Wet Felting Tutorial: How to Make an Embellished Clutch Purse with Batt Fibre and Curly Locks
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- Welcome to this step-by-step guide to making a wet felted fringed clutch purse using a resist, wool batt fibre, yarns and curly locks. Natasha guides you through the whole process, from the equipment and materials you need to how to work with batt fibre, how to use a resist and how to complete your felted clutch purse. You're in the right place if you want to learn a more modern style of felting, with clear instructions, the simplest methods and techniques and high quality results.
Here is a quick run-down of the equipment and materials you'll need to follow along with this video tutorial:
Wet Felting Equipment: 1 x thin foam template, 30cm x 23cm; bubble wrap 75cm x 50cm piece, spray bottle, washing up liquid, warm water, extra soap (eg olive soap), tea towels, rubbing tool, rolling tool, large scissors, tape measure, ruler, large towel;
Wet Felting Materials: c50g (1.75oz) of any wool batt fibre in 3 colours, c15m in total of 2-3 slub, chunky or thick and thin-type high wool content yarns, c15g of hand dyed long curly wool locks.
If you need further guidance on decorative flat felting with Merino wool fibre and wool yarns, please see my step-by-step video tutorial here: • Wet Felting Tutorial: ...
If you need further guidance on resist felting with Merino wool fibre and wool yarns to create a mobile phone case, please see my step-by-step video tutorial here: • Wet Felting Tutorial: ...
This is one of many free wet felting tutorials, so please subscribe to my channel to join me for future videos. To learn more about face-to-face wet felting workshops in Devon, UK visit my website and social media for more details!
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You are a great teacher, thank you so much for this tutorial!❤️
Thank you so much for watching (and taking the time to comment), I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!
Lovely, excellent quality video and instructor! i am very grateful to you dear lady!
Cheerio
Thanks you for watching and commenting, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Christy, thank you for watching and for your lovely feedback, I’m so glad you enjoyed it (and, most importantly, it’s enabled you to make a successful piece of felt!). I have a private Facebook group for anyone who has joined one of my online classes, so if you’d like to join it (hopefully for more inspiration and ideas) just search ‘Felt Bag on a Ball’ on Facebook! I hope to see you there!
Your work is excellent just outstanding. Thank you for sharing
That’s lovely of you to say, thank you so much for watching and for your kind comments!😁
Thank you so much Natasha. I am now wet felting a purse according to your instructions; kept jumping back and forth to this video and the project came out beautiful. So appreciative!!! 🥰
Hi Linda, thank you for watching and for your lovely feedback, it’s great to hear that you enjoyed the tutorial as well as making your purse! Happy felting!
Lovely clear video ❤❤
Thank you, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!😁
Love this tutorial! I made my first piece of flat felt today following your tutorial and it turned out great! I also bought your book and your class on the Living Felt website. You are so good at what you do and I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge
Loved the tutorial. Going to try it.
Thank you so much for watching, hope you enjoy making one of these!🤞
Thanks so much for the tutorial video
You’re welcome! Thanks so much for your comment!😁
Loved this thanks 😊
Thanks so much for watching and commenting Shirley, it’s great to hear you enjoyed it!
a PERFECT tutorial... thank you so much for this detailed instruction. Your work is simply stunning :)
Thanks so much for watching and for your lovely comments Kathy, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the tutorial!😁
Very nice tutorial Natasha!
Thanks so much Arlene, glad you enjoyed it!😁
@@NatashaSmartTextiles I did! I made one for the little girl down the street for her birthday. First time really using locks, though I use yarns often.
@@arlenetoth608 Oh that’s great to hear, thanks so much for your comments and getting in touch! There’s always so much to learn with felting isn’t there, I love the fact that there are always new materials to try and new techniques to explore! 😁
Beautifull...!!!!❤️🙏
I've learned so much from watching your videos. Thank you for taking the time to share your talent with us
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comments, I'm glad you've enjoyed the videos. I know it's been a while since I posted but I'm hoping to get back to making some more tutorials soon so watch this space!
What an excellent detailed tutorial. I really appreciate the thorough rundown!
Thanks so much for your kind feedback Judy, I’m so pleased you enjoyed the tutorial!😁
Very beautiful! Excellent video
Thanks so much for your comment, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it! 😁
Beautiful piece! Even the bags hanging on the background in the beginning. Gorgeous!!!
