Making felt using hot soapy water is quick and effective and uses basic materials.

You will need:

• Roving Wool – Merino is best
• Bubble wrap – two sheets per piece of felt
• Soap flakes/detergent
• Buckets – to rinse the felt (one for hot and one for cold water)
• Hot water (kettle to boil)
• Bottle with holes in the top for soap solution – mix up soap flakes or detergent with hot water.
• Bamboo mat (as used for sushi)

Directions:

1 Lay down a piece of bubble wrap, bubbles side up onto a flat working surface.

2 Pull the clean wool into short sections and lay them evenly across the bubble wrap in one direction (vertically), overlapping each piece slightly. Make a second layer in a horizontal direction and then a third in vertical, creating three cross-hatched layers.

3 Create a design for your felt on the top layer.

4 Wet your wool thoroughly with hot soap solution. Be sure to tuck under the edges of your felt to avoid wispy bits.

5 Place a second layer of bubble wrap over your wool (bubbles side in), pour a little of your soap solution on top (to prevent friction) and start rubbing your panel in horizontal and vertical strokes (alternately) with the flat of your hand.

6 Repeat this process for 5 – 10 minutes. It is friction that causes the wool to felt. Remember to flip your felt over and rub the other side occasionally.

7 You can use a bamboo mat to help the felting process, once it has begun to felt in the bubble wrap. Take it out of the bubble wrap and transfer onto the bamboo mat. Roll it up and knead it as with a rolling pin.

8 Once your wool is felted, immerse it in hot water. This helps the felting process and rinses the soap from your felt. After hot water, immerse in cold water and rinse thoroughly.

9 Wring out your felt and roll it in a towel to remove any excess water. Lay flat to dry.

(important to note that if at the end of your felting process, your felt is not quite ‘tight’ enough, you can go back and felt it again after it has dried)