NOTICE
This file is a collection of various messages having the common
theme of making thin flexible felt, that I have collected from my reading
of the various internet fiber lists, although they are primarily from the
feltmaker's list. I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having
to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and
sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, most of the message
IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these
messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy
of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time
and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status
of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from
these messages, please give credit to the orignator(s).
Pat Spark, Manager of the Feltmaker's List.
Return to
feltmakers
list FAQ
INDEX QUESTION/ANSWER TOPICS
|
|
| MAKING A THIN FELT WITH A SEWING MACHINE AND WATER SOLUBLE BAGS. | |
Return to Index
MAKING A THIN FELT WITH A SEWING MACHINE AND WATER SOLUBLE BAGS.
*March 7, 1998 Pat Spark asks about this process: I read an interesting
workshop description in the newsletter of the Victorian Feltmakers (Victoria,
Australia). The technique is being taught by Liz Evans (on May 23). Here it is:
"In this workshop you will make a scarf of your own design, using the sewing
machine technique. This involves using water-soluble plastic over fleece,
embroidering over it, and then washing out. Your scarf could be thick and cozy
or light and lacy. Technique can be used in many ways. Participants need their
own sewing machine." Doesn't this sound intriguing? I wonder if there is any
felting involved at all, or if it is the stitching that is holding the wool
cloth together?
*March 8, 1998 Christine from Australia. In Aus, you can by soluble
plastic from hospital suppliers, I'm told it was designed to increase hygiene
and protect laundry staff in hospitals, from accidentally contracting diseases
etc... I assume it's true. Felting with this method, by laying fleece between
the layers of plastic, also allows you to add wire {which has to be machine
stitched into place} enabling you to better define the shape. {ie. if you placed
a wire in between your work with plastic, in the shape of a leaf when you've
stitched and cut out your leaf and washed it in the machine, you can twist it
into fascinating shapes as the wire holds the shape in place. Have fun.
*March 21, 1998 Lucy Zercher. A short time ago there was talk about using
water soluble fabric to sew the fleece between for washing machine felting.
Going through a sewing catalogue today, I found this source: Clotilde Inc.
1-800-772-2891. Product is called: YLI's Solv-It Water soluble stabilizer for
machine embroidery, monogramming, appliqué, cut work. Spray it away - no bulk
or residue remains! Use on TOP of fabric to keep stitches from getting "lost"
in knit fabrics, terry cloth loops from "jumping up" into embroidery 1 yd. x
47" order # 443450 Retail $4.30 You Pay $3.44. Also in the same
catalogue you can order water soluble basting thread "YLI Wash Away Thread
100yrds." The basting thread that is strong enough to hold garments together for
a fitting. Ideal for hand or machine basting. Note: Use only on washable
fabrics. order # 238117 retail $3.70 you pay $2.96.
*Feb. 2000, Denise Pilkington. Re the solvy bags, they are available from
Hospital Suppliers and are used when creating machine embroidery felt. They come
as very large bags about 36inch long and 26inch double. I cut the side and open
out the bag and then lay wool fiber, fabric, fancy yarns then cover the other
side of the bag over the fibres and pin the both layers together with large
straight sewing pins every 4 inches. Then take the whole piece to sewing machine
and sew all over, free machine embroidery or just in grids. removing pins as you
go. Once the surface is complete soak in hot water to dissolve the solvy bags
and then either throw it in the dryer to harden it or felt in usual way in blind
or solar cover. I have made a vest and some scarves using this method and the
felt is very fine and textured. Hope this answers your questions. I think the
solvy is a seaweed or algae base.
*May 2000, Sally Webster. Sometimes I machine into wool tops sandwiched
between two layers of water soluble stabilizer. You can also hand stitch into
the same kind of sandwich Just dissolving the stabilizer felts the tops to an
extent. Although it is allegedly cold water soluble I always dissolve in warm.
You could inlay your soft, stitched felt into something else at this stage I
guess. I made a lampshade with string and paper laid on top of the sandwich.
Makes a pretty substantial fabric. You just see glimpses of the felt between the
other materials. Nice when the light shines through it.
*May 2000, Melissa Collard. I finally worked up the courage (and time) to
try felting using the water-soluble bags and the machine embroidery. I
would classify the results as only half-satisfactory. I was making a
shades-of-green/gray hummingbird on a white background. He was supposed to be
in flight, sipping out of a flower. The bird looked pretty good, except for the
beak. I used a piece of black yarn for the beak because I wanted it to be
really sharp, without the fuzzy edge from just laying a thin piece of roving
down. I think the yarn was too fat. Anyway, I got the batt in the bag and
started sewing. I wanted to make a feather effect with the stitches, but that
got tedious very quickly. I confined the feather effect only to the main body
and did largely spaced wavy stitches everywhere else.
