Adding a prefelt water droplet.
The finished layout, prior to rolling.
The completed runner.
I enjoyed laying out the rainbow stripes in this project...
...remembering elementary school and ROYGBIV! :)
Unfortunately, because of the curvature of the stripes...
...my finished runner came out a bit wonky after rolling. Sighhhh.
Ideas, anyone?
Should I have made it larger and just trimmed it...
...or is there a way to compensate for this fiber folly?!?
Luckily for me, my plumber was delighted with the gift and the thought behind it...
...that he brings people joy and rainbows in his work! :)
13 comments:
This is just fabulous, can't help with the wonkyness most of my felt suffers from that, thanks for sharing your work in progress, I find that really interesting
much love
martine
Martine--Thank you for the sweet and encouraging comment!! XXO-
handmade stuff should be a bit wonky! hope your plumber has a wonky table to match it:)
ROY G BIV! OMG! I haven't heard that in years. With both of my kids in elementary, you would think that I would have heard that recently but I haven't.
I think it's beautiful and love that you made that as a thank you gift.
Awesome runner! Great documentation of your process too. Keep up the great work!!
--Marti
Hi Heather,
If you take a steam iron and set it on wool you can straighten your edges. You can't shrink an edge easily, but you can certainly stretch the narrow parts. If you use the button on the iron to "puff" steam in the areas that need stretching you can very gently pull on the fiber.
It's similar to the way a milliner reshapes the brim of a hat. I took my cowboy hat to the shop where they trimmed it, steamed it, changed the tilt of the edge, and made the hat suit my taste.
Your piece is large, so you may have to refill your iron. It's better to make lots of puffs of steam and lots of small adjustments than to try to just tug on the whole thing at once.
Elizabeth
Lovely runner with the idea.
Such a generous and beautiful gift, Heather! I'm sure he loved it!
I've found I can avoid the wonkiness in a couple of ways. After rolling, once the wool won't felt to itself, fold it up and roll it on itself, without any plastics. Keeping it folded and rolling in this way really helps to keep the sides straight-or in the shape you want them to be. Switch around direction and folding patterns. The wool felt more uniformly this way so the edges felt as well as the middle does.
You can also usually felt away most of those ripples by rubbing only those areas on your work surface. rub in the direction you want it to shrink. With a bit of work this usually tightens up that extra felt. And you can also try rolling up the corners and rolling them on themselves- roll in towards the middle of your piece- this really tightens up those larger corners and deals with some of the rippling on the sides.
These are a few things I do to keep my felt flat. Hope it helps!
And again- such a inspiring and thoughtful gesture! Warm wishes, Fiona
Ahhhhh...my sweet friends-Thank you for all of your kind words and the helpful and detailed tips!!! What would I ever do without you??
...and when are you all coming to visit me?!?!?! Big smooches--
Really lovely Heather!
x
Another fantastic creation!!! I love it and I'll bet your plumber did, too (and was so surprised by your thoughtfulness.) Probably the first time anyone has ever made him something so special.
Oh, and by the way, I love your comment above..."When are you all coming to visit"...LOL...Wouldn't you be surprised if we were all on your doorstep when you awoke in the morning? :-))) We'd never leave either.
Big hugs,
Dawn
That was a kind and thoughtful gift for your plumber, and I'm so glad to hear that you found someone honest and helpful and willing to do the job right. I'm sure he appreciates your thoughtfulness and generosity too. :)
Thanks, Deborah, Dawn and Sandie!
Oh, Dawn-wouldn't that be 'loverly'?? I LOVE having felting friends afoot!
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