Name: Wet Felted Bowl
SKU: 92637L
Price: 196.22 AUD

Step 1Prepare your workspace by laying down an old towel. Inflate a balloon to the size of the bowl you wish to create and tie it off. It’s best to start on the smaller side if you are new to wet felting, so you can get a feel for the process before making larger items.
Step 2Create a template for where you are going to lay out your combed wool. We have used a sheet of paper to indicate the space. You will need to lay down enough wool to wrap up the balloon completely.
Step 3Choose your wool colours. We have chosen to use green, blue and purple. Begin to gently tease apart the combed wool and lay it onto your template. The thinner and wispier you can get the wool, the better. As a general rule, it’s much easier to felt with thin layers. This process of pulling the wool can be a bit tricky, so practice makes perfect! Create your first layer by laying the fibres in the same direction and using whichever colour/s you wish.
Step 4Lay a second layer of combed wool over the first, this time running in the opposite direction. Add a third layer, this time changing to run the fibres in the same direction as your first layer.
Step 5Repeat this process using alternating fibre directions until you have at least 5 layers. You will notice the pile looks quite thick and fluffy!
Step 6Place your balloon in the centre of the wool pile and carefully wrap it up, making sure that there are no holes. Adjust and move the wool with your hands to achieve an even thickness around the balloon as thinner areas may result in holes and/or weak spots in your finished product.
Step 7Take a stocking piece and stretch it over and around the wool covered balloon, tying the stocking close to the wool to secure everything inside. A friend or teacher’s help may make this step a little easier! Trim the excess stocking.
Step 8Mix up a bowl of warm soapy water. We have used dishwashing liquid, however olive oil soap is popular for wet felting too. You need to add enough soap to make your hands feel slippery when you dip them in the water. Dunk your stocking with everything inside into the water, wetting thoroughly and then squeezing out any excess.
Step 9Begin rolling the stocking in all directions on the towel in front of you. Use firm pressure but be careful not to push so hard that you break the balloon! This is going to agitate the wool fibres and begin the felting process. Continue rolling for around 5-6 minutes. You will notice bits of fibre begin to come through the stocking and create a fuzz on the outside.
There aren’t any fixed timings for the wet felting process – it may be different depending on the thickness of your wool and the size of your project. Even the humidity of the room can have an effect! Try to work off the look and feel of the wool. You want to see the fuzzy fibres on the outside, but you don’t want to go too far that the wool felts to the stocking and you can’t get it off!
Step 10Carefully untie or cut the knot of the stocking and then gently peel the stocking away from the wool. You will hear a ripping sound as you break the stocking away from the fibres so be gentle to avoid ripping large holes in your project. As you can see, we had some thin spots in the wool which have resulted in a couple of holes. Don’t worry though - we can fix this later!
Step 11Dunk the project back into the warm soapy water and squeeze out any excess. Continue to roll again for another 5-6 minutes. The wool will felt more, shrinking and pulling together. This may further open up any existing holes, but try not to let that stop you!
Step 12Pop the balloon and remove it from the wool. Rinse out your wool in warm water to remove any soap residue. Squeeze out the excess water then use your hands to mould your wool back into your bowl shape. If you have holes (like we do!), you can use scissors to cut away the ragged edges and clean up your bowl.
Step 13While the felt is still damp you can pull and stretch it to create a different shape. This is very handy if your bowl had holes in it! Once you are happy with the shape of your felted bowl, allow it to dry completely. You now have a lovely Wet Felted Bowl!