The
dipping part. I started with rather cold water (working in my large, galvanized
tub). I wanted to work the piece a little before the bag started to
disintegrate. According to the label, the bag should begin to disintegrate at
around 120 F. Well, the first dip in the water and the bag started to turn to
slime. I just kept rubbing, trying to keep it flat and work it between my
hands. As soon as I thought it would hold together, I lifted it out of the
tub. I rolled it in my straw mat for about 20 rolls in each direction and then
finished fulling by dropping the piece gently on the table.
The bird is pretty good and will probably end up on the
back of a vest (my next new attempt), but the background didn't really have
enough stitching on it to look good. There aren't any holes, but it just isn't
"right".
*Sat., 01 Dec 2001. Jose
Duran ask about this process. There
is a link under miscellaneous felting sources on NAFN's feltsources page for a
water soluble plastic bag distributor: 'This company sells the water soluble
plastic bags being used by many felters to create those unique, machine sewn
felts.'And here is a description from the distributor: 'While intended as
hospital laundry bags, these 35" x 37" bags can be opened to either 70" x 37" or
35" x 74" sheets. Material is a mil or two thick, reasonably tough, and
reasonably transparent. It is sort of heat sealable and is easily cut with
scissors or a paper cutter.'
Does anybody out there in felt-land have experience with ,or information about,
using water sol. bags for felting? I imagine that fibers and yarns are
sandwiched between the plastic and than top stitched/quilted with a sewing
machine. Next I'm imagining that the sandwich would be thrown in the washing
machine for felting, or felted using regular hand methods. The water temperature
must reach 140degrees Fahrenheit for the plastic to dissolve into a
non-reform-able film.
*Sun, 02 Dec 2001. Angela Carnahan.
Instead of the bags, why not use just
plain old Solvy Water soluble stabilizer? Since you're machine stitching it
anyway, just arrange the wool between two sheets of the stabilizer (available in
any fabric store) and then do your grid stitching or whatever, and you can wet
the stabilizer with hot or cold water...hot dissolves it faster, cold slower,
which would be desirable for the felting process. I was wondering if anyone was
doing this...I had written down the idea myself in a fit of inspiration, but
like so many things, had never gotten around to trying it, and now someone has
not already thought of it before, they are actually DOING it! *sigh* hehehe The
method has some wonderful possibilities...you can do all the normal things you
do using water-soluble stabilizer...like thread lace, beading, etc. only make
felting part of the process....fun! Hope this helps!
*Sun, 02 Dec 2001
Dana Sheppard.
I've never heard of this water-soluble stabilizer, but the whole process sounds
really fun and full of possibilities. What do you mean by the above statement?
That you would lay lace, beading, whatever on the wool, then stitch it into
place when you stitch the "sandwich" together? I'm wondering if this would be a
good way to make flat pieces that would then be cut into pattern pieces for a
vest or jacket...
*Sun, 02 Dec 2001. Angela Carnahan.
You
can make "thread lace" with water soluble stabilizer by putting double layers of
stabilizer in a hoop and sewing, either free motion or with a foot. You want to
consider in your design the fact that the stabilizer will be washed away, and
for that reason, the "vermicelli" free-motion meandering stitch that quilters
use would not work....grids, web-type designs, these work, and a little
experimentation is worth a load of fun here! You can sandwich pieces of fabric
or wool between the stabilizer and then stitch away with your machine, perhaps
moving on to felting your wool. You can find it at Joann's, Hancock's...whatever
sewing store is around. There is tear-away stabilizer too, but I find it to be
messy and only use it when I sew velvet ;) As for flat pieces, I'm sure it would
be good, especially if you want something that has places where only the thread
shows...an "airier", lacier effect, or if you want some type of machine-sewn
embellishment. I'm especially fond of putting novelty threads in the bobbin like
the last issue of Threads featured. I have only used water soluble stabilizer
to make beaded jewelry and ornaments, I can hardly wait to try felting with
it...you ladies have inspired me. Maybe then I'll know enough about it tell you
all how it works rather than just hypothesizing! *grin*
*Mon,
3 Dec 2001, Dawn Nicholson, Western Australia.
This is the method I use. Place a fine
layer of fine wool on one piece of water soluble plastic (wsp). Place texture
such as woolen yarns, cotton, snips of material (shiny and coloured looks
pretty), small pieces of nylon lace or bridal net, also petals from silk flowers
can be used. Cover with a fine layer of wool, but only tiny wisps, add silk
fibre if preferred. Cover fibre with another sheet of wsp. Hold the sandwich in
place with long quilters pins. Next, lightly machine stitch (the longest
straight stitch) in the way Angie mentioned. Heavy machine sewing is not
necessary. Wash as explained in previous postings, lay work flat to dry. The
resulting softly felted thread lace fabric can be cut into shapes or used whole,
placed on top of prepared layers of wool, prefelt or prefelted laminated (nuno)
felt. Carry on felting in the usual way until it has shrunk and sufficiently
fulled. This felted fabric can be used as is, or embellished with more
machine/hand. embroidery, also beads etc.
Return to Index
Return to feltmakers
list FAQ
Patricia Spark
Copyright 1999
Last Updated: Jan. 4, 2006