicate the washing mode: “only by hand” and “only at 30 degrees”, and drying “only in a horizontal position”. We comply with these conditions so that the new item does not “shrink”. In felting, on the contrary, you need to felt the wool as tightly as possible until it becomes dense.

It’s just hard and time-consuming to wallow with water alone, so they come to the rescue:

• • Soap(household, liquid or special with olive oil and glycerin). The water fluffs up each of the hairs, creating a herringbone effect. And the soap (alkaline) solution helps these “Christmas trees” cling to each other. Add mechanical movements with your hands, and you get felt.
  • Spray, small sprayer, special watering can, bath sponge. All of the listed “helpers” serve one purpose - to properly moisturize the wool without leaving a dry place (otherwise the product will be felted unevenly). Which is better to use? There is no definite answer, since each craftswoman chooses the most affordable option. Although, the most convenient is a small 1-3 liter sprayer: it makes the work much easier.
  • mosquito net. It is used for lathering the workpiece after the wool has been spread out and moistened, and for the initial felting of the upper layers. The mosquito net can be replaced with mesh fabric. IMPORTANT!!! The mosquito net should have small cells. During operation, you should lift it frequently to avoid sticking to the product.
  • Orbital grinder/surface grinder(HSM or PShM). This unit was invented to level the floor during renovation work, but who forbids us to use force in the name of beauty?! With a “vibration grinder” the felting process is reduced to several hours (if you need to make a simple product, for example, a scarf or stole). There is no point in purchasing an overly expensive machine; a cheaper option is quite suitable for handicrafts. IMPORTANT!!! Do not use a PShM (VShM) at the initial stage of work! This can damage the layout of the coat, resulting in unsightly “bald spots.”
  • Pimply (air bubble) film. The anti-stress film we all love has found its application in felting. Its air bubbles work like thousands of little fingers, turning the wool into a single product. It is better to buy such film not in handicraft stores, where its price is “slightly” inflated, but in construction supermarkets or stores for summer residents.
  • Underlay for laminate. To felt a voluminous item, for example, a hat, mittens, felt boots or a house for your beloved pet, we need a template. Just cardboard will not work: you need a strong, durable and flexible material. Once again the construction department comes to the rescue! It is best to buy the cheapest transparent (foamed polymer) backing with a minimum width of 3 mm.
  • Plastic pipes. However, for a simple felter, one pipe 1 m long and 5 cm in diameter is enough. What this device is needed for is for felting such large items as outerwear. The half-matted piece together with the template is wound onto a pipe, secured with a rope or cord (preferably synthetic) and rolled on bubble wrap (remember rolling out dough). These manipulations will help shrink the wool. IMPORTANT!!! For uniform shrinkage, it is necessary to “roll” the workpiece the same number of times, winding it alternately along and across.
  • Washboard. It is used for the same purpose as a plastic pipe - to shrink the product. The only condition for its use is that all layers of wool must be well felted to each other.
  • Bamboo mat. Typically, it is used together with a plastic pipe, wound over a wool blank. When making small products, you can do without a pipe. If purchasing such a mat is problematic, you can use any clean towel.
  • Gloves and fingertips. To protect your hands from excess moisture and soap, you can use rubber fingertips and gloves of all types. It’s just that the most important sense in them is dulled – touch. If this method of protection is not to your taste, stock up on rich hand and nail cream. This is the best product for skin that is dry and degreased by soap.
  • Wooden molds and blocks. These devices are designed specifically for shrinking hats, felt boots, slippers, and clothing. Some plastic shapes can be used for felting in the washing machine.

Dry felting: felting or felting

Felting (from German filz - felt) is a dry felting technique from wool, it was invented relatively recently. It is fundamentally different from “wet”, which means that it requires its own, special materials. The most important tool for felting is a needle. But not simple, but with notches.

They are the ones who mat or, to put it in professional language, fold the wool together. Felting needles are classified by appearance, and its number indicates its purpose. By the way, the smaller the needle number, the coarser and thicker it is.

Click on the picture to go to the tutorial on how to create this elephant

The best needles for felting are produced in Germany, the USA, and the UK. Chinese and domestic instruments are cheaper and significantly inferior in quality and, accordingly, in durability. Externally, the needle looks like a metal rod 7.8 cm long with a small L-shaped “tail” for fingers.

IMPORTANT!!! Do not buy needles with rubberized or plastic handles: they are expensive, break quickly, and you cannot replace the shaft. It is better to buy a wooden holder with one or more holes for needles.

