felting techniques
and instructions

Here are the felting techniques and instructions for machine felting your bags, purses and totes.

Lets begin:

The basic principle of felting your bag (this includes purses and totes) is to use water (as hot as possible) and friction (as much as possible) to force your bag to shrink and pelt in a controlled manner.

You will need :

It’s absolutely critical that you are able to open the lid/door while the cycle is in progress to control the felting process.

I understand some European models won’t allow the door to be opened until the cycle is finished - in which case you will have trouble with your felting technique, use someone else’s machine.

I use a large cotton man’s t-shirt which is in good condition, no rips or loose threads. I tie knots in the sleeves and body to make lumps and throw this in the machine together with my bag.

Anything, with fluff, loose threads, colours that may run, or rough things like buckles etc shouldn’t be used for obvious reasons.

Note : If my bags have long straps to tangle or fittings already sewn into place I always put it in a zippered lingerie bag (you could use a pillow case with the end tied closed.)

I never sew beads or buttons onto my bags until after they have been felted - they can easily damage in the extreme hot water or lose the colour and surfaces.

Suggestions ranged from Lux flakes to washing soda to nothing added.

Dozens of felted bags later I now go with the “nothing much added” when I felt using a washing machine (I still use soap in a bar when I felt by hand).

I stopped using a lot of soap as part of my machine felting technique because of the residual smell. No matter how well I rinsed (difficult when you’re on water restrictions) or how long I air dried my bags a slight smell lingered.

Personally I think the soap infiltrates the bags so well during the felting process some residue remains.

I find very hot, clean, water felts just as well, if after the first run through my bag hasn't felted sufficiently I add a little soap for the second run through.

When you're new to felting I suggest you "test drive" a couple of felted sample squares. This will help you build confidence before felting your main project - remember felting is not reversible.

I also add a smidgen (half a teaspoon) of apple fragrance fabric freshener (because I like it) to the final rinse. But only do this - if and when - you are sure the bag has been felted to your satisfaction. Adding fabric freshener is a personal choice - not critical to these felting techniques and instructions.

When discussing felting techniques and instructions I realise the above sounds like a really poor answer - but it is truthful. There are variables that you need to take into account - felting isn’t an exact science.

So what are the variables?

1) Temperature of hot water - providing you are using a colour fast pure wool ( here’s where your sample test comes into play), and you don’t have any acrylic or fancy yarns included in your project - the water can’t be to hot to felt. But it can be too cool. (I’ve felted straight after my sister finished her shower and discovered I needed to felt longer than previously - the hot water system simply hadn’t yet restored it’s normal temperature.)

2) Type of wool used - as a rule of thumb the tighter the spin in the actual yarn itself the longer it seems to take to actually felt. Open slubby (hardly any spin) wools felt quite quickly so keep an eye on them.

3) Type of machine and the setting you use - do you have a machine you’re always complaining “it beats the heck out of everything I wash”, perfect. You need lots of friction to make the yarn rub against itself and felt.

The bottom line of “ how long does it take to felt “ really depends on the above variables - water temperature, type of wool, amount of friction your machine generates. I have a twin-tub and a top loader.

Although it's gentler and takes longer, I prefer to use my twin tub for felting because I can totally control its washing and spinning cycle.

When beginners asked me how to felt my best advice is do as I did when I began learning and practicing - test, test, test. Test a sample square - before you risk you finished project. I still test every new type of wool and wool combination I experiment with.

When you’ve finished felting to your satisfaction (felting is finished when the knitted stitches are no longer seperately visible). If you could still count the number of stitches and/or rows on your bag, go through the cycle again.

With my twin tub I always run through the first 15minute wash, then spin for a minute or so, then check. Almost always my bag has begun to felt but requires another 15minute cycle.

WARNING : Don’t spin dry a full cycle. This is where control of your machine is necessary. If you spin dry for the full cycle you will set creases into you bag that are difficult - if not impossible - to remove.

Only spin sufficiently to remove most of the water. The rest will evaporate as you block and dry your felted bag.

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