Thanks so much Alena for your lovely comments! (And your bag is on its way!)😁
Another fantastic video! I learned so much, thank you!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, really glad you enjoyed this one too!😁
Absolutely beautiful work. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Thank you for your lovely comments, I really appreciate you taking the time to watch the tutorial and let me know what you thought!😁
Absolutely beautiful.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment!😁
That is so beautiful. I am just starting to felt. I am excited to start wet felting. I have just started to needle felt. I will be excited to show everyone (subscribers) what I am doing.
Hi Mary, thanks so much for your lovely comments! For more inspiration you might like to look at my Instagram or Facebook pages as I post mini videos on there quite regularly. Wet felting is an amazing creative art (and works really well combined with needle felting too) so I hope you enjoy exploring it!😁
I really enjoyed the tutorial Natasha, especially the tips about rolling the edges at an angle to create a neat finish. Thank you
Hi Margaret, thanks so much for your lovely comments, I'm so pleased you enjoyed the video and found it helpful! ps For more tips, you might like to know that my first book Wet Felting has just been published - you can check it out on Amazon etc!
Well done instructive video. Love the use of the bits removed from the original purse. Thanks
Hi Ginny, thanks so much for your comment, glad you enjoyed the tutorial! I never like to throw any felt offcuts away so it’s good to be able to reuse it wherever possible. Someone also suggested making a purse wrist strap with the extra felt, which I thought was a good idea (I’ll have to try that next time)! Happy felting to you!😁
Lovely clear video. Thank you
Thanks so much, really glad you enjoyed it!😁
Love your tutorials.
Thanks so much for watching and for your comment, I’m so pleased you’re enjoying the tutorials! 😁
Beautiful result!
Thank you for watching and your lovely comment!😁
Beautiful!! Will make one when I get the chance. Lovely clutch 💚
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback Janice, I look forward to seeing your version of this!😁
Thank you for this new video! This is very helpful in refining a wet felting technique with long locks I have been working on. This is such a detailed and clear tutorial!
Thanks so much Martha, I’m really pleased you enjoyed it and found it helpful!😁
I absolutely Love the way you explain this whole process....Thank You for being such a great teacher I will be following your channel....
Hi Shirley, thank you so much for your lovely comments, I’m so pleased you enjoyed the tutorial! And if you fancy learning a bit more about what I’ve been up to lately, search my name on Living Felt’s channel and you’ll find a recent interview that you might enjoy too! Thanks again and Happy Felting!😁
This was inspiration for a project I was going to do as a plain picture. I am going to change it up to a small purse or glasses case instead now 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment, I’m so glad you enjoyed the tutorial and it has given you some ideas for your own felting!
Beautiful! What colors! I love it so much❤
Thank you so much for your lovely comments!😍
Great tutorial. Thank you so much. In case you wondering after me hounding you about the all bag class, I’m waiting for my birthday for my boys to buy the class for me. You presented this tutorial with great clarity so I can’t wait for my birthday 😘
So pleased you enjoyed this one, thanks Helen! And I really need to thank you for your persistence over the bag course (not hounding at all!🤣) or I might never have got it done! It’s gone really well so far with lots of beautiful bags being made, I’ve been so impressed, so you’ll be a very welcome addition whenever you’re ready to join!😁 Thanks again for all your encouragement!😘
What a great tutorial Natasha, as a newbie to wet felting I’ve learned a lot from it. I’ll definitely give it a go when my supplies arrive!
Thanks Jacquie, glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully this has helped give you an idea about how flat felting with embellishments works which will help with working on the ball! 👏 You might also give the embellished flat felt video a watch too which was very much a beginner’s tutorial!
This was so informative on all sorts of things. Thank you you are wonderful
Thank you Maxine, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!😁
This a great tutorial. I enjoyed watching your beautiful work! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you Deb, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!😁
This is fantastic, I've learned a lot from watching this!! Thank you for such a comprehensive guide. I would love to see one for the bags you make also.
Hi Jill, thanks so much for your lovely feedback! I’m about to release an online course in the next week or two showing you exactly how to wet felt a bag using the felting ball method, so you might like to keep an eye out on my Instagram or Facebook pages or sign up to my newsletter (all the links are below the video) as I’ll be sharing news about that soon! Thanks again for your comments!😁
Very nice tutorial! Thank you so much.
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback and taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it! Happy Felting!😁
this is such an amazing process so very hands on ...I love the end result Natasha ..a very well explained tutorial as well as a quality piece ...guess I better get going to get those Christmas gifts done...thank you so much for you time and sharing your knowledge...stay blessed!