Triangular

The most common and most versatile needles. The name suggests that their cross-section is similar to a triangle. The notches in these needles are staggered along the entire length of the working area. Designed for all types of work: forming the base for dolls and toys, felting wool, final finishing of the finished product, felting patterns and hair fibers.

Asterisks

Just like the triangular needles, these needles can do all kinds of work with greater efficiency. But their main purpose is grinding and final finishing of the finished product. Their cross section resembles a quadrangular star, the notches are arranged in a checkerboard pattern along the entire length of the working area.

Twisted

The working area of ​​such needles is twisted along the axis, which makes it possible to perform final finishing of products (triangular needles) and initial “rough” work (star needles) without much effort.

Crowned

Crown needles have serifs located almost at the tip of the point. They are very convenient for rolling doll hair and patterns. All work takes place on the surface of the product, which means the wool will not be visible on the wrong side. These needles are also used for pressing patterns on woolen and felt clothes without the risk of ruining the reverse side.

Forks

These needles are for pinning hair only. Like crown ones, they work on the surface, but, thanks to the bifurcated working area, the wool fibers are fixed more firmly.

Reverse

If you want your cute, freshly felted animal to also become fluffy, work with a reverse barbed needle. The “reverse tooth” pushes the fur outward, creating a shaggy effect. By the way, these needles can be used to mix different shades of fur on the surface of an animal toy; to do this, it is enough to alternate working with a triangular or star-shaped needle and a reverse one.

IMPORTANT!!! When working with felting needles, you must be careful: the needle may prick your finger painfully (the wound inside will be torn). Be careful to ensure that the needle angle at the entry and exit points is the same when filing. Otherwise, the work area may break.

Types and sections of needles for felting

We wrote above that needles, regardless of cross-section and purpose, have numbers that correspond to working with a certain type of wool. Now is the time to say that:

№19 – the thickest and most durable needle. It is convenient to work with very coarse wool (sliver). Suitable for initial work. However, not every felter is able to cope with such “heavy artillery”.

№ 25 - slightly thinner than a No. 19 needle, it is much more convenient to work with. Used to form the basis for dolls and toys.

№32 – is considered a universal coarse needle. Also intended for initial work.

№34 - medium size needle. Suitable for creating the base of dolls, toys and balls for beads.

№36 – medium universal needle. It is chosen for felting the surface of the base of the toy, the initial stage of felting brooches on the frame, felting patterns and hair.

№38 – the most popular medium-sized needle. It is used for felting colored wool on toys, forming patterns on beads (also woolen), and felting hair for dolls.

№40 – a thin needle is intended for final finishing of the surface of toys, embossing elegant patterns.

№42 - a very thin needle. Used for finishing and sanding work.

№43 - super fine needle. Its purpose is to delicately polish the finished toy.

IMPORTANT!!! Do not use only one universal needle for felting large items. Firstly, this is impractical, and secondly, it will lead to rapid wear and breakage of the tool.

So, we have chosen the tools for felting, and we have also decided on the wool. The only thing missing is a work surface. It is needed to prevent needles from breaking on a hard table and to protect your hands from damage from the same needle. And wool, laid out on a special device, falls easier and more beautifully.

Quite often, beginning felters use thick foam rubber or sponges (bath or car sponges) as a working area - this is a cheaper option. Experienced craftswomen do not disdain them either. But the choice of professionals still falls on special brushes for dry felting.

The fact is that foam rubber wears out over time, crumbles and sometimes gets stuck in the product. The brush will last much longer. Many needlewomen are stopped by the price, but once they choose the largest brush in area, they will not exchange it for anything.

Play around and don't be a fool: where to start and how to make money on a new hobby

Felting wool, regardless of the method, is such a pleasant, warm, fluffy, soft needlework that it is impossible to distract yourself from it! Believe me, learning to felt is much easier than it seems!

For children of preschool and primary school age, pediatricians and speech therapists recommend wet felting (napkins, small pictures, beads). This felting technique for beginners is ideal because it is less traumatic for fingers, develops fine motor skills, teaches you how to work with color, and the end result is achieved quite quickly.

Some child psychologists who are passionate about this handicraft also practice felting bulky toys in their classes using the wet method, explaining that a small child does not prick the future animal with a needle, but constantly strokes it with his hands.

Quite often, beginning wool felting masters think about how to find their circle of clients and get not only pleasure from their favorite hobby, but also. How to achieve this?

Step 1. The surest way is to master the techniques perfectly and make your own changes. Come up with your own style, unlike the others.

