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
*Jill Gully's
web page has a link to information on making cobweb
felt.
*Link to Pat Spark's Instructions for Making a
Laminated Felt
Scarf.
INDEX QUESTION/ANSWER TOPICS
MAKING COB WEB FELT |
DEFINITION OF LAMINATED FELT, COBWEB |
FABRICS USED FOR LAMINATION, NUNO | |
MAKING LAMINATED/NUNO FELT | MAKING BABY BLANKETS |
MAKING COB WEB FELT
*Aug. 27, 1996 Wanda Scott. When I took Lis Dokkedal's workshop she
showed us how to make this cob-webby, lacey material. I tried it using Finn
wool. She said that the Merino was not quite the right wool, and Romney was
not right either. What we did was lay a very fine layer of wool out onto
a bare table, making holes here and there in it. Then we placed a cotton
sheet (cut to size) over the wool and wet it down with hot soapy water. When
this was done we then, starting at one end, slid it along the table, so that
it bunched up accordion style. We then scooped it up sort of folding in the
ends so (to protect the wool on the inside) and dunked it in the hot soapy
water and gently squeezed out some of the water. We then threw the bundle
on the table and continued doing this (the throwing) like you would bread
dough for a short while until the wool stayed together when you pulled it
off of the sheeting. We then continued throwing just the wool itself (very
gently) for a few more times. We could then stretch it out to shape. The
Finn wool worked quite well as it stays real soft but was not to fluffy as
the Romney tends to be. Lis said they use a type of wool over in Denmark
(I didn't quite understand what type of sheep it was) especially for this,
something in between the Merino type and the Romney type. She had a slide
picture of a wedding gown where all the outer layer of the whole gown was
done in this lacey felt...beautiful!
*Sept. 16, 1996 Shelby Cefaratti. I have made a sample piece of felt
out of Wensleydale wool. Wensleydale is an English bred sheep that looks
like it has dreadlocks. The fibers are very long and curly. The sample was
made up of four layers of wool. It felted nicely and I ended up with a very
unique piece of felt. It is quite thin and translucent and you can see the
lacy curls of wool. It is also very strong. If I understand the technique
of making lacy felt, I think this would be perfect.
*Feb. 28, 1997 Jill Gully. Cobweb felt is the name given to
the very fine felt that can be made when a more drape-able fabric is desired
for items such as scarves or shawls. The finer the fiber, the better the
results, so I use my 19 micron merino much of the time. Since I only have
that in the natural though, I have frequently used my dyed merino, which
is 22 micron, and I still get excellent results. I recently finished teaching
a 4-week series of classes for Balyor Cont. Ed. and we did cobweb scarves
in the final class. I was a little nervous, because it requires a little
skill, but overall, everyone turned out an acceptable scarf and was pleased
with the experience.
I start by laying down a towel and placing a long bamboo blind on the towel.
Since the initial measurements for laying out the fiber are 65"-70 x 12"-13",
you need a long blind. I then put down a piece of cotton sheeting with the
scarf pattern drawn on it. This enables me to ensure I get straight sides
at the end. The sheeting also prevents the "ridging" pattern that can sometimes
occur when the blind "transfers" its ridges into the felt. . Since it is
vital to have mastered the art of laying very fine layers of fiber, I find
it helps to split the sliver lengthwise also. Pull off a couple of yards,
and you will usually find that it will divide naturally lengthwise into two
almost even halves. I then lay out three very fine layers of fiber -- 2
lengthwise and one crosswise between the two. I then add any design to the
surface that I want. Tussah silk is a favorite. I will take the silk sliver
and draw it out first into thinner layers and then make coil-type circles
on the surface of the wool. Also, if you haven't tried VISCOSE, I found some
at a fiber store. It looked just like the very white bombyx silk, only it
was 1/4 of the price. I wasn't sure what it would do but went ahead and tried
it anyway--and "voila!"...it felted in beautifully and has a gorgeous sheen.
Using very fine wisps of this stuff, you can add sheen to almost anything.
Anyway...enough of that. I put my netting over the scarf and wet it down
and squirt on soap gel. I then buzz it VERY briefly with the sander -- it
takes very little to penetrate those thin layers. Then I lift the netting
and gently push the sides into alignment if they have got wisps sticking
out or anything. I sand again briefly, giving a little extra on the sides.
Then I carefully turn the whole thing over and sand the other side.
I then lift off the sheeting, and if I think it needs it, I sand directly
on the surface of the scarf (substitute rubbing with your hands if you don't
care to use the sander, but multiply the time by about 10x). When I feel
it is sufficiently felted, I replace the sheeting between the blind and the
scarf because of the delicate nature of the fabric. Otherwise, the blind
can sometime snag the fine fabric or give it a ridgey look. I then full it
in both directions, checking often to make sure it doesn't get smaller than
I want it to, I have to fold it in half to full it in the crosswise direction,
but that is okay as long as you don't do it for such a long time that you
felt it together! It is not unusual to have either small holes in this felt,
or at least very sheer patches. This is part of the distinctive look of the
cobweb felt, and you can adjust the look as much as you wish. I have seen
photos of one lady's shawl that had large holes ( like 3"-4" diameter) in
it. It was a large shawl that covered all of her back and almost down to
her hips, so it didn't look to bad, but I tend to prefer to avoid actual
holes in preference for just the sheer patches. Overall, I find mine are
pretty even. I just full enough to reach the desired size, and I rarely "throw"
the cobweb felt. I then rinse it and press it with the steam iron to keep
it in shape. The result...a wonderfully soft, but warm and elegant scarf.
