Handmade Felt Scarf
Meander Design using Merino Wool
Supplies:
Fine Merino of various colors (3-5 ounces total)
Curtain sheer or other synthetic lightweight fabric
Bubble wrap and ties (panty hose legs)
Swim noodle or rolling rod
Liquid dish or castille soap
Hand towels
Plastic protective sheeting
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Facilities Needed:
8 ft. table or equivalent floor space
Draft free working area
Warm water
Lori Flood, Felted Fibers
www.spinsterstreadle.com
304.284.0774
Page 1
Wool Preparation
Measure off a piece of wool top – about arm’s length.
Divide lengthwise into 3rds.
Slightly tease out the wool
lengthwise until it is about
twice it’s original length.
If you find teasing the
wool out to be difficult,
check that your hands
are far enough apart.
If the teased top has thick
and thin areas your hands
may be too far apart.
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1/3 top unteased
1/3 top teased out
Page 2
Wool Layout
Unroll the bubble wrap
and place it bubble side
down.
Layout sections of the
teased top on the bubble
wrap randomly changing
colors as desired.
Keep adding sections of prepared top to the bubble
wrap until the resulting openings are of the desired
size. You may need to divide some of the prepared
top into smaller sections when close to completion.
A note about holes:
While your overall scarf will shrink about 30%, the holes
will become larger as the wool fibers migrate towards
one another. Therefore, be sure leave openings in the
meander “weave” that are a little smaller than what you
want in the finished scarf.
When the desired amount of wool has been added,
trim off any stray fibers that are laying beyond the
edge of the bubble wrap.
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Page 3
Wetting the Project
Place a curtain sheer or similar fabric
over the wool fibers. Any sheer fabric
that is slippery (synthetics best) will
do fine.
Prepare warm soapy water* using
dishsoap and sprinke it over the
curtain sheer using a grocery bag
or device of your own invention.
*Just enough soap to make the water slippery.
Spread the water by gently pressing
and moving the wet bag across the
sheer. It is important that the entire
project be thoroughly wetted but not
swimming in water.
Hint: Dry areas tend to not lie as
flat and will have an “air bubble”
look to them under the sheer.
Once wet, carefully remove the curtain
sheer and replace it with thin plastic.
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Roll the bubble wrap onto the foam core.
Page 4
Secure the roll snugly with the panty hose
legs. Do not use a knot that is difficult to
undo!
Roll the package back and forth (pressing
down slightly) for 5 minutes. Unroll and
re-roll from the opposite end. Repeat again
for 5 more minutes. Unroll and re-roll two
more times rolling for eight minutes each time
and switching the foam core from end to end.
The total rolling time is given
as 26 minutes. However, this
will vary from person to person.
Use the tent test described
below to determine if you need
to do more rolling. The felt must
pass the tent test before moving
on to the fulling steps.
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Pinch the wet fibers carefully
and lift slightly. The surrounding
fibers should lift and create a tent.
If the fibers appear to be sliding
away from one another rather than
creating a tent, do more rolling
before moving to the fulling stages.
Be gentle during the tent test
as it is possible to tear the
fibers loose from one another.
Tap the fibers back in place
after checking them.
Page 5
Fulling and Finishing Your Scarf
Carefully gather up the felt scarf.
Submerge the felt in warm soapy water
and lightly squeeze out excess.
Toss the felt gently on the table by dropping it.
After about every 10 tosses, lay the scarf out
and smooth out any wrinkles and folded edges by pressing and gently reshaping the felt.
You may begin to toss more aggressively as the felt fabric becomes tighter and stronger.
Continue alternating the tossing
and reshaping until the felt surface
is fulled.
Properly fulled felt will not shift
between your fingers and the overall
scarf will have shrink about 30%.
Rinse out the soap, press
lightly with an iron and allow to
dry.
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