Learn to knit wool. How to felt wool toys

divination

A very ancient technique of felting wool (folding or felting) has received a second life in our time. With this simple technology, you can create a lot of useful and cute things. The easiest way to understand the process is with an example. Felting toys is a good opportunity to understand the process. There are several various tricks. Consider dry and wet felting toys.

The fact that wool falls off (tangles) is due to its structure. If you look at the hairs at high magnification (for example, under a microscope), you can see that each hair is bristling with scales. It is they who create the grip in the process.

The word "dry" means that no water will be used in the work. Unlike other types of folding, non-wetted woolen raw materials are used here. This type of needlework should be used if you need to get voluminous things.


Tools necessary for working in dry equipment

To obtain a very large volume, use a base of synthetic winterizer, foam rubber or something similar of any size and drape. Gradually cover the entire surface of the blank with shreds of raw materials. At the same time (at the same time) they make it denser and smoother with the help of needles.

Necessary materials and some dry felting techniques

For dry felting (felting), non-spun wool mass and special needles are used. Needles differ from ordinary sewing needles by the presence of notches at the end. These serifs tangle the hairs. The result is felt.

natural wool color palette:


Types of wool

It must be borne in mind that needles often break if used incorrectly. The larger the number of the needle, the thinner it is. If in the process of work it is clear that holes remain, then you need to take a thinner needle. Beginners usually use needles with a cross section of a triangle or an asterisk at the end. In the process of improvement, each master, in accordance with his experience and preferences, chooses needles. These tools can be diamond, tristar and crown shaped. They can be conical or cylindrical. There are other options, but they are rarely used in practice. If you use several needles at once, then this will increase the speed of work. But you need a special holder. It can be for a different number of needles (starting with one needle).If this device is not available, you can use an ordinary cork. Stick the needle into the product strictly vertically (perpendicular to the product).

needlework needles

If you decide to use felting for your work, it is worth preparing other devices. A comb is useful for separating strands of wool. A slicker will be needed in order to fluff it. In the future, to speed up the work on felting, you can try to use a carder for work. With it, you can quickly mix and comb woolen shreds. Since needles can damage fingers, it is better to use thimbles for work.

You will also need to put something under the product during felting. If this is not done, then the needles will break on a hard surface. It is necessary to take a brush, foam rubber sponge, hard felt or polyethylene foam for lining under the workpiece.

Felting master class part 1

Felting master class part 2

Creating a toy by dry felting

To make a toy with your own hands, you will most likely need: scissors, a glue gun (or just glue), deboning molds (usually they are made of foam rubber), sewing needles, for flexible products you need a wire to which the felt is well attached. Let's try to dump, for example, a little mouse.


If desired, for the mouse, you can knit a sweater and make a cup of clay

Sliver is good for the base of the product. This is sheep's combed wool (without awns). You can try working with camel or dog hair.

It is clear that the felt toy will turn out the same color as the wool chosen for the craft. We select the material of the desired color (or several colors).

We start dry felting from wool, both toys and any other crafts in the same way. You can create different things, and the actions will be the same


The mouse is very realistic and soft to the touch.

The steps in this process are:

  • We tear off the required amount of wool.
  • We twist with our hands into a ball or cylinder (or other desired shape).
  • Sticking the needle into the workpiece, we fasten the product throughout the entire volume.
  • We turn the product so as to evenly compact the product and align it.

First, the torso of the mouse (cylinder) is made. It's grey. We seal. Let's highlight the belly of the little animal, for example, white. To do this, roll a small piece of white wool in the right place. In the same way, roll the head, just roll the ball. Now let's take off the nose. To do this, roll up a small cone with your hands. Having sealed it, we attach it to the ball. We also create ears. The head is ready. Let's highlight the eyeballs. We stick the needle in the right places until two recesses are formed. Wet the beads (or buttons) with glue and (using tweezers) glue them into the eye sockets. You can glue the bead on the nose of the mouse. If antennae are needed, it is possible to make them from fishing line or thin wire. Now you need chenille wire. With its help, legs, arms and a tail are made. We wrap the wire with wool. Let's roll. Attach to the body. The mouse is ready. Using these techniques, it is not very difficult to achieve the result if desired.

We play the little mouse

Wet felting

As can be seen from this phrase, water will be used in the work. It must be remembered that woolen things shrink when wet. When using this method, it will be about twenty percent. So when making patterns, you need to increase them by the appropriate amount.