You can use the same method to make smaller cowl-type triangles that can
be worn to fill in the front of a low-cut jacket. It is fine enough that
it will fold into the gathers like a cowl collar on a sweater.
*July 13, 1997 Jill Gully. One of my recent projects has been some
greeting cards. I bought some nice blank cards & envelopes at MJ Designs,
and using a stencil, I cut an oval out of the front of the card. I then made
pieces of lacy cobweb felt with designs and threads running through. I cut
these into oval shapes and glued them carefully to the inside of the card
front. Inexpensive and quite unique. If you have rubber stamps, you
can add extra "stuff" if you like. I just stamp a little sheep on the back
of the card as my "signature".
Return to Index
*Oct. 6, 1997 Jill Gully. I love to use the silk caps as surface
embellishment on cobweb felt scarves. Use two very fine layers of background
color and then pull off fine layers from the silk cap, stretching them out
to cover the surface of the scarf. They'll add a lovely sheen to your work.
*Oct. 9, 1997 Shelby Cefaratti. I finished my first cobweb felt scarf
- a la Jill Gully style - and I am quite pleased with the results. For those
of you that are unfamiliar with Jill's technique {and Pat and Jill - please
feel free to speak up here}, it is similar to the laminated felt that Pat
teaches without a base fabric in the middle. The result is a very thin and
surprisingly strong piece of flexible felt. I have been so inspired by the
autumn leaves (something I didn't see very much of in Texas) and created
my scarf in the shades of fall. I started with a thin base of green/orange/yellow
variegated merino, then covered it with two layers of deep green merino and
embellished the scarf with stylized leaves cut from pumpkin orange soft felt.
I then added pieces of bright gold silk cap over the leaves. The edges are
a bit wobbly and I would like to make them a little smoother and more "finished"
looking. Any ideas? Any way, I just wanted to share my excited over my latest
felt project. What is everyone else working on?
*Oct. 9, 1997 Lana Elder. In response to your question about the edges,
I find that if I use a small piece of plastic or nettings and fold it under
and above the edges, I get a nice clean line. I also rub the edges gently
with my fingers, which is one of the only ways to have "almost" complete
control... Hope this helps..
*Oct. 9, 1997 Siki McIver. Your scarf sounds pretty lovely Shelby.
I too have tried a thin cobweb-like felt shawl recently using some angora/merino?
cross I got from Sue Pufpaff with the addition of silk throughout. I folded
the edges over and so got a stronger and more regular edge but if I were
to make it even thinner, as I'd like to, this might make for an opaque line
all around the edge--maybe not so bad but..... Anyway, I remember someone
talking about felting in a shallow pan right up to the edge to get an even
line. I'm wondering if one could create an edge by having some long strips
of wood down under plastic (with the plastic right up to the edge). Would
that give me a more regular edge without the obvious fold line? Anyone do
that?
*Oct. 10, 1997 Susan Krueger. Shelby, Do you crochet? I've found
a simple chain stitch can make a nice finish to a felt edge. You can space
the stitch that goes into the fabric as close together or as far apart as
you want & you can adjust the tension to help draw in some of the edges.
(if they are wobbly like a wave-kind of wobbly) There are any number of threads,
silks, yarns that could be used to enhance your scarf, which sounds wonderful,
BTW.
*Oct. 10, 1997 Jill Gully. Your scarf sounds gorgeous! Wish it would
get cool enough hereto even think about wearing a scarf! One thing I find
helpful in regulating my edges is to draw the scarf pattern on the sheeting
that I use to lay out the fiber. I use a waterproof felt marker ...(what
other kind of marker would I use??).... and mark out the rectangle. I lay
the fiber carefully along these lines. When it is wet down, I sand once very
lightly, and then lift off the netting. I then spend time carefully turning
the edges under or gently pushing them back to where they are aligned with
the pattern. Then I sand again, making sure the edges get a little
extra sanding. I find this usually works for me. You won't ever get a
perfectly straight edge as you would if you cut it with scissors, but
it can be pretty good if you take the extra time. If you don't mind a machine
finish, you could trim the edges and then zig-zag them with a decorative
or matching thread.
*Oct. 13, 1997 Cynthia Konow. Hey all...it's the late morning in So.
Calif., and I'm finally healthy enuf to do some felting! I'm home with a
sick kiddo, tho', but hey, a bad day felting beats a great day at work!!!
I just tried some cobweb felt, and it came out sooo neat. I used some teal
merino with some purplish merino rainbow batt. Instead of using a bamboo
mat, I used fiberglass window screen material. It's real cheap ($3 for a
pretty big roll), can be cut with yukky scissors, and the edges can sort
of fold. I was also able to see through it. That was helpful as my kitchen
counter is tiled and I used the grid to line up edges. I creased the screen
material, and it gave my wool some "boundaries". The resulting scarf is thin
and diaphanous and I love it! The edges were fairly well controlled. Rolling
the screen material with the wool was a little weird. It doesn't roll that
great. I ended up doing the fulling with the roll in the sink vertically.
I rubbed up and down the roll, then laid it out, rolled it up the opposite
end and did the same. I'm gonna have to experiment with this some more, but
I got a really nice scarf out of it. Boy oh boy, this is fabric creation
for the attention deficit/no impulse control child in me! Talk about instant
gratification. I still have to get my hands on a bigger bamboo mat and try
that out, but this sure does the trick in the meantime!
