Wool flowers are a great material for creating jewelry. You can dump a copy of an existing plant, or come up with your own fantasy flower design. Using suitable accessories, the felted flower can be turned into a brooch, hair clip, bag decoration or interior detail.
Preparatory stage
Unlike the dry felting method, which requires a detailed sketch, there are a lot of improvisational moments in wet felting, you can do without sketches, but you need to clearly define the size and color of the future product.
The wet felting method allows you to make smooth transitions between colors. To make the flower look more interesting, prepare wool in several shades of the main color or material in a contrasting color, if this is your intention.
Silk fibers can be used to imitate the veins on the petals. Viscose fibers shine quite strongly in the finished product, if your flower is conceived as a bright, fancy decoration - feel free to use them. For decoration, you can use beads, beads, artificial stamens and anything that your imagination tells you.
Basically, wet felting is used to create multi-layered, lush flowers with a solid core. Products made without additional stitching are considered the pinnacle of craftsmanship.
To create a layered flower, you will need several polyethylene circles with a hole in the middle. The size of the circle is the diameter of the flower plus 30% for shrinkage. The size of the hole in the center is 2-3 cm in diameter. Make as many circles as there are layers planned.
Wool layout
Cover the work surface of the table with plastic wrap. Spread thin strands of wool in the base color on the circle. If you want the ends of the petals to be slightly wavy, spread the coat strictly radially from the center.
A loose layout will give a slight openwork to the petals, perhaps there will be small holes in some places. If your flower needs solid, dense petals, lay out the wool in 2 layers: radially, then around the circumference.
Spray hot soapy water on the layout. Try to avoid dry areas. Cover the wet coat with a bubble wrap and gently iron the surface with the palms of your hands. If you have a vibrating sander, walk over the entire surface of the film, pressing the sole of the machine in one place for 10-15 seconds.
Peel off the plastic and gently flip the plastic over. Repeat the layout of the base color, adding strands of wool of other colors as desired to create shades, you can add silk fibers. Dampen the wool with soapy water, cover with plastic wrap and machine or by hand.
Remove the tape and lay the next polyethylene circle, making sure that the center holes are aligned. Repeat all the manipulations with the layout, wetting and felting. The actions are the same for all layers.
Felting a flower and forming petals
Wrap the flower in a bubble wrap and then in a towel and roll the roll on the table about 150 times. Expand the film, rotate the flower 90 degrees. Wrap the workpiece again in foil and a towel, roll for about 10 minutes more.
Now you should turn the flower over and repeat the roll in different directions. Make sure that the layers fall together only in the center, if the edges adhere to each other, they must be disconnected.
When the flower is almost completely matted, you need to arrange the petals. Remove the plastic circles. Take a sharp pair of scissors and cut the petals to the desired shape and quantity. Complete the cuts approximately 2 cm to the core. Rub the sections with soapy hands.
In a dry state, wool is like clay; it stretches and transforms easily. Use this quality to shape the shapes you want.
The final stage
After shaping the flower into the desired shape, rinse it in warm water to remove any soap residue. Blot the flower with a towel. Spread the petals out with your hands and leave the flower to dry outdoors.
After the wool flower has completely dried, sew or glue the decor. The core can be embroidered with yellow beads, rhinestones can be glued to the petals in the form of dew drops.
The original accessory is ready. It remains only to decide what function it will perform and sew on the selected fittings.
