The Dodo Blog

We start wet felting because we’re fascinated by the material and the possibilities of creating all sorts of things, from wearables to sculpture ✨💫 

We see what others are doing, so we dream of what we’d like to create. But, let’s face it, wool can be stubborn, and the initial phases aren’t easy. 

We try to implement what’s on our mind and quickly realize there are details that escape us. We may recognize that we’re lacking some technical skills, our edges are always wavy, our squares aren’t square, and we never quite get the right shrinkage. Yet, we don’t really know why… 😟 

We’ve all been there. It’s that annoying phase of trial and error. While some of us persevere until we get to the other side, others give up and think “this is just not for me”. 

What I’d like to tell you is that it really doesn’t have to be that hard (and it’s not you!). There are techniques you can learn which will take you to success a lot more quickly.

In FROM FIBER TO FLAWLESS FINISH IN 7 DAYS, I’ll sh...

It’s finally here, the new format I’ve been mentioning for some time!

So, what is it exactly? If you’ve been following my blog or Instagram account, you’ve heard about THE DODO HUB for sure. Chances are you're curious about TDH and you’d like to know more about it.

Since it’s a one-year program, it may be kind of difficult to imagine how it works. So, this is where the new format comes in.

It’s called FROM FIBER TO FLAWLESS FINISH IN 7 DAYS and it’s an intensive one-week training, that is also part of the first module of THE DODO HUB.

You get an exclusive sneak peek into my one-year signature program, while, at the same time:

• building stronger felting foundations;
• learning to create well-finished, professional-looking felt;
• working closely with me, getting your questions answered and feedback on your work.

So, you may be asking yourself if this is just an intro to THE DODO HUB or if you’ll be making any pieces during this training. And the answer to your question is YE...

Like everybody else, when I first started wet felting, I didn’t have a style or a voice. I wasn’t even thinking about having one. I was just trying to figure out how I could make the pieces I saw others do and, above all, understand how wool behaves.

If that’s where you are right now, know that everyone goes through that phase. And, if you’re a bit further, starting to feel the desire to have your own style, to create work that other people recognize as being yours, know that it’s a phase as well. So, no matter which phase you’re in, it’s all ok.

We don’t start with a style. We develop one. And developing your own felting voice is a journey. Like any creative path, it evolves through different phases. Some of them are exciting and others are confusing. But all of them are necessary.

Phase #1: Imitation AKA learning by following

Aside from artists who were already working with other media and then decide to bring a new medium, wet felt, into their already existing style, this is ...

Is there anything more discussed in wet felting than how to get the shrinkage you want? I don’t think so. And it’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? I mean, if wool felts by shrinking, we need to know how much it’ll shrink. Right?

The problem is so many factors influence shrinkage. So, it can all feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t have much experience in wet felting yet.

But you won’t feel overwhelmed if you stick to a couple of principles (that are the same every time) and you do something you may be resisting: you make a sample 😉

You may think there’s no need to make one, because you’re trusting some myths that are common on the internet. Let’s have a look at a few of them.

Myth #1: If you use the same wool (breed), your shrinkage rate will always be the same.
Does an 18-micron Merino wool top shrink the same as a 21-micron Merino wool top? Does an 18-micron Merino wool top shrink the same as an 18-micron Merino wool batt, do you think? The answer to both questions is NO.

The s...

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been making big pre-felt sheets for a piece I’m working on. And every single one of them has given me problems felting.

This can happen for several reasons. It either has something to do with the amount of soap or water, or with the temperature. When this happens, something chemical is off. So, the process stops.

But, in the end, it’s not so important to know the exact reason for this to occur. The important thing is to know how to solve it, so that you can go on with the felting.

Along the years, I’ve learnt that the solution is to change something. Depending on what I’m making, and on which stage the piece is in, I can opt for a couple of different strategies.

I’m sure you can resonate with what I’m talking about. See if you can recognize this scenario (or a similar one).

I laid out my wool, added water and soap, and gave it a quick rub. And I started rolling straight away. After rolling for a long time (like over half an hour), nothing seemed...

I frequently get emails from felt makers asking me if they can purchase only the patterns for my baby booties. When I taught how to make slippers, I was often asked if I’d sell only the patterns for the slippers.

I opted for never offering the resist patterns, the reason being that I’m for teaching people to make their own stuff and not keeping them coming back for everything they need.

So, I’ve always wanted to show felt makers how they could make their own resist patterns. For everything they want to felt!

Why should you learn to make your own patterns?

You probably have the experience of looking in vain for a specific pattern and having to make do with what you find.

You may also have noticed that, even if you managed to get a template from someone online, the size may not be the one you need. So, if you don't know what to do about it, the template will be useless.

If you've always wanted to make your own slippers, shoes or boots, but were never sure how you could make them...

Easter is just around the corner. Here's an idea to make your Easter gifts extra special! 

WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR THE BUNNIES?

That will depend on how many you want to make. So, I’ll just give you the list of materials for 4 bunnies like mine. You can adapt the colors and/or decoration to your own taste.

• 40 cm of green ribbon
• 40 cm of pink ribbon
• 2 small bells
• 2 sew-on strass pieces
• Green and pink thread
• A thin needle (that can pass through the holes of the strass)
• A thimble
• 2 thin felting needles
• Felting foam
• Some white fine merino wool
• 2 thick (about 7 mm thick) sheets of pre-felt (pink and dark brown); each of them should be big enough to cut 2 bunnies
• The pattern
• Some gold and silver thread

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by making the pre-felt with your wool of choice. I can’t say exactly how many layers you need, since that’ll depend on how thick you lay your wool. But 4 should do if you’re working with thick layers.

Cut 2 bunnies in pink and 2 in brown. You’ll need...

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 flat felt i...

In over two decades as a felt maker, I’ve been slowly collecting books on felting, to grow my knowledge, get inspiration or just know more about the pioneers of this beautiful art form. My felting library now has over 50 books, some of which I've been sharing with you on my blog and social media channels.

Since so many people have shown interest in my recommendations and in knowing what’s available, I thought you might like to get a list of the top 21 in my wet felting library. Note that some of them are in English, others in German, and some in both languages. Most books that were originally published in German, unfortunately don’t have English translations.

I’ve selected these 21 books based on the quality of the information they provide, the innovative projects they present, as well as their aesthetics. This list is now available here for you to download.

I hope you find this a useful resource. 

Enjoy!

When we start wet felting, there is so much to learn about the many techniques that fit under this wider umbrella, that this alone can be enough for felt makers to focus on, without ever taking a deep dive into the attributes of the fibers from different sheep breeds.

So, often it’s people who have sheep or who live in rural areas, who – early in the process – start looking at how to use the wool of local breeds in their felting, as a way to take advantage of what’s available in their closest environment.

For those of us who live in cities, it’s impractical (or even unthinkable) to buy raw wool, clean it in the bathtub, and do all the processing in an apartment. So, we resort to buying processed wool from suppliers, and so are restricted to the available breeds.

Like me, you may very well be in this second group of felt makers. And, if you are – like me – you probably haven’t spent much time looking at the incredible number of different wool types that are available throughout the w...