Patterns of toys:

Beginning of work

To make a toy using the wet folding method, of course, you need water (hot). It should be noted right away that this method can make toys and other crafts flat (one-dimensional) or hollow inside (like puppets).


Screaming cat, felting method is wet.

By the way, the cavity of the finished product can be filled (for example, with tow) and you get a voluminous thing. Soap is required. If you use ordinary soap (you can use baby soap), then you must first grate it and soak it in hot water. Liquid soap can be poured directly onto a wet workpiece. Since you will have to work with wet material, you need to cover a flat surface with oilcloth. We put pimply polyethylene on top. The pattern must certainly be waterproof (dense polyethylene will do).

We roll koto - slippers

How does the wet felting process work?

Having prepared the wool of the desired colors in the required quantity, we proceed directly to work. To make a toy, let's create a pattern (remember about shrinkage).


Cute cats - pebbles, just fit in your pocket and become an inseparable toy.
  • Place the pattern on the prepared surface.
  • We will cover it with pieces of wool. We impose along and across, so that the strands overlap each other. We make sure there are no gaps. A dry wool blank should be about a finger (thickness).
  • Wet thoroughly with warm soapy water. If using liquid soap, then pour soap and hot water on top.
  • Smoothing out in a circular motion(approximately 100 strokes). Where the depression is felt, we report the wool there. If the material goes beyond the template, we wrap it inside.
  • We cover the semi-finished product with a nylon cloth (or a bamboo rug, someone uses another sheet of pimply polyethylene). We wrap the product and roll it on the table (100 more times). You can squeeze out some excess water first.
  • The workpiece made in this way is flat and monophonic.
  • How to make a double (with a cavity inside) craft out of it? To do this, put a template on top of it (it can be the same) and start wet felting from wool again. In this case, it is necessary to weld two workpieces together in those places where it is required. If it is necessary to highlight some places on the craft with other colors, then add wool where necessary for felting the desired colors. So that the colors do not blur, cover the rest of the surface (for example, with a piece of polyethylene). It is possible to make separate felted parts, and then attach them to the main product.
  • If the toy is ready, then it is necessary to wash it of soap several times in cold water.
  • Dry the wool toy on a flat surface at room temperature.
  • We stuff the product (if necessary) with woolen tow or synthetic winterizer.
  • Ready.

Felting toys is a creative process. If you show imagination, you will get truly wonderful things that will delight others.

Wet felting is one of the traditional ways of making wool felt along with dry felting. This is a fairly simple technology and at the same time a very intuitive type of needlework, because. masters can never say exactly what the result will be. There are no absolute prescriptions and rules here, which allows you to even invent your own methods and technologies of felting or remake already known ones to suit your own hand.

Materials for wet felting technique

This technique is so named because soapy water is used to felt the wool. wet wool easier to process and deform, and slippery soap allows the fibers to mix and tangle more easily due to reduced friction.

Wet felting arose in those countries where sheep breeding was widespread, even in time immemorial. There is even a biblical legend about the origin of this technique: on Noah's ark there was a place for sheep that lived while swimming in a small room. The wool from the animals fell to the floor, soaked with sea moisture, and the sheep also constantly trampled it with their hooves. After the animals left the ark, the first felted carpet in history appeared on the floor.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that materials for wet felting are extremely simple. To make a flower, vase or handbag self made made of felt, you will need only the simplest items and materials: - wool; - soap; - water; - a spray bottle with water; - waterproof bedding for the product (rubber mat, film, etc.); - mesh ( old tulle, mosquito net or under plaster); - cellophane gloves for hands so that your leather does not become coarse; - rolling pin for dough; - transparent stationery tape; - terry towel.

Wool for felting is divided into several types - thin, semi-thin and combed tape. From thin, you can make scarves and other elegant things - skirts, capes, flowers, jewelry. Semi-fine wool is thicker, hats and bags are made from it. The combed tape is very coarse, it is difficult to felt it, it is better to add it little by little when felting dense products that should be particularly wear-resistant, for example, slippers, felt boots, etc.

Initially, the coat is white or slightly gray. To get other colors, it must be re-dyed with wool dyes. For beginner needlewomen, it is best to dye a piece of felt in one color, and if you already have experience, you can try multi-color dyeing.

Wet felting technology - master class

Wet felting technology is impossible without a properly prepared soap solution. To do this, grate a bar of soap and pour boiling water (2 liters). Then mix thoroughly until the soap is completely dissolved. Then let the mass stand for 2 hours so that it thickens completely. The soap solution is now ready for use.

