Wet Felting- Getting Started - Tips and Tricks

Getting started - Gather your supplies,

You will need to get some supplies together first. Here is a list of things you might need

• Bubble wrap or bamboo mat. You probably have some at home, a piece around 50 cm square would be great to get started with. about 10 -15cm larger all around than your layout area is a good measure.
• Merino Wool. You will need some Merino wool combed top or some DHG Merino Wool most people start with this and its easy to get and use. There are various types of wool but usually around 18-19.5 micron count works best.
• Soap. You can use most ph neutral soaps you have at home to start with. But just remember that you need one that doesnt get foamy and turn into melted icecream. this will just make your wool too slippery to hold together. Olive oil soap is recommended but you can use a drop of dish soap to get started.
• Tule or mesh. This is a good idea and it only needs to cover the bubble wrap. An old curtain is a good start. It's used to hold the fluffy wool steady while you wet them and press out the extra air and water.
• Water sprayer, Ball Brauser or sprinkler. Most people will start with a spray bottle of some sort. These are fine to start with but you will work out pretty quickly that they can 'spray' the wool around too much and you dont want this to happen. They can also make your hands and wrist hurt when you using them for a while. Brausers or felting sprinklers are more efficient and easier to use.
• Water. This goes without saying that you will need water. A container or small bucket of water with your soap in it is perfect when you're using the felting sprinklers.
• Something to roll with. This can be many different things. My favourites were a piece of old curtain rod for a small centre and a piece of the black foam pipe that goes around hot and cold pipes. Pool noodles are also great. Use what you have at home first.
• Towels. A couple of old towels to lay out on your work space to catch the water are a must have item.
• Other stuff... there is a long list of 'stuff' you can get for felting but when you're starting off I always reccomend less is more. Start slowly and gather the items you will use as you need them and not the ones that you dont.

Now lets get working!

Basic Wet Felting Steps

1. Lay Out the Wool

Lay an old towel on your table or work top and place your bubble wrap on top with the flat side up. The flat side makes it easier to lay out the fine wool fibres. Pull off thin layers of wool and lay them out in one direction leaving about 10-15 cm around the edges of the bubble wrap. Most people are right handed and start on the right side and lay out columns from right to left with the fibre layers going sideways at 90 degrees. 

If you hold the wool top in your left hand and use your right fingers to grasp the very tips of the wool agains the muscle at the base of the thumb/hand you should be able to gently ease out the fibres in a thin layer. I usually split the wool into manageable sections and then split them again length ways to make it easier to handle.

Try to keep things even and add a little extra when needed. When the first column is layed out start again at the top and over lap the ends of the fibres by about 30%. You should be able to start to see the wool evening out as you work. After the second column is finished start another one and slowly work your way across the square.

Add a second layer at 90 degrees in the opposite direction. This criss-crossing makes stronger felt. Then add a third layer on top the same way as the first layer. 3 layers are best when starting out as they tend to level the thickness of the wool out better for you. Once you have mastered this step you can experiment with different layer amounts.

When you have finished the layers of wool, gently use your open hands to very carefully press the fibres down onto the bubble warp. Be methodical and careful with this as you are only gently pressing them to get the air out.

My layout sample is about 37cm square consisting of layer 1 is hot pink, layer 2 is yellow and layer 3 is blue. 

2. Add Warm Soapy Water

After the layout is complete, cover your work with a mesh of some sort. In my sample I'm using a mesh laundry bag. Most people use tule or an old curtain. You just need something to hold the fibres in place. When its wet, gently push down with your hands to spread the water evenly. Dont try to push towards the sides or you will move the fibres. It should not be too wet. Soak up excess water with the towels. Wet the fibres but dont make them swim!

3. Press and Rub Gently

While the mesh is still on the wool, gently rub the work all over being carefull not to press too hard and move anything about. I often wear a thin rubber glove for this and work on top of the mesh. You will create a skin on the top of your work and begin the felting process. Usually a good 5 minutes of rubbing is what we are aiming for here. If your fibres dry out add a little water.

4. Increase Friction

As the fibres begin to bond, roll the felt in bubble wrap or a bamboo mat around your rod or pool noodle and start to roll back and forth gently, it still too soon to get too phisical. This is where you need the extra 10-15cm of bubble wrap we mentioned earlier to go around your roller. Roll gently for about 50 rolls making sure it doesn't roll itself undone. Unroll the work and turn it 90 degrees and re roll another 50 rolls. Roll like this 2 more times making sure you roll 50 times on each 4 edges. This turning and rolling makes sure your work felts evenly and you end up with the shape you want.

This stage is called the pre-felt stage.

Measure the work. Mine is now approx 34cm x 35cm

5. Fulling

Now the fibres are holding together you can begin to get firmer with your rolling. Use your pool noodle to roll with now and you can roll reasonably comfortably. I'm using an old curtain rod but your pool noodle or a rolled up towel is perfectly fine.

Increase the number to 100 rolls before you turn the work around on each side now. Try to move your hands along the roll evenly to give even pressure on the top of the roll.

If it feels like its drying out add a little more water but not too much as it can get slippery if you add too much soap and this can slow down the whole process.

After the 400 rolls it should be starting to felt nicely and begin to shrink a lot more.

Un roll it and take it off the bubble wrap. Scrunch it up in your hands and begin the final fulling process. Add some more water if its feeling a little dry. I usually roll it around in my hand like a ball for a few minutes at a time. regularly pulling it into shape and rolling it again. After a few minutes you can throw it onto the bench to help, this is good for larger projects but with smaller ones it often isnt heavy enough to make it worth while. You should be bale to feel how it has changed from loose fibres to a strong but pliable piece of fabric.

Mine measures approx 23 x 25 cm

6. Rinse and Dry

Rinse out the soap in warm water, squeeze out excess moisture, roll in a towel, spin and leave to dry.

If you want a smooth piece of felt you can gently iron it with an iron with a cloth over the top while it is still damp.

• Starting measurements were 37 cm square
• Finished dry measurements were 23 cm square
• Shrinkage is approx 37%

Calculate the Rate/Percentage:

• • Shrinkage Rate (Multiplier): Initial Size / Final Size (e.g., 30cm / 15cm = 2).
  • Shrinkage Percentage: (Initial Size - Final Size) / Initial Size * 100% (e.g., (30-15)/30 * 100% = 50%).

Happy felting

Sally