The Dodo Blog

Last week I did a short introduction to nuno felting, on how to choose the right materials and a couple of other tips to help you start experimenting with the technique.

Today, I’d like to show you some examples of samples I made before I decided to felt a bigger piece, what materials I chose for them and what went right/wrong.

I’d like to start with the samples where the wool covered the whole fabric surface, just because I find it an easier way to start than just applying stripes, dots or any kind of other motives on the fabric, since the smaller the area that the wool covers, the more difficult it is to make it attach properly to the woven surface.

Sample 1 – This is probably the easiest of them all to get good results. I used an extra-fine green merino and a white cheese cloth for this. Since this type of cloth has a very open weave, the fine merino fibers have no problem attaching to it. I find it produces a very interesting surface, that could look great on a...

I often get questions about nuno felting, so I’d like to share a couple of tips to help you start experimenting, and to get the feeling for it, especially if it’s something entirely new for you.

Nuno felting is a very recent felting method, and it was developed when designers rediscovered felting, and started playing with new ways to use this old textile technique. It was developed by Polly Stirling in the 90s, when she combined the traditional wet felting with light fabrics, like silk for example. In her own words:

‘In 1990 I became entranced by the myriad of transformations of the rich and ancient textile called felt. I spent most of the ensuing decade seeing what new forms could evolve, as appropriate for the subtropics of Australia where I had lived for nearly 20 years. The techniques I developed for making lightweight felts soon led to experiments combining other materials, and in 1994 my assistant Sachiko Kotaka and I developed the technique we termed...

I’ve been working in a new video workshop, which I hope to finish and post in the next couple of weeks. And the video tutorial I bring you today will be part of this workshop.

I wanted to share it with you, because I know there are so many questions about how to make a pre-felt.

Hope you enjoy it!

Talk to you soon!

Even if you’re more experienced in wet felting, you’ll still have projects that don’t go the way you planned. Sometimes that can lead to surprising results and to discovering a new technique, but sometimes they just turn into something you’re not happy about.

So, the question is ‘what went wrong?’ I often say that wool has a mind of its’ own. That’s actually one of the beauties of felting. But it’s also true that so many times the cause for a ‘failed’ project is you didn’t pay enough attention to a part of the process.

In some cases, you can still ‘save’ the piece, but the best way to deal with this is to know where things can go wrong. This way you can avoid running into problems in the first place.

Now, we know there are 5 important factors for wet felting: 1) wool, 2) soap, 3) moisture, 4) temperature and 5) pressure. So, if something went wrong with the process, we can assume that something went...

I now know that several people have had problems finding the password for downloading the videos when they’ve bought a video workshop in my Etsy shop. So, I thought it would make sense to write a short post to make your downloads easier.

So, here’s how buying a digital item on Etsy works. After you’ve paid for your workshop, you get immediate access to all the PDFs included in the tutorial. But Etsy doesn’t allow sellers to upload videos, so the only way is to upload them on another website. I use Vimeo for this.

That means that every video tutorial has at least one PDF with the downloading instructions. It starts with a short text about the workshop, followed by a photo of the item you’ll learn to felt and the Vimeo links. STRAIGHT AFTER THE LINKS YOU FIND THE PASSWORD. So, you’ll have to scroll down to the end of the document to find it. But it’s there. I promise!

So, summing it up:

1. Download the PDF.
2. Click on each link in the PDF and a...

The video workshop on the English Rose Brooch is available in my Etsy shop as of today. If you are more of a visual person, this is definitely the best option.

If you’d like to know more about the workshop, check out the video introduction.

Are you on the Dodo email list? If so, you’ll be getting an email shortly with a coupon code you can use in the next two weeks. It’ll give you access to 25% off not only on the new video workshop, but on any product in the shop. Enjoy!

You might have noticed I haven’t posted last week. The thing is I’m in the middle of moving to a new apartment, so I have a lot going on. This means I won’t be posting as often during the summer, but I promise to bring you something new whenever it’s possible.

Meanwhile, you can keep in touch through email.

Talk to you soon!

About two months ago I published the English Rose PDF tutorial. But if you prefer seeing how all the details are made, there’s a huge advantage in video. And that’s why I’m now releasing the English Rose Video Workshop.

Here’s the introduction, to give you a taste of what you can expect.

The English Rose is a flower that has been designed primarily to be applied on brooches. But you can use it for hair accessories or anything else you might think of. And, of course, you can make bigger or smaller versions of it.

What’s particular about this workshop is that you’ll be learning how to wet felt a flower that is extremely light weight, but resistant at the same time. And that’s all due to this mix technique (needle and wet felting) and the wool type I use.

This is an intermediate level workshop, so you should have experience felting and feel confident with the wool already. The project should take you about 3 to 4 hours to complete.

You’ll...

I’m a felter at heart, so, like you, I love wool. I love its softness, its textures and its warmth. You know that smell when you’re wet felting? I adore that too (and I bet I’m not alone).

But wool is even more than that. It’s a wonder fiber created by Nature.

So, if you like to understand how things work and you’re a bit of a geek like me, I think you’ll enjoy today’s video.

Because of the structure of its fiber, wool is naturally flame resistant. That’s why it’s an excellent fiber when it comes to fire safety.

Of the commonly used textile fibers, wool is recognized as the most flame resistant. Here are some of its particular properties, when it comes to fire:

•  It has a very high ignition temperature of around 600° C
• It needs a high oxygen level to sustain combustion
•  It releases a low amount of heat energy when it burns
•  It doesn’t melt nor stick when it burns
•  And it’s...