If you do not have time to deal with soapy water, you can use ready-made liquid soap. The main thing is that it should be without additional cosmetic ingredients (cream, balm, etc.)

Now you can proceed directly to the felting process itself. To do this, take a waterproof pad and mark the outlines of your product on it using masking tape. As a bedding, according to needlewomen, packaging film with bubbles is best suited. It should be placed with the pimples up.

Please note that wool will shrink by about 20% when it dries. Consider this fact immediately when calculating the dimensions of your future product.

Spread the wool on the prepared bedding. First of all, lay out the background of the picture. This will be your base layer. Then, dividing the wool into thin strands, form a pattern. The strands must be overlapped so that there are no holes, gaps, or too thin places. Remember that after processing, the wool will shrink, and the thickness of the finished product will be 3-4 times less than during the wool laying process.

When the drawing is completely laid out, wet your canvas with water from a spray bottle. Do this very carefully, otherwise you can move or deform your drawing. If there is an excess of water (a puddle), then you can simply blot it with a towel. The next stage of work is wetting the wool with soapy water. To do this, put a mosquito net (or tulle) on your canvas and moisten it with a pre-prepared soap solution. Now blot the fabric with your hands, helping the soap to soak the wool properly. Then iron it with a wooden rolling pin. Remove excess water again if necessary.

Now the stage of direct felting of wool has come. Wear cellophane gloves on your hands and rub the canvas in different directions. You need gloves, first of all, for a better glide of the hands over the material, and only then to protect the skin from external influences. It is important to ensure that the fabric is sufficiently saturated with soapy water at all times. Each section of the woolen fabric must be rubbed about 100 times - this is the "golden rule" of wet felting. Of course, you don't have to take it literally. When the mesh begins to easily move away from the material, and the pattern does not move, remove the mesh from the canvas, and continue to roll with your hands, turning the product over wrong side. Most importantly, make sure that the canvas is sufficiently moistened with soapy water and water.

Wet felting from wool: 4 workshops

It is not difficult to do wet felting from wool, which even beginner needlewomen can perfectly handle. By felting, you can get a lot of useful and interesting felt things, both souvenirs and unique products, as well as useful things that will be useful in everyday life. How to do this, read on.

Wet felting from wool for beginners: useful instructions

Any person who wants to learn how to felt wool can achieve this, because. making felt is quite simple, the main thing is to have a desire to get acquainted with this business.

Wet felting wool begins with the preparation of tools, for this you will need:

  1. Merino wool, available in several shades, they can be purchased at specialty craft stores.
  2. The rug is bamboo, you can use the rug, which is sold in stores selling accessories for rolls and sushi.
  3. You will also need material for the substrate, you can use pimply film, which is used for packaging. You will also need a mosquito net, or you can take old tulle curtains.
  4. You will need water in a bottle, with holes made in the lid, and a bar of baby soap.


Before you start wet felting, it is better to read the detailed instructions in advance.

When everything is ready, you can start felting wool. From the prepared wool, it is necessary to tear off several bundles 20-30 cm long. They need to be stretched, and this must be done several times, first the bundles are laid out in a horizontal direction on a pimply film (pimples up) so that a square of 30x30 cm is obtained. After that, new bundles of wool laid out on top of the first layer, but already vertically, and another layer is laid out horizontally on top.

From above, the wool is covered with a net or tulle, sprayed with soapy water so that the wool is saturated.

After you need to rub your hands in a grid in a circle, after the wool is laid out on a bamboo mat, and it rolls into a tube. After that, the bamboo mat is rolled on a hard surface, and due to this, the wool falls off.

To independently learn how to felt wool in a wet way, you need to take merino wool or Shetland (Shetland).

First, it is better to separate a beam from it, more precisely, you need to separate several beams.

Spread the wool in layers overlapping, horizontally and vertically. Spread it along the length and width of such dimensions as they want to get a piece of felt.


The result of wet felting depends on the quality of the wool, which is intended for work.

