Friday 2 March 2012

GUEST POST: HOW TO MAKE FELT BALLS

This tutorial comes from Belinda Connelly of Fairythread. A big thank you to Belinda for the tutorial as well as the special offer for the readers of this blog (see note below). 


Make your own felt balls - great for the kids to try!
Handmade felt tutorial

"the ball is the first toy a child should have, for it is the symbol of the whole" Froebel

This soft and simple ball is made from 100% pure wool which is then hand felted. It is warm and comforting to touch and provides a wonderful means for your baby to become aware of movement as well as stimulating the senses and imagination. 

You will need: 
•unspun wool 
•large bowl or kitchen sink
•dishwashing detergent
•warm & cold water
•towel

(I find it easiest to work over the kitchen sink)

1. Wind very thin strands of the wool round and round in a random pattern to form a ball shape. Make it a third bigger than the intended size as it will shrink in the process.
2. Submerge the ball in warm water until it is soaked. Squirt generously with washing up liquid.
3. Now work the ball as though you are making a snowball 'cupping' and 'packing' it with your hands. Rub the ball, making sure to keep its round form. You need to work quickly: rubbing, cupping and packing so that the outer fibres begin to lock together. This will take about 7 minutes.
4. While rinsing the ball in cold water now, continue the above actions. This helps to firm the locking of the fibres.
5. Resubmerge the ball in warm water, add a little more detergent and work for a further 5 minutes.
6. Rinse thoroughly in cold water, making sure to squeeze out all of the soap.
7. Rub in a towel to dry. I like to leave mine on top of my hot water service overnight to dry thoroughly.

Note: You can buy your own felt ball kits from Fairythread (www.facebook.com/fairythread). Mention this blog to receive 10% off normal price!

8 comments:

Shanna said...

very cool looking ball. i would love to learn more about working with these materials.

Shanna said...

im now following with google, love for you to visit me too and follow along @ http://www.mommiesandbeyond.com

Teresa said...

Your link to Fairythread doesn't work.

Anne said...

What do you use for the core? Or is the whole ball made from wool?

Mrs. Lucky said...

Hi Shanna and welcome to my blog. Thanks for the link to your site too and I hope to check it out in the next few days.

Mrs. Lucky said...

Hi Teresa,
Today, I received an e-mail from someone and that is when I noticed that Belinda's links that I was provided with, which used to work, do not work any longer. I sent her an e-mail this morning and hope to hear from her soon with updated information. Once she lets me know of her new contact details, I will be updating the her details here too. Thank you for making me aware of the issue.

Mrs. Lucky said...

Hi Anne,
Once I get a response from Belinda, I will let her know of your question. I hope to get back to you sometime soon.

Mrs. Lucky said...

Unfortunately, I haven't received a response back from Belinda so far. I hope all is well with her. If I ever manage to get in contact with her, I will be informing her of all your comments and questions.

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