How to make felt balls with Rachael Greenland
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 เม.ย. 2011
- www.rachaelgreenland.co.uk. Felt ball tutorial.
A simple tutorial video showing you how easy it is making felt balls using merino rovings (fleece), soap, hot water, and a blackbird. What you do with them is up to you - let your imagination run wild. Part of the fun is the felting, part is enjoying the colours, and the rest is up to you.
It's a fun project to do with children or granny - just check the hot water isn't too hot! The only limit is your imagination when you decide what you want to make with them afterwards - earrings, mats, garlands, necklaces, bracelets, embellishment on banners or bunting, there really is no limit.
Come and join me over at The Textile Tutor on Facebook for more videos and tutorials - / thetextiletutor , and check out my blog to see what I'm up to today with textiles, dogs, and getting creative. www.rachaelgreenland.co.uk - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Lovely clear video and sound - thank you blackbird for the accompaniment!
Many thanks - I'm going to try this!
Penny
x
Oh my word! This is such a lovey video! Your accent, the balls, the tea pot and birds chirping in the background, lol! So adorable and I can't wait to make a million felt balls to do some fun crafty thing :)
Ooh, thank you! As a complete novice (wool just arrived in post now!) I thought the only way to get these little balls was to have needle felted them. This must save some time! Inspiring, thank you.
I have a huge load of roving that I washed and is much too ruined to knit a blanket out of. I am so excited to create some poms out of my roving - makes me feel better about it not going to waste. Thank you for this tutorial!
Thank you Rachael for the wonderful tutorial.
This worked like a charm! I know it's been quite some time, but thank you so much for posting this! I feel a lot less frustrated that I failed with needle felting :)
You are very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.
@westinmiyako These are dyed merino tops. Merino is a great wool for felting as it is soft, has a good length of staple (fibre) and felts quickly.
I use warm water because I have Raynauds and cold water is too much to cope with! To get a really firm felt you can alternate between hot and cold which "shocks" the fibres and can make them felt more, but it's entirely up to you which temperature you prefer. I just go for comfort!
I leave my felt balls on a towel to dry naturally.
love the tutorial, your bird sounds from outside are just beautiful
I love our blackbirds - they make the spirit soar.
Beautiful, thanks for the tutorial.
One must never underestimate what the liquid song of a blackbird can add to this process!
Fab tutorial especially smashing the ball with the bottom of bottle...LOL. Thank you so much 😀 x
Lovely tutorial and lovely birdsong! When you find a fissure, other than smashing it with the bottle, do you ever add a wisp of merino and continue felting? I'm a newbie, and I'm interested in different approaches to cracks. Thanks so much!
Absolutely lovely I make glass beads but also want to make felt beads thank you so very much for the video.
Thank you for the lovely tutorial! I can't wait to try this out. I'm going to make little felted balls for acorn ornaments as present for teachers.
Oh, Rachael! Such talent! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you're a felter too. Such talent!
I would probably suggest that I have a low attention span and have a way of flirting between crafts!
She begins with fibers (probably wool) that have been dyed and brushed out to form that loose rope that she pulls them from. It is not felt until she felts it! You can find fiber like this at most specialty yarn stores.
There is no specific ratio - I just do it by feel, so that the fibres are able to slip over each other and my hands don't stick. Some like more, others less. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful on that one!
I'm glad you like the tutorial. It was great fun making it, especially with my friend the blackbird chipping in in the the background!
Gosto, è bonito, e ficam ideias Boas.
thank you so much! can't wait to try this!
Thank you for this easy to follow tutorial, fab!
You are welcome!
Great. Thanks. Love the birdie noises in the background. :-)
Victoria bakss
very nice, thank you
Anything soapy will do - I sometimes use a bar of soap. A little goes a long way!
Happy felting.
I love felt products. The video is very Informative. Thanks for the video :)
The soap helps the fibres to move over each other and changes the Ph, the heat from the water opens up the scales, and the rubbing ensures that everything locks together. If you have a lot of froth you may be using too much soap, and it also makes life harder when it comes to rinsing it out at the end.