*Oct. 15, 1997 Siki McIver. Hi Cynthia, your cobweb felt sounds great!
Thought someone else would mention it but since no one has you may want to
reconsider using the fiberglass window screen because of the health risks.
Now, I'm not really sure what amounts of fiberglass would be getting into
you or your family's lungs but rolling it could certainly put it into the
air for you or anyone else to breathe in. I was kind of keen on that screen
until that caution was mentioned so I thought I'd pass it on.
*Oct. 21, 1997 Susan Krueger. Sometimes the material that we call
"fiberglass screen" is actually nylon screen, (probably cuz it was first
made in fiberglass then the public/manufacturers got wise?) so check the
label.
Return to Index
*Oct. 27, 1997 Jill Gully. Instructions for cobweb
felt follow:
COBWEB FELT
To make cobweb felt, you must have first mastered the ability to draw off
very fine layers of your fiber. This is done by ensuring that your fingers
only hold down the very end fibers, allowing only a portion of the piece
of roving to be pulled from the length. I start with merino top in
sliver form, so I usually take a 3ft length and split it in half lengthwise.
This splitting gives me more control over the fineness of the pieces I pull
off. Lay down towel (if working inside), then bamboo blind. Then place piece
of old sheet on top of blind. Use contrasting color of sheet to fiber, or
else you can't see how fine your layers are. For a scarf, draw a 75"x15"
rectangle on your sheeting. Lay fibers within the lines. I use three very
fine layers of fiber, criss-crossed in direction. I then add any surface
design such as silk, mohair or fancy yarns. You should be able to see through
the fiber even when all three layers are down. Make it even, but don't worry
about spots that look almost like holes. That is part of the unique look
of cobweb felt. I then cover the layers with the netting to protect
the surface design from shifting when I wet it down. After wetting down and
pressing out the air, I squirt on soap gel and rub gently for a couple of
minutes. Then I use my electric sander very briefly to make the initial "skin"
on the felt. I turn it over, while still encased between the sheeting and
the netting, and sand the other side. For a scarf with neat edges, I then
push any straggling fibers in at the sides, to ensure a straight edge down
the scarf. A little extra water usually helps this process. You just have
to use your judgment as to how much more to sand (or rub) the fiber before
fulling. Be careful about it felting to the sheeting or netting. Peel away
carefully when removing. While the fabric may appear fragile, it is amazing
how strong it really is in spite of its sheerness. I usually do not
full my thin felt for very long. Firstly, it is thin enough that it simply
doesn't take as long as thicker pieces, and also, I want a softer, more flexible
finish, and ever-fulling produces a stiffer result. When you are through
rolling it in the blind to full it, rinse it well and press it with the iron.
When you hold it up to the light, you can easily see the directions of the
layers of fiber, and should be able to see through the scarf in places. When
it is around your neck, you won't notice any thin spots and it will be nice
and flexible and soft.
I would not recommend anything coarser than a 22-micron fiber, and merino
is best for softness. I prefer the 19-micron superfine merino that I carry,
but I only have it in the natural color. I have the 22-micron in 40 other
solid colors. It only takes about 1 1/2 - 2 oz. of fiber for the scarf project.
*Oct. 15, 1998 Shelby Cefaratti. I have made a cobweb felt shawl/wrap
out of the thinnest amount of Wensleydale. The end effect is very lacy and
light. To give you an idea of just how thin it is, it measures 15" x 96"
and weighs 2.5 oz. This is one of those projects that just amazes me! Wool
is one heck of a neat fiber.
*Oct. 17, 1998 Gage Evans. Wow! The shawl sounds beautiful! What color(s)?
I have not tried the cobweb type of thing. Do you pull it apart or cut out
the base fabric? (Please excuse my ignorance.) What is your source
forWensleydale? I have never used it, but have heard it is
wonderful.
*Oct. 19, 1998. Shelby Cefaratti. I use the Wensleydale in its natural
color - which is a glowing off-white. To create the shawl I lay down one
very thin layer of fiber one direction and then a second layer perpendicularly.
Cover with netting and wet down with warm, soapy water. Using the lid of
an old Tupperware pitcher I gently rub all over until the fibers begin to
felt together. Some small holes may develop, but that is okay - just don't
let them get to big. Work the felt on both sides until you feel that the
fibers are well felted. ** I do not use the sander with this, because it
tears the fibers apart and causes big holes ** Then I warm up the felt in
the microwave for a few seconds and full it with a glass washboard or throw
it a bit. Basically, use the same technique as you would for any piece of
felt - but be very gently. This will also work nicely with other fine fiber
such as merino. It took me three hours to complete the 15" x 96" shawl.
Oh, Wensleydale really is wonderful. The fiber itself is on the course side,
but it is soooo soft. I buy my Wensleydale from Lynn's Texas Fibers -
800-997-8665.
*Dec. 10, 1999 Karen Strano. I'm just trying to learn cobweb felting.
The first scarf I made is all right, but I'm sure not what people would call
cobweb. It drapes nicely and I will wear it. However, now I want to make
a couple of scarves for others for Christmas and would like a more cobwebby,
lighter, drapier scarf. I'm working on one now and it seems to be a lot like
the first one. The beginning dimensions were 12 inches wide by 78 inches
long. I made 3 layers and used about 2 1/2 ounces of wool. I guess I have
2 questions.
1. More or less, how much wool (by weight) would you use for a scarf of
these dimensions to make a "true" cobweb? I'm using my own Finn-Rambouillet
cross if that makes a difference.
