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I regularly find myself on the look-out for items that can be used for felting, that aren’t necessarily intended for this purpose. My most useful tools came to me free or for under £10 from my kitchen, discount stores, hardware stores and even pet shops.
To make felt we need at least wool, water, soap and some friction. These everyday objects below could be used to do just that.
1. Bamboo mat, rolling pin and elastic bands can be used in few different ways for felting.
I use plastic rolling pin which then could be filled with water making the tool heavier. Roll the bamboo mat around a rolling pin, secure with elastic bands and you have a rolling pin suitable for felting. Cover the wet felt layout with a net and roll back and forward with your new tool across the layout.
Bamboo mat and rolling pin also could be used rolling felt inside bamboo mat. I usually cover my layout with thin plastic, put a rolling pin inside and roll everything together securing bundle by elastic tights.
2. Pop socks are great to secure the bundle for rolling. Pop socks hold bundle secure.
3. The exercise balls and various dog toys can be used for shaping and fulling especially 3D seamless felt like felted vessels.
4. I use foot masseur to give a good massage to my felt and not my feet. Cover your wet soapy layout with a thin plastic and give it a good massage rolling masseur in different directions creating a friction necessary to felt.
5. Plastic pipes and swimming noodles are great for rolling large felted items.
Pipe insulation is my favourite as I usually put a metal stick inside to add more pressure.
6. Use empty clean milk bottle to apply water to your wool layout. Make fine holes in a bottle top with a fork.
7. Hand Pump Garden Sprayer.
8. Plastic disposable gloves help to speed up felting when rubbing felt with hands.
9. Wearing latex gloves while doing layout of silk, bamboo, viscose and other fibre saves not only time but nerves too.
10. Ikea draw liner is a perfect fulling tool. Just gently rub your felt across the draw liner till your felt is ready. You can dip your felt in hot water few times.
11. Carders are used to blend fibre. However, dog grooming brushes can do this job successfully too.
12. I use spinner to dry felt and prefelt. One of my favorite “cheap” tools is this salad spinner. For quick drying pre-felts or smaller objects that simply won’t towel dry easily.
13. Many experienced feltmakers use sander for felting. This will be my next blog topic. Please check my blog Using Sander for Feltmaking.
I hope this has been helpful for both newbies and experienced felters & crafters alike.
Please also check my Facebook Live on this topic.