Iām working on a new class that is meant to help felt makers go all the way (smoothly) from total beginner to intermediate. If youāve recently started wet felting or youāve been felting for a while, but still feel like there are many gaps in your knowledge, this may be for you.
But Iāll need some time until I can offer it, since I havenāt created it yet. Iām working on the class outline for now. And Iād like to invite you to participate in the creation of the class materials. JustĀ 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: Iām 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 ...
Today weāre looking at what I see as the last two pieces of the pricing puzzle. If you havenāt read the first part of this series, I recommend you do so, since todayās blog post builds on the first one.
But, before we start, Iād like to address the questions I got from last weekās article. They mainly focused on how to account for certain costs. Now, I canāt go into individual cases. Firstly, because I donāt know your business. Even if youāre a felt maker, every business is different.
And itās also a fact that different countries have different laws. So, if you feel like you canāt do this alone, I recommend you do some research, talk to other people in your area or even consult with an accountant. Getting an education on these matters is part of being in business. And so is getting a trustworthy accountant. At the beginning, they can advise you on these things, and slowly take new roles as your business grows.
But letās get back to this weekās topic. Knowing how to calculate the pri...
You probably know me as a wet felting teacher, because I havenāt sold my work for a long time. But, for years, I mainly felted and offered my pieces in markets, on Etsy and in shops specializing in handmade items.
Lately, Iāve been considering going back to creating work to sell. And this has made me look at my pricing strategy again.
How to price your art or your handmade work is something thatās widely discussed not only among felt makers, but artists in general. It stirs up emotions and can sometimes even become controversial. The internet is full of different ideas, but there doesn't seem to be much consensus.
Now, itās not that I think I have the perfect solution for this. And I have yet to test my pricing ideas. But many years have passed, and Iāve gained a lot more experience, spoken to many people and read a lot on the subject. So, fortunately, I now see this topic in a different light.
Since I know that many of my students and people who read my blog are also selling or pl...
Have you noticed the BABY classes are back?
Many of you have been asking to have the baby booties class separately. Youāve also showed interest in having it available āon demandā, which is understandable, since babies grow fast š
So, Iāve listened to your requests and created two separate classes: āComfy Baby Booties & Tiny Baby Mittensā and āSweet Baby Jacket & Daisy baby Hatā. Theyāre already available and can be purchased at any time.
Theyāre now in a DIY version, and the videos and PDFs are downloadable. Just click on the images below to be taken to the course information.
Whether youāre planning to enroll in the class or not, hereās some information that may be useful for you.
As I reopened the baby courses to enrolment, it was brought to my attention that some of the designs are not compliant with the safety standards of many countries. I was very grateful for these contacts, since this is something I was previously unaware of.
I decided to do some internet research to un...
Have you ever had one of these issues while wet felting?
If youāre unsure which methods or equipment to use for fulling, I recommend you donāt just follow what youāve seen someone doing. Your project may be completely different, so it may need different fulling methods as well.
Itās not that thereās an exact recipe for the fulling methods to use. But, as a general rule of thumb, delicate pieces need delicate felting and fulling, and sturdy projects need methods that are more āaggressiveā.
Think of it like youād think of your laundry: do you wash a pair of thick jeans the same way you wash a cashmere cardigan?
This week Iāve prepared a couple of examples for you to give you some guidelines on this topic. Aga...
I think the importance of prefelts in wet felting is sometimes underestimated. Prefelts are extremely useful and thereās no end to how you can apply them in your wet felting projects. So, mastering how to make them exactly as you want for a particular piece can massively improve your work.
Letās have a look at some of the many ways prefelts can be used, as well as a couple of tips to apply them successfully.
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PREFELTS FOR NUNO FELTING
In most cases, nuno felted pieces decorated with crisp designs are created with prefelts. But prefelts are a bit more difficult to attach to silk than unfelted wool.
So, to make it work, you need to:
to give the wool fibers time to migrate into the silk.
The most effective felting technique in this case is sanding, since it creates a lot of pressure, that accelerates the fiber migration through the fabric.
If you run into issues, and some parts of your prefelts arenāt a...
As you may know, Iāve been working on a blog series about prefelts. Iāve started by going into what prefelts are, as well as explaining the differences between commercial and handmade prefelts.
The next post in the series dealt with what you need to pay attention to when making prefelts to use in other projects.
And Iāll finish this collection next week by going deeper into how you can use prefelts, what type of projects you can use them for, as well as the best felting techniques for making them.
But, before that, I wanted to answer the questions that I received from you about this topic. So, today weāll have a format thatās a bit different from what I usually do: a simple Q&A.
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Q: I am very curious about prefelts - especially as a new wet felter. When is something prefelt? Or what is the prefelt stage? Ā Iād like to create some prefelt in order to place onto my work and felt everything together. How do I do that?
A: A prefelt is any stage between the moment (in the felting ...
As weāve seen last week, a prefelt is a partially felted piece of wool felt. That means, itās made in the exact same way as a piece of felt. The only difference is the degree to which itās compacted.
I usually make my prefelts by wet felting Merino tops. For some projects, I have also needle felted wool batts. This second method is a way of imitating the industrial prefelts. But I find itās only a good option for small projects.
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What do you need to pay attention to when making a prefelt to use in other projects?
1. Evenness
Itās important to create your prefelts with an even thickness. If this is difficult for you, start by training your layout skills.
Do you need help with this? You can find everything you need to train your layout skills in the blog post āResources To Help You Perfect Your Layoutā. (Click link or image to access!)
2. Thickness
The thickness of your prefelt will depend on which projects youāll be applying it to.
If your goal is to use it to create any kin...
Years ago, I wrote a couple of blog posts about prefelts, but there are many details I didnāt mention back then. Since I still get a lot of questions about the topic, I thought it would make sense to write a new, more complete and up to date series.
This first part caters to new felt makers, who I know are often a bit confused about prefelts.
If youāre more experienced, this won't be new to you. But, as I explore the topic further, there'll be more details that may be useful for you too. So, I recommend keeping an eye on the rest of the series, if this is a topic that interests you.
Weāll start by looking at what prefelts are, and then talk about how and when to use them. So, let's dive in!
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WHAT ARE PREFELTS?
As the name suggests, a prefelt is a partially felted piece of wool felt. In other words, itās simply a stage in the wet felting process before the fibers fully compact.
That, of course, means a prefelt can be further felted. And that is precisely why prefelts are so inte...
After youāve learnt the basics of wet felting ā how to make flat felt and how to make a simple shape with a resist ā itās tempting to think that all you need to learn next is which shape a resist must have or which technique to use for a particular project. Iād argue that, before you think (or even while you're thinking) about those aspects, the next thing to do is master the layout.
In fact, I can say with total certainty that the moment I understood this and started working on my layout, was the moment my felt massively improved. I know I run the risk of being annoying for insisting on this. But I would love to support you in becoming a better felt maker, so I accept that risk.
There are two ways you can work on your layout. You can either spend some time making samples or just go ahead and work on your technique while making a piece. I know most felt makers avoid sampling, but I still think itās the best way to perfect your work, and save time and materials. But thatās up to you...
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