Wet Felted Beads Tutorial
These are great little accents to so many projects! Basic, fun, can be made in any color, or a combination of a few! Great project for involving kids in fiber work, too. Also a fantastic beginner project to get you used to working with felt.
Materials:
Wool roving in a few different colors
3 containers: 1 for hot water,1 for ice water, 1 for soapy water and squeeze-off
Dish detergent or soap flakes in water
Sponge
Towels and a water-safe working area
Arrange all supplies neatly within reach for ease of working. I use an old dismantled desk shelf on top of 2 towels, folded in half and stacked. I have friends who wet felt in the bathtub, over the sink, or outside as well. Indoors works fine for me, you just do your best to not get your carpet soaking wet. :)
Grasp the top of the roving firmly between the palm of your hand and your fingers, and pull a short length of fibers from the rest. Layer these fibers in your other hand, alternating colors if you'd like a marbled effect.
Using the sponge, dampen the fibers with soapy water. Press lightly, then roll the sponge off the fibers. This ensures you won't pull the top layer of wool off the rest with the sponge.
Squeeze the fibers together lightly, distributing soapy water. Begin to roll into a loose ball, using light pressure and cupped palms. This part of the process goes a little slower, but that ensures a smoother bead at the end.
Lower the loose ball of fibers gently into the hot water, making sure the ball is completely saturated. Remove from water, allow excess to run off, and squeeze remaining water into the soap container.
Roll the bead between your hands, using slightly more pressure and a slightly-cupped palm positioning in your hands. Pay attention to the shape of the bead, watching for roundness or separation of fibers. Gradually add more pressure every so often.
Drop the bead in the ice water, making sure the bead is fully saturated. Remove from water, and squeeze excess out into soap container. Apply more soapy water if the bead is starting to lose its suds, being careful not to over-soap. If this happens, rinse some of the soap out with the cold water and squeeze back into soap container.
Repeat hot-and-cold water processes until bead becomes dense and smooth. On last few cycles, do not add any soap. Rinse the bead in cold water, and finish fine-tuning the shape of the bead by rolling between your palm and fingers.
Set finished but damp bead into a separate container, and continue process to make more beads. I usually make at least a dozen of each color scheme. I like to do this because there's such variation in each bead, even though I'm using the same colors!
When completely finished, set container in a well-ventilated area. Try to keep space between the beads for better air flow. Let beads dry completely, 1 to 2 days depending on your climate.
The final product can be used as a button for a purse, felted or otherwise; they can be strung and worn alone as a beautiful necklace, or can be embellished with beads or embroidery to make an even fancier statement. There's lots of possibilities for these little guys, and they're so fun you'll find yourself looking for any excuse to make them!
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