Thanks so much for your lovely comments Isabella! I love making these purses (they’re a yarn addict’s dream!!) and they’re relatively quick to make. So I hope you enjoy getting creative with yarns and fibres and giving one a try!Happy Felting!
Que lindooooo❤
love your work beauitfull
Thank you so much, that’s always lovely feedback to hear! Thanks also for watching!😁
Thank you for sharing, beautiful
Thanks so much for your lovely comment, I’m so pleased you enjoyed the tutorial!😁
Thank you Im excited about having a go!
Thanks for watching Valerie! And if you can make a bag on a ball you can definitely make this!🤣💪
@@NatashaSmartTextiles just ordered some locks and wool to complete it.
@@valerieevans2935 Ooh well done, don’t forget to share a photo!👏
This is EXACTLY what I have been looking for and have not been able to find. Your instructions and video are so detailed. Thank you so much!! Beautiful work!
Hi Jayne, thank you so much for your lovely comments, I’m so pleased you enjoyed the tutorial! (PS Have got a book coming out in April 2022 which includes this and similar projects and which might be of interest to you!🤞).
Another great tutorial. My daughter has asked that I make her a phone case and I woud like to add a strap. I assume that I can use the same directions as with the 'Bag on a Ball' tutorial. Thanks again Natasha.
Thanks so much for your kind feedback Claire! Sorry for taking so long to reply, you’ve probably worked it out by now, but yes you could definitely felt in a tab to each side of the purse for a strap. If you didn’t want a detachable strap then you could create a felt strap - create a cord at the start, keeping each end dry and fluffy, and insert the ends in between layers of fibre during the layout process wherever you’d like the strap to be, then just felt everything together. Actually that gives me a good idea for another tutorial, I’ll add it to my ‘to do’ list!🤣. Hope that helps Claire, thanks again!😁
Thank you so much Natasha> I learned a lot from your tutorial. Could you please advise me where to source wool for felting.
Thanks for watching and commenting, so glad you enjoyed it! You should be able to find wool fibre easily online, and most suppliers deliver worldwide (what country are you in?). You might also be interested in my book Wet Felting (it’s on Amazon) which has loads of advice about fibre and projects you might also enjoy!
Woohoo you’re back, great video love it. Thank you 💕
Thanks Lisa, that’s really lovely of you to say! If you’ve got any thoughts for what you’d like to see next, let me know!😁
Nice girl and Nice work
Thank you!😁
Wonderful, thank you so much. Do you have the bubbles of the bubble wrap facing up or facing the felt when you are working it? I hope you do some more videos, I find it really helpful, you have so much tips and advice. Thanks again.
Hi Marie, thanks so much for your lovely feedback, I’m so pleased you enjoyed the video! I always use bubble wrap with the smooth side up and facing my project (bubbles down facing the work surface), because I always think that the smooth surface will disrupt my project less. But some felters like to use it the other way round, I believe because if the bubbles are upwards then any water can be trapped between them so it’s a way of retaining more water within the project as you’re working. But honestly, I think the difference is probably very marginal, so don’t worry about it too much (maybe try it both ways and see which you prefer!). Happy Felting!😁
@@NatashaSmartTextiles Thank you for a really informative reply. I really enjoy making felt - only started a few months ago - and the group use the bubbles (on the wrap) next to the felt. Next time I will try your way, I feel that too much water gets trapped as well, and there is more disturbance. Thanks so much.
@@marieeaton-smith5168 You’re welcome Marie! The thing with felting is that there are a few hard and fast rules, but apart from that there are lots of different ways or achieving the same thing! And some felters like to stick to certain methods as it’s always worked for them. So as you’re new to felting it’s a good opportunity to try different things and see what you like best. There are really no right and wrong ways, apart from the fact you need wool fibre, soapy water and lots of agitation! Hope you enjoy your felting (and don’t feel too constricted by ‘rules’, as there aren’t that many really!); experiment and have fun with it!😁
Excellent tutorial! Very thorough and detailed. What do you recommend for creating a small gusset so it can be a little pouch -- maybe to hold a little more? Thank you. Helene
Hi Helene, thank you so much for watching and for your lovely comments!
That’s a great question - and as always with felting there are loads of ways you could approach it to create a bit more depth. I’ve got 2 main ideas of ways you could do it: firstly, to use a thicker template to create depth. An easy way would be to just cut out a much thicker piece of foam, or multiple pieces layered on top of each other and taped around the edges. It might make rolling a bit difficult but you could just do more rubbing instead, and throwing the felt around with the template inside. So that would be an easy way to do it.
