@jaremelz, a question for you about felting
9I'm getting this book Crafting with Cat Hair. It should be here tomorrow. What do I need? I really want to make kitty finger puppets. God knows we have more than enough cat hair in this house.
Finger savers, I know I need those. (Lost part of one when I first used my mandolin, I now know safety first - I get more than enough finger pokes when I administer subQ fluid to the 22 year old cat.)
But what else do I need?
Thank you for your very expert advice.
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More cats for the fur?
You can never have enough cats! @jaremelz 😻(Not sure if in the title it pings them)
@sohmageek We have a couple of koff dozen fur things. Thanks for calling her out.
Hi there! Ok, so the basics of what you need are simple. Get a large sponge (like for washing the car) and at the craft store, pick up needles for felting. They sell holders for them, but for your project, don't get one that holds more than a couple, you won't need it. I actually use one only half the time. Usually I hold just a single needle. Have a nice light, bright and close to your work. I'm lucky enough to have an OTT, but don't run out and buy one.
Really, that's all you need at first. They sell a lot of things you can, but don't need to buy.
And keep in mind, finger guards are a must, but don't stop the needle. Just slow it down so it goes 1/8" into your finger instead of 1/4"!
And ask me any time you need anything!
@jaremelz sponge, foam, my first felting kit came with some biodegradable foam. or some medium firm foam like couch cushion foam would also work. i also have a felting brush that is pretty awesome to use, i think it is clover brand. none of this is necessary if you are just trying it out, but nice ot have if you want to felt on a regular basis.
i've never used finger guards. i just end up poking the crap out of my fingers. you actually get better and less pokey the more you felt. i can almost not poke myself now.
i've neve rused pet hair, i've only used roving meant for needle felting. please post pictures of your creations
@jaremelz I have two OTT lights. Yay!
I'll be getting my supplies from Amazon. Any recommendations? I see there are different gauges of needles. I'm excited about doing this, but I need to do other things before I get started (close out last year's books, make new shirts for my husband - this past weekend I cut out vinyl and have been doing the weeding at night, which is why I was late to the Fuku and lost out). I do want to have all of the supplies before I start.
We got one of our cats from one my best friends (who got him from her dead best friend's husband, who was remarrying four years after the death and the new wife hates animals and wanted him to live on the street in the foothills of Rancho Cucamonga; coyote area, as a matter of fact, a coyote jumped a six foot fence and got their old dog after it was tossed out into the backyard late one night) and I'd love to make the little finger puppet using Mario's fur.
@lisaviolet I would start with the 38s. They are fine to start out. And I did see mention of the brush block by someone else. Everyone is different, so consider trying both sponge and block. You might have a clear favourite!
@lisaviolet i got my needles on etsy https://www.etsy.com/transaction/145757143 i then painted the ends with nail polish different colors so i knew what was what. my needle holder is a Altoids tin, and i use hollow q-tips(i think perhaps target brand) to hold each needle so it isn't a total box of death.
this is the needle felting brush/mat i use http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WZ4KRC?keywords=clover%20felting%20brush&qid=1453943184&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1 eventually you need soemthign to rake the small bits of felt out of it, something like this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CEB0ES?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage but you can probably get away with using a regular comb, i don't actually recommend this rake, although i have one. i think you can find cheaper options.
as for where to get roving, the girl i ordered from stopped selling on etsy, so i don't have a new place for nice wool. i know not all wool is equal, and i'm not knowledgeable to really advise you. the first wool i got was probably great for experienced felters, but i had trouble with it, i think t needed carded because it was lumpy and had really long fibers. i prefer the better carded more vibrant shorter strand wool i got from the other girl. i wish i knew more about the fibers to give more info. i'm really a casual felter.
i'm totally a cheap felter looking for roving sales and supplies.
@vampje Thank you! I most likely won't start cost shopping until I'm sure I can do it.
If you want to know the cheapest places to get supplies for a Silhouette Cameo, I can help you there.
@lisaviolet you know the way to my heart with a bruce campbell gif <3
@lisaviolet and @vampje You can get roving on Amazon. Look for merino, avoid alpaca unless you want your finished product to be fuzzy. There are also reverse needles that can give thst effect. I just bought some merino from amazon, for the batman I'm making for the Opinionator (mfladd).
If what I need is for a consistent, no fiber not uniform color, I buy. If whatever I'm making can have more character, I'll dye my own. I do have tons of the stuff anyway, from spinning. That's one up side to spinning yarn, so much fiber. In the summer, look to see if there are any spinning festivals or shows around. We also buy there, and prices can be much better.
@lisaviolet My sister-in-law got me that book for Christmas but I haven't tried to make anything with cat fur yet. Please let us know how it goes.
On a side note, the topic image is the fox I made during @sohmageek 's Crafty Challenge. I feel special hahaha
@stardate820926 that fox is awesome!
@stardate820926 I want to make stuff!
That fox is so cute.
@stardate820926 Oh, if you go to the Amazon link above, check out the reviews. Someone posted a finger puppet she made and the cat she used as her model.
@vampje @lisaviolet thanks! It was the first thing I felted and discovered I really love it!!
i'm very much a hobbyist and not very good at it. my last creations were fora doctor who themed birthday party. a mini fez hair clip and a bow tie pin because bow ties are cool.
i have no pets, but i'm very curious to see your creations :)
i tried to make a dalek, but i was less than thrilled with my results. you can see my felting brush under my dalek
@vampje how very cool!
@vampje
That's adorable! Oh, man, I can hardly wait. I'm glad I have access to experienced felters.
@vampje those are all very cool!
You guys do wait until the cat is finished using their fur, right? Right?!?
@Mehrocco_Mole Hell no, that's what razors are for. lol
"Hey guys, I have an idea what you can make with that fur.", said the chilly kitty.
