I have become a little obsessed with felting. Felting is the process of taking wool/cashmere/alpaca sweaters and shrinking them in the washer/dryer until the fibres become all fat and fuzzy-- turning it into felt like you might buy at the fabric store. You can cut it without fraying and because of that it is a very forgiving medium for the novice sewer. (That's me.) There are as many colours as you can find in the sweater section at the Goodwill, and as many projects as you can find on Google. (I'll list some at the end of this post.) You don't have to hem anything (yay!), and most of the patterns are no more challenging than a paper-piecing pattern for scrapbookers. Needless to say, felted projects are figuring heavily into my Christmas presents this year.
I started with stocking for the girls, made from a red cashmere sweater I got for $3.99 at Goodwill:
then moved on to a sweater/headband combo for Audrey, made from a Rodier cashmere turtleneck:
My current list includes mittens for my girlfriends (cashmere on the inside, wool on the outside for warmth), and...the biggie...baby dolls for the girls. I'm using this free pattern:
Aren't they precious? Keep in mind, my only sewing experience is home ec in grade 8. I'm trying to teach myself, but, really, I am not an experienced sewer. This pattern is very easy to follow, and even though I am making two dolls it's coming together quite quickly. I have all the body parts done, and now I'm putting them together before working on the dress, wig, and accessories. I don't think I'm going to do the same faces, though-- I find them a little morose. I think I'm going to sew the same face that my grandmother put on the dolls she made for us when we were little. A little way to continue on the tradition.
Yesterday, I found an old sweater in my drawer that I had held on to for a long time in hopes of using it for a project. It's a beautiful, grey JCrew cashmere cardigan that, sadly, got some terrible moth holes one year. When I felted it the other day, it shrunk down to... an exact size 4t:
I'm not going to cut that up! So, I added a little cupcake applique to it for Audrey. (At some point I will also cover the holes in the sleeve with little polka dots, but they won't get any bigger now that it's been felted.)
I googled "free cupcake applique" and found this pattern, then I just cut the pieces from scraps, and pinned it on the sweater. A few stitches and a button later, we had a cute, cozy cupcake sweater.
If you're interested in felting, I've posted some of the projects I would like to try on my board at Pinterest. I love this new service. It's sort of like Tumblr, but you can have different boards for different topics-- recipes, crafts, scrapbooking, decorating, etc-- and that makes it easy to find what I'm looking for at a glance. Here's what my pinboard for Felting Sweaters looks like:
Are you tempted yet? Happy felting!
I love this, Lisa!! You are so creative!! I just started needle felting and it is super fun! Hugs to you and the girls - Ashley xo
Posted by: AshleyOttawa | December 19, 2010 at 01:19 PM
Super cute projects...I HAVE felted 2 of my husbands old sweaters (gap), but haven't made anything with them...I'm now INSPIRED thanks to your post!!
Posted by: Angela P | December 19, 2010 at 01:40 PM
Adorable! Makes me wish I had back some of those "ruined" sweaters that I gotten rid of thoughout the years.
Posted by: Shereen | December 19, 2010 at 02:34 PM
I would so like to try this!! You make it look so easy!!! beautiful work~
Posted by: Connie | December 19, 2010 at 03:12 PM
Oh no I don't need another creative outlet. But these are so adorable. Love the dress and headband. and those dolls WOW.
Posted by: tracy | December 19, 2010 at 06:17 PM
I am so amazing at how neat these projects are! That little dress is too much.
Posted by: Linda Beeson | December 19, 2010 at 07:41 PM
That cupcake is seriously cute!
Posted by: Keshet Shenkar | December 19, 2010 at 07:52 PM
I think I've accidentally felted some of my sweaters. How long did you put the J Crew sweater in the washer/dryer to get it to a 4T?
Posted by: eunice | December 19, 2010 at 07:57 PM
This is SO cool! And that JCrew sweater project turned out great!
Posted by: Barb | December 19, 2010 at 08:01 PM
awesome!!! i wish i was more creative...
Posted by: justem | December 19, 2010 at 10:12 PM
First, I received my calendar yesterday! Love it! Thank you again. I can't wait to find the perfect spot to hang it.
Second, I LOVE these felting projects. Last night, after I finished putting our brand new PURCHASED, red velvet tree skirt on the Christmas tree and explained to my huband that yes, it did actually cost $70 (however I got it at 50% off - SCORE!) I sat back and thought, hmmmmm bet Lisa could make a beautiful felted tree skirt in no time. Then I thought, maybe I'll add that to my 2011 to do list.
Have a wonderful holiday Lisa. All the best for a happy and successful 2011!
Posted by: Kathy | December 21, 2010 at 09:20 AM
wowzers YES i am totally interested...........so neat! I defintley have some good raw material in my closet I could tackle ;)
Posted by: virginia | December 22, 2010 at 09:30 PM
Oh wow, these look like amazing projects to try - and I love the idea of gathering ideas/inspiration all in one place. I popped over and signed up to Pinterest - thanks for the link :)
Posted by: KarenB | January 03, 2011 at 05:57 PM