2. When fulling cobweb felt, do you just stop fulling when the felt gets
to the consistency you want? I'm having a hard time phrasing this question.
Before fulling I laid out the wool, used the sander to get it to the soft
felt stage. After sanding I rolled the scarf in a bamboo blind and that's
when it got to the stage I liked. Could I stop there or would the scarf,
with wear, lose it's shape? For this scarf, I began fulling on the
glass washboard. It is now about 5 1/2 inches wide and about 66 inches long
and I'm sure it would go down to the size of a postage stamp if I fulled
long enough. I really liked it better before fulling. Will the felt hold
up alright if it is not fulled to the final degree? It's still a nice scarf,
but I guess I want gossamer. Probably using about half (or less) wool would
help. But when fulled won't that shrink down just as much?
*April, 2003. Ruth Walker. FLIPPING FELT This is how I do it, with
gratitude to Lene Nielson:
Spread out about half or a third of a length of merino or merino silk top on a
72" x 30" matchstick blind. (To make this easier, use this tip from Meike Dalal:
Spread out the combed top on a long sheet of paper -- I use thin Christmas wrap
-- placed on the blind, hold the end of the spread top and pull out the paper.)
Spread an equally evanescent layer perpendicular to the first.
Add whatever you want to felt in (yarns, gauze, bits of felt). Wet down the wool
and roll it up in the blind; begin to felt by rolling lightly. Here is one of
the brilliant things: When you unroll the blind, the nascent felt will have
turned itself over by sticking to the other surface of the blind. But it
will have also sort of moved itself down.
From the end of the blind which has the most space on the
blind (this was the outer part of your rolling): Fold back part of the cobweb,
maybe a foot or so. Fold the blind underneath itself, and unfold the cobweb. The
end of the blind and the end of the web should be about even. Begin to
tightly roll up the blind. Here's the next brilliant bit: As the excess of the
blind begins to roll up, you will stretch the wrinkles out of the web. Continue
to carefully roll it all up. Keep doing this over and over, felting enough each
time so that the web "automatically" turns itself over every time. Felt it
completely! The holes will become ever larger as (ironically) you 'full' the
fabric.
*April, 2003. Ruth Walker answering questions from Chris White. Chris,
yes, hard to envision. could you try it out on a sushi mat or a
place mat? It might come clear...Chris White wrote: > Sorry Ruth, I can't
picture this part.....From the end of the blind which has the most space on the
blind....Is it that you have the blind completely unrolled at this point and you
peel a foot of the felt's length back...
Ruth-YES
Chris>but where do you put it once you fold the mat underneath itself???
Ruth-Once you fold the mat underneath itself (it's a sort of z fold) you
unfold the nascent felt back to even it up with the end of the mat.
Chris>Hopelessly confused! But, I do see how it would be a real time
saver to not have to delicately re-straighten out the thin felt after each
rolling.
Ruth- Oh, my gosh, you have no idea how wonderful this is. I can't
imagine (well, I can) having to turn the fragile felt over and try to straighten
it out.
*April, 2003. Candy Hoeschen. FLIPPING FELT You need to flip your wet,
dripping, barely-holding-together felt over to the other side to roll in a
bamboo blind or in bubble wrap. Here are some tricks to flipping it without
distortion or wrinkles.
To learn these methods, make a thin felt that is different on
each side so you know if you have flipped the felt. Side A will be up for the
first period of rolling. When it's time to flip it to Side B, start to unroll
the blind with the loose edge closest to you, and unroll it until you see two
inches or so of the felt appearing. Allow the felt to stick to the UPPER rolled
part of the blind (don't try to peel it off and make it lie flat). If Side A has
properly stuck to the upper roll, you see Side B looking at you.
LENE's Method (best with 2 rolling bars**): Pick up the roll
and swap it end-for-end (left side now at the right). Begin to unroll using a
REVERSE rolling motion, with Side B now facing up. When you have 6 or 8 inches
of felt unrolled, NOW is when you will carefully reposition the edge of the felt
several inches to be nearer to the leading edge of the bamboo blind - there is
now several inches of excess blind material. Use the second rolling bar and
begin to roll up the felt - the excess blind material allows you to stretch the
unrolling felt, smoothing out any wrinkles. Unroll the felt from the first
rolling bar while rolling it onto the second.
**You can pull out and use the original rolling bar if you
have completely rolled it in the blind prior to rolling up the felt, and you
have not rolled so snuggly that you can't pull it out.
-----------------------
CANDY's Variation (1 rolling bar): Begin to unroll the felt, until you see the
edge and verify that it is sticking to the upper rolled up part of the bamboo
blind. Lift the roll straight up in the air and
flip the loose edge of the blind UNDER and AWAY from you. Begin to unroll using
a REVERSE rolling motion, with Side B now facing up. Unroll the entire felt, in
all it's wrinkled splendor.
As you come to the end of the rolled up felt and to the
rolling bar, if the felting fairies are with you, the edge of the felt will
catch gracefully upon the wet rolling bar. Roll the felt onto the rolling
bar (with the reverse rolling motion) until it feels safe to lift it from the
blind. Approximately 2/3 of the felt will be rolled onto the bar. Stretch and
straighten the blind. Carefully unroll and transfer
the felt from the rolling bar back to the blind, Side B up.