Step 2. Participate in various competitions, fairs, exhibitions. And don't skimp on business cards! As they say, be more visible.

Step 3. Create your own website, blog, community on social networks. Active communication is encouraged.

Step 4. Invite beginners to master classes. Just don’t copy other people’s secrets, but come up with something of your own, add a twist.

Step 5. Sell ​​products online abroad. This is very profitable, since Russian felted items are valued more expensive precisely because of the quality of workmanship. Overseas needlewomen nervously bite their nails...

Unfortunately, it is impossible to embrace the immensity. Therefore, for successful sales, choose your niche in felting. For example, create only animal toys with cute faces, or only dolls, or paintings... The larger your collection of felted products of the same type, the greater the choice, and demand will not be long in coming.

We wish you creative success! Go for it!

Author of the article: needlewoman, beauty and very nice girl - Olga Artvanil. If you liked her work, order a designer toy, decoration, painting, house for an animal, beret or something else warm, cozy and soft!

Do you want to talk about your hobby and show your work? We will be happy to publish interesting material and a link to your coordinates absolutely FREE!

And if you don't have a hobby yet, find one by checking out our other posts right now.

Ancient crafts have always been of interest to lovers of creativity; thanks to the uniqueness of handmade products, such things have always been in demand. Felting wool, clothing, and its exclusivity represent a new trend in fashion these days. Modern needlewomen create not only clothes and all kinds of accessories from wool. Interesting, bright toys, elegant sweaters, scarves and coats come to life in their hands.

Felting, felting, stuffing - these are clothes that have undergone such processing and are particularly soft and dense.

The creation of felted products involves two methods: wet and dry. Craftswomen, using one method or another, describe it in detail using examples of things they have created.

Limitless possibilities of felt

The revival of felting techniques especially appealed to today's fashionistas. Items made by felting from natural wool are not only fashionable, they are very warm. In addition to clothing items, today's craftswomen felt everything from wool. Any element of the interior, children's toys, everything is in the hands of needlewomen.

Felting wool, handmade clothing and many useful things made using this method represent a real art these days. At the same time, this is an interesting, simple and convenient creative creation of warm, unique wardrobe elements.

For beginning craftswomen, it is recommended to choose wool with obvious properties of good adhesion of its fibers to each other. In addition, this wool must be unspun. You can buy the unspun material you need for your work in specialized stores or using catalogs and recommendations from online stores. As a rule, this purchasing option provides guarantees of the purity and quality of the product.

Depending on the purpose, you need to choose coarse or fine wool. For bags, slippers or home interior accessories, you can use coarse wool.

Items of clothing and accessories, children's toys will require the use of semi-fine and fine wool structure.

The portal “Fair of Craftsmen” provides significant assistance to needlewomen: wool felting and handmade clothing are presented there through master classes by experienced needlewomen with step-by-step execution of products.

Basics of wet felting wool

The essence of wet felting wool fiber is to wet it with a soap solution and then gently smooth it in different directions. The finished product is a dense material - felt.

In wet felting, you should make the necessary increase in the pattern of the product, since wool shrinks up to 40%.

To obtain small volumetric objects, a ball of wool is crushed in your hands. A flat fabric is obtained when wool is used. Clothes and accessories that represent the openwork fantasy of the craftswoman can only be made by rolling the workpiece for a long time or smoothing it with manual effort. Only this method allows you to get a bright thing with all kinds of color transitions.

Necessary and auxiliary tools and materials

The main material for felting is unspun wool. For felting, different types of material are used. Depending on the planned product, you need to purchase one of several types of wool fiber:

• The coarsest wool is the so-called combed wool.
• Semi-fine wool.
• Very thin.
• A flat working surface with certain dimensions.
• Polyethylene film with bubble finishing.
• Mesh with a dense structure (mosquito).
• Soap and water solution.
• Water.
• Spray.
• Accessories for finishing the product.

Wet felting technique

The effort of a needlewoman’s hands is the main tool in processing an amazing material called “wet felting from wool.” Clothing, as a result of using this procedure, allows you to bring the most incredible ideas to life. The basic scheme for implementing this technology:

• Formation of a fibrous web of a certain orientation, that is, laying out wool.
• The procedure for obtaining a base for felting (prefelt), processing the original material, pre-moistened with a special composition, into a single needle-punched fabric.
• Shrinking of prefelt by performing special processing techniques, which results in an increase in strength and highlighting the texture of the material.
• Removing the wetting component. Layout patterns largely determine the future range of products.