When everything is ready, you can proceed to the following steps:

  1. On the laid out wool, you need to press in several places with your palms in order to make sure that the thickness of the wool is the same everywhere, if there are places where there is little wool, then you should fill them with tufts of wool.
  2. After that, the wool is closed from above with a net or tulle, after which it is abundantly watered from above with soapy water, it is necessary to moisten from the center to the edges. At the same time, moisturizing should not be too strong, if, when pressed with your hands, water comes through the fabric, you should put a terry towel on top, and make a few vigorous pressures so that the towel absorbs excess water.
  3. After that, you can start rubbing the fabric on top in a circular motion, while you don’t need to press too hard. After a sufficiently long time, the mesh is removed, the wool is covered with a film and turned over to the other side, after which the felting process continues.
  4. After that, the mesh is removed from the wool, and the future felt is checked for how it felt, for this you need to slightly pull the fibers from anywhere in the canvas. If after that the entire fiber begins to rise, then you can further pick up the canvas and start rubbing it between your palms for a stronger adhesion of the fibers.

The main thing is not to rush.

An example of the layout of wool during wet felting at home

In order for the product to turn out to be of high quality, it is necessary to be able to properly lay out the wool in order to be able to successfully knit it later. This is especially important for beginners - those people who first decided to do this type of needlework.


It is imperative to learn how to properly lay out the wool so that the future product turns out beautiful and neat.

Master Class:

  1. Bunches are separated from the finished wool of the sheep, and carefully, row by row, they are laid out on a pimply film, the first layer is folded horizontally, and then perpendicular to the first layer. The thickness should be the same everywhere, such a layout will make a high-quality canvas.
  2. If you plan to make not just a canvas, but some things, for example, a decorative heart, then here you already need to roll the bundles of wool into a ball between the palms, from which you can later form figures, for example, from sheep wool a great snowman.
  3. If any drawing is supposed on the canvas, for example, the image of a tulip, then in this case there are 2 options for its calculation - reverse and direct.

In a straight lay, the colored wool is laid out on top of the already laid out wool. With this layout, the drawing turns out to be a little blurry and, after the final felting, will resemble a watercolor drawing.

In the reverse layout, colored wool is laid out first, and then regular wool is laid out on top, while the pattern is quite clear.

When the canvas is ready, it must be washed in warm water and, without wringing, carefully spread out on a bamboo rug.

If it is not enough, you can use a large terry towel.

Making Wool Beads: A Wet Felting Workshop for Beginners

In addition to the canvas or some funny little animals, you can make interesting things, such as beads. Such things can serve as training for beginners, as they do not require any special skills and knowledge.


Wet felting is even used to create original and creative beads.

Bead manufacturing technology is as follows:

  1. Small pieces are plucked from the wool and rolled first between the fingers, and then between the palms. In order for the beads to turn out to be multi-colored, you can felt them from multi-colored wool.
  2. When the base is ready, the balls are immersed in warm soapy water, wetted and continue to roll between the palms. Bead sizes can vary from small to quite large.
  3. When the desired size is reached, the balls must be rinsed in cold water, dried, wrapped in a towel and squeezed lightly.

Finished beads are connected to each other with a needle and thread, the needle is threaded through the center of the beads.

For beauty, the beads should alternate with each other, both in size and color.

Such a master class will help a person who starts felting wool to learn how to work with wool, felt and, subsequently, to do any larger things, for example, you can make a felted clutch or stole.

A simple technique of wet felting from wool for beginners

For those who are just getting into wool felting, it is best to start with simple products, for example, from a simple felt cloth. It will subsequently be possible to make any things from it, for example, some people are engaged in the manufacture of booties.


Even beginners can cope with wet felting from wool, the main thing is to start with a simple felt cloth

The technique of wet felting wool is different, for example:

  1. First, as usual, a pimply film is laid out on the table, a piece of silk is laid out on top of it, and wool is laid out on top of it in long strands. In this case, the wool must be fluffed up a little, and gaps must be left between the bundles.
  2. If you plan to make a colored canvas, you can alternate the wool of different colors, then carefully place the net on top so as not to move the laid out wool.
  3. Through the mesh, the wool is sprayed with a warm soapy solution, the water is gently evenly distributed with the palms of the hands over the entire wool, and after that, you can start felting.
  4. After several strokes with the palms over the mesh, it is carefully removed from the wool, this is necessary so that the wool does not stick to the mesh.
  5. The wool, together with the silk, is gently turned over, and the palms need to be rubbed over the silk, gradually the fibers will penetrate through the silk. The silk is turned over again, folded on a towel, and the towel is wound on a rolling pin and the wool on the silk is rolled several times.
  6. After that, almost ready-made silk with wool fibers must be aired and washed in warm water.