I use both methods. My variation is useful to transfer the
felt from one rolling surface to another, for example from a bamboo blind to
bubble wrap. Practice felt-flipping on small pieces until it is a smooth and
easy process. Then you're ready to try it on a full-sized shawl or yardage.
*April 2003, Jill Gully. FLIPPING FELT I find the easiest way to
take care of flipping fine felt is to work with the felt between two layers of
nylon fabric. Not only does it keep the fine felt from getting snagged or
wrinkled between the little bamboo rods, but it means you can flip the entire
thing as a "sandwich" without disturbing the delicate nature of the felt. You
can also draw your pattern with a permanent marker on the underneath piece so
that you can lay out between the lines for accuracy. You may find it takes two
pairs of hands to flip it at first, but as you get used to it, you can (albeit
rather inelegantly) spread eagle your legs and arms and "flip that sucker over"
all by yourself!! Just be sure to check that the upper layer of fabric is not
sticking to the felt before you turn it over; and once it is turned, check the
(now) upper fabric also, before you start working the other side. For those who
have trouble with fabric sticking, I have, through trial and error, found the
best fabric to work on is the nylon mesh knit stuff that they often use to make
basketball uniforms out of -- it has holes in it, (which lets the water through)
and it is a slick synthetic that the wool doesn't manage to stick to. I often
find it at WalMart for $1 yd on their clearance tables. This is a slightly
simpler method than previously suggested on the list.
DEFINITION OF LAMINATED FELT, COBWEB FELT, NUNO,
ETC.
*April 6, 1997 Jill Gully. Laminated felt is the term used to describe
the process of encasing a layer of woven fabric between two layers of fiber.
This enables a felter to use fewer layers of wool while producing a strong
but fine felt fabric. For a scarf, one wants a flexible, drapeable fabric,
and the usual 3-5 layers of fiber often result in a fabric that is too thick
to drape. While a fine drapeable fabric can be produced using the "cobweb"
felt method (2-3 extremely fine layers of fiber, preferably 19-22 micron),
it is not as sturdy as a laminated felt. The fabric sandwiched between gives
strength to the felt, making it ideal for garment construction such as jackets
and vests where you want to cut out the pattern pieces and sew them together.
A laminated felt can produce a thin fabric that is not overly bulky when
sewn together at the seams. Cheesecloth, fine cotton voile, tulle or other
such fabrics are suggested for laminating. For a very flexible fabric, try
using a lycra stretch mesh or lace between the layers of fiber. Stretch the
fabric between the layers of fiber, and release as the felt begins to shrink.
Hope this gives a relatively clear explanation.
*14 Oct 2003, Joyce Jackson. What is
the difference between silk fusion and nuno or laminated felting?
*14 Oct 2003, Pat Spark. Silk fusion is
the same thing that some folks call silk paper. It is silk fiber that has been
"glued" together to form a paper-like fabric. No felting involved. However, if
the adhesive is water soluble, like methyl cellulose, some people do cut up silk
paper and felt it onto a base of wool. If the adhesive isn't water soluble, such
as acrylic medium, the paper can be attached to felt, but is great used by
itself. The FAQ pages about silk paper:
http://www.peak.org/~spark/sparksilkpaper.html
http://www.peak.org/~spark/silkpaper.html
*Aug 30, 2005. Lois Perry. What is laminating with regard to fibre?
*Aug 30, 2005. Anna Salvesen. It is felting fiber to a loosely woven
fabric. It is also coined nuno felting (I believe credit goes to Polly Stirling
for coining this term). Laminated felt allows for a drapey, lightweight felt,
suitable for clothing, scarves, drapes, etc. The fabric can ruffle & contract
into interesting textures as the fiber contracts in the fulling stage.
Return to Index
*Sun, Jan 12, 2003. Dana
Sheppard. Several of you have mentioned using the silk scarves from
Dharma Trading when doing laminated felt scarves. Which material are you using?
They list several types of ready-made silk scarves, as well as various silk
fabrics that can be ordered by the yard.
*Sun, Jan 12, 2003. Sue Pufpaff. I
am successfully using the 4.5mm silk gauze fabric for laminating. Great stuff.
*Sun, Jan 12, 2003. Pat Spark.
Dana, I like the 8mm silk habotai scarves. But I use very fine merino with them
since they are tightly woven. Size 80's (18-19 micron) I don't use a sander when
laminating these scarves, just lots of rolling with the bubble wrap. That seems
to coax the wool into the tightly woven cloth better than the sander does. The
resulting textured fabric is quite wonderful.
*Sun, Jan 12, 2003. Julie Earl, Australia.
To help the fine merino migrate through the fabric when laminating, I find that
a trick that was taught to me in a class on laminating felt, roll the felt up
for at least 100-200 times, then flip it over and rub the reverse side with your
bare fingers, or with a pair of rubber gloves on. This seems to bring the fibres
through without too much hassle. Then after applying lots of hot water and soap,
the term used by the teacher was "worry it, like a dog would". Hope this helps.
*Sat, April 26, 2003 Camille Ludlow. Various people have mentioned getting
gauze from Dharma Trading Co. for nuno. Has anyone used their silk or organza?
What is the best type of fabric to use if you want something more luxurious than
cotton.
*Sat, 26 April 26, 2003. Anna Salvesen.
