Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

Mamawsandy — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:48:15 GMT

I need some kind of material I can put on the sole of some expensive house slippers. The tops are still good. Any suggestions? Sandra

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

Mamawsandy — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:46:47 GMT

I buy expensive house slippers. They last a long time on the uppers, but the sole is worn out. Where can I buy the felt or leather pieces to put on the worn out sole? Sandra

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

CarolA@3 — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:22:06 GMT

Hi Sandi, I love the pink birds on your slippers. After 6 years my felted clogs were getting holes in the bottoms, so last week I needle felted patches on the bottom. I knew I bought those felting needles for some reason. Love Knitting Daily. Thanks, Carol

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

KatyJ — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:45:16 GMT

Hi Sandi, I always enjoy reading knitting daily. It's also fun to look at the galleries that you show for each magazine. Do you have a readers gallery that shows knitters wearing their finished interweave projects? I thought there used to be one but I don't know how to find it. If such a gallery exists where would one send the pictures to be included in it. I am on the verge of having 2 vests completed and think it would be fun to send in the pictures. Thanks Katy

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

rkr4cds — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:45:37 GMT

May I answer for you about the soles? That though you mentioned gathering your needles and mats/brushes I'm picturing the Clover® tool sets, (used for just small appliques) but you have the premium, upholstery grade foam rubber block shown. The foam block is inserted inside the slippers or placed under any area to be needled (using the term 'needled' differentiates it from 'felted', which has been more commonly understood to refer to the traditional process of wet-work/felting) to keep the two sides of the slippers from bonding together. One must continually lift the slipper (or other fabric used to needle into/onto) off the foam or it will become embedded and permanently attached together! I'd say - every 8 - 10 thrusts - lift and move the foam surface. Add enough new fiber to the bottom sole area to fill in worn spots or just to give a contrasting colored area. A processing shock treatment of the traditional wet felting (which is basically alternating hot & cold water, friction and agitation) will bond the fibers to each other and to the slipper. They are also what originally shrunk the overly-large, loosely knit slipper. Any Google© search for Wet Felting will bring up instructions for wet felting and probably a free pattern for slippers like these! One great tip I'll share - because I 'invented' this on my own, from the manuscript of my upcoming book on the Art of Needle Felting: to keep the embedded fibers of one color from being picked up in other parts of the same work or into your next project, wrap your foam block snugly in fiberglass window replacement screening, purchased by the roll in any hardware or DIY shop. It must be overlapped and pinned through one of the sides placed horizontally to bury the tips inside. Leave 2 ends open but wrap snugly or this will not work: Occasionally, as you see fibers begin to build up on the surface, pick them all off and then slide your hand between the foam and the screening. Voila! A totally clean surface again to work on, as the last few fuzzies are drawn down underneath. The fiberglass screening will eventually break down (no matter how large our block is, we tend to use the same 4 sq inches in the center!) but I've purposefully shredded the screening many times as a test for the book and rubbed the fiber on my hands and face and there are no fibers that hurt/cut/embed/etc... Which makes me wonder if the fibers underneath the grey or black plastic coating aren't now just soft plastic themselves??

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

rkr4cds — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:36:24 GMT

Ahhhh, it doesn't take much to become completely beguiled by this does it? I would like to add this though; as a more experienced free-form needler of miniature realistic animal creations, you should needle for quite a bit longer to 'attach the fibers or perhaps overlay the yarn with fiber of the same shade in an unspun state. The yarn strands are laying rather softly/loosely on the surface and run the risk of catching on things as you pass by and pulling out (I'm assuming that the motifs are on the outside ankles.) They won't become permanently attached to your slippers until you needle them in much more extensively—gradually reducing your needle sizes, wet felt them to bond onto the front and on the inside or tack it all down with sewing stitches. From a pure needling standpoint, I'd needle it in. Unspun fibers bond more easily to each other and to your surface than do those whose ends have been plied into a central column like yarn. Yarn, especially large, loose, bulky yarn like left-over Lopi® and cookie cutters is an excellent way to start children see the magic happen in short workshops. You've got a great start and I hope you can budget a small bit of needling time into each week: as you've found, it's a great stress reliever and your mind is free to go where it will, thinking creatively or solving your own or the problems of the world.

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

SueS@4 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:55:43 GMT

Pattern for the booties, PLEEEEEEESSE??????

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

BreannaS — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:39:31 GMT

I am not sure if you can be trusted any more. I may have to stop reading knitting daily (or I could jsut give in and try needle felting) I have been very good for months and I have not tried any new crafts but every time I go into my LYS they have a beautiful display of needle felting goodies. OOps! I think I just slid down into the black hole that is a new fiber craft, all your doing I say. ( So when my husband writes you a nasty letter about not having dinner for a few days just ignore his begging for food, he could stand to loose a few pounds while I start a new hobby).

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

busybees — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:36:17 GMT

Learned about needle felting while visiting the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Show two years ago. Bought the basics and have shared the "craft" with dozens since...first projects were 3-d carrots, chicks and ducks; charming spring decorations. LOVE the "improvements" and "updating" on your slippers with simple embellishments, so "dear" and so inspiring. WITH WHAT and HOW did you cover the soles? Is that felting or applied? Please let us know! Thank you in advance!

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

Laine — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:29:53 GMT

I would love to have instructions for your finished product (including felted slippers)!!! Very cute.

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

ElisabethM@2 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:22:14 GMT

Just before reading about your needle felting I had gathered all my needle felting supplies that I bought several months ago but never used. I was going to make some Easter ornaments using cookie cutters. You really inspired me to give it a try. I love the little pink birds on your slippers!

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

TeresaK — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:55:02 GMT

Love the needle-felting you did! You've inspired me to try it. What about the soles of your slippers? Is the new sole sewn on or is that also needle felting?

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

SwampF — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:48:32 GMT

Felting is a great idea. However, what can those of us who are highly allergic to wool do??????

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

Melissa@3 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:32:41 GMT

I thought I wouldn't like needle felting, but was I wrong! I now am really excited by it and want to do it all the time! I free-hand felted an Elvis themed logo ("TCB" with a lightning flash under it) on the front of a trucker type baseball cap for my brother and it came out great! I used wool roving and mostly used a single needle to do the fine shaping on the block letters and the lightning bolt. Before that, I needle felted a bird on a guitar (a la Woodstock) using shapes and a background cut from recycled wool sweaters and that came out nicely, too! The creative potential of needle felting seems endless!

re: Update Your Wardrobe Cheaply With Needle Felting

Julie C — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:35:00 GMT

Ooh! I love needle felting. I first tried it to embellish a purse I knit and felted in the washing machine. I LOVED it. You're so right about it being therapeutic or cathartic. Lately I've been itching to try it again, so I'm spending my birthday Joann's card on new supplies! Can't wait! My only question is this: What else can you needle felt on? I'd love to embellish some items in my home or closet, but I don't have much wool, living in Texas. Are there other fabrics that it will work on? Or, if not, would fabric glue or something similar work to attach felted items to clothing??