Felting Question

[Appliejuice]

Hi Everyone, I am wanting to make a felted purse and I have a question. Instructions for felting say to put the item in your washing machine on the hottest setting. I can do that, but I have a front loader and it does not submerge clothing in water. Should I use a top loader to felt or does it work just as well with a front loader? Also, should I put the purse in a pillowcase before washing?

 

Thanks for the help.

[Jamie]

I think the felting depends more on the heat and friction of washing to shrink and mat the fibers than on complete submersion. A front loader should work okay, only drawback is you couldn't stop mid-cycle to check for size. Oh, and I always put whatever item I'm felting in a pillowcase, otherwise the debris might clog the drain hose on your washer.

[Qmare]

I just used my new HE front loader a few weeks ago to felt a bag. First time with this machine. It was successful but you need to make sure not to let the bag go through the spin cycle or it will build nasty wrinkles into the fabric.

 

go HERE to see the result.

 

Happy Felting!

[Appliejuice]

Thanks for the help.

 

Jamie, I have a pause button on the machine, so I could check it.

 

Qmare, I also have an HE machine. Thanks for the tip on the spin cycle. I will check your results in just a minute.

 

I asked the lady at the yarn store about this, today. She said I could, but it doesn't always work the first time around. She also mentioned the friction was what you wanted and some people put tennis balls in their washing machines to help with that.

 

I just started the purse, so it will be a while before I can give this a try.

 

Thanks again for the help.

[Appliejuice]

I just used my new HE front loader a few weeks ago to felt a bag. First time with this machine. It was successful but you need to make sure not to let the bag go through the spin cycle or it will build nasty wrinkles into the fabric.

 

go HERE to see the result.

 

I can't see the picture. For some reason I am not able to see some of the photos here. There isn't even a blank spot for it.

[goldi316]

I can't see the picture. For some reason I am not able to see some of the photos here. There isn't even a blank spot for it.

 

You may need to adjust some settings in whatever browser you are using. It may be blocking the images from "3rd party" links (can't think of a better way to describe it, sorry). If you have an area in your settings that addresses how to handle things like popups, that might be where to find it. Same thing if you've got a separate program running to handle that stuff, like a proxy server. HTH!

[gretelgrrl]

I would try it- A friend of mine has a front loader and says that it works fine.

 

When I felt, I put 2 pairs of flip flops in there, my old jeans, and then I put the project in there (but it's ALWAYS in a pillowcase that's tied closed with a hair-tie).

I check on it every 10 mins or so for size/felting.

 

Oh- and don't forget the baking soda

 

Felting is a fun project - just tricky. The results are well worth it!

[sherryzzz]

Inexpensive zippered pillow cases work well for felting. I have sets in standard and in king size. I always put whatever I am felting into a pillow case so the lint doesn't clog up my washer. There are several things that will help your project to felt - use the hottest water available, use baking soda in the wash cycle (regular detergent will NOT work), re-set the wash/agitation cycle several times (at least two, but I usually do three), add something heavy like blue jeans to help with the agitation and friction. I usually use the spin cycle for my projects, but I have a regular top loader and before I spin I adjust my bag so it is laying flat against the side of the drum.

[flyinghooks]

My frontloader works just fine... on hot with a single cycle...and regular detergent!! I threw in keds sneakers and my bag in a zippered pillow case. I checked mine a few times mid cycle and when it was where I liked it I took it out and threw it on some cold water to rinse out the soap. I let the washer run it's course to rinse it out and then stuck the bag back in for a final rinse and "Max extract spin" to help it dry. Worked like a charm for my "well-traveled" bag

 

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sbflyinghook/detail?.dir=1a79&.dnm=5a1cre2.jpg

[sherryzzz]

Even cold water and regular detergent, combined with agitation and friction, will eventually felt your project. A strand of wool, like human hair, has scales. During felting, these scales open up and catch on other scales. As the item is agitated, the friction causes the scales to intertwine with each other and draw up together. To help that process along, you need to change the alkalinity of your water. Modern day detergent won't do that. You need to use soap flakes or baking soda.

 

I've made a lot of crocheted felted handbags and, personally, I like them to be well-felted. Mine are about 3/8" thick and you cannot see the stitches at all. They are like a very, very thick wool felt. I find that I need to make my original crocheted project about a third to 50% larger than the size that the felted finished item will end up being.

 

Here's a link to a good article about felting or fulling wool:

http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/articles/fulling.shtml

[Appliejuice]

You may need to adjust some settings in whatever browser you are using. It may be blocking the images from "3rd party" links

It didn't work. I'll have to look into it later.

[Appliejuice]

Worked like a charm for my "well-traveled" bag

 

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sbflyinghook/detail?.dir=1a79&.dnm=5a1cre2.jpg

 

That is a beautiful bag.

 

I am going to print off all the instructions here and try it in my front loader.

 

I am using a different yarn than called for in the pattern. I couldn't wait for it to be mailed, so I am using Lamp's Pride. I have one more row to finish the purse and I want to make a matching cell-phone holder. I hope it have it all done by the end of the week.

 

Thanks everyone for the help.

[Appliejuice]

I've made a lot of crocheted felted handbags and, personally, I like them to be well-felted. Mine are about 3/8" thick and you cannot see the stitches at all. They are like a very, very thick wool felt. I find that I need to make my original crocheted project about a third to 50% larger than the size that the felted finished item will end up being.

 

I am thinking this is the way I will like my bags, but I didn't make it larger than the pattern called for. If I don't like this one, I'll give it away and make another.

 

Thanks for the link to the article.