Stages of work

The modern felting process has many techniques. Wet felting of wool clothes, a master class of one of the options, is presented in the following stages.

• Layers of wool are spread in a thin layer overlapping onto the oilcloth with the dimensions of the product marked. The wool is laid out in a checkerboard pattern: horizontally, then transversely. It is necessary to control the thickness of the layer; it should be the same in all areas. In addition, felt shrinkage should be taken into account, increasing the initial wool thickness by 2-3 times.
• Moisten the spread out wool with water from a spray bottle.
• The wetted workpiece should be covered with mesh material. It is convenient to use for this purpose. The layout is carefully moistened with a soap solution through a mosquito net, avoiding displacement of the pattern.
• Gently press the treated product onto the oilcloth with your hands, ensuring that the base is well saturated with soapy water; remove excess solution with a towel.
• The process of felting, namely intensive smoothing and friction of each section. Continue felting, carefully rubbing each section, gradually removing the mesh, turning the fabric over.
• The fabric is considered ready if, when pulling it upward, the entire layer is removed without separating the strips.
• Rinse the resulting felt in cool water until the soap suds are completely removed.
• Lay out the fabric and dry it in a horizontal position.

Wet felting of wool is completed. The product or canvas can be considered finished.

Dry felting option

The essence of the technique is to tangle and compact wool fibers with special needles with notches. Felting begins with processing the fibers with the thickest needle. In the process of compacting the felt fabric, the needle is replaced with a thinner one.

Those who are starting to felt their first product need to remember that the wool changes in volume during the process, decreasing by almost three times. Therefore, for felting, a novice felter needs to take wool in a much larger volume.

The difference between wet and dry felting is the replacement of the soap solution with special needles, which are used to perform the felting procedure. Wool is not recommended for beginners: clothes and items require the use of a flat felt cloth. Experienced craftswomen use this type of felting to make voluminous accessories, jewelry and toys.

Many craftswomen have turned felting into an opportunity to have in their wardrobe not only warm, cozy clothes, but also accessories for them. In addition, for some, felting began to provide a good income for the family budget.

Tools and auxiliary materials

The dry method of folding wool fibers is unique and has its own characteristics. For dry felting, you will need special tools to perform the process of felting the wool fiber. These include:

• Special needles of different sizes for dry felting, made of high-quality hardened steel, with high strength, sharp edges and durability. When working with wool, needles, thanks to the practical notches located in their lower part, capture the fibrous mass well and push it into the depth of the layer. This operation ensures that the fluffy layers are tangled, matting and compacting them.
• Level, smooth working surface.
• Foam or rubber backing.
• Accessories for decorating the finished product.

Stages of dry felting

Creating beautiful three-dimensional things will require a detailed study of such techniques as dry felting from wool. Clothes, a master class on how to make them - all this is described in detail by experienced felters. With their help, it is possible to manufacture products of any complexity.

Preliminary preparation is the basis of any work. Before you start felting, you should make a sketch or pattern of the future product:

• The wool, distributed according to the prepared template, must be pierced often and a lot with a serrated felting needle, achieving felting and compaction of the material.
• The resulting felt fabric must be constantly rotated, achieving uniform density, repeatedly treating each area with a needle.
• As you work, you can add new pieces of wool, creating the planned composition and ensuring it matches the pattern.

In the production of any items and toys, you can combine dry and wet felting, adding finishing elements such as lace, ruffles, beads, beads, braid and ribbons. This creates additional opportunities to obtain unique, creative items.

Dry felting requires a lot of time. However, after spending a little time studying the master class of a couple of small toys, you can start making a larger thing. The work will be crowned with success.

Each product made from wool fiber has certain nuances that require additional refinement and correction. During operation, sometimes things require repair, so craftswomen share their experience:

• Some rules should be applied to products in the manufacture of which two technologies are combined: the semi-finished product must be absolutely dry. This will avoid its deformation, tearing and breaking.
• It is better to start dry felting with blanks of fibers of greater thickness: carded, combed tape. Use fine wool to finish the product.
• A thin needle must be pierced very often, to a shallow depth. Deep punctures will leave an unsightly mark on the surface of the product; rare punctures will create bumps on the surface of the felt.
• It will help to replace hands in wet felting on which the workpiece is laid out. The rug is rolled into a roll and rolled in different directions, achieving dense matting of the wool.
• In your arsenal of tools and equipment, towels will not be superfluous to collect excess soapy water.
• Plastic bags will be required for additional protection of the working surface, as well as for use as spacers between the elements of the product. This measure will prevent them from sticking together.