Hi,
What kind of soap do you use?
It IS fun! I hope to make more videos in the future; I am in the process of setting up a studio where it will be easier to demonstrate larger pieces of felt, and also putting kits together for people to try it for themselves.
Have you done any felting? Are you tempted to try if you haven't?
R
Thanks for sharing! great video
Thanks! Very informative.
It's a good name!
Thank you so much
I first time seen this.
Are you going to have a go? It's great fun!
Hi Rachael - great tutorial, thank you
do you use a watered down detergent or a concentrated one? i notice you had used ecover. is that washing detergent or washing up liquid?
Wow, is it THAT simple?! Thanks for showing :D
It IS that simple! I shall be making more videos soon to demystify other techniques. Have fun!
Rachael Greenland
HI Rachael :)
Why does everyone use soap? What does soap do?
Thanks :)
xXnoXx The soap helps the individual fibres move over one another which increases the chances of the scales catching and enmeshing with others. It also raises the PH which makes felting possible.
Have you tried it yet?
I really enjoyed making felt balls with this video.
Oh my gosh!!! I have that same mug!!!!
Thanks for the tutorial, is the rinsing water in the jug hot or cold? Do they just dry naturally at the end? Thanks again.
What sort of felt are you after and what do you need it for?
No. It has to be wool (it is covered in scales which open up with heat, bonding together with agitation. Acrylic fibres are smooth and do not bond together (unless melted with high heat).
Merino is the easiest wool to work with, but other wools will felt too (although they require more effort).
If you can't get the fleece, you could using knitting wool (but ensure it is wool, not synthetic), wind it into a ball and follow the instructions on the video.
Have fun!
This is fabulous and fabulously easy! Is it possible to make the felt balls considerably larger- say 5 cm or so- will they stay together? Thanks! Diane
thanks so much - very good tutorial - and i thought it was so extremely difficult and needed all kinds of needles and things.
can you use yarn - pulled apart a whole lot? thanks much :} n.b. love the birds. . .
Thank ! It's helpful
Great video, very helpful! Can you add layers to make them bigger without them peeling or falling apart?
You would need to layer them at the start, or certainly early on as once it starts to felt additional layers may peel away.
You can make large ones by rolling wool into the large ball, and then tying it into the nylon sock and securing with a rubber band or thread. Then put it through one or two washing cycles and the dryer.
Could you use offcuts from knitting projects and the like or does it have to be roving?
Harder than I expected! 😊
thank you for this
This was amazing ! Thank you
You're welcome.
What kind of soap do you use do you use fairy up liquid or soap you use to wash your hands with
Either will do. You can either add a squirt to the water, or grate part of a bar of soap into it then swoosh it around to dissolve it.
The key is to take the first stages slowly. If you scrunch the wool up too soon you'll quickly get cracks. What size are you doing? Have you experimented with putting wool into the foot of some tights, tying it off and putting it in the washing machine? You may get the desired effect, or you may end up with a squiffy felted shape! I haven't tried it myself, but it sounds a fun technique.
I would start small and gradually build up the size of felt ball - it might identify when the cracks show.
im impressed that you take the time to make as many balls as one beeds to maje that round carpet. I think, yarn bslls are much easier f or me. less expensive I think too? Happy Hollidays...
Yes, wondering where is the best place to buy Merino wool?
πολυ ωραια η ιδεα
Thank you
Thank you :)
Thanks a lot
super 😄wow
What ratio is the soapy water? Thank-you for this video!
Rachael could you send me info on where you get your felt or your felt kits?
so helpful!
what r u using in your clip of making the Dryer Balls ?
Here 2023 !!
here 2024 :3
Love the tutorial, for todays stupid question... do you just let them air dry? and can you make pebbles (without actual pebbles inside) the same way please?
I love colorful things ... but what do you do with these balls once you make them? What are they for? I see them all over Pinterest and have no idea what they're used for!
Lindos!! Podría informar cuál es el nombre de ese material? Es lana? Gracias
If you are able to wait a week or so, I will be putting some kits together and you can get them from me. Do you have a colour preference?
