Wet Felting a Wedding Purse
It snowed the other day and we’ve been stuck in the house bordered. My felting (studio) is in the garage so felting in the winter is slim. I’ve tired to add space heaters but it always blows the fuse. I am so excited because there is a huge possibility that I will be purchasing a prebuilt building to go in the back of my grandmother/mothers backward and have my studio there. It will be a 4 season building with lots of Windows – I just love sun rooms so I will be in my glory, if I am blessed enough to have this building become a reality instead of a dream and hope.
So tonight I knew I couldn’t make anything to to large so I thought that making a purse would be doable. It didn’t take me long it was a lot of fun just throwing things together. The most time consuming part was the beading but other than that it was fun a easy to mix all the textures together.
Process:
Fibers Used:
I used a mixed breed natural roving for the base. I then used my Ashford blending board to blend the embellishment fibers- firestar,silk(tussah-mulberry-brick),nubs,Angelina, all un-dyed. . Took it off the blending board and stretched it out on top of my base layer of fibers. I then added beaded silk appliqués, novelty yarns,lace,silk hankies and extra mulberry silk throughout.
Wetting down the project with boiling hot soapy water- tried my best to no get it all over the floor…failed miserably lol
Adding plastic screen- once wet I added a plastic screen on top of the project. I do like using the screen opposed to curtain or tulle. It doesn’t stick a such, if your working with dead fibers there is no dye bleeding into the tulle potentially having the possibility to ruin the next project you work on. The screen makes it easy for your hands to glide across without friction and if any fibers get stuck in between the wholes it’s nothing t get them out, where as netting s a nightmare!!! I always end up throwing it out because I can’t get them all off. It’s one of the most frustrating things lol
I then rolled it up and began my rolling 100x each direction. Then tossed it into the dryer for 25 mins(no heat).
Completely felted and fulled-After rolling and throwing to full the felted piece this is what it turned out to:
I have added a few pictures of a purse I made a few weeks back. The felted piece that I made will turn out similar to the purse in the next pictures. In some of the pictures I have the felted piece I made underneath the purse so you can see the resemblance between the two.. The flower and other embellishments I add on after I sew the felted piece on to the purse frame. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions!
Felted Couture 
Looks great. Was it complicated or difficult to set up your blog?
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Thank you ! It was kinda of both. I downloaded an app but it has glitches. So I have been having to keep my patience while doing it. I think the hardest part is the “want” to do them because it does take some time…. But If I have people enjoying them then I will continue to do it. So I am so thankful for your positive feed back!!👍
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I like beads in your felt
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Thank you so much! I really appreciate your feed back! 💕
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I love your wedding purse, the natural colours blend so well together. I think you are very brave writing a blog, it is something I have been thinking about doing. Keep going. Alison
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Alison, thank you so much for both the compliment on the purse and for the encouragement to continue doing the blogs. I didn’t think anyone would respond to it. So I am so grateful for your comments and everyone else’s. I think you should def. start your wn blog! I would love to follow it! Let me know if ou start one 😀
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Saw your face book comment on your blog. Great job. I, too, eventually would like to do a blog. Everything of this nature takes much time, so have put it off. Your pictures are lovely~~as it your beautiful purse. Keep up the fab work.
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HI Linda! Thank you so much, it’s definitely not something I throughly enjoy putting together lol but I hope it will get easier and more exciting to do. I encourage you to start a blog I know I haven’t made it sound so enticing to do but it really has boosted my confidence with my creations. The pictures for me are usually the hardest part because I am not good at all at taking photos so it does take me awhile, but it’s worth it when people take the time to look and respond. So thank you for stopping bye and I hope you check back in!!!… I’ll be adding a photo gallery soon and will be adding a few more blogs too. 😀
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I absolutely love your wedding purse! It is beautiful. I would love to try making one for sure. I would like to know where your purchased the plastic screen? I think that is a great idea opposed to the netting. I also adore the beading. Was most of the beading already in the fabric or all hand stitched? How did you determine the size of the purse? Did you use a template? Were the wool fibers Merino Wool? Also, you chose the perfect purse handle. I have never used this type before. How do you attach the felted piece to the handle? And lastly, did you happen to line your wedding purse? Sorry, for all the questions but I have been wanting to do this for such a long time and your work is perfection. Great job! Thanks for sharing your blog! Do you have a website to sell your items?
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Gail!!! Thank you so much! You will have a blast making one if you choose to. I love the questions!… Because I love answering them. I remember when I was first starting some people don’t like to help others out but you meet those few people who like to help others out and will answer your questions. I hope I’m able to help and answer the questions you have to the best of my ability. The screen you can purchase at any fabric store(Joanns, your local fabric store) and also at home improvement store(homedepot,lowes) You wanna make sure you get the plastic version and not the metal screen.
The beading was done both ways. I hand beaded some and then some was from a vintage silk wedding dress I had purchased at a thrift store. I just cut the silk dress and made sure the beading was in tact. As long as the material that the beading is on is silk or of a material that is feltable you should be fine.
I usually account for 20-30% of shrinkage. On the safe side I make it larger. It’s better to have something to big than too small. I used Merino wool and then with my carding machine I blended merino,tencel,firestar,Angelina and laid that over my layer of merino.
There are many purse handles to choose from and each one has different ways to attach the material. Some need to be sewed in, others can be glued and some your can use both techniques.
Yes the inside is lined and has a pocket on the side.
I have an Etsy store but I have nothing up there. I do have a lot to sell but I am horrible at taking photos. I would like to take some good ones this spring. I just hate taking pictures, I wish someone would have some tips for me on that. It doesn’t help that I’m a perfectionist haha.
I will be adding a photo gallery on this site of what I currently have in stock but the are just going to be some quick photo shots not ones that I can put up on my etsy shop.
Well I hope I answered your questions and I hope that you stop back I’ll be adding more posts and some pics👍🤗
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