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Feltmaking takes many forms. It can be used
to create wall hangings, clothing, soft furnishings and toys.
Feltmakers can make perfectly shaped and consistently
sized hand-made felted hats from our robust plastic formers.
The hats above were felted by Susan Litton and Monica Traub.
Susan used a dark red wool
top which had a hand-dyed
silk hanky felted into it during the last stages
of the feltmaking. Monica chose an undyed
wool top and felted pinches of coloured
tops and strands of hand spun Wensleydale yarn
into the surface.
Hat
Shapers are made from recycled automotive plastic
and are lightweight, stackable, washable, and portable. They
are perfect for shaping, blocking, drying and storing your
felted hats and will withstand wet, steam and heat hat felting.
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Oval Dome |
Fez |
Bell Cloche |
Here's how to make a felt hat...
- For a wide brimmed hat use about 125 - 150 gm (5-6 oz)
of fine wool tops or carded batts shaped into a 70cm (26")
flat circle. A lustrous fine fibre with a good staple length,
over 10cm (4") is preferred to ensure that no thin
areas occur and the felt forms quickly, such as Bluefaced
Leicester, Icelandic or Gotland, but most feltable fibres
can be used with care
- Make up to four layers with wool batts, or tops placed
in alternate directions. Alternating the direction helps
prevent any thin spots and bias in the final shape. In the
first stage of felting it helps to use netting top &
bottom to keep the circular shape
- You can use a bowl for the first felting, but many people
will find that their largest bowl isn't large enough and
has a lip, which interferes with developing the brim. Thoroughly
wet the wool with hot soapy water, applied with a sponge
and pressure, and take it to the soft felt stage. Then you
can put the soft felt on the hat shaper or big round bowl
and continue rubbing and pounding to get the basic bell
shape.
- Fold the felt shape in half, brim to brim and roll with
a textured large roller on a bamboo mat, rolling from brim
area to crown area. Next beat with a large wooden meat tenderizing
mallet. Refold 90 degrees from last fold and repeat the
beating, rolling and refolding until you are ready to make
the final shape. Rinse well to remove all soap
- Place the felt over the Hatshaper and apply steam with
an iron and beat with small meat mallet and roll with small
roller until firm, steaming often. Lightly press with iron.
Let dry completely. Measure and trim the brim. Now you can
remove the final hat from the Hatshaper.
- For final decoration apply any brim edging, create and
add the inner sweatband and decorate as desired. The felting
needles may come in useful here
These notes were originally written by Wanda Tate,
when she first started to learn feltmaking.
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