You can slightly crumple the product, wash it several times after each wash, the silk needs to be straightened. After the final wash, the product is straightened and dried.

Wet felting from wool: master class (video)

Using simple tools for work, as well as the lessons given above, you can successfully felt wool yourself. Moreover, you can do not only a simple or decorated canvas, but also any things.

Examples of wet felting from wool (photo)

Wool felting, or felting, is a very interesting, fascinating type of needlework that is popular today. Modern craftswomen make clothes, shoes, all kinds of accessories and jewelry using this technique. Unique toys come to life in their hands. With the help of felting, a drawing is made on fabric and felt, paintings and even entire panels are created.

Felting painting

So, what is this type of needlework? Let's figure it out.

Felting from wool (from English felt - felt, felt, stuffing) - a technique in which dense felt is obtained from lush, airy wool. Only natural wool has the ability to fall down: the fibers interlock with each other due to the scaly structure.

Do you think felting is a hobby of modern needlewomen that has appeared relatively recently? You are deeply mistaken. Felting from wool is one of the oldest types of needlework: people made things from felt already about 8 thousand years ago. Currently, technology is becoming more and more artistic, with the help of it you can create truly amazing things.


Woolen beads and bracelet. Photo: inhomes.ru


Felt squirrel. Photo: madeheart.com


Stole with tulips. Photo: livemaster.ru


Felted children's vest. Photo: mbuzgorpolbk.ru


Felted bag with a cat. Photo: livemaster.ru


Wool slippers. Photo: livemaster.ru

Types of felting

There are two main types of felting - dry and wet. With the help of the dry felting technique, carried out by piercing the wool with special needles, three-dimensional products are most often created: toys, souvenir figurines, jewelry. The wet felting technique, carried out with the help of soapy water and the friction of fibers, is suitable for the manufacture of clothes, panels, canvases, bags - in other words, flat products.

Often, in the manufacture of one product, dry and wet felting is used. For example, in the manufacture of toys, using the wet felting technique, some flat elements are made: ears, paws.

Let us dwell on the most fashionable today dry felting.

For a person who has not previously encountered felting, we recommend starting to get acquainted with this technique with a felting kit: fortunately, modern manufacturers have provided a fairly wide choice. In the future, you can proceed to the implementation of your ideas.


Anna Rybalchenko

felt toy maker

Materials and tools

Whatever things you decide to make from wool by dry felting, you will need the same materials and tools.

Unspun wool

For dry felting, coarse or semi-fine dyed unspun wool is used. It is undesirable to choose too thin (merino) wool, as it is quickly destroyed by a needle - and this can lead to a product that is almost impossible to correct.


Semi-fine wool for felting. Photo: realtex-yug.ru

Felting wool is sold in the form of combed sliver and carding. Combed ribbon is woolen fibers neatly laid in a long ribbon. To make the felting process more efficient, such wool must be carefully mixed before working with it. Carded wool looks like cotton wool, only woolen. Such a mass, consisting of tangled fibers, does not need preliminary preparation and quickly falls off.

Remember that wool shrinks by about a third - so stock up on more volume.

“Some people use undyed wool called sliver (it’s cheaper) as the basis of toys, then roll it with the main wool. I would not recommend using a sliver for the base, as it falls off very badly, and the toy inside will turn out to be soft, which will make it worse to keep its shape. If you want to save money, then for the base it is better to take semi-fine Russian wool in a combed tape.

In general, the coarser the wool and the greater the fineness (fibre thickness), the faster it falls off, which greatly speeds up the process of creating the product. If you plan to make a toy with the effect of fluffy wool, then lay the same wool as on the surface in the base, because when fluffing the product, the needles will pull up the wool fibers that are in the middle of the base.

Anna Rybalchenko

felting needles

Felting needles are special needles with small notches at the bottom. When sticking needles into wool, the fibers cling to the notches and tangle with each other.


Felting needles. Photo: saleslook.ru

For work, needles of different thicknesses are used: usually the felting process begins with thicker needles, which are then replaced with thin ones. With thick needles, felting is carried out directly, that is, the material is compacted, the middle ones give shape to the product, and the final touches are formed with thin needles. Thick needles (Nos. 30, 32, 36) contribute to a quick stall, but after their use, distinct traces of punctures remain on the product. It is in order to “retouch” them that thinner needles (Nos. 38-42) are used.