Another way would be to use the same thin template I used but to make it bigger. Then when you take the template out you would get your hands inside the felt form and deliberately manipulate it to create depth and literally change where all the edges are, you could even put a fold in the bottom. Then once you’re happy, cut out the flap shape (but not before as the side edges will have changed). So the purse might measure the same height and width as my version in the end but you’ve used the extra felt created by the larger template to increase the depth. I hope that makes sense!
It might make a good experiment for a future video if you think that’s a good idea?!!😁
Thank you for sharing your technique. I'd love to see a handle of some sort?
Thanks so much for your comment! Well it’s funny you should mention it, but I’ve got a cross body mini bag version of this fringed purse on its way soon, so watch this space!🤣
@@NatashaSmartTextiles I shall keep an eye out!!!! Your videos are excellent.
@@PeaSoupDesigns Aww thanks so much, that’s really kind! 🥰 Ps I don’t know if you’ll be interested but my book Wet Felting has just been published, if you look up my name on Amazon you’ll be able to see a preview!🤞
This is my second video of yours, I learned alot and am encouraged and inspired to try some more felting. Thank you so much for another great lesson!
As a spinner I know that different sheep breeds can have very different qualities, but commercial wool yarns most often just say 'wool', not breed specific. Is there any visual or otherwise quick method to figure out if a yarn might or might not felt well? Such as luster, crimp, etc?
Hi Johanna, thanks so much for watching, I really appreciate it, and for your lovely feedback!
That’s an interesting question about yarns, you’re right that most commercial yarns don’t specify the breed (other than things like alpaca or mohair). I must admit I’ve never worried about the sheep breed in respect of yarn (although with wool fibre for felting it’s obviously very important what the breed is). What I think is more important is the wool content: the higher that is, the more likely the yarn is to felt in well. So I’d be inclined to look more at that aspect as a guide for what will felt well, so a high wool content and less man- made content (eg acrylic) or superwash. Also, the hairier and looser spun/stranded the yarn, the better it will felt in too, that’s why mohair is such a good felter. So aim for natural, high content and hairy wool and you shouldn’t go far wrong! (That said, it’s not impossible to felt in man-made yarns, you just need to add wisps of the wool fibre on top to help lock them in, have a look at my Christmas wreath tutorial for more about working with man-made yarns!). Hope that helps, happy felting to you!😁
@@NatashaSmartTextiles Natasha,
Thank you so much for your reply, especially in such detail, and so quickly. This is very helpful, and I appreciated it. Off to weekly knitting group shortly, where they've been mildly curious about my new/renewed felting obsession, and I'll pass along your website so they can take a peek at what it's all about.
Thanks again,
Johanna
@@johannahowardpurdy1340 You’re welcome, thanks again for your interest and enjoy your felting and knitting (and you know you can also felt your yarns to your fibre as a piece of knitting too, not just as individual yarns…the opportunities are endless once you get started!🤣).
Thank you so much for your video!!! I have been wanting to try this for awhile. Can you offer some links for batt fiber and curly locks? I like to dye my own wool but I am not super familiar with unspun wool sellers. Thank you again!!!
Hi Jamie, thanks so much for your lovely feedback! Let me know what country you’re in and I can recommend some links for you!
US
@@jamiewatson7502 Hi Jamie, have you tried Living Felt (feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com), their MC-1 batt fibre would work for this project (but any batt fibre would work). For curly locks I’d probably look for sellers on Etsy (look for long locks like Teeswater or Wensleydale). The locks I use in the tutorial are Masham locks from Barn2YarnShop on Etsy, they ship worldwide!
@@jamiewatson7502 Also in the US, Honeybunch Workshop offers a Fiberjoy kit with a few ounces of color coordinated, hand dyed roving, some locks, and some exotic fibers like Suri Alpaca and Cashmere/silk blend. One of those could be perfect for this project!
Batts are more expensive, but you can shred roving to approximate batts. I've used this method for a while, and it does save lots of time from the kind of layout people do with Merino, tiny bit by tiny bit.