I have just tried my first three
nuno felt scarves the past week using silk gauze. I looked at the website for
Dharma Trading Co. and they have slightly lower prices than where I ultimately
bought my silk gauze, but fewer fabric choices. I was very happy with silk gauze
from Thai Silks <www.thaisilks.com>. It was recommended to me by a nuno felter &
shibori dyer (Marylil of Rochester). There were lots of choices in width, mm
specs, & white or black. You'll find it in the chiffon section or type gauze in
the search box. I used what she recommended, the 3.5 mm gauze, 36 in wide (by 90
inches long), with great results, but next I will order some black gauze, too, &
perhaps make the scarves longer…108". They shrink up quite a bit after you throw
them. The order arrived quickly and the shipping cost was low.
*Sat, April 26, 2003 Suzanne
Higgs.I was at Sue Puffpaf's and she had used their (Dharma's ) silk
gauze in several scarves. In a word: YUMMY!
*Sat, April 26, 2003 Barbara Marr.
I use their 8 mm habotai silk scarves for needle felting. I prefer the scarves
because of the hand sewn seam. There is a picture of a vest made from 2 scarves
on my webpage
http://www.marrhaven.com/slkscrf2.html The picture is before I did any
detail work, I have added darts to the front and needle felted decoration - will
get that picture up soon. I tried wet felting with them also but didn't get the
fiber over the edges well so will have to needle felt the edge. The fiber is
holding to the scarf but haven't given it a lot of wear testing yet.
*Sun, April 27, 2003. Allison Pitt. I bought 10 meters of silk organza.
(Minimum order) Its a slightly stiff transparent silk. Having trouble nunoing
it. Any suggestions folks?
*Sun, April 27, 2003. Ruth Walker. I have used the organza in the
"hat on a ball" method and found that the ability to felt it in was directly
related to the feltability of the wool. I have felted the needle-punch felt
yardage into the organza with the sander. I think that because the organza is so
slippery that you have to do something to assure that the wool fiber is not
sliding around on it.
*Sun, April 27, 2003. Rebecca Lavell.
I use organza all the time in my shawls....I love the look of the shimmering
organza and the matte fibre....you do have to work it a little harder, I find
organza and suri alpaca an awesome combination...you can see my shawls on the
gallery page of my web site www.feltdesigns.com. Most of my organza shawls I
start by hand and finish on the felting machine. The only fibre I wouldn’t
recommend with organza is mohair....I have done a few with mohair and using the
worlds slipperiest fabric with the worlds slipperiest fibre is a real test of
character!
Patience grasshopper! Laminate
felting on organza is a journey! My advice would be to wait for a day when you
have a lot of internalized stress to let out.....seriously though the most
important part is the beginning....when you wet out and start to rub do it with
more pressure than motion and don’t roll until you feel the fibres are migrating
through the fabric....also avoid quick felting wools as they will felt before
they adhere to the fabric....try something like alpaca or if you can get some
try suri alpaca (my personal favorite with organza) most of all don’t give
up....it works it just takes a LOOOONNG time.
*Sun, April 27, 2003. Sue Pufpaff.
Silk organza is a closer weave structure than the guaze and will be much more
difficult to get fibers to penitrate. Its the weave structure that determines
how well the fiber will accept laminating not how transparent it is. Try getting
some very fine felting needles (gauge 42) and needle felting into the organza.
That should work......
*Sun, April 27, 2003. Candy Hoeschen.
Nuno is not my thing, but I would layout on small bubble wrap and
rollup around a rolling bar and roll it DRY to encourage fiber penetration
before any wetting. Dry fiber is a bit more fluffy and "stickery" than wet.
Sanding it dry might also do a wiggle and jiggle that will push fiber through
the fabric. Just a couple of things to try. . .
*Sun, April 27, 2003. Cynthia Mollenkopf.
Some of you have talked about needle felting your wool onto fabrics
rather than rolling. Have you found the needles to cause any damage to the
fabrics, especially silk?
* Thur. July 17 2003, Fan Admin. Are there Canadian sources for silk
fabric?
* Thur. July 17 2003, Maureen Harding. Dharma is the cheapest I have
found so far. There is another outfit in Texas, Silk Road, who sells it, but
about 3 times the price. The only other sources I have managed to find sell it
by the square inch!!!! I have no idea if it is of a totally different quality
from the yardage, but the prices are just horrendous. A typical price seems to
be $99 per yard. Seems that people use it for needlepoint, it surely must be a
different weight and quality. I guess that's why they sell it by the square
inch!
I like the 3mm, a bit fiddly to work
with but I like the results. I haven't found a Canadian supplier who sells it by
the yard at an affordable price so I imported some bolts from Dharma, it saves a
lot on the postage, but there is still customs payment, and sometimes
brokerage....depending I guess on what the customs people are feeling like on a
particular day, seems like an arbitrary thing, I haven't been able to establish
a pattern!
*Mon July 21 2003, Anna. I order silk gauze/chiffon from Thai Silks.
Orders can be placed online at
www.thaisilks.com (it might be
www.thaisilk.com). I have found their selection and prices to be as good or
better than Dharma Trading. I have ordered the 36" and the 54" width gauze
several times. Thai Silks was recommended to me by another felter. I have
especially liked the selvedges of the gauze/chiffons from Thai Silks. I had
purchased silk chiffon at a local fiber arts store (don't know it's source) and
the selvedges needed to be removed prior to felting because of distortion from
the blocking process (I think it was sewed and stretched). I didn't notice this
the first time I felted with this particular silk gauze, but it was very
apparent after the felting. I am sticking to Thai Silks now. Shipping is pretty
fast and not too expensive if you choose regular mail (UPS is more). I think
they are located in northern California. Other than as a customer, I have no
affiliation, etc., etc.
