The phrase about felting courses evokes the idea of "playing the fool." And yet it is not at all about an idle pastime. After all, felting is the oldest of the crafts that a person mastered, and then forgot. This kind of creativity is being revived at needlework courses.
The variety of types of needlework does not allow creative people to get bored. Since there are a lot of sets for needlework courses, such as cutting and sewing courses, knitting, soap making, beading, decoupage and, of course, felting.
What is felting?
Felting is the oldest handicraft in the world, which is almost 8 thousand years old and, one might say, it is returning from oblivion.
What is the art of felting? Natural wool has unique rolling properties and this allows craftsmen to create beautiful products that look very original and interesting in their own way. The felting technique is used to make panels, toys, various accessories, decor items and even clothing. Skilled craftsmen create unique patterns on fabric from wool.
Felting methods
There are two methods of felting - dry (felting) and wet. The most common felting method is dry. Using this method, it is necessary to repeatedly pierce the wool with a special serif needle. During operation, wool fibers become entangled with each other and form a dense material.
Nowadays, felting is used for drawing patterns on fabric and for creating voluminous products. It is convenient that a specially equipped workplace is not required for dry felting and a minimum set of tools is used, they do not take up much space - this is a needle, a needle holder and a surface on which you can work with wool.
Wet felting is used when it is necessary to make flat products, such as panels, canvases, clothes, and it is no less interesting than dry felting. The secret of wet felting technology is simple, it lies in the use of a water-soap solution. With its help, the friction between the fibers is reduced, which contributes to their better interaction and mixing with each other.
For this, special solutions are used, but you can use ordinary baby soap. It should be noted that it is not advisable to use liquid soap for wet felting, as it can irritate the skin of the hands. With this method of felting, use:
- coarse sheep's wool;
- combed sheep wool;
- small hairs of sheep wool;
- bleached sheep wool;
- combed camel hair;
- semi-fine sheep's wool.
All felting materials are available in handicraft stores, you can also purchase ready-made kits that include wool, tools and detailed instructions for making the product, which is very convenient.
