Martha Stewart Discovers Felting

(Synopsis and review of felting article in 
Martha Stewart: Kids - Holiday Issue 2001)

“Ever Felt This Way” is a brilliantly crafted article with step-by-step instructions on how children as young as 6 can make even the simplest felting projects. Balls, jewellery, a veritable zoo-full of finger puppet animals and even purses are all illustrated and explained so that with a few household articles, you can turn the kitchen or play space into a colour-filled felt factory. The photographs show simple yet striking examples of some of the best projects. And it’s all EASY!

Felting requires no more than some hand soap, some warm water, maybe a washboard, a measuring cup and some carded wool. Those of you not familiar with the craft of felting may ask “what the heck is carded wool?” Well, I didn’t used to know either - the stuff is not that common. Carded wool is wool that has been sheared from a sheep, washed (sometimes dyed - there are, after all, no pink sheep) and processed through a wool carding machine that employs a series of wire-studded rollers which pull and comb the wool fibres so that they align and weave together into a sheet of springy wool “batting”. Wool batts are used by bedding makers to fill quilts and comforters, by spinners to spin into yarn and by felters.

Martha Stewart’s article is great in almost every aspect - the instructions are easy to follow, the patterns and illustrations are clear and the craft is a sure-fire hit with little ones who will delight in touching, shaping and creating simple toys and crafts. What Martha Stewart misses (and I understand that her TV show on the craft made the same mistake) is that not everyone knows what carded wool is or where it can be bought. From what I’ve seen in local craft stores, small amounts of “felting wool” are being sold in Zip Lock bags for prices well above reasonable.

A wide variety of reasonably-priced coloured and natural carded wool batting is available at Birkeland Bros. Wool in Vancouver, B.C.. Any amount may be ordered for felting projects through the Birkeland Bros. website at www.birkelandwool.com or by phone at (604) 874-4734. This third generation family business has been supplying wools and yarns to crafters as well as cottage industry since 1939 from the same location on Vancouver’s Main Street.

Well, now you know where to buy the stuff at a reasonable price online. And just for looking at this review, I’m going to make a present of instructions for one of the easiest and sharing-friendly felting projects of all. (Martha didn’t tell you about this one. J)

Friendship bracelet: take about a half an ounce of carded wool. Dip the wool in a solution of warm water and scent-free, dye-free dishwashing liquid (4 tblsp detergent to 6 cups of water). Take the wool out of the water and rub it between your hands to form a piece long enough to loosely fit around your wrist. As the wool cools down from the water, dip it again and continue to roll it between your hands. After a few hand rollings, wrap the wool around your wrist and take some time to roll the ends that connect between your fingers to ensure a smooth join. Then continue to dip and roll the entire bracelet while it’s on your wrist. Keep this up for about 10 - 15 minutes. The wool will begin to harden. When the bracelet is roughly the size and shape you want, let it dry. You can try decorating these bracelets by adding different colours of wool as you felt. Have fun!

Martha Stewart: Kids special holiday issue is available through your local magazine store.
Subscriptions to Martha Stewart Living Magazine are available through Amazon, as well as various books on felting

Please visit www.BirkelandWool.com