Comments for Gourmetfelted's Weblog http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com Helping People to find the "Joy of Needle Felting!" Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:37:49 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on NEEDLE FELTING~ATTENTION NEW FELTERS~ASK YOUR FELTING QUESTIONS HERE~MAYBE I CAN HELP:) by gourmetfelted http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/attention-new-feltersask-your-felting-questions-heremaybe-i-can-help/#comment-1743 gourmetfelted Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:37:49 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=2337#comment-1743 Hi Holli! Welcome to my blog! Thank you for your kind words on my yorkie! I use mohair for the fur and lay it on the face and felt it in the middle. Then you smooth out each side that hangs down, with a needle. Gently "comb" it flat with the needle. Trim to shape. You can needle felt bowls but it would take a long time. Many items like that are "wet" felted instead. You lay the loose wool and/or roving over a bowl in the design that you want and wet it with hot water with a little soap. Then you rub the wool all over to "felt" it together. It's best to use gloves for this as you have to rub for quite a while. You can alternate the hot water with cold as that "shocks" the fiber to felt faster. The bowl will act a a mold to shape the wool over. Rinse the soap out when done. Do the inside of the bowl also. "Wet" felting is very beautiful and blends the colors softly together like a water color painting. When it is dry, you can needle felt detailing on the bowl or vessel if desired. I hope that answered your questions. I'd love to see your finished items! Happy felting! ~Gerry Hi Holli!
Welcome to my blog! Thank you for your kind words on my yorkie! I use mohair for the fur and lay it on the face and felt it in the middle. Then you smooth out each side that hangs down, with a needle. Gently “comb” it flat with the needle. Trim to shape.

You can needle felt bowls but it would take a long time. Many items like that are “wet” felted instead. You lay the loose wool and/or roving over a bowl in the design that you want and wet it with hot water with a little soap. Then you rub the wool all over to “felt” it together. It’s best to use gloves for this as you have to rub for quite a while. You can alternate the hot water with cold as that “shocks” the fiber to felt faster. The bowl will act a a mold to shape the wool over. Rinse the soap out when done. Do the inside of the bowl also.
“Wet” felting is very beautiful and blends the colors softly together like a water color painting. When it is dry, you can needle felt detailing on the bowl or vessel if desired.

I hope that answered your questions. I’d love to see your finished items!
Happy felting!
~Gerry

]]> Comment on NEEDLE FELTING~ATTENTION NEW FELTERS~ASK YOUR FELTING QUESTIONS HERE~MAYBE I CAN HELP:) by holli http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/attention-new-feltersask-your-felting-questions-heremaybe-i-can-help/#comment-1742 holli Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:50:25 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=2337#comment-1742 Hi! I saw your awesome yorkie pin. I'm working on Yorkie for my sister, but I'm having a hard time with the long straight fur. How did you get the fur around the face to be so straight and smooth? Also, I wondered if it's possible to make needle felted bowls or vessels? Thanks! Holli Hi! I saw your awesome yorkie pin. I’m working on Yorkie for my sister, but I’m having a hard time with the long straight fur. How did you get the fur around the face to be so straight and smooth?

Also, I wondered if it’s possible to make needle felted bowls or vessels?

Thanks!
Holli

]]> Comment on NEEDLE FELTING DIRECTIONS~TUTORIAL~ CHOOSING FIBERS for NEEDLE FELTED DOGS~TIP OF THE WEEK by gourmetfelted http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/needle-felting-fibersgood-and-bad-for-feltingtip-of-the-week/#comment-1741 gourmetfelted Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:58:11 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=1491#comment-1741 Hi Denise, Thank you so much for your kind words on my blog. You made my day! Noooo, I don't have any time to make a book!!LOL! I don't have much time for anything this time of year as I am booked with orders! There are a lot of posts on my blog. You can find a list of them under any comment. I understand what you mean about the fur semi felting. If you do the furring on the body LAST, it stays nice. Do the head, tail, and legs first, and then the body. That way the fur on the body stays untangled from handling. I hope that answers your question! HAPPY FELTING! ~Gerry Hi Denise,
Thank you so much for your kind words on my blog. You made my day! Noooo, I don’t have any time to make a book!!LOL! I don’t have much time for anything this time of year as I am booked with orders!