Felting is a very interesting, fascinating type of needlework, which is popular today. Unique, warm, cozy clothes are very comfortable to wear, caring for them does not require special procedures, since they practically do not get dirty. A regular clothes brush is sufficient to clean them. Washing and rinsing in cool water easily removes heavier stains.

Felt (English) – [noun] felt, felt; [verb] to felt wool, to knock down felt

I think, first of all, it wouldn’t hurt to find out the answer to the most important question - why does wool fall off? It's all in its structure! Remember, not so long ago there was an advertisement on TV for a shampoo that made your hair smooth and silky? Then they showed the ugly split ends in close-up. So, sheep's wool in normal condition looks about the same =)

Comparison of human hair and sheep wool. Are there many differences?

Because of this “layering,” human hair can even form tangles and “fall off.” But what is not good for our hair is good for felting. It is this structure of sheep wool that allows you to create wonderful toys, clothes, felt boots, carpets and much more.

Naturally, not only sheep’s wool is suitable for felting. You can use alpaca, camel, llama and yak wool, as well as cashmere, anagora and mohair.

Felting (felting, felting) is the process of creating various products from unspun wool by interlocking and interweaving its fibers in various ways.

There are many different types of felting - dry felting, wet felting, nuno felting, knit felting. Below I will discuss the main techniques.

Basic dry felting techniques for beginners

First of all, let's get acquainted with the technique of dry felting wool. Although it appeared much later than wet felting, it is currently gaining more and more popularity. With a regular needle you can create truly unique creations! Here, take a look at works of famous masters

I want to warn you that this type of creativity is not suitable for children under 10 years old and those who like to create while watching TV (although I do this). If you are too distracted, you can pierce your finger right through - the needles are very sharp, and the notches are good at tearing the skin.

I will briefly describe the process:

The wool layout is soaked in a hot soapy solution, then ironed and rubbed in different directions, gradually increasing the pressure. To facilitate work in the initial stages, a vibratory grinder is often used. You get a canvas - felt.

Advice. When making patterns for the desired product, keep in mind that when wet felting, the wool will shrink by 30-40 percent

Wet felting technique

This step-by-step description of the wet felting technique will help beginners understand (and, I hope, motivate to try and enjoy) the process =)

You will need:

• unspun wool,
• bubble wrap,
• bamboo napkin,
• soap,
• warm water.

1. Separate identical shreds of wool about 8 centimeters long from the woolen tape. Place them on bubble wrap in one direction, slightly overlapping each other. Similarly, we lay out 3-4 layers, the wool fibers in each of which are perpendicular to the previous one.
   
   
2. The last layer can be applied with a pattern made from scraps of woolen thread, scraps of wool, etc.
   
   
3. Prepare a soap solution. To do this, dissolve soap in warm water (there is a special soap for wet felting, which is gentle on the skin of your hands, but you can also use baby soap, liquid soap, or even dishwashing detergent) - whatever you have on hand. We wet our workpiece and cover it with a net or bubble wrap.
   
   
   Using soft circular movements, stroke the fur in all directions. Gradually increase the pressure. This stage can be completed when individual fibers no longer separate from our fabric.
4. Place the workpiece along with the film on a bamboo napkin and roll it into a tight roll. We wrap this structure in a towel - this will help remove excess water. We ride back and forth a hundred times. Then we unfold it, turn the canvas 90 degrees and make a roll again.
   
   
5. When falling, the canvas will decrease by 25-30 percent. Rinse the finished canvas in warm water and leave to dry. Do not wring - just squeeze slightly to remove some of the water.
   

Carpets, paintings, clothes, bags, jewelry and accessories are made this way.
Visually about wet felting:

Felting in the washing machine

One of the techniques for wet felting wool is felting in a washing machine. It requires almost no physical effort and can be done in two ways:

1. Using a deboning mold
   Volumetric forms are covered with wool, fixed with nylon and sent to the washing machine.

• Felting knitted items
  Currently, you can find special yarn for felting on sale. Using a crochet hook or knitting needles, you knit a product that is 30 percent larger than required (to know the exact shrinkage, a test sample is felted and the compression in width and length is calculated from it) and either sent to the washing machine or felted by hand. Looks very interesting, doesn't it? And it’s easier than wet felting, in my opinion.

That's all!

So, we looked at the basic techniques of felting wool - a very interesting creative process. If you are a beginner felter and there are some points you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Don't be afraid to experiment!