Look at all these fabulous pillows that folks made last week at the Panopolie Slumber Party. They used the felt sheets that we have in a million colors and patterns and felted their own adornments onto them. This is fun and easy-peasy. I can see many, many folks on my holiday list getting felt pillows!The rabbit below was made using a big, rabbit-shaped cookie cutter as a form. Just pile the roving inside the cookie cutter and use a felting needle to felt it to the wool sheet. The pine and the hand were made the same way, I am pretty sure. They used the three needle dry felting tool for the images and the Japanese five needle tool for finishing the pillow itself. That is quick, too, just felt around three sides to make a pocket, fill it with fiberfill and then felt it closed!
I wasn't able to come to this slumber party and I think I may have missed the best one yet. Don't worry, I will be at the next one..NOTE: as of 12/20/2008 we no longer sell these felt sheets. Sorry, they were swell but we had to import them in giant quantities from the Kingdom of Nepal and they just didn't sell very well. We no longer have any in stock. Try sheet felt from high-quality upholstery stores.
2 questions:
ReplyDeleteIs there a book that explains the process in a bit more detail (never felted before except knitting)?
And, can you use the felt sheets they have in big box craft stores as the base for the pillow? I have a huge stack from other art projects with my child.
Two answers-
ReplyDeleteYes, lots of books show how to dry felt the decorations. I recommend Fast Fun & Easy Felting and Easy Felting by Indigo Junction. Both are available on my site, ornamentea.com and probably at your local independent yarn or sewing store.
The felt sheets from crafts stores are generally not wool felt. They are poly felt-made of polyester or acrylic. The way that wool felt 'felts' is by tiny barbs on the wool getting locked into each other. These barbs are what makes wool itchy to some folks. Acrylic and poly don't have barbs. Neither does cotton, etc. Just wool, and some other animal hairs (some rabbit, some dog, etc.)
So no, I don't think they'd work but you could make cut and sew pillows in a similar manner.
Good luck-send me pics if you make some and I will post them!
Cynthia
Oh, one more thing. IF the sheets are wool felt they will work. I didn't say that. You can tell, I am sure, by feeling them.
ReplyDeleteHave fun!
oh what adorable little pillows. i must get some of the supplies.
ReplyDelete