There are a lot of posts on my blog. You can find a list of them under any comment.

I understand what you mean about the fur semi felting. If you do the furring on the body LAST, it stays nice. Do the head, tail, and legs first, and then the body.
That way the fur on the body stays untangled from handling.

I hope that answers your question!
HAPPY FELTING!
~Gerry

]]> Comment on NEEDLE FELTING DIRECTIONS~TUTORIAL~ CHOOSING FIBERS for NEEDLE FELTED DOGS~TIP OF THE WEEK by Denise Junk http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/needle-felting-fibersgood-and-bad-for-feltingtip-of-the-week/#comment-1739 Denise Junk Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:34:22 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=1491#comment-1739 I just wanted to thank you for your blog . It was one of the first I found hen I started my felting journey about a year ago and I haven't put the needle down since . Your dogs are a huge inspiration but I have never managed to learn how to do miniatures....most of my work is pretty big amd cartoonish in style . AS to the wool . I started with Romney and it is my favorite as far as ease of felting but I love working with merino for the feel in my hands...(and when you work on something for 16 you might as well like the way it feels .) I did manage to get a hold of some Yak on Etsy...you can see an entry about it on my blog, and it was incredibly soft as roving and felted (needle and wet felted), a lot like Alpaca...which to me is harder to felt then merino but certainly does feel wonderful . I think it would be great as a rooted in top coat for dog hair but I have never figured out how to keep the hair from matting int one simi-felted bush when I try and do top coats...sooooo....Do you have a book in the works? I just wanted to thank you for your blog . It was one of the first I found hen I started my felting journey about a year ago and I haven’t put the needle down since . Your dogs are a huge inspiration but I have never managed to learn how to do miniatures….most of my work is pretty big amd cartoonish in style .

AS to the wool . I started with Romney and it is my favorite as far as ease of felting but I love working with merino for the feel in my hands…(and when you work on something for 16 you might as well like the way it feels .)

I did manage to get a hold of some Yak on Etsy…you can see an entry about it on my blog, and it was incredibly soft as roving and felted (needle and wet felted), a lot like Alpaca…which to me is harder to felt then merino but certainly does feel wonderful . I think it would be great as a rooted in top coat for dog hair but I have never figured out how to keep the hair from matting int one simi-felted bush when I try and do top coats…sooooo….Do you have a book in the works?

]]> Comment on NEEDLE FELTED BLOG~ ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION ENTRY~THEN AND NOW~ACINDA~HORSE AND CHIHUAHUA by gourmetfelted http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/one-year-then-and-now-anniversary-celebration-entryacindahorse-and-chihuahua/#comment-1738 gourmetfelted Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:46:23 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=2782#comment-1738 Hello! Welcome to my blog! When you make a felted sculpture as a replica of a living animal, pay close attention to the shapes of different sections of the body and carefully shape the wool to match. Study the actual shapes. When I first started needle felting, I thought that some areas looked a certain way, but the reality was different. It takes LOTS of patience to sculpt wool with just a needle but the results are worth it! A regular chihuahua is a good dog to start with as it isn't long coated. If you have a live model of your dog, it is much easier as you can see the curves and lines right in front of you in 3D. Hope this helps! HAPPY FELTING! ~Gerry Hello!
Welcome to my blog!
When you make a felted sculpture as a replica of a living animal, pay close attention to the shapes of different sections of the body and carefully shape the wool to match. Study the actual shapes. When I first started needle felting, I thought that some areas looked a certain way, but the reality was different. It takes LOTS of patience to sculpt wool with just a needle but the results are worth it! A regular chihuahua is a good dog to start with as it isn’t long coated. If you have a live model of your dog, it is much easier as you can see the curves and lines right in front of you in 3D. Hope this helps!
HAPPY FELTING!
~Gerry

]]> Comment on NEEDLE FELTED BLOG~ ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION ENTRY~THEN AND NOW~ACINDA~HORSE AND CHIHUAHUA by Fallen http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/one-year-then-and-now-anniversary-celebration-entryacindahorse-and-chihuahua/#comment-1737 Fallen Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:56:28 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=2782#comment-1737 I must know how you made the chi and the horse. I just love horses and I am dying to make my chi a feltie. I must know how you made the chi and the horse. I just love horses and I am dying to make my chi a feltie.