Bonjour, le produit vous le prenez ou?
I've never made them bigger, but it would be possible. I'd suggest starting them off smaller and adding layers; you will need to ensure that you avoid felting each layer too much but you will need to do it enough that the whole ball doesn't collapse or get wrinkles and grooves.
Let me know how you get on.
Very nice easy way to make beautiful balls
That's neat. I'm already used to rolling balls with clay that way. Well minus the soapy water and pounding with a bottle lol. Heidi
can you tell me what material to start with? thank you!
I'm in the UK. Where are you?
Do let me know how they turn out.
Is there a special type of felt? The felt squares they sell in Cali are pressed and don't appear as thread like.
Hi Rachael, can I ask is the soapy water a specific ratio of soap to water? Or maybe it's not important! Thank you for your lovely and very clear tutorial :)
Do you know what the soap is for? Is it possible with only hot water?
The video is great. I wish I could get rid of my "cracks" that easily. I have tried felting a thin layer over them and that seems to work.
It's a little hard to hear you, but I keep "re-winding" and trying to listen again.
Yours are all so even!
Thanks!
Dryer balls?
Where do u buy the felt wool?
hi! what a interesting video. I'd like to know whats the first liquid that u used. Thanks from Argentina :)
+Sofia Andía mixture of water and soap
I want to make a wool felt necklace for my daughter. Do you know about how many balls 1oz will make? I guess I'm just trying to verify that it is cheaper to make them than to buy wool felt balls. thanks
About how many grams would the felt fibres that you start with? I am going to buy some and want to know how many balls 10g would make me. Thankyou
I'm in Canada where would I buy this type of felt never heard or saw it before .
Gwen Johnson You can order it online or most craft stores sell it.
What do you use for the soapy water? What Ratio?
Hey, it a nice tutorial.
Can we do this with cotton ? if we don't find felt wool
Cotton won't felt. It needs to be wool, but you can wind a ball of yarn and felt that instead.
Thanks for this! Can you tell me where I can buy fleece online and what kind? What I should look for.
Wool roving
Can you make bigger balls with same method? I remember bigger balls from Waldorf circles in Germany. Also, I want to make from my cat's fur? I have seen other crafts from cat fur so why not?
I'd want them to make the balls from scratch as it's so much fun. You'll obviously need to ensure that the water is hot, but not so hot as to damage their little hands. It's the agitation as much as anything which felts - you just have to work a little harder! I've felted many a jumper on a cool wash...
World of Wool in Huddersfield have a great range and ship worldwide.
hello Rachel, great tutorial, my English is not good, what kind of water is on the plastic bottle, on the plastic jar and in the kettle?
In plastic bottle just warm soapy water - clean cool water in jug for rinsing and I in the kettle more hot water to help bind
Is this cotton wool or fibre? Please help. I have never seen this kind of felt before.
por k lo traducen y que material es ????
Ella esta usando lana
IT LOOKS SO FUN.... It's just soapy water in the beg. Right? And can u do more tutorials and make diffrent shapes and and animals and stuff?? Thanx :D
Hey, nice tutorial - just wondering how hard the balls are once they have dried completely? I'm planning on making a bedroom rug with these :)
If they are well felted they will be firm. If they are less well felted they will be softer. To be used as a rug you'll need to get them felted as much as you can so that they don't squoosh down when you walk on them.
Thanks for the advice :)
:3 looks fun..... :3
things required?
name plz
how do you make sure each ball will be the same diameter?
Are they light-weight?
Luckily for me, felting is not a precision art! I use about half a bottle of water and a small squirt of soap - so that would be about 1/3 - 1/2 pint water and 1/2 teaspoon of soap. You could also just rub a bar of soap on your hands, it's only to help the fibres move around a little more to give them a chance to find another strand to stick to.
You'll know when there is too much soap as you'll get foam!
That's great but what wool do you use and where did I get it thanks
She used felting wool, you can either get it online or at your local craft center if they supply it.
I use Merino tops, which is one of the easier ones to felt. Whereabouts are you? I can get details of your nearest supplier or best online store. I also have a few kits available to make the felt balls.