Felting in the washing machine

Did you know you can felt in the washing machine?. You may have accidently done this with your favourite knitted jumper that you put on a hot wash by mistake. So why would you want to purposely put the wool in the washing machine?. Well it can save you a lot of time if you have a project that you need to complete in a hurry.

Soap & Agitation

Felt is made by adding water, soap and lots of agitation will make wool fibres attach together and most f the time I do this by hand, I have been making some bird pods lately and these take around 2 hours to lay out and felt but half way through I can add to the washing machine and save about 40 minutes and my arm muscles.

Not all wool will however felt and each time you undertake a project the results may differ due to the type of wool and water temperature. The bird pods are ideal for the washing machine method as they are all unique in colour size and texture.

So the next time you accidently shrink a garment…tell them it was meant to be.

In the Workshop…

Workshops Galore

Phew – it is the end of March and it has been a busy month with a lot of time spent planning and running Workshops. I have had a great time and met some lovely people who have joined me in Needle felting an array of flowers, fairies, keyrings and bears. There has been many a unique make and I love the smile on someones face when they have started the session with “I will not be able to make that” and finishing with “I love it as they hold up their creation with pride”.

Printing Round The Block

During March we also found time to run our first Indian Block Printing workshop. The afternoon started with a short demonstration of how to load the water based paint to the block and then apply the right amount of pressure to get a good print.

In the bag

By the end of the session the group had perfected their technique and printed a range of cards, tea towels and their own tote bag to take their stash home. I got to take home all the blocks and paint trays to wash up….

Coming next month….

So with April approaching and the clocks going forward we will have brighter evenings, a perfect opportunity to attend one of our workshops near you.

 

 

 

 

Craft Kits – What ingredients shall we add?

Are you ready to release your inner creative self?. Here at Wobbly Headquarters we have been developing a range of Needle felted kits for beginners.

There has been a lot of crushed boxes and discarded instructions in the process but we are nearly there.

Having explored the market there appears to be a whole menagerie of animals with the top 3 being hare’s, robins and mice.

So please Bear with us – that might be a clue! , hopefully we will not get to grizzly and make a spectacle of ourselves and we will soon be reunited with our blue teddy.

So if you have any ideas for a starter kit please let us know.