Tips For Wet Felted Wall Hangings

A couple of weeks ago I got a sweet email from Jet van Grinsven, a felter from the Netherlands, thanking me for the inspiring blog and info, as well as asking me a question.

Jet is building a new home and wants to create a wall hanging, but isn’t sure if she should be using a stronger background as a base for the felted structure. Jet had been advised to use cheese cloth, but wasn’t certain if that was the best option. So, she wanted to know if I could give her some tips on that.

If making a felted wall hanging is something you’re thinking about, maybe you can take advantage of the tips I gave Jet, so here they are.

“You don't necessarily need to use a background as a base for your wall covering. It will depend a lot on what you're planning to felt. 

I'd say the first thing to think about is how thick you'll make the piece. For example, here is a photo of a wall decoration I made some time ago. It's very light, so it doesn't need any particular background because the piece isn't pulled down by its weight. In this case, all you have to do is iron it and maybe add some fabric starch to it.

On the other hand, if you make the felt really thick, even though it will become heavy, its own thickness will give it stability.

If it's heavy, but thin (which might happen, considering the size you want to make it: 75 cm x 150 cm), a background support might be a good idea. If that's the case, instead of cheesecloth, I'd recommend something thicker. I find cheesecloth too thin for this. Instead, etamine de laine might be a better alternative.

Another possibility is to attach the felted piece to a wooden structure like the ones you have on a painting canvas.

But, these are general ideas, just to spark your creativity. It's difficult to be more precise without knowing exactly what you're planning. What I'd definitely recommend is that you make a lot of samples to avoid spending a lot of time and materials in vain.”

 

And I hope this tips can help you with the creation of your next wall hanging!

Talk soon!

Vanda

P.S.: If you want to become a Founding Members of the Wet Felted Hats Masterclass, stay tuned. The cart will open next Saturday (Feb. 6th) and all the information will be available tomorrow.