Needles come in not only different thicknesses, but also different cross-sectional shapes: triangular (three-beam) and star-shaped (four-beam). For initial work, triangular needles are usually used; for the final ones - in the form of an asterisk: punctures from them are more accurate and invisible.

In order to make your work process easier, purchase high-quality needles, preferably imported (made in England, Germany, USA).

“Despite the variety of types and shapes of needles, for felting most often you need needles No. 36 (“triangle” or “star”) for working on the base and needle No. 38 “star” for finer work, grinding and decorating the muzzle of a toy. I would recommend having at least five needles of both types in stock, because even the highest quality needles break at first with beginners.

In addition, there is another type of needle that helps create the effect of fluffy wool on felt toys - these are the so-called reverse needles. These needles easily enter the product and pull the fur out of it to the surface. To create the effect of wool, I advise you to use reverse needles No. 40: they carefully pull out the wool without tearing the toy.

Anna Rybalchenko

Felting brush

A special felting brush will protect the work surface and your hands from needle pricks, which, by the way, are sharper than ordinary sewing. The brush can be replaced with a sponge for washing dishes.


Felting brush. Photo: 9.paraalisveris.me

A piece of wool is placed on a brush or sponge and pierced with needles until it becomes felted.

“If it is not possible to use a brush or felting mat, then when choosing a sponge, pay attention to the fact that it is hard and does not collapse under pressure, otherwise you will not be able to felt on it.

In the case of using a brush for felting, I will reveal one secret: so that the product does not get injured on the bristles in the place where it lies, I put a viscose cloth folded in two layers (it is sold in any hardware store as a duster). Thanks to this, the product does not suffer from contact with the brush, and the needles easily pass through the cloth.

In any case, periodically separate the part from the brush or sponge so that it does not stick to them.

Anna Rybalchenko

In order to protect fingers from needle pricks, beginner fullers are advised to use special rubber or leather thimbles.

decorative elements

Ribbons, braid, lace, beads and beads, glass eyes and other elements are used as decor for the product.

“Sometimes, in the manufacture of a bulk product, a synthetic winterizer is used: it serves as the basis on which wool is applied. I do not recommend using it, since it practically does not fall off - the toy inside will be soft and easy to miss.

Anna Rybalchenko

Anna's work









When working, the needle should be stuck perpendicular to the product or at an angle, depending on the purpose. Anna Rybalchenko talks about such a rule: at what angle the needle is stuck, at that angle it is pulled out. Quick and sharp strokes with the needle will speed up the process at the initial stage - this way the product falls off much more efficiently. However, speed and strength must be combined with mindfulness.

“It is important to constantly move and twist the product so that it rolls evenly with different parties. This way the needle will not hit the wool in the same place for a long time and the wool fibers will not be damaged. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting woolen dust instead of a dense base.

Anna Rybalchenko

When the needle enters the felted part, a crunch sound should be heard. If the toy starts to "crunch" - continue, you are on the right track!

When creating the base, try to feel well in the middle of the product. To start, take a large number of wool and gradually build up volume by adding wool little by little.

“You don’t need to take a large amount of wool at once and give it a shape - you either won’t succeed, or the inside of the toy will be incomplete, which will then affect the quality of the finished product. If the product is dense inside, it will be much easier to roll and grind it.”

Anna Rybalchenko

When finishing, punctures should be done as much as possible closer friend to friend. Work at this stage goes on the surface, the needle is inserted into a pair of notches. Carefully remove all irregularities with a needle - ideally, there should not be a single bump on the finished product. If in some places the strands do not align, you can attach small pieces of tangled wool fibers, and thus sand the product with them.

“Remember: when sanding, the size of the product will decrease even more, so this step should be started when the product is already hard and does not slip through the fingers.”

Anna Rybalchenko

If you compress the finished product with effort, but it does not change shape at all, then the roll is sufficient. Tap on the table with your finger and then with a toy - the sound should be the same.

To connect the parts, which occurs by nailing them to each other, it is necessary to leave the junction “loose”. Loose fibers of one part are tucked into another with a needle. The junction is strengthened: it is laid with a piece of wool, filled up and polished.

For paired parts (for example, ears, paws), it is recommended to immediately prepare the same amount of wool. It is difficult to measure the wool on the second piece if the first one is already felted.

If the product is made according to your idea, before you start felting, make a sketch of the future product. Remember that preparation is at the heart of all work.

