The Dodo Blog

This video is the first one of a new series, in which we’ll be looking into the topic of making cords or ropes in wet felting.

While it’s more geared towards beginner felt makers, I know that many more experienced people also struggle with this. During my years as a felting teacher, I’ve gotten many, many questions about how to solve different issues that show up when you’re wet felting cords.

So, the goal of this series is to go through all these questions, so that you’re able to solve these problems once and for all. Today, we’ll start by looking at how to make thin cords in an easy way.

Watch the video to see how to make sure you get the right thickness for your cord, without having any creases or wrinkles on the surface. I have three tips that will make felting these thin ropes really easy:

• the base to use for felting,
• the way to do the layout,
• the amount of water to use.

If you’ve started wet felting recently and you’re ...

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about different ways to make a fine and flexible.

We started by using only Merino wool. In the next sample we worked with Merino wool mixed with viscose fiber. And today I’m going to make a sample that’s going to be useful to compare with the one we did last week, the one with viscose.

What I’m going to do is I’ll be using the same template, 4 g of Merino wool, plus a piece of chiffon silk.

We’ll start by felting the sample and, when it’s ready, we’ll see how it compares to the previous two.

Make sure you stay until the end to be able to see the differences between the 3 samples. And, if you haven’t yet, go and watch the previous videos:

• How to avoid stiff felt
• A detailed tutorial on how to make fine and flexible felt
• A second method to make fine and flexible felt

This was a very complete series, and we’ve covered not only how to make a fine and flexible felt, but also how...

In the last video, we had a look at how we can create a fine and flexible felt using only Merino wool. And today we’re going to see what happens when we add viscose fiber to our fine Merino.

For our experiment to make sense, we’re going to use the same 30cm x 30cm template and we’re also going to use 6g of fiber.

If you can remember, in the last video we used 6g of Merino to create our sample. And what we’re going to do today is use 6g of fiber again, but we’re going to have 4g of wool and 2g of viscose. Ok?

If you’d like to do this sample with me, get your materials, and just follow the instructions in the video.

Be sure to check out the differences between the two samples: the one made with only Merino, and the one where I added the viscose.

And if you’re not very familiar with the type of layout I use in this video (chevron layout), you can download a PDF with all the details about all the main layouts used in wet felting here.

I’ll...

So you had a look at the program, and now you’re thinking “Yes, one technique a month. But what do we really felt inside THE DODO HUB?”

I get that it may not be totally clear to you, so let me help you with that.

First, above there's a short video of some of the beautiful pieces made by the participants in the first months of THE DODO HUB to show you what you’ll be working on.

I want you to feel supported and that you’re in the right place, no matter where you are on your felting journey. So, THE DODO HUB adapts to the students and not the other way around.

Let me show you how, based on the example of module #1, Geometric Patterns. It’s planned like this:

• Week 1: Making samples (experiment with different techniques)
• Week 2: Making a bag (applying the techniques in 3D)
• Week 3: Making a rug (in Nomad technique)
• Week 4: Main takeaways + develop your own project

You can approach this module (or any other module) any way you want:

• Follow the...

If you’ve been waiting to enroll in THE DODO HUB, I’ve got good news! The registration is open as of now.

Are you new to the DODO world, and not sure what THE DODO HUB is?

• It’s a comprehensive year-long program designed to take you from the intermediate level to an advanced and independent felt maker.
• Every month you get a module that gives you a deep understanding of a complex wet felting technique.
• You have the chance to felt multiple projects for each technique, share and discuss them in the community, as well as get feedback and support from me.

But there’s much more to THE DODO HUB. Have a look at this page to get all the details. And, as always, I’m here to answer any questions you may have. Just send me an email and let me know how I can help.

Last week we spoke about a couple of misconceptions and some tips to avoid making your felt too stiff. If you haven’t read that blog post, I recommend you start there, since it’s part of a video series I’m recording for you on this topic.

And if you’re stuck in your felting journey and don’t know what to do next, I’ve created a guide to help you. You can download it here.

Today we’re going to see how we can apply last week’s tips in a practical way. So, we’ll be making a piece of flat felt. In other words, a sample.

So, get some merino wool and let’s do this. All you need to do is follow the instructions in the video.

Enjoy!

P.S.: Make sure you come back next week, since we’ll go on diving deep into this topic.

Have you ever had your felt become too stiff? Have you wondered why that happens? Have you tried making it thinner, but ended up with a lot of holes? These are common issues that many felt makers face. Let’s have a look at how to solve that, so that you never have to waste all those beautiful materials again.

I find there are many misconceptions about how to avoid making your felt too stiff. So, to start, I want to have a look at some of the most common ones.

Misconception #1 – There’s a certain number of layers I have to use for a particular item

You see, the thing is that it’s not about the layers. Please don’t ask how many layers are needed for a piece! Someone else’s layers may be much thicker or thinner than yours. So, what you need to know is how much wool to use. You don’t believe me? Then, try this:

• On a 25 cm square (or 10-inch square), lay out 4g divided into 4 layers. Then felt it.
• Next, do the same, but with 12g. So, on a...

Are you looking for an original gift for someone who loves wet felting?

Look no further! Now, you can also purchase ANY of these classes as a gift for someone you love.

How does this work?

1. Click the links below to go to each course page.

• Star Anise Seed Pod
• Surface Design With Resists
• Felting Cubic Shapes
• Felting The Coral Vase

2. Click the BUY NOW button to be taken to the checkout page.

3. On the checkout page, select SEND AS A GIFT.

4. This will open up a gift menu, where you’ll enter the EMAIL ADDRESS of the person you’re sending this present to. You can also add a GIFT MESSAGE if you’d like, as well as SCHEDULE THE GIFT DELIVERY.

5. Then fill out the checkout form with your information and payment details and complete the purchase.

What will your gift recipient see?

6. Once the gift has been delivered to the recipient's email inbox, they must click the email and accept the gift. Once the gift has been accepted, they will be prompted to create a...

When I created THE DODO HUB, my year-long program, in 2023, many felt makers said that one year was too long for them. But they were interested in some of the topics covered in the program.

So, to give everyone the chance to participate, I started offering some of the classes separately. You’d get access to the class materials for 3 months and have a private Facebook group where you could ask questions and share photos of your work.

But many people aren’t on FB anymore and, to tell you the truth, I’m not happy with FB either. So, I’ve spent some time creating a better solution. And that’s what I have for you today. Plus, I’m offering it to you for a special price right now.

The registration for 4 classes is open as of today.

And, from now on, you get life-time access. So, you don’t have to worry if you can’t go through the materials in the next couple of months. You can take the classes whenever you want.

You also don’t have...

THE STORY BEHIND THIS PROJECT

I belong to a small felt club that gets together once a month via Zoom to felt in a group setting.

In our December meeting, the suggestion was that we create seasonal pieces. We usually felt 3D/sculptural items, and that was planned for December as well. But even though we work on a certain topic each month, we do have much creative freedom in the group. So, this time I thought of doing something slightly different.

I have tons of felt leftovers from many projects along the years, and I wanted to do something seasonal by recycling what I already had, instead of producing something entirely new. These bits accumulate with time, and it bothers me to see so much material not be used.

So, I gathered the thicker white felt leftovers (some of which was Nuno felt, which made it even more interesting), as well as some fun “Christmassy” templates I also already had from past projects. And, without having a clear initial idea, I started cutting the...