The Dodo Blog

I frequently get emails from felt makers asking me if they can purchase only the patterns for my baby booties. When I taught how to make slippers, I was often asked if I’d sell only the patterns for the slippers.

I opted for never offering the resist patterns, the reason being that I’m for teaching people to make their own stuff and not keeping them coming back for everything they need.

So, I’ve always wanted to show felt makers how they could make their own resist patterns. For everything they want to felt!

Why should you learn to make your own patterns?

You probably have the experience of looking in vain for a specific pattern and having to make do with what you find.

You may also have noticed that, even if you managed to get a template from someone online, the size may not be the one you need. So, if you don't know what to do about it, the template will be useless.

If you've always wanted to make your own slippers, shoes or boots, but were never sure how you could make them...

Today’s video is the second one from a short series about my system to design resists for wet felting.

Last week, we looked at how we can transfer the measurements from a 3D object to a flat resist. If you didn’t have the chance to watch that video, please go back and watch it now because it’s important to be able to understand this week’s topic.

So, after designing the basic pattern, deciding on which wool type to use, how thick to lay it out, on the layout and fulling methods, it’s now time to:

6. Make a sample

7. Determine the shrinkage rate

8. Increase the pattern

9. And calculate the amount of wool for the project

Watch the video for more on how to make the sample and determine the shrinkage rate.

When we have our shrinkage rate, we can increase our base pattern to make a resist in the right size to account for shrinkage.

And, finally, we calculate the amount of wool we will need to felt our vase cover.

When all of this is planned, it’s time to finally felt the piece,...

What do you do when you need a resist for a new wet felting project? Do you find yourself desperately going through Facebook felting groups, YouTube channels and all over the Internet to find the right template for the piece you want to felt?

Or are you able to draw your patterns by yourself?

If you’re going around the internet looking for the template for the exact piece you want to make, you may be feeling pretty frustrated. First of all, you don’t always find it, and, many times – if you do find it – it’s not in the size you need.

So, I’d like to suggest that you consider that you can start making your own templates for the pieces you have in mind. After all, the felt makers, who sell the patterns or offer them for free, they make them as well. So, there is a way to develop your own resists for your projects.

The question is HOW!

There is, in fact, a system. If you understand how it works, I’m sure you can start making your own templates. So, I want to give you an idea of my pr...

About two years ago, I taught a class called RESISTS MADE EASY – A PROVEN SYSTEM TO DESIGN RESISTS FOR WET FELTING.

It covered how to make resists for shoes, clothes, hats, bags, gloves and vessels in all sorts of shapes.

It was well received and fun to teach. But, next, I started focusing more on 3D felting and so, I haven't come back to this class since.

Lately, I’ve had people asking about it, so I’m considering teaching it again.

This time, my idea would be to make separate classes for each of the topics (shoes, clothes, hats and vessels), but to go into a bit more detail. For example, I’m thinking about covering things like the ideal fiber for each type of piece.

Before I redesign the classes, I’d like to see how much interest there is. So, if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, could you email me or send me a message on social media, answering these two questions?

• Which type of resists would you like to learn to make?
• Which specific questions do you have a
...

So you had a look at the program, and now you’re thinking “Yes, one technique a month. But what do we really felt inside THE DODO HUB?”

I get that it may not be totally clear to you, so let me help you with that.

First, above there's a short video of some of the beautiful pieces made by the participants in the first months of THE DODO HUB to show you what you’ll be working on.

I want you to feel supported and that you’re in the right place, no matter where you are on your felting journey. So, THE DODO HUB adapts to the students and not the other way around.

Let me show you how, based on the example of module #1, Geometric Patterns. It’s planned like this:

• Week 1: Making samples (experiment with different techniques)
• Week 2: Making a bag (applying the techniques in 3D)
• Week 3: Making a rug (in Nomad technique)
• Week 4: Main takeaways + develop your own project

You can approach this module (or any other module) any way you want:

• Follow the suggested sequence in one month o
...

If you’ve been waiting to enroll in THE DODO HUB, I’ve got good news! The registration is open as of now.

Are you new to the DODO world, and not sure what THE DODO HUB is?

• It’s a comprehensive year-long program designed to take you from the intermediate level to an advanced and independent felt maker.
• Every month you get a module that gives you a deep understanding of a complex wet felting technique.
• You have the chance to felt multiple projects for each technique, share and discuss them in the community, as well as get feedback and support from me.

But there’s much more to THE DODO HUB. Have a look at this page to get all the details. And, as always, I’m here to answer any questions you may have. Just send me an email and let me know how I can help.

Are you looking for an original gift for someone who loves wet felting?

Look no further! Now, you can also purchase ANY of these classes as a gift for someone you love.

How does this work?

1. Click the links below to go to each course page.

• Star Anise Seed Pod
• Surface Design With Resists
• Felting Cubic Shapes
• Felting The Coral Vase

2. Click the BUY NOW button to be taken to the checkout page.

3. On the checkout page, select SEND AS A GIFT.

4. This will open up a gift menu, where you’ll enter the EMAIL ADDRESS of the person you’re sending this present to. You can also add a GIFT MESSAGE if you’d like, as well as SCHEDULE THE GIFT DELIVERY.

5. Then fill out the checkout form with your information and payment details and complete the purchase.

What will your gift recipient see?

6. Once the gift has been delivered to the recipient's email inbox, they must click the email and accept the gift. Once the gift has been accepted, they will be prompted to create a login and...

When I created THE DODO HUB, my year-long program, in 2023, many felt makers said that one year was too long for them. But they were interested in some of the topics covered in the program.

So, to give everyone the chance to participate, I started offering some of the classes separately. You’d get access to the class materials for 3 months and have a private Facebook group where you could ask questions and share photos of your work.

But many people aren’t on FB anymore and, to tell you the truth, I’m not happy with FB either. So, I’ve spent some time creating a better solution. And that’s what I have for you today. Plus, I’m offering it to you for a special price right now.

The registration for 4 classes is open as of today.

And, from now on, you get life-time access. So, you don’t have to worry if you can’t go through the materials in the next couple of months. You can take the classes whenever you want.

You also don’t have to be on Facebook anymore. You can get support f...

You may have seen the images of my anise pod and have been curious about how the shape is created. If that’s the case, I have good news. The class is available again!

About one year ago I opened this course for registration for the first time.

As you may know, I initially created it as part of the lessons on book resists in the THE DODO HUB annual program. But the particular shape of the piece caused curiosity, so I decided to open it up for non-members of TDH as well.

The registration is open until Friday (October 4^th).

You’ll not only be learning how to wet felt this beautiful seed pod, but you’ll also learn to design a book resist for your own project.

If it sounds interesting to you, but you have questions that aren’t covered on the course page, send me an email and let me know how I can help.

I’m working on a new class that is meant to help felt makers go all the way (smoothly) from total beginner to intermediate. If you’ve recently started wet felting or you’ve been felting for a while, but still feel like there are many gaps in your knowledge, this may be for you.

But I’ll need some time until I can offer it, since I haven’t created it yet. I’m working on the class outline for now. And I’d like to invite you to participate in the creation of the class materials. Just click here or on the image below to access the list of topics. Please let me know which ones are important to you and what you think may still be missing.

Just a last note: I’m considering an intermediate felter, someone who knows all the fundamentals, and is able to confidently felt on a resist, knows how to add fiber, fabric and other materials for embellishment and texture. All this while achieving high quality felt.

Thank you for taking a moment to answer the questions! To show you my appreciation for ...