]]> Comment on NEEDLE FELTING~ATTENTION NEW FELTERS~ASK YOUR FELTING QUESTIONS HERE~MAYBE I CAN HELP:) by gourmetfelted http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/attention-new-feltersask-your-felting-questions-heremaybe-i-can-help/#comment-1736 gourmetfelted Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:05:25 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=2337#comment-1736 Hi Natalie, Welcome to my blog! You can do either technique depending on the look that you desire. If you 'dry' detail, the detailing will be crisp and sharper. If you felt a detail and wet felt it, you will get a more muted edged, softer look. I have seen beautiful felted items with both the wet and dry detailing and they are both stunning! It really is up to you! Experiment to see which one you like. As to cleaning needle felted items...The best thing is to keep them in a cabinet to they don't get dirty in the first place! If it is a non furry item, you can use a soft brush to lightly renew the surface. Or you can spot clean if necessary. You have to be careful wetting a felted sculpture too much if it has wire inside. The wire can rust and bleed out onto the surface especially if something like pipecleaners are used. This is why I use stainless steel or galvanized wire to prevent rusting. Also they are more durable. I hope that was a help! HAPPY FELTING! ~Gerry Hi Natalie,
Welcome to my blog! You can do either technique depending on the look that you desire. If you ‘dry’ detail, the detailing will be crisp and sharper. If you felt a detail and wet felt it, you will get a more muted edged, softer look. I have seen beautiful felted items with both the wet and dry detailing and they are both stunning! It really is up to you! Experiment to see which one you like.
As to cleaning needle felted items…The best thing is to keep them in a cabinet to they don’t get dirty in the first place! If it is a non furry item, you can use a soft brush to lightly renew the surface. Or you can spot clean if necessary. You have to be careful wetting a felted sculpture too much if it has wire inside. The wire can rust and bleed out onto the surface especially if something like pipecleaners are used. This is why I use stainless steel or galvanized wire to prevent rusting. Also they are more durable. I hope that was a help!
HAPPY FELTING!
~Gerry

]]> Comment on NEEDLE FELTING~ATTENTION NEW FELTERS~ASK YOUR FELTING QUESTIONS HERE~MAYBE I CAN HELP:) by Natalie http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/attention-new-feltersask-your-felting-questions-heremaybe-i-can-help/#comment-1735 Natalie Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:57:44 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=2337#comment-1735 Thanks for all the information - very helpful. My question is simple. I have recently started wet felting and adding detail by needle felting. However, I'm not sure sometimes whether I should add a 'dry' detail and then wet felt it in - or just leave it dry? Also, if something has been needle felted - what is the best method to wash/clean it? Sorry of this seems a little dense - the whole concept is new to me - and totally fascinating. Thank you Thanks for all the information – very helpful. My question is simple. I have recently started wet felting and adding detail by needle felting. However, I’m not sure sometimes whether I should add a ‘dry’ detail and then wet felt it in – or just leave it dry? Also, if something has been needle felted – what is the best method to wash/clean it? Sorry of this seems a little dense – the whole concept is new to me – and totally fascinating. Thank you

]]> Comment on NEEDLE FELTING CONTEST ENTRY~FAIRY DRAGON~by NINA by gourmetfelted http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/needle-felting-contest-entryfairy-dragonby-nina/#comment-1733 gourmetfelted Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:27:05 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=2210#comment-1733 Hi Mary Ann, Welcome to my blog! I do have needle felting kits for beginners in my shop. I also have felting wool for sale. You can take a peek if you like. www.gfelted.etsy.com Gerry Hi Mary Ann,
Welcome to my blog! I do have needle felting kits