Anna Rybalchenko shares her experience in creating toys:

  • Felting the base is a long and painstaking process. Therefore, in order to at least slightly speed up this stage, I advise you to use not one, but two or three needles at the same time when working on the base. You can combine two needles No. 36 and one No. 38, for example. This will greatly speed up the felting process.I also fluff the toy with two or three needles at once. If you do this with one needle, then the fur of the toy turns out to be rare, which looks ugly. The photo below shows how approximately I hold the needles. When the needles are exactly at this distance from each other, they are best and fastest to felt the wool. Also in the photo you can see how and what cloth I use to cover the bristles of the brush.
    • To make the base of the toy dense, I start with a small skein (strand) of wool, twist it into a roller (as in the photo below) and carefully roll it, and only then, step by step, add new wool. Thanks to this method of felting, you will not overdo it with the volume of the base. When working with wool, it is easier to add volume than to remove it.


    • Two or even three different colors of wool can be mixed together with two combing brushes, and then a completely new interesting shade can appear that will add zest to your product.
    • If you are passionate about the idea of ​​creating toys out of wool, but do not have artistic skills and knowledge, a detailed study of the anatomy of animals from photographs can come to your aid. Understanding the basics of animal body structure will make it much easier to achieve similarity with the original.

    Felting can be a great family activity. Wool is completely safe, as long as there are no allergic reactions to it. This means that even children can be involved in such an activity, instilling in them diligence, perseverance and a sense of beauty.

    “It will be easy for children to work with wool using the wet felting technique (felting beads, scarves and other simple things) - this is really a fairly safe type of needlework. I would recommend trying dry felting with a child over 10 years old, because by this time it is already well developed fine motor skills, and the child will cope with sharp needles. 41

The unique structure of the wool fibers of some animals allows it to be used in needlework. Wool villi easily delaminate along the length. Each fiber has microscopic hooks capable of interlocking with the same scales located nearby. At the slightest friction, the scales-hooks of individual fibers are connected, forming woolen lumps that are soft to the touch.

If you continue to rub and tangle the fibers, the woolen ball becomes denser and decreases in size. As the final volume is formed, it can be given the desired shape.

What is felting?

Felting is the process of interlocking, entangling or interlacing wool fibers to create products. different shapes. Felting from wool involves the use of wool from different animals: sheep, camel, alpaca, llama, yak. You can buy wool for felting in specialized stores of yarn and needlework.

The most common wool felting techniques are dry felting and wet felting. These are fundamentally different techniques with which you can make felted toys from wool, clothing and footwear, interior elements and accessories. All things that are knitted from wool are very warm and pleasant to the touch. Many needlewomen note that the process of stalling itself has a calming effect on the nervous system.

Dry felting technique

dry felting from wool allows you to make three-dimensional figures. For this you will need:

  • wool;
  • needles for felting wool;
  • basis for felting.

Felting needles are very sharp, thin and have many pointed notches. It is because of them that children under 10 years old should not be engaged in dry felting. A large number of notches allows you to tangle the fibers not only on the surface of the woolen ball, but also inside it. The basis for dry felting can be an ordinary washcloth or a piece of dense foam rubber. Some craftswomen use a brush with stiff synthetic bristles instead.

The technique of dry felting is that a ball of wool is placed on the base and repeatedly pierced with a notched needle. To give desired shape the craftswoman changes the angle of entry of the needle into the wool, forming dents and protrusions. Most often, toys are made using this technique.

Wet felting technique

Wet felting from wool allows you to create a dense, thick material - felt. You will need:

  • wool;
  • basis for felting;
  • alkaline solution;
  • pimply film.

In this case, the basis for felting can be a bamboo napkin. An alkaline solution is prepared from soap, which improves the adhesion of the scales of different wool fibers. This method of making crafts is much safer than dry felting.

Wool fibers are laid out on the base in several layers. In this case, the villi of each next layer should be laid out perpendicular to the fibers of the previous one. Having moistened the woolen layout with soapy water, the needlewoman covers it with a pimply film and rubs it with her hands. Can be twisted while working bamboo napkin. When the fibers stop separating from each other, the felt can be considered ready. It is rinsed with clean water and sent to dry in a warm place.

After drying, the canvas decreases in size by 25-30%. In this way, paintings, clothes, hats, scarves and accessories are created from felt. Using the method of wet felting, patterns and designs from multi-colored wool can be applied to felt. Warm clothes were made in this way many centuries ago.

All necessary materials and tools can be found in craft stores. A wide range of choices exist in online stores.

