My Craft Room is Overflowing!!

When I talk with my students, one of the most common complaints about taking up a new craft
is the clutter they have accumulated and the expense of new equipment.
As a fellow crafter, I recognize the problem. Over the years I’ve dabbled in sewing, knitting,
crochet, spinning, weaving, tapestry, pottery – the list goes on! Each of those crafts required a
new set of equipment and lots of money spent in the art and craft shops. The cost usually
outweighed my production.
One of the huge attractions for me about wet felt making was that I didn’t have to rush out and
buy a stack of new equipment. Instead, I discovered much of the equipment I already had in my
home and could re-purpose.
Below is a list of equipment that you will need and some suggestions for re-purposing. If you
don’t have it at home, then op shops are a great low-cost source.
Your Work Area
Its nice to have a purpose built work space – but most of us don’t. Kitchen benches are ideal as
they are at a suitable height for laying out and rolling your wool.
Spare picnic tables can be raised up to provide a work area. Table raisers are commercially
available, but pieces of poly pipe can work just as well.
Laying out your wool
Bubble wrap is the cheapest form of covering for your work area. I save every piece that comes
through the mail and re-use it over and over. Draw a template on the flat side and then cover it
with the bubble side up – hey presto you are in business.
If you have an old matchstick blind – that is also a suitable surface to lay our your wool.

Used bubble wrap is re-purposed for covering the work area

Wetting down your wool

An old flour container re-purposed to sprinkle the wool layout with soapy water

Ball brausers are excellent tools, but expensive. Two other alternatives: A large plastic jar (I use
an old flour canister) with holes drilled in the lid. My other option (and probably my favourite) is
an old ice cream container with a plastic bag. The plastic bag delivers the water and I use a
kitchen sponge to mop up any excess.
To cover the wool before wetting down, I use ballet tulle (left over from costume making many
years ago) or net curtains purchased from an op shop.
A scrunched up plastic bag adds water to the tulle covered wool.

Rubbing Your Wool
Palm pilots or felt mice are excellent tools – but again very expensive for a beginner. Old
tupperware lids make excellent tools for rubbing or you can use a piece of bubble wrap or
aluminum foil scrunched up.
An old Tupperware lid makes a very acceptable felt mouse

Rolling Your Wool
Below are three suggestions for cheap rolling implements:
• Pool noodles. I find these a bit soft but a wooden dowel inserted down the hole makes
this a useful rolling implement.
• For small felt items a wooden rolling pin is a good choice.
• Vacuum Cleaner pipe. Don’t throw the metal or plastic pipe away when you replace your
vacuum cleaner. They make great rollers and can usually be pulled apart to provide a
small or large roller as needed.

My vacuum cleaner pipe re-purposed as a rolling tool
Resists
Resists are the impermeable inserts place between layers of wool to create a space (generally
used for bags or vessels). Old dog food bags or any thick plastic storage bag and old yoga mats
make very acceptable resists.
I hope these suggestions will help you get started with wet felt making. You will have to buy the
wool roving, but many of the inclusions we use for decoration can be purchased from op shops – but that is the subject of another blog!
Want to give wet felt making a try? My on line courses (A Beginners Guide to Wet Felt Making and
How to Make a Cobweb Scarf) are both available from my website.
https://thefeltworkshop.au/shop

My cobweb scarves make a beautiful gift for a special friend. Available in the Shop/Gallery