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Stitching & Crafting Room:  Felting ...and unfelting? wool  |
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Judes
True Blue Farmgirl
156 Posts
Jude
OH
USA
156 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 02 2005 : 06:47:18 AM
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Dear ladies...
Last fall at the thrift store I came upon the absolutely most beautiful hand knit sweater dress with a matching long cardigan coat. Alot of love went into this thing. Although to big for me, I brought it home, knowing that after days of agonizing I would finally let go of it, wrap it up, and give it to my tall, thin, artsty friend who would appreciate it.
Well, she shrunk it. Yep. And when she realized she had done so, she decided to keep on shrinking it until it was MY size! Tragically, she shrunk one too many times, but she wrapped it up and gave it to me anyways, hoping I could make something of it.
Before I cut this thing up into purse parts...is there any way to slightly "unfelt" felted wool?
Thanks in advance for your help..this is a really beautiful peice!
Love,
J
Ps I'd love to know more about wool felting in general. I tried to search old posts, but my 'puter always says theres been an error. |
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katie-ell
True Blue Farmgirl
1818 Posts
Katie
Illinois
1818 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2005 : 07:09:58 AM
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| Oh, Judes, this is indeed a sad story -- and a little whimsically funny as well. From what I know, once shrunk, always shrunk. Other Farmgals will give you better info, I know. . . . |
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thehouseminder
True Blue Farmgirl
361 Posts
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2005 : 08:59:32 AM
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Alas, you can't unfelt it.
When yarn is made, the wool strands are combed out straight and then those fibers are spun into the yarn - still in their straightened out form.
When wool gets felted, the heat and rubbing motion of the washer or drier gets the yarn to kink back up which makes every fiber shorter (just like my mop of curly hair on a humid day ). There is no way to straighten it in its' knitted form.
I would go ahead and make something else out of it. It's not all bad. Just think how many lives this sweater has had. 
Lucinda
When we were young, there were moments of such perfectly crystallized happiness that we stood stock still and silently promised ourselves that we would remember them always. And we did. --Holly J. Burkhalter , "Four Midwestern Sisters' Christmas Book"
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Judes
True Blue Farmgirl
156 Posts
Jude
OH
USA
156 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2005 : 09:12:26 AM
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Thanks, i know it will make a lovely handbag. Might wrap it up when I'm finished and give it to the friend who shrunk it! Any advise on cutting, sewing a purse from the felted wool? Won't it fray? What is the best way to secure the edges of the fabric?
Thanks, Judes |
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Fabulous Farm Femmes
True Blue Farmgirl
792 Posts
Diane
Lakebay, Tacoma
WA
792 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2005 : 09:22:51 AM
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| I would email Helen in New Zealand...aka bubblesnz..she works with felted wool as a business. |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2005 : 10:34:17 AM
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I don't think unfelting would work either...but good luck...a purse will be nice!!
Jenny in Utah
Put all your eggs in one basket..and then watch that basket!! Mark Twain |
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thehouseminder
True Blue Farmgirl
361 Posts
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2005 : 11:00:39 AM
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It won't fray. Felted wool is about the sturdiest of natural fabrics and water resistant too. Just cut however you want. The trickiest thing is wedging it under the presserfoot of your sewing machine!
When we were young, there were moments of such perfectly crystallized happiness that we stood stock still and silently promised ourselves that we would remember them always. And we did. --Holly J. Burkhalter , "Four Midwestern Sisters' Christmas Book"
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jenny louise
True Blue Farmgirl
166 Posts
jennifer
cass city
MI
USA
166 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2005 : 4:57:03 PM
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Now that you have begun felting, be careful! It is a wonderful medium for loads of ideas and you already know that you can find the ingredients cheaply at thrift stores. You can make a wonderful thick and luxurious blanket by stitching blocks of felted sweaters together, so I would save some pieces of that first 'mistake' for a blanket. You can make purses, vests, coats, fun toys, slippers, imagination can take you far here. Have a ball, oh there's another thing you could make!  Jenny louise |
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Deb H
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Deb
Glendale
Missouri
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2005 : 6:39:00 PM
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Hi, ladies!
I have another felted wool question - I felted some old wool clothes, after ripping out all the seams, but it didn't really seem to change the fabric as much as i thought it would. Should I do it again? I wanted felted wool from Christmas crafts and finally decided I'd do something with all those wool skirts/pants that no longer fit me!
Deb P
"Well-behaved women rarely make history" - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich |
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AnnieT
True Blue Farmgirl
287 Posts
Annie
287 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2005 : 4:11:57 PM
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Sometimes to you have to try several times. And sometimes, aggravating as it is, it just won't felt. Anything that is labeled "super wash" or "permanently moth proofed" will be harder, if not impossible, to felt, because of the chemical process used. Try again with the harshest detergent and most rutheless setting on your washing machine. Throw it in with every load of wash you do (as long as it won't bleed or fuzz all over everything). The worst that can happen is you'll have some really clean fabric to sew up into something else (just not felt).
Annie |
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Deb H
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Deb
Glendale
Missouri
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2005 : 6:39:55 PM
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Thanks, Annie! I will do it again. I tried to pick fabrics that were 100% wool, thinking that would be important, but I only did it once. Deb :)
"Well-behaved women rarely make history" - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2005 : 4:27:12 PM
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Deb,
Be sure to sack up your project in a pillow case zipped or sewn shut so you won't clog up your washing machine water pump and end up with a really expensive repair job. Se other topics on felting for more info, there are lots of them posted here and there. You can do a search on felting on this site and you should come up with several.
Eileen
Songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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Deb H
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Deb
Glendale
Missouri
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2005 : 06:39:30 AM
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Eileen,
I will! In fact, I was going to do it today. I hadn't thought of that...thank you!
Deb
"Well-behaved women rarely make history" - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich |
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Stitching & Crafting Room: Felting ...and unfelting? wool |
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