Nuno felt with an electric sander
03 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in felt Tags: electric sander, nuno scarf, shibori
A friend of mine dropped in the other evening and ended up buying one of my scarves for another of her friends as a birthday present. As she hummed and hawed over which colour to choose, I suddenly realised that all my colour combinations are quite dark, probably because they suit my colouring and my preferences.
So, given how summery the weather has been recently, I thought I should make a few lighter, pastel-coloured scarves. And it would be a chance to see whether using the electric sander makes any difference on nuno felt.
So I laid out the wool on one side of the net, wetted it, turned it over, and laid the wool out on the other side. Then I sandwiched the whole scarf in bubble wrap, but instead of rubbing by hand I used the electric sander directly on the bubble wrap. First I sanded vertically for five seconds per patch, then horizontally, again for five seconds each time. I did this on both sides of the scarf, then rolled it, washed and rinsed as usual.
I’m happy to report that the sanding worked a treat. It knocked at least half an hour off the making time, as well as being much less stressful on my back. However, it is very noisy – I shall have to make myself some felt earplugs!
Just don’t tell ESP I’ve been using his sander again.
Finished scarf with shibori pleats
Felting with an electric sander
25 May 2011 2 Comments
in felt Tags: braided felt, electric sander, plaited felt
Yesterday I experimented with two new felt-making techniques: braiding and using an electric sander.
I followed the instructions in Fabulous Felted Scarves to make a sample braid, but just using two colours. I found this quite easy – maybe the recent experience of making woven baskets in class has helped! I used shorter and narrower strands of wool than recommended, as it was only a sample and I didn’t want to waste too much wool.
Wool braided before felting
After plaiting the wool, the book says you should lay it on bubble wrap, wet it, cover it with polyester net and then iron with a steam iron to increase the moisture and temperature of the wool. Given that I make lots of products from fusing bubble wrap and plastic using an iron, I wasn’t really sure that I could do this without melting the bubble wrap! So I put a really thick folded towel underneath the braid instead to absorb the moisture and heat from the iron.
After ironing, I left the net curtain on top of the wool and applied the electric sander. I applied it horizontally for three seconds first, then vertically for five seconds, and diagonally in each direction for another five seconds each. I did this along the whole length of the sample, then turned it over and repeated on the other side. I was a bit worried about damaging the wool and the net at first – it doesn’t seem right using a heavy piece of vibrating machinery on material so soft and apparently delicate – but everything seemed to survive.
After sanding, I rubbed for a bit, then rolled in bubble wrap as usual before kneading in hot water and rinsing.
The finished braided sample
My thoughts:
1. The piece hasn’t felted very evenly – you can still see individual strands of the pink wool, whereas the green wool has felted quite well. Both wools were merino from the same supplier – World of Wool – so it was probably my fault: I was worried about applying too much pressure with the sander, and should have rubbed and rolled for longer.
2. If I’m honest, I couldn’t see much difference in the sample after ironing the wool and after sanding it. Again, maybe I didn’t sand for long enough or didn’t apply enough pressure.
3. I’m not sure that braided felt appeals to me that much – it’s a little too regular. Maybe I should have used more colours. But I think I prefer my felt to be more ‘free form’.
4. Sounds obvious, but make sure your sander is scrupulously clean before you start. Mine had been down in the cellar for a few years, and although I did give it a good wipe over, small bits of dust and dirt managed to embed themselves in the sample!
I think I will give sanding another go, maybe with nuno felt, where it can take quite an effort to get the wool to push through the fabric. But the jury’s still out.
Felting books
23 May 2011 Leave a Comment
in felt Tags: book review, electric sander, felt, scarves, shibori
At the weekend I picked up a second-hand copy of Fabulous Felted Scarves by Chad Alice Hagen and Jorie Johnson. What I found fascinating was not just the ideas for different scarves (network felt made by winding strands around giant bubble wrap, plaited felt, shibori felt) but also the techniques they use for making felt. This includes speeding up the process using a portable electric sander.
I’m a bit wary about mixing electricity and water, but anything that helps speed up the process and saves my back must be worth a try. Nancy E Schwab, who also reviewed the book, used to have some great tips and tricks on making nuno felt on her blog. But she’s now pulled them all together in her own book, incidentally called Nuno Felting Tips & Tricks, which sounds worth a look.
And last but not least, Nicola Brown of Clasheen has teamed up with another felter, Chrissie Day, to publish From Felt to Friendship, which includes an amazing felt bag incorporating fish skin. I haven’t bought this book yet – have to pay off my holiday first! – but an order will soon be winging its way to Ireland.
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