The Dodo Blog

Welcome to the first episode of my new Q&A series.

If you still have trouble finding the right way to make a resist for a 3D wet felted object, this episode is for you.

Today’s question is from Kathryn, from Walla Walla, in Washington state.

And Kathryn writes:

“I am trying to make a wet felted case for my son’s new MacBook Pro computer. I viewed your template making video for the clutch bag – thinking I could use that for my effort.

I made the template and started to lay out the wool and realized that I didn’t know why I needed the top resist.

You have a resist that has a top and bottom, when I thought I only needed the bottom to cover with wool, so that I could make the pocket.

If I don’t intend the top to have a pocket, why do I need the top part of the template?

I ended up cutting the template in half and placing the top part under the bubble wrap to serve as a guide, as I wanted the top to cover the bottom of the bag as I see on your photo.

Can you help me underst...

If you’ve been felting for some time, and you also use the pieces you felt, I’m sure you’ve already had this problem.

No matter how carefully you lay your wool or how resistant your piece has been felted, if you’re using it often, sooner or later its surface will be worn-out. And this is even more obvious if the piece has a pattern.

That’s normal. It’s just the way wool is.

That’s exactly what happened to this bag, that I’ve been using on a daily basis for the last 2 years.

But it’s a bag I really enjoy, so I decided to repair it. Now, as you know, it’s extremely difficult to make new fiber attach to the wool that’s already been densely felted.

Still, there is a solution, and that’s what I’ll be showing you in this video.

Hope you enjoy it!

P.S.: Do you have other ideas on how to repair felt? If so, you’re welcome to share them in the comments below.

Today I’ve got a short video for you.

It’s on a subject that I haven’t heard anyone talk about yet: recycling felted wool rests.

It might not seem very important to you, if you’re just starting out with felting. But if it’s something you do on a regular basis, I bet you’ve already asked yourself what you should do with all those bits and pieces that you got from cutting parts off your projects or from items that just didn’t turn out the way you expected.

To me this is really something important. I work with high quality wool (with the certifications Öko-Tex® Standard 100 and Global Organic Textile Standard), so it would never cross my mind to throw away any rests. I keep every little bit, even the pieces my students don’t want to save, when I’m teaching live workshops ? This means I ended up with bags full of all shapes and colors, and I really wanted to do something with them.

When I started filming my latest felting workshop, I decided it was time to reuse all this wool I had. An...

I’ve been working in a new video workshop, which I hope to finish and post in the next couple of weeks. And the video tutorial I bring you today will be part of this workshop.

I wanted to share it with you, because I know there are so many questions about how to make a pre-felt.

Hope you enjoy it!

Talk to you soon!

No matter if you’re just starting out or if you’re an experienced felt maker. Whether something goes wrong with a project or you’ve made a pre-felt and didn’t use it all, there are always felt rests. Mine keep increasing! I have lots of bags with pieces in all colors and sizes. And I tell everyone who’s ever attended one of my workshops not to throw anything away. The way I see it, wool is too precious to land in the garbage bin.

But, of course, what’s the point in collecting them if you just keep having bigger bags? So, here’s an idea of a sweet and easy project you can make with something like a bag that went wrong (I have lots of those too). All you need is a piece with 10 to 12 cm, depending on the template you choose.

Here are a couple of shapes I suggest. I used to make keyholders and magnets like this. They can be sweet and original gifts!

And these are some of the pieces I have in those bags I was talking about ? Draw a silhouette you like on a piece of cardboard. Just m...

Hi there!

I´ve often been asked how do you make a sample to determine the shrinkage factor in wet felting. Well, that’s exactly what I’ll be covering in today’s video.

It’s actually very easy. You should make a sample, and measure it before and after felting.

There are three fundamental factors to take into account though:

1. Use the same type (or types) of wool for your sample and project, since not all wool types have the same shrinkage.
2. Use the same number of layers and equally thick ones for your sample and project, since the thickness of the layers influences the shrinkage.
3. Felt the sample and your project to the same degree, since the more you felt, the more the piece will shrink.

Check out the video and let me know if I’ve covered all your questions!

Hello!

Now that Christmas is just a month away, I’m sure you’ll be thinking about the presents for your family and friends by now.

So, I decided to bring you a simple, but really sweet idea, that you can make for a child. And it's FREE!

Think of it as a Christmas gift for you.

Enjoy!

Hi! I’m back today with a new episode of the How To Series. And this time I’m talking about resists.

If you’re planning to wet felt a 3D object with no seams (like a hat, a bag or slippers), you’ll have to work with a resist.

And if you want to work on a project that’s felted around a resist, you might be wondering how to get the right size, since wool shrinks up to 40% when felted. And you might be asking yourself what material you should make it with? Does this even matter? Well, it does. And I’ll show you why in this video.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Hi!

I´m very excited to announce my new video series. It’s called The Weekend Project and it’s designed to bring you inspiration to dive into easy-to-do textile projects, that you can start and finish during the weekend. I thought you might like something to decompress from the stress of the week.

The first episode is on how to wet felt a flower brooch or hairpin, that can even make for a great gift for a friend. And the best thing is YOU DON’T NEED ANY EXPERIENCE IN WET FELTING, because I’ve designed it for beginners.

If you have any questions, you can always refer back to my previous videos on how to felt a sheet and a cord.

And, of course, I’m always here to answer your questions.

Enjoy!