The Dodo Blog

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...

I often get questions about felting in the comment section of my YouTube channel. Yesterday, one came up that I thought deserved a longer answer. Since it’s a frequently asked question, it made sense to me to write a blog post on the topic.

Here’s what Kathleen McKinney wanted to know: “How do you know if you’ve felted and fulled enough? How do you know when an item is finished?”

As it’s often the case in wet felting, I have to start by saying that it depends on what you’re making.

The general answer would be “do the pinch test”. If you pinch the surface of your felt and the fibers don’t lift any more, that means your felt is ready (see video).

But there’s more to it than that, so let’s go into more details for different items:

• Felted ball – If you’re felting a ball, I recommend you do the “bounce test” to make sure it’s ready. More on that in this blog post.
• Pre-felt...

Today I’ve got a fun tutorial that shows you how to wet felt a ball necklace for children. It’s called Kid’s Dots, and it’s a piece I’ve sold for a long time. Now you get to see how it’s done (for FREE)

I decided to film this project because Stacy Tavassoli from Truly Majestic invited me to create a tutorial for her arm knitting community. Arm knitting is done with big amounts of wool roving, the same we use for wet felting. But it produces lots of scraps that you can’t use for knitting any more.

So here it is for you. It’s an easy tutorial, which is great for beginners. You won’t need much equipment. Actually, you probably have everything you need at home already. And it shows you 10 tips that are useful for other felting projects.

I’d love to see how your necklaces turned out, so click here to send me your photos

Have fun!

P.S.: The special Mother’s Day Pack is a 2 for 1 pack for crafty moms, that is only...

And we’ve arrived at part 7 of this video series about the basic shapes in wet felting. This last video compares making a flat felt with wool batts vs making it with wool tops.

I really hope this has been useful for you and that you refer to these short workshops every time you’re not clear about some of the basics. That’s why I spent so many hours making them for you.

This is also the first video I’ve posted with Portuguese subtitles

After some trial months, the initial concept I had of sending out a newsletter with the same content I publish here has changed a bit. I’ll go on sending out the email notifications with the blog content every two weeks. But, because I want to offer my subscribers something special, I’ll also be sending you some exclusive content with insider information, videos to download or the occasional special price. Still, because I want to deliver great value, this will not happen every week, so it’ll be somewhat...

Hey there! Welcome to part 6 of this video series. We’re in the final stretch, and today we’re going to talk about how to make a sheet or flat felt with wool tops.

This is probably the most important part of the series, because this is the type of shape we most often use in wet felting.

The 3 main new pieces of information you’ll get from today’s video are a little trick that’ll help you with future nuno felt projects, how to get straight edges (you’ll need this when making hats or bags!) and what’s the pinch test.

Meanwhile, the videos for next month are already done I can’t wait to show you what’s coming up!!!

And remember I’m taking your questions at the moment and answering them on video, so keep sending those emails!

Hi! I’m back with another video on the basics of wet felting. Now you’ll have the chance to compare felting a ball with wool tops (the last example I showed you) to felting it with wool batts. I personally find the batts easier to work with for this form. I’d love to know what your preferences are, so make sure you share on the comments.

There’ll be two other videos in this series and I’m already getting the next things on film. I’m starting a Q&A series, where you get to send me your questions about felting and I get to answer them. I have the first ones already, but I don’t wanna spoil the surprise.

So, if you’ve been having problems with your felting projects, just drop me an email and get your answer on video.

Talk to you soon!

“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” William Morris

So, what does this have anything to do with felt? Well, I believe the true secret for mastering any art or technique also lies in taking a genuine interest in all its details. I truly think you can’t expect to achieve big goals, if you’re not willing to look at the small things first.

And that’s why I’m back today with another video about the basic shapes in wet felting. This time I’m talking about how to wet felt a ball with wool tops.

Do you know

• why you should work with really thin layers?
• how to know the final size of the ball after shrinkage?
• what’s the “bounce test”?

Watch the video to find out!

Last time we looked at how to make a felt cord with a wool top. Today’s video shows you how different it is to felt it with a wool batt.

I find the first option easier but have a look and decide for yourself.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this video:

• How to correctly cut a wool batt
• How to get rid of creases when you’re felting with wool batts
• How much water and soap to use

Enjoy!

Here´s the second video of the series about basic shapes in wet felting.

I’m starting with how to felt a cord with wool tops. This is what you can learn:

• How to correctly cut a wool top
• How to know the final thickness of the cord after shrinkage
• How to felt the cord without getting cracks on it
• How much water and soap to use

I also share some ideas on how you can use a felted cord.

Hope you enjoy it!