Felting ideas

[verybusyspider]

I did felting for the first time at my friends hen do on Saturday - we are a crafty lot and all made flower cosarges for the wedding next weekend in 2 hours.
I loved it, know where to buy the wool from but am bit stuck for ideas - a quick internet search seemed to only reveal flowers, bags or slippers to make, any other ideas? I'm looking for inspiration...

I've a good friend who got into felting years ago, she now combines it with embroidery & beading & creates beautiful wall hanging & the likes - that might be something for you to look into??

Frankly anything that you can make in fabric or through knitting you can make with felt... One of the early pieces that we have done are very structured scarves, which are great for texturing with silks and other fabrics. If you want to be inspired/ depressed go take a look at Lizzie Houghton, who makes hats and clothes and is a fabulous tutor.

so do you make sheets of felt and stitch them together? I'd love to make a wall hanging - maybe I need to just buy the wool and play... or find another workshop!

As in needle felting? Or sewing with felt? You could google for some blogs (click on the blog search) featuring whichever one you're keen on. I've seen amazing needle felted images on knitted scarves and tea cosies.

I don't know what needle felting is (off to blog search!) we made a sheet of felt and added other materials in, like lace and shiny textiles and then cut them out and shaped them into flowers, sewed on some beads for middles - not really sure what else you'd use it for, I guess sewing with the felt you've made? I liked the idea of making whole pice from felt continously - not sure if thats possible? I did find felt bead though, like them

when you make an image with needle felting do you do it on felt or another piece of material like cotton?

VBS - we use the wet felting method, which is what I think you were taught (bubble wrap, washing up liquid and bamboo mats?). Some of Lizzie's work is wet felting but she also uses Nuno felting which is sort of like the next stage where you incorporate silk fabric not just strands, which then shrinks at a different rate to the wool. And no, this is not just sheets of felt sewn together, it will be hand felted fabric constructed to the size of the piece in the garment.

Dont forget you can use old wool jumpers. Just wash on a boil wash and when its finished you felt to work with

When I was on holiday I saw the most amazing felted wall hanging. It was these amazing blues and greens and purples representing the colurs of the Cornish coast and it has inspred me to want to start doing it but I don't know where to start. Can anyone recommend a good beginners book or blog or something please?

For wet felting I think the logical follow on from making a flat piece of felt is to have a go at making seamless felt bags, basically working around a 'resist', which would teach all the techniques you'd need to make purses, slippers, hats, etc.

Here are links to a couple of inspirational sites:
www.feltmakers.com/
www.gilliangladrag.co.uk/* (*her stuff's expensive though!)

And I quite often recommend this book to my students:
www.amazon.co.uk/How-Make-Felt-Anne-Belgrave/dp/0855327952/ref=pd_sim_b_20
(I tend to find that books are either inspirational but poor on describing techniques, or good on techniques but with uninspiring projects in them!)

Woolly thanks for those. Have ordered the book from Amazon and have been had a browse of the sites. Just looking for good sources of material now.

For materials: Wingham Wools are the best IMO!
www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk/fbr_wol_merino70.php

Their wool is good quality, felts well and comes from non-mulesed flocks. (Mulesing is a questionable practice, which many consider to be unkind to the sheep, so there is a bit of an animal welfare issue around some wool...)

They have over 100 colours of merino tops (which is what you need!) available.

Good luck with it all!

Winghams also run totally brilliant courses... also look at Handweavers Gallery, I would recommend a visit as they have fabulous tops etc. Colour overload! And there is always e-bay.

Thank you for your help ladies, that is fabulous. Have to get started now :)

I got a good book called Felt So Good (or soemthing like that) off Amazon for a couple of quid..