When I finish rolling, I find the.resist buckles which would suggest that some shrinkage has already taken place but you say there is no shrinkage at this point. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi there, no a bit of buckling is good because, as you say, it shows there’s some shrinkage already so everything is working! There are so many variables with wet felting (eg your own felting technique, the different fibre), so there will always be slight differences in the exact status of the felt at any one time. So you’re definitely not doing anything wrong, it sounds like you’re doing everything right! But it may just mean that once you take the template out and move to the fulling/throwing stage, that you don’t need to throw the felt quite so much as it sounds like it might be a bit more advanced in the process. So once you’ve done the cutting and rubbing the edges, just bear in mind you might not need so many throws before the felt is finished. Things like the amount of throws you do are just a guideline, so feel free to stop when you think the felt is finished. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching!😁
@@NatashaSmartTextiles great . Thank you for your reassuring reply and your tip about not throwing too much
@@jacquiosley9083 Hi Jacqui, you’re welcome! I think that as you develop your experience in felting you’ll start to understand the changes in the felt during the process and be able to naturally respond to them. So you could see that the felt was shrinking more, so that would tell you that you could perhaps move on to the next stage a bit sooner, or reduce the amount you do in the next stage. As you develop confidence you’ll be able to adapt your techniques as you go along in response to what the felt is doing. So there are no hard and fast rules, it’s more of a response to how the felt is going. That’s why it’s good to have a range of different felting techniques (rubbing, rolling, throwing etc) you can deploy as needed. Sounds like you’re doing a great job though so keep going and enjoy it!😁
Question: Is it necessary to keep changing the soapy water to be very hot? Thanks!
Hi Linda, I generally use warm/lukewarm water to start and keep the same water throughout the main felting stage, til prefelt stage at least once I know all the fibres and embellishments are bonded together. There’s a risk if you introduce hot water too early that the main fibre will just felt to itself before the curly locks and yarns have had a chance to bond with it. So stick to lukewarm water. Once you’re at prefelt stage and have cut out the purse flap and given it a rub, and all the fibres and locks are staying in place, then you’re into the fulling/shrinking stage. If your project is being slow to thicken/shrink, then is the time to maybe refresh the project with hand hot soapy water as the heat will help the shrinkage. You can also do alternate hot and cold rinses at the end to help shrink the felt. I hope that helps! And if you’d like more info and tips you might like my book Wet Felting, it’s available on Amazon!
@@NatashaSmartTextiles Thanks so much! Your tips are a giant help. 💜
Hello, where I can to find that material? What is the name of that textil?
Hello, you are looking to find wool fibre or wool batting (US). If you look at the description below the video you will find all the details about the supplies you need. If you are in or near the US you can purchase the supplies from Living Felt in Texas! Thanks for watching!😁
Can u needle felt those long pieces wet in there to hold them in place? I have no idea. Just discovered felting tonight.
Edit, yes you can! She said u can needle stubborn places.
Hi Jenny, so sorry not to have replied sooner but it sounds like you answered your own question! Yes needlefelting is a really good way of securing fibre/felt/embellishments that are perhaps being a bit stubborn and not felting in. If you get any piece of wet felting to prefelt stage (ie you’ve rubbed and rolled the fibre and most of it is well bonded) and you find a tricky bit that isn’t playing ball, then needle felt the tricky bit in place to secure it. Carry on the rest of the wet felting (ie moving on to the fulling/shrinking stage) and by the end you’ll never know there was a tricky bit that wouldn’t adhere. So do your needlefelting early in the process and it’ll be invisible in the finished piece! Good luck, hope this works for you and thank you for your comments!😁
@@NatashaSmartTextiles thanks so much for the advice. Happy crafting!
@@JennySimon206 You’re welcome! Happy Felting to you too!😁
what size rubbing tool are you using?
Apologies for not spotting your question sooner! I'm using a palm washboard rubbing tool from HeartFelt Silks in the US, I hope that helps!
@@NatashaSmartTextiles what size?
I think I used the jumbo size, 7” in diameter!
Subtitulo en spanish
Hi, I will look into this for future videos!🤞
في حد يشرح عربي شو بتعمل
Thank you for your comment!😁
Why😂 am i throwing out the fur combed off my cat?
Yes keep it, you could definitely add a bit in as decoration! (I’d stick to sheep’s wool for the main fibre though!)😹
А зачем обрезать? Это непрактично. Столько шерсти и времени пропадает зря. Можно свалять сразу на комбинированном шаблоне.
Thanks for your comment! This is just one way of making a purse with a flap, another way would definitely be to just use the resist template for the pocket part and then extend the fibre out to create a flap. But I prefer this way of creating a flap to make it thicker and more substantial around all the edges (the flap itself and the pocket edge), and also to ensure the flap shrinks less and stays the same width as the main purse. Of course there are lots of ways of making anything in wet felting, but I like this way as it gives consistent results!