@Mehrocco_Mole I'm usually weirded out by hairless cats but this one is adorable. I want to cuddle it!
@stardate820926 My sister has… quite a few of them, and they are the sweetest cats I've ever interacted with. And for as many occasions that they look funky and alien, they routinely look completely adorable as well. I find them far more charming than I ever expected to!
I break more needles with foam than with the brush. I use single needle for 3D work, but if doing large flat areas like seams or patches I like the multiple needle holders. The one I use most holds 3 needles and has a cap for easy transport. I use needle felting for repairing other fabrics more often than for art. I use a pair of dog brushes for combing small amounts of fiber or blending colors.
@dlskidmore Do you have any pictures of your work? We tend to get very excited about such things.
Eta: I have never broken a needle in the block, but have a couple times in the piece. So much fun to try and find. There is a certain time of night I should quit. But the master is unrelenting. And I've comics to pay off.
@dlskidmore cheap slicker dog brushes are fabulous i haven't tried combining colors yet. i just do really basic shapes.
yes please on pictures :)
yeah i didn't have fun with foam i found it awkward. i prefer the brush now that i have it. it has a better bounce with the needle
i have the clover pen that holds 3 needles, by my last set of needles didn't fit in there right, so i've just been holding my needle
@vampje I have that holder next to me right now, I'll bet. I've got 4 different needles as well, to get the details the way I want them. No, I'm not an obsessive felter. Nope.
@dlskidmore Most of my work is pretty boring...
Bed Sheet Repair
Jacket Elbow repair
Needle felted decoration on wet felted boots
@dlskidmore Wow. Are there special washing instructions? (Because of our cats, everything we have here is machine washable.)
@jaremelz Bats is looking great!
I have that holder/pen as well but I mostly use one of the wooden ones where you can store the needle inside the handle. It's perfect for my mobile crafting kit and I don't have to worry about stabbing myself every time I open it haha
@stardate820926 Thanks! I wanted that one, but they were out when I was at the fiber festival, so I settled for this. I do like it for the broader body sections.
Soon he will have his darker gray body. As always, I'm super nervous about the head!
@lisaviolet Wool that felts well by definition is terrible at machine washing. It shrinks like no tomorrow. Ok in a patch or solid that you want to tighten up, not ok in something that has to fit again. Use delicate cycle, Ivory Snow laundry detergent, dry flat. If you do want to tighten up a solid, maybe for making dryer balls or cat toys, encase in pantyhose to help it stick together good and not shake apart at any weak spots.
@jaremelz my Batman!
@mfladd And he's all ready to get his armor! And although I'd never admit it where anyone could see, you were spot on about the color choice.
Thank goodness no one will ever find out.
I bought a bunch of felting supplies like a year ago, but they are still sitting in the closet in my craft room because I'm too chicken to start trying. Gawd, I'm a dork. I'm just going to be over here lurking in the corner and reading posts from you people who know what you're doing.
@Pony You can do it!!
I was afraid to get started too. I would recommend starting with one of the kits so you have a little bit of direction. After you've done one, it's much easier to come up with your own ideas.
@Pony Think of it this way, it's just a little bit of fluff, what's the harm? I sound like a pusher,don't I! I just love seeing people getting into this. When @stardate820926 started with her kits, i was both impressed as heck and a little jealous of her skills! You just never know. And because you're local, I can afford to send you a little wool if you'd like.
@jaremelz I actually bought a bunch of wool along with everything else, so I'm good. But thank you for the offer- you're awesome. :)
@jaremelz @stardate820926 This is what I have in the way of supplies (so far)
@Pony Heh. You should see my Amazon cart right now.
Waiting for the mail to arrive (my book! my book!) so I can see what else I need...
@Pony mmm roving...
@Pony Looking good! Now, get to stabbing!
I watched a few videos on this last night, I had no idea this was a thing! I do not need another hobby, but might need to try this out.
I love this thread! My sister introduced me to needle felting last year and for me, it's a great form of stress relief - like the coloring books! Just don't do this while watching tv - I get distracted and stab my finger - listen to music instead! I need to get the finger savers. I've been using the finger parts I cut off of a leather glove.
@shyxgrl I didn't think about cutting the fingers off of a leather glove. With leather gloves being about 2.00 at Harbor Freight, this sounds like a great idea.
@shyxgrl Yay, another! This makes me really happy. I love the gloves idea.
I wear headphones and cultivate Pandora stations. I find some music much better than others.
@conandlibrarian Yeah! That's where I saw them and decided for the price, i was going to try it! Get ones where the fingers are snug so they stay on better...
Hahaha this is great
@stardate820926 - Too funny!! Thanks for that.
@stardate820926 I want a death felter 5000. That bunny actually came out pretty well.
Current project level. ...holy crap I'll never get free of @mfladd so long as he keeps asking for dolls.
@jaremelz Yes! My Dark Knight. He is perfect. You talented, bitch :)
So to date, she has completed Harley Quinn, Joker and Batman. Hulk is next. and I can't wait to see how he turns out. The weird thing is that each one keeps getting larger like Russian nesting dolls. By the time we are finished she will be shipping 3 ft dolls - don't judge me and my doll fetish!
Yes, I could just go out and by figurines or models, but these are so much better being handcrafted. Also, I am thinking that with all the blood, sweats and tears she has put into these that she is somehow connected to her and the pins might actually get her ;)
And she is correct. I am way ahead on the doll count and I own her services for sometime....muwhahahahaha!
@mfladd Wait, were you just being nice to me. ...ack!
I feel like I'm caught in some sort of trap.
And yes, my time is so owned. Some days, I feel like all of these characters at once. And yes, there's a little magic involved.
