Fabulous "Feather Weight" Felted Scarves
These scarves have to be seen to believe! They are light as air, warm and so pretty you will make them over and over again. A beautiful fabric that takes so little of luxury fiber! You will learn how to plan your scarf, prepare your fibers, lay them out, felt and full them. This is an all day workshop.
This is a very "physical" class! Be sure and wear loose comfy clothes with tennis shoes. Non-slip shoes and no sandals, please. We will be rolling the felt in the matt four to five times. Each "roll" will be about 5 minutes in length
Cost of class: $60.00 plus a $20.00 supply fee. This includes the cost of your rolling mat, wet-out cloth and felting plastic, which you will use many times.
Supplies to bring to class:
(bring notebook, pen or pencil and a medium permanent marker)
1. 3 ounces of wool top or roving**, natural color or dyed—choose from the following:
Merino Top or Roving
Merino / Silk Top or Roving
Merino / Tencel Top or Roving
Merino / Alpaca Top or Roving
**Please bring Merino for this workshop! In the blends listed above, I prefer the Merino to be no less than 70% of the preparation. Be sure that the fibers are NOT superwash. Superwash fibers will NOT felt!
2. You may bring some fibers for embellishment. Small amounts of any natural or dyed silk roving or top, tencel top, mohair top, some soft spun wool yarn, firestar or Angelina flash. Again, make sure none is superwash!
3. A measuring tape (a yardstick is optional, but helpful)
4. A plastic squirt bottle. I like to use the water bottles that have the pull squirt top. An empty and rinsed clear dishwashing liquid bottle will do.
5. Two pantyhose legs
6. A plastic dish tub. One just large enough to hold your rinse water, and rinse your scarf.
7. 2 LARGE thirsty towels
Click on photos below for enlarged picture
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CLASS TOPICS
FELTING FIBERS
1. What makes felt? What is fulling?
2. How to select good felting wools
3. How to sample your felting wools
4. How to figure out rates of shrinkage
5. Other kinds of scarf felts: lace, semi-lace and nuno felting (examples)
PLANNING YOUR PROJECT, DYEING YOUR FIBERS
Some points to consider when planning your design
Special handling procedures for dyeing super fine fibers (Merino)
PREPARATION
1. Mixing your wetting solution
2. Preparing your mat
LAYOUT
1. Properly drafting your fibers
2. Directionality & considerations
3. Layering
4. Fringe considerations and options
5. Pay special attention to those edges
6. Proper wetting procedure
FELTING
1. Rolling up, and mat rolling
2. How to test for initial bonding
3. How to manage those edges, spot felting
4. MORE rolling and TESTING, proper wetting
5. Fulling
FINISHING TECHNIQUES