Felting wool bags: features, step-by-step description and recommendations

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

Felting a wool bag begins with the creation of a design. The master considers what it should be like and what kind of decorative elements will be present on it. Does it mean a valve, a metal clasp, handles made of wool or other material? All these details are worked out in advance when creating a sketch. There may be several sketches, depending on the number of ideas. If felting bags made of wool implies the presence of a pattern, you need to select the material to create it in advance. After that, you can start building a template.

Determining the shrinkage factor

Before starting work, it is important to consider the shrinkage coefficient for the types of wool from which the bag will be made, and take it into account. For different material, it will be different, therefore it is desirable to find out the exact value in practice andfirst felt a small piece.

Most often, craftsmen use carded wool or merino wool. The material of the Trinity factory is popular among Russian specialists. It produces various types of wool for felting. If you already have experience and know in advance what result to expect from a certain manufacturer, it is best to use their product.

When a mixture of merino and trinity wool is used for work, the shrinkage ratio will be approximately 45-50%. When using for felting bags made of Latvian-made carded wool, it is necessary to lay from 35 to 55%. Much depends on the skills and abilities of the master. With a shrinkage of 50%, the product often looks like a factory one.

Required amount of material for the bag

Due to the difference in shrinkage ratios for wool from different manufacturers, it is difficult to say exactly how much material is needed for one product. For example, for a bag measuring 50 × 50 cm, 300 grams is usually sufficient. For small cosmetic bags and clutches 20–30 cm wide - 100–140 grams.

Much depends on the desired effect and the quality of the coat. If you are going to make a rigid bag that holds its shape well, felters recommend using carded felt. For fine drapes and streamlined configurations, you'll need trinity wool, merino wool, or a blend.

How to choose the material for the template

After creating a sketch, you need to make a pattern or a template for felting wool bags. Histhe value must be greater than the final size of the product, due to the shrinkage process. All patterns are increased by a factor that was calculated in advance.

Depending on how dense the product is planned, you can use different materials for templates. To create a pattern for a seamless felt bag, a substrate for a laminate, bubble wrap or greenhouse film is often used. Such options are inexpensive and easily accessible to needlewomen. And patterns can be used several times, which is very convenient.

For thin felt products, a 1 mm laminate underlay is also suitable. If it is not available, you can use a greenhouse film or bubble wrap, but the latter must be popped in advance so that they do not push the wool apart. For denser products, a 3 mm laminate underlay is suitable.

Material layout

For beginners, it is best to start felting a wool bag by understanding how to lay out the material:

1. At the first stage, we divide the wool into two slides. One of them will go to the front of the bag, the second - to the back.
2. The combed tape is laid out crosswise.
3. First comes the horizontal layer, and then the vertical one. The process is repeated several times until the material runs out.
4. When working with carding, the classic method of layout is most often used: in layers. In this case, the roll unwinds, and, depending on the condition of the wool, it must first be divided into several parts, and then strips should be started. They must be this sizeto comfortably hold in your hand.
5. After that, the layout starts. It is similar to combed sliver layout.

Wet felting a wool bag: a master class

In this case, it is important to keep the horizontal and vertical position so that the wool lays flat:

• Holding the strip with your left hand, pull out a piece with your right hand and, straightening it, begin to spread it on the template.
• Behind the edge of the template, trying to go beyond it by 1.5 cm, you need to place the wool with blunt tips out.
• When the material with soap is pressed against the template through the mesh, it will definitely move to the side. Soap at the beginning of work can be used liquid, diluting a small amount in water, and at the end switch to lump.

Correction of defects

In order to avoid the appearance of gaps, you should secure yourself in advance and move it yourself. We are holding a “wet” workshop on felting a bag. Felting from wool is done with special needles and is quite laborious, but this method also exists.

So, after the first row, the second is overlapped with the first, with a half offset, with a blunt end to the edge of the template. Each row should slightly overlap the other, otherwise the material will come apart and holes will appear (we will tell you how to make a wool bag step by step below). The number of layers depends on how many grams of material it took to create the product.

Necessary felting tools

The process of felting wool bagsstarts after a full layout. Then for work you will need gloves to protect your hands, soapy water and a special net:

1. Having covered the product with a net, you need to sprinkle the entire surface with a solution, after which the process of wadding begins.
2. At this moment, all defects will become visible - pits, bends and other irregularities. They can be corrected by adding wool in the right places. After that, with soapy hands, we begin to roll.
3. Our master class "How to dump a bag" cannot do without special tools. At the initial stage, you can use an ordinary plastic soap dish to help yourself. Once the wool tamping template has been removed, a ceramic soap dish will work well.
4. The inner surface is treated with a special rolling. And you will also need a ruble. It noticeably facilitates felting and is used in the last stages.

The process can take several days intermittently. If the product is wet, it will not deteriorate.

Primary bag removal

Material should stick tightly around the template so that it can be safely turned over without worrying that something will move. Having rubbed in and expelled all the air from the surface, you should turn the product over to the other side. Then the next felting process begins:

• You need to bend the wool over the edges of the template and wrap it completely. Work begins on the reverse side.
• Here it is important to consider that when the first row is laid out, the edges will already be bent and there will be more wool there. Therefore, the firstthe row should be offset, which will make the thickness of the product uniform. This does not create additional seams.

Template extraction and edge processing

The rest of the layers are laid out similarly to the first layout. In order to pull out the template, you will need to cut and process the edge of the semi-finished product in a special way:

1. With small pieces of wool, the cut line is closed, the edge is reattached with the help of soapy hands and mesh. It is important to use gloves when doing this so as not to move the layers of material, otherwise ugly scars will form.
2. Spread wool with dry hands. Having pressed the edge, do not move it to the side - just continue felting the wool bag in the usual way. At this point, the soap works like glue and firmly connects the parts of the product.
3. Handles can also be cut or rolled on.

The product is ready!