Felting from wool: a master class for beginners

If you want to learn how to make toys or crafts from felt, you will need master classes on felting from wool for beginners, which can be found in large numbers on the Internet. Usually this step by step photos with explanatory notes. Even the most novice craftswoman will be able to deal with them.

Video tutorials are even clearer. They show in detail all the actions, repeating which you can easily master the felting of toys, accessories or something more complex from wool. IN in social networks there are a large number of communities of interest where experienced needlewomen give practical advice on creating toys from felt and answer questions from beginners. By joining such a group, you will learn a lot of useful things about felting and will be able to gain experience.

Having ordered a set for felting from wool and armed with theoretical knowledge, proceed to the practical implementation of your ideas. Wool is a plastic material that provides unlimited possibilities for the realization of a wide variety of fantasies. Combining materials by color and quality, you will learn how to make cute souvenirs for friends, exclusive items of clothing and designer accessories.

Comment on the article "How to felt wool toys"

How to felt wool toys. Felting wool is a fascinating pastime. The properties of this material make it possible to create paintings, clothes, hats, scarves and accessories from felt in this way.

How to felt wool toys. Let's invite the children to return their parents to childhood, that is, to believe that Santa Claus will New Year after all, to them as adults ... ... in a wet way, too, wallowed? my hare is quite soft (remember, the lap-eared one is so brown :), but in the photo ...

Section: Felting (roll wool dry like). About felting. Where to buy felt in Moscow? Wallow. Goat hair in skeins. Couldn't resist, bought it naturally. The most common types of wool processing are dry and wet felting.

Tell me, is the yarn for dry felting fundamentally different from the yarn for wet felting? Or more specifically, this yarn for The most common types of wool processing are dry and wet felting. All things that are knitted from wool are very warm...

Wet felting, making felted flowers. 7ya.ru - an information project on family issues: pregnancy and childbirth, parenting, education and career... How to make wool toys. To content. What is felting?

What is felting? Felting is the process of interlocking, entangling, or weaving wool fibers to create different shapes. Where to buy felt in Moscow? Wallow. The most common types of wool processing are dry and wet felting.

Go to LiveJournal on felt ru or find felting on aspen. And now on your needlework topic: it seems to me that wet felting, I can’t say about dry felting yet, because I don’t know, there is a very large field for creativity. You're right - any felting is a great springboard for creativity.

Toy "Hippo" made of wool yarn. Dry felting allows you to make very gentle, soft, cute Christmas decorations! Felting is the process of entangling, entangling or interlacing wool fibers to create products. Where to buy felt in Moscow? Wallow.

Creative workshop of Anna Tepenitsyna Miracle felt Duration 1 hour 20 min Felted toys. Courageous, brutal such symbols of the next year. How to felt wool toys. This method of making crafts is much safer than dry felting.

Felted toys. Courageous, brutal such symbols of the next year. Knitted toys- cartoon characters Leopold the Cat. How to felt wool toys. What is felting and what is the difference between dry felting and wet felting.

For those who wish, I continue the demonstration of felted toys and temari balls (embroidery): "Kitten" This is such a small kitten. Striped in three colors on a white background, but all in my favorite beige tones. Eyes sculpted from plastic and painted.

Felting wool. What is felting? Felting is the process of interlocking, entangling, or weaving wool fibers to create different shapes. What is felting? Dry felting technique. All things that are knitted from wool...

What is felting and what is the difference between dry felting and wet felting. Print version. With their help, you can make toys, clothing and footwear, interior elements and accessories. All things that are knitted from wool are very warm and pleasant to the touch.

How to felt wool toys. This method of making crafts is much safer than dry felting. Wool fibers are laid out on the base in several layers. Wet felting, making felted flowers.

I sewed the bag before felting, with woolen threads, and the upper cut, where later From my little experience: at the full cycle - “cotton” turned out to be felt for slippers, very Felting is the process of coupling, tangling or interlacing wool fibers to create products ...

How to felt wool toys. Felting wool is a fascinating pastime. The properties of this material make it possible to create voluminous and flat figures. Let's invite children to return their parents to childhood, that is, to believe that Santa Claus is still coming to them this New Year ...

Dry or wet? Dry next in line, but mo >. they are still in the process :-) But everything is very simple - ready-made blanks (I take foam plastic, but you can also use plastic, or whatever is at hand) carefully wrap with wool in several layers in different directions, then, as usual, soap and ...