*Wed, 3 Nov 2004. Janet Hedley. Wow,
two posts in one day from a long time lurker who just had her first lesson in
felting to a background fabric with the blue bubble wrap and pvc pipe. In our
class, we used silk chiffon and I notice in some of your posts, you refer to
silk gauze - what is the difference between the two? Do you think one is better
than the other.
*Wed, 3 Nov 2004. Rebecca Lavell. My fave
is still poly chiffon (boo hiss) the colours stay true so it is easy to match
your fibre....it also felts well in our machines......having said that I also
really like stretch lace and silk noil and silk gauze although I usually wash
and dye the gauze first.....I think there must be sizing on the gauze that
inhibits laminate felting as it seems to be more successful after
dyeing.....also someone posted earlier about cutting the gauze....I have to
confess I just rip.....works fine. I find myself experimenting and felting on
all kinds of fabrics just to see if they will work......I did some really tacky
net stuff with fake rhinestones.....really really garish but with felt on top it
was GORGEOUS! I have also bought some poly tricot on ebay to give that a whirl
too when time allows.....some of the garment I have made from laminate felt on
various fabrics are on www.feltfobix.com
*Wed, 3 Nov 2004. Pat Spark. Chiffon is
more opaque and slightly textured. Gauze is thinner and more transparent,
although not as transparent as nylon gauze. Rather you use one or the other
depends on how much texture you want and how much you want the wool color to
show through.
*Wed, 3 Nov 2004. Janet Hedley. Does
this mean there are other fabrics I can felt to besides silk? You mention nylon
gauze and I seem to remember another post saying something about a cotton
backing...
*Wed, 3 Nov 2004. Pat Spark. Yes, I use
a lot of different fabrics. Use the "blow test" to select a fabric. Hold it up
to your mouth and blow through it, if most of the air comes through to the other
side, the fiber will probably pass through as well. It's always best to make a
test sample though. I use cotton gauze, cotton voile, polyester knit, stretch
lace, nylon gauze, cotton cheesecloth, cotton scrim. I even use fabrics that
don't do well with the "blow test". Like China silk.
Return to Index
*Sun, 28 Aug. 2005. Raven.
I was making a quick pass through in Walmart a couple
days ago when some bright colors grabbed me from the corner of my eye... (ya
know us Ravens....OOOH SHINY! LOL!) and I had to go take a quick look...
naturally I walked back out of the department with a yard of this stuff. SHOOT!
I knew I'd forget the exact name of it... "sheerly there" or "Softly Sheer" or
some such something name. It's nylon, soft as a whisper and barely there and
it's a NON-woven, felted like fabric. A 58" wide yard of it weighs so little you
can barely feel it in your hand and barely half fills a sandwich baggie. It was
only in real bright colors, I bought purple. Has anyone else seen this stuff,
have a clue what I'm talking about, and tried it in laminating?
*Sun, 28 Aug. 2005. Susan Brown. I have
used this stuff for laminating. It works great and looks sort of "spiderwebby".
It attaches well without using any other fibers over the top. WE have it here at
Joanne's fabric shop at certain times of the year only and it only seems to come
in almost fluorescent colors.
I was told it is used in the "wedding season" in bridal gowns. It is fun stuff.
*Sept. 14, 2005. Sharon Costello. I bought some of that stuff at
Walmart a while back. It looks a lot like flimsy interfacing. I used it as a
collage fabric in nuno felt...I thought it was a bit too flimsy to use as a base
fabric...but it is pretty cool stuff.
*Thu,
22 Sep 2005 Cynthia Reynolds, Norway. I get all my silk from
http://www.exoticsilks.com . They
require minimum purchases of bolts (15-17 yards per fabric) and need reseller
info. They also have a retail website
http://www.thaisilks.com (no minimums that I know of). I have sets of their
fabric swatches which makes ordering the right fabric so much easier, as they
have thousands to choose from. Another great source is of course
http://www.dharmatrading.com only
problem there is that you end up getting so much more than just fabric, I always
spend more than I had planned! I am sure everyone has their
favorites, as different silks give you a different effect.
I order the following by the bolt in natural:
-Silk Gauze 3mm: not at all like cotton gauze (see mesh chiffon below for more
info). It does not provide a bubble effect, it ends up laying flat and meshing
directly to the felt. If you are using it in its natural colour, it will give
the effect of fading the shade of your wool, so if you cut shapes out before
application, you can produce a very interesting graphic tonal effect. I also use
it on the inside of some purses, it adds a strength to the structure, as well as
holds the fibers down and reduces pilling. (no sheen)
-gauze noil poplin: Woven from the remaining fibres from the cocoon carding. A
very nubbly fabric with an open weave, it creates quite a heavy textural effect.
(no sheen)
-mesh chiffon 8mm: what I would compare to a cotton gauze, in that you can
clearly see the mesh weave unlike the silk gauze mentioned above. This is a
lovely weight to work with and produces a bubble effect. I seems to me that it
has been created by loosely twisting 4 ply silk and then weaving it. (soft
sheen)
-Paj 4.5mm: a very lightweight, easy to work with silk. The weave is open enough
to mesh quickly with the fibers. All my baby blankets are made with this. I much
prefer this to chiffon, as chiffon does not have the light reflecting properties
that I look for in silk. (nice sheen)
Exotic Silks, (no affiliation just a happy customer) also has a variety
of 'china silk' or habotai in various weights. So far 8mm is the heaviest I have
used. I have noticed that dyed silk of the same weight as its natural
counterpart is somewhat tighter, maybe the silk shrinks in the dyeing process. I
have a ton of black silk that I just cannot seem to get working for me (quite
the disappointment). One item they do have is what they call iridescent chiffon,
I enjoy the colour play, as they have woven 2 colours together to produce a
great effect.
Silk info: mm = mommes (pronounced 'mummy') The
metric equivalent of 1mm is 4.3gm per square meter
Do order a set of swatches before ordering a large amount of fabric, one nice
tip if you are willing to buy two sets, is to keep one as reference, and use one
as a large sample with all the little squares on it, I am thinking I will make a
nice wall hanging reference chart. I just have to make sure I keep track of
which squares are which!
Another tip, wet your silk before you
cut it!!! The silk gauze for example shrinks tremendously as soon as it is wet.
Return to Index
MAKING BABY BLANKETS
*Sun, 01 Oct 2006 Cynthia Reynolds, Norway.
As mother to a three year old son and a six month old daughter, nothing
beats nuno baby blankets. I have one in the stroller, one in the crib, one in
the 'koseseng' (what we call our 'cuddle-bed' in Norwegian) and one on the sofa.
For newborns, I only use undyed merino wool (19 micron) and silk, as I am always
finding one corner being sucked on (dyes and babies do not mix). The style that
I make ( I have made more than 20 already due to popular demand!) has three
sides neatly edged in wool, with the top edge having a silk ruffle. I have used
quite a few different silks, my favorite being silk paj (mentioned earlier this
week on the list). I am sure that there are 'cuter' things to make, but when it
comes to practicality.. nothing beats a nuno blanket. Not a day goes by in this
house, both in summer and in winter when one is not used. (Link to pictures of
nuno
felt baby blankets.)
*Fri, 13 Oct 2006
Cynthia Reynolds, Norway. Answers to some of the questions that have been
sent to me privately:
Sizes....I make them in all different sizes this one was made for her cradle,
fits perfectly. I also make some double long for the stroller, so that she lays
on half and the bottom folds up over her and she cannot kick it off. Very
practical.. about the size of a large shawl. Wider ones are tough, and often
require 2 pieces of silk, as width is the issue. I do plan on cutting up some of
my sons to make a patchwork style- larger one for his new 'big boy' bed.
As for washing... We live in wool in this house, and there is at least one wool
wash a week. I use my front loader on the wool cycle, with wool detergent
('Neutral' brand here in Norway, good for sensitive skin.. no perfumes etc) I
just toss them in with everything else. They are fulled very well!
Little babies don't really stain stuff.. baby goo just washes out. .. baby pooh
on the other hand!!!
Pilling happens, you can see in the photo, that I need to remove some of the
pills..a mommy's work is never done.. c'est la vie!
Edges... 3 sides are wool edged, but on the top, I extend the silk and fold it
back under itself so there are no loose edges. It makes a lovely trim. The
blanket in the photo is made with 'saree' silk, (a bolt I bought from
www.exoticsilks.com, but you can also find it in smaller quantities at thai silks..
see 2nd link below (link no longer active) Worth looking into for other projects, as it is an open
weave silk. Very similar to cheese cloth I use it for sooooo many things, I just
adore it! But for the blankets, I do prefer the paj (see 3rd link below-
http://www.thaisilks.com, search on Paj) it
retains a lovely sheen and is ohh soo soft.
For silk edges on shawls.. I often use pre-hemmed scarves and shawls, the only
problem there is that after shrinking, they are too small. So I frequently use
more than one at a time, incorporating them into the design. One other trick, is
to only run your wool in one direction to control the shrinkage... and with
careful fulling, you can obtain some fantastic linear designs instead of random
bubbles... it is something I have been working on, and am really loving the look
of! some of the pieces on my felt site show this in the detail image. see 4th
link below-
http://www.mindesign.no)
*Fri, 13 Oct 2006
"Dorothy" asks:
Thanks for all the "tips" for the Nuno baby blankets.
The idea...... to run your wool in one direction to control the shrinkage
with careful fulling sounds great. Could you give us more details?
*Fri, 13 Oct 2006 Cynthia
Reynolds. Necessity is the mother of invention.... I am always trying to get
past the limitations of my workspace and supplies. Either my work surface or
fabric is either too short or too narrow. In an effort to get the most out of
the least... I figured that if I ran the fibers in only one direction, I could
control how much shrinkage would happen in length vs. width. I only do this with
nuno projects, as the fabric provides the strength to the item.
On some of my shawls, I wanted to keep them as long as possible, and as
lightweight as possible. So after I roll them from each end, I carefully bunch
them up.. gathering them in tiny pleats, and gently drop them so that the
fulling process works primarily in one direction, building up to a full blown
tossing. After a while, the whole piece gets a good old fashioned bundling up in
every which way possible and tossed around by Max, my three year old. He does
help on most pieces ( here is a link to see a shot of him felting ..
http://web.mac.com/cynthiareynolds/iWeb/Reynolds/Blog/Blog.html )
The end result is tight lines of bunched up fabric versus the traditional
bubbles. I love the look, and am working on a few pieces that will emphasize the
feature. I do not know if anyone else is doing this, but I would love to hear
what peoples thoughts are on producing different designs using shrinkage as the
method.
look in the gallery section of my felt site to see some detail shots.
http://www.mindesign.no
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Patricia Spark
Copyright 1999
Last Updated: Jan. 4, 2006