The Dodo Blog

We know that the amount of shrinkage in wet felting depends on many variables. Among the most important are:

• The wool type: breed, microns, fiber length. Fine wool shrinks more than coarser wool.
• The number of wool layers: if they’re odd or even, how many you lay. Also, thin layers shrink more than thick ones.
• The layout method: chevron will shrink more than the traditional layout, for example.
• Decoration: if you add silk, viscose, fabric, or pre-felts.
• Fulling methods: which ones you use, how many times, in which direction, was it evenly fulled, was it fully fulled. Aggressive fulling methods cause more shrinkage than less aggressive ones, as well as more fiber migration.
• Even the water temperature and the way the wool is dyed can influence the way it shrinks.

So, the only way to know what your results will be is to make samples before beginning a project, unless you always work with the same wool type, so you get to know very well how it behaves.

After you’ve...

Are you having issues making the edges of your felted projects straight and neat? I know, that’s one of the challenges for us felt makers.

Of course, it’s always possible to cut the felt and heal the edges. But it doesn’t look as nice.

Besides, sometimes, the reason why our felt doesn’t have neat edges is because we made them too thin. In those cases, cutting them doesn’t solve the problem.

So, the only way to really be happy with the edges of our felt is to make them perfect from the start.

If that’s something that has been giving you some headaches, you’ll enjoy this video.

Here are 7 easy-to-follow tips that you can apply in your next felting project to make the edges straight and neat:

Tip 1 – Lay the wool out with the thicker ends on the template edge to have a straight line from the beginning.

Tip 2 – Lay the wool out evenly. This way the wool will also felt evenly.

Tip 3 – Rub the edges from the beginning. We tend to...

As you know, wet felting has a long History. But it’s also true that some of the most incredible advancements only happened in the last decades.

After wet felting was rediscovered as a promising material for designers sometime in the 80s, people of all backgrounds have picked it up and reshaped it with fresh ideas.

We’re all incredibly lucky that some amazing creatives have explored this ancient technique and given it their own touch, adding other materials to wool, and fusing other textile techniques with felt.

I think we shouldn’t take this for granted, so I’m always interested in discovering who are the artists responsible for this rich world we now have at our fingertips.

One of these amazing artists is Polly Stirling. You might not know who she is. But I’m sure you know the technique she created. Polly is none other than the inventor of nuno felting.

Need I say anything else?

If you are interested in knowing how it all happened, here’s a...

A good wool layout is essential for many reasons. It’ll give your work stability, and it’ll guarantee your felt is even. It’s also the secret to a fine drapable piece with a beautiful finishing.

Here’s a video showing you exactly how to create the perfect layout. If you don’t feel confident with this part of felting yet, why not spend some time just making samples to practice.

You don’t have to waste any wool with this exercise. You could just pre-felt the samples and use these pieces of pre-felt for future projects.

Nuno felting is an extremely versatile technique, especially because it fuses two different materials with different qualities: wool and fabrics.

This alone allows us to create infinite combinations and play with texture, transparency, color, patterns, and variations of drapability. It’s even possible to apply other materials between the wool and the fabrics, in particular if you’re using transparent fabrics.

So, I wanted to show you some of my pieces, to give you concrete examples of how you can use nuno felting to play with all these possibilities in your own work, and hopefully spark some new ideas.

To make things easier, I’ve divided my pieces into 3 groups and talk about each one separately.

1. Examples of finer pieces, in which you use the fabric as a base and then apply wool just on some areas. Obviously, this is the variant that has more drapability and transparency. So, it’s particularly good for scarves and shawls, or blouses and dresses, as well as...

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about nuno felting. I know that one challenge that often comes up is getting the wool to attach perfectly to the fabric. So, I’ve created a short video with my 3 most effective tips to ensure that wool and fabric will bond.

Choosing the right materials is crucial, but there are a couple of simple techniques that make a huge difference. These techniques are tried and tested in my own work, and I'm confident that, if you implement them, you’ll never have to worry about this problem again.

I’m really excited about this week’s topic because I find there aren’t many wet felters exploring it. And that’s the usage of batts for wet felting.

Batts are more commonly used in needle felting, but they’re definetely worth exploring in wet felting too.

When applied right, batts can:

• save you so much time and effort, since the layout is a lot less laborious than it is for tops
• help you achieve a more even layout

Also, if you're open to wet felting with batts as well as tops, you'll have a wider choice in colors, since often suppliers have a different color palett for batts and tops. And, in my experience, they produce a felt that is a bit different from the one made with tops: less shiny but smoother.

These are 3 new lessons about 3 different ways to lay wool batts, when to use them, as well as the advantages of working with them.

So, if this is something that sparks interest for you, you can access this week’s lessons by signing up for the ...

Yes! That's right. I've been working on a free felting membership and it's now available for you to enjoy :)

You see, I’ve been blogging and vlogging about wet felting for over a decade. And what I’ve noticed is that in those formats, it’s easy to lose track of what I’ve already covered since the information is scattered everywhere.

I also wanted a place where you could ask me questions in a way that other felters could also benefit from the answers. So, after considering the pros and cons of the different platforms, I decided this would be the best way to have everything under the same roof.

It's called The Dodo Sandbox because it's a place for you to play, experiment and grow your felting skills :)

The membership area is divided into the “core training” and different chapters or modules, each dedicated to a different topic. When you enter the members’ area, that’s exactly what you see.

Of course, I’ll be creating new...

The NEW online course "Felted Flower Jewelry & Hair Accessories" is now open for registration.

The class begins next Saturday and has a duration of 2 weeks. As usual, you have lifetime access to the course, including all updates, with no extra charge.

If it sounds interesting to you, just click the links to access the details and sign up.

Have any questions? Send me an email and tell me what's on your mind :)

Talk soon!

After finally relaxing from the experience of confinement and COVID, I returned to work at the beginning of September. My 2 weeks break took me to the Camino de Santiago - the Camino Frances - where I was surrounded by Nature and quiet.

Maybe that's what made me want to start felting flowers again :) So, I picked up some of my short video workshops and did a total makeover, converting them into a NEW flower jewelry and hair accessories course.

I had lots of fun exploring shape and color, and I created very simple, as well as more sophisticated flowers.

If you find this an interesting topic, I invite you to take a look at the class details. Registration opens tomorrow, September 25th. The course starts on October 2nd and has the duration of 2 weeks.

Feel free to respond to this email if you have any questions.

Talk soon!