Edinburgh is North America's sole distributor of Schulte® Mohair. Click here to read about Reinhard Schulte.
|
 |
To begin your felting project, choose one of the larger gauge needles (32 or 36). Repeatedly poke into the fiber using a foam block underneath to protect the surface you are working on and to prolong the life of your needle. Work around the entire surface of your piece and keep turning it in order to felt evenly all over.
After felting, your wool fiber will end up approximately 1/4 the size you started with. The actual amount of the decrease in size will depend on how dense you want your final piece to be. Because it's hard to tell how much wool fiber you started with once it is felted, it is a good idea to set aside the same amount of fiber for both sides when you are working on things that need to be symetrical (i.e. arms, legs).
Before you actually begin detailed sculpting, you will want to get your fiber down to a workable density and shape. Be sure to push the needle all the way into your fiber and not just felt the outer layer, otherwise your outer surface will be dense and the inside will be soft, making your project prone to caving in.
Once you have your basic shape, you can begin sculpting by poking your needle in concentrated spots to "sculpt" depressions in the wool. (Ex. eye sockets, mouth) Repeatedly poke where you want to make the wool dent inward.
If you want to build high spots (cheeks, nose) take a separate bit of wool and felt it loosely together.
Place it onto the area you want to build up and poke your needle through the extra piece and down into the larger piece. The two pieces will felt and fuse together. Repeat the process of adding wool until the desired shape is achieved.
If you want to add color, wrap a thin layer of the colored fiber around the core piece and felt the colored layer over the core piece to join them together. After you've added the layer of color, continue to sculpt your detail.
Arms and legs can be sculpted as separate pieces and then felted together with the body afterward. Leave the upper arm/leg loosely felted so it will easily attach to the body. You can add fiber to the shoulder/hip afterward to secure and build the shape. Add other accents like eyes or teeth just like you would on a regular sewn bear.
Buy Felting Products
|
