I don't really want to call it a fetish... that sounds too "Criminal Minds-ish". And obsession... that sounds a little "Fatal Attraction-ish". So can I just call it a "fondness"?
I'll even settle for a "I have a thing for"...
Pincushions. I really do love them. I have more of them than I'll ever need but I still can't stop myself from making them. Before I started making Tuffets, I used to use those felted wool mound things. Not the round slice-sort of one but the one that was flat on the bottom and rounded like a mound on the top.
While teaching in Ahtens, Alabama a few years ago, I couldn't stop admiring a wool pincushion owned by Sara Green. If you're wondering how I remember her name after five years, it's because she gave me one just like hers.
Isn't it wonderful? And sweetheart that she is, Sara signed the bottom of it. If you know Sara, please tell her that I said "Hi" and that I think of her generosity and kindness every time I see this.
The thing is, I always figured that I should be able to make something like this. Felting wool... I knew how to do that for penny rugs. How hard could it be to make a felted wool ball?
A lot harder than you can imagine if you can't find any instructions. Or wool roving.
Then a friend gave me this at a retreat.
She had made them for everyone using kits she had purchased from Willow Hill Quilts. She said they weren't that hard to make, you just had to have good instructions and roving.
While trying to find something to do one day ~ it was either that or get some work done ~ I started wandering around the Internet and found several tutorials about how to wet-felt wool to make a ball. I experimented using some pretty generic wool roving with good results. But I still hadn't found anything pretty... and then one day I typed "wool roving" into the Search box on Etsy. Oh my... be still my heart.
So a few months ago, I went through my tutorials, watched a couple of tutorial videos and tried again. One of the best tutorials was printed in an issue of McCall's Quilting magazine, by none other than Rebecca LoGiudice of Willow Hill Quilts. I have to apologize here because I don't know which issue it was, the pages I tore out had to be trimmed to fit into my notebook. I just know the article ~ titled Wool Gathering ~ was published in 2008 or 2009. If you have any old issues, it is definitely worth looking for as the instructions are terrific.
So armed with my various sets of instructions, a pretty skein of roving and a couple of little pots, I made two pincushions. They were immediately claimed by friends. Former friends.
Since that wasn't the only skein of roving I'd purchased, I spent last Saturday afternoon ~ a lovely rainy day ~ making a few more pincushions. Or should I call them pinpots? Whatever... I pulled out my materials -- a big bowl, some rubber gloves, a bottle of nice-smelling soap, a couple more little leftover pots from some candles I'd burned, some really pretty wool roving and got busy.
Just so you know, the one on the left isn't dirty. That's the faux aged finish. And while the candles smell amazing, I chose these over those from a different company because I knew I could re-purpose the pots for pincushions. (I got these at a shop in Tempe and they are by a company called Veris Candles.)
These are from Smoky Mountain Fibers on Etsy.
These are by Strawberry Moon Fibers. I bought them at a shop in Minnesota but there is also a Strawberry Moon Fibers shop on Etsy.
A couple of things to tell you about the roving ~ make sure it is suitable for wet-felting. Not all wool and roving will felt well enough to work for a project like this. Merino is terrific, as are some of the blends. Most of the Sellers will specify in the Description whether it is suitable for wet felting but if you're not sure -- ask! Also, be aware that some of them may "bleed" excess dye. The blue ball from Strawberry Moon had a lot of excess dye in the water bowl ~ the first step of the wet-feting process ~ but it diminished as I rinsed the wet ball.
Etsy ~ while I listed just the two Sellers of the roving I used, there are many other sources of wool roving on Etsy. Just type "wool roving" into the Search box and have fun.
While I'll show you an overview of the steps, this isn't a complete step-by-step tutorial of the process. It's just enough to show you that this isn't that hard. I mean, really... if I can do it, anybody can.
To do this properly, you'll need to consult one or more of these tutorials:
There are also two terrific videos on YouTube that I recommend:
In the meantime... here is a somewhat abridged version of how to make a felted wool ball. The roving will probably be in a skein, and the "strand" will probably be quite long. I cut the roving into lengths measuring about 3 to 4 feet. Then start separating the roving into strands.
Using a single strand, start winding the roving to make a ball ~ use the same process you would use to wind a ball of yarn.
You can use a beige or natural roving for this part, or you can even use one or more small scraps of leftover wool to form the core of the ball. Continue winding strands of roving to make a bigger ball.
Continue winding until the ball is larger than you're going to need to fit the pot.
The one thing I have found is that if you're winding the ball tightly, it's going to "shrink" a little less than if it is wound loosely. I don't know if one is better than the other, both felted down nicely. The balls will be compressed as you will be packing them down as you start the wet-part of the felting process.
As you're finishing, you can manipulate the roving so that you have the colors you want showing the most. Just tuck under the ends when you're finished winding.
Now comes the "wet" part. I liked using a bowl filled with hot water rather than running water as it let me submerge the ball until it was soaked through and I didn't waste nearly as much water. You'll definitely want to use some rubber gloves ~ unless you have silicone coated hands ~ as the water should be as hot as you can make it. You'll also need some soap ~ I used some of that Soak stuff because I like the smell.
On a side note, let me just say that I have even more respect for The Pioneer Woman than I did before. I don't know how she cooks and takes one-handed pictures. This was the hardest part of the whole process! By a mile!
As the ball is being soaked and soaped, it's also being packed in the same way that you would a snowball. You're supposed to keep doing that until you can start feeling that the ball is getting firmer as you squeeze out the water. I also use a clean cotton towel to help get the excess water out. You can also roll the ball at this point to keep it round and you really will feel it starting to get more firm.
Then the ball is put into pantyhose. Yes, that's right. Pantyhose. Can you believe that I actually had to go buy some specifically for my "craft project"?
Then the wool balls go into the washing machine. Hot water and a little bit more soap.
And from the "it can't hurt" department, I added a Shout Color Catcher sheet to the washer with the wool balls. It came out a beautiful deep, bright turquoise blue.
Then the dryer. When you pull the wool balls out of the dryer, they will have lots of little fuzzy fibers sticking through the pantyhose from the felting process. The balls will also feel quite firm. You can roll them a little bit to keep them round if they aren't quite dry. Then let them air dry until they are completely, totally dry.
Remove the pantyhose. Positioning the wool ball so that the side you like best is on the top, place the felted wool ball into the pot.
Depending on the shape and rim of the pot, the wool ball may stay in place without the use of any adhesive. Some of mine needed a bit of Tacky Glue to make them stay in place. Some pots are also deep enough that the felted ball "sat" better with a little "stuffing" at the bottom. For that, I used small bits of leftover batting and/or small scraps of leftover wool.
Pretty cute, don't you think?
And you thought I liked to burn candles while I sew because I like the scent... silly girls.
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Since you asked... yes, you can felt wool in a front-loading washer. To read how to do it:
