The joys of some good old soap and water are not to be underestimated, especially when they’re used for a purpose. This craft will not only lead to some lovely hand-crafted toys – you’ll also get the kids all cleaned up! Of course, there’s also the danger of getting your entire living room cleaned too, but I digress.
Wet felting is the perfect craft for any age. If your kids like water, they’ll like wet felting. If they’re product-oriented crafters, they’ll find it satisfying. If they’re process-oriented like my child is, then they’ll probably enjoy it too.
What is wet felting? Felting is the art of creating objects from wool. When felted, the fibers in the wool knit together, making a strong, thick fabric. Unlike needle felting, which involves pointy objects, wet felting just involves a whole lot of water.
To wet felt, take some cleaned and carded wool. I like sheep’s wool for this, although you can use alpaca and other types of fibers as well. Place a towel down on the floor in a rec room or other room that doesn’t mind moisture. Get some plain soap. Find two buckets that are easy for the kids to reach into, but deep enough so that water won’t splash out of the bucket all that much. Now, fill one bucket with hot water and one with cold.
If you’re working with younger children, I would suggest that the adult use the hot water while the child uses the cold. Place the wool into the general shape that you want, and place it into the hot water bucket. Then place it into the cold water and rub it with soap. Squish it and rub it until the wool feels more like clay than wool. Place it into the hot and cold water alternately, and add more soap if you need it. Eventually your wool will take shape.
If you’re making a mat of felt, place the wool under a piece of netting, soak the wool, and rub soap up and down and around in circles across the net.
My favorite way to dry felted objects is in the dryer. If you’ve made a ball, place it into the end of a sock, cinch it tightly, then wash it and dry it to felt it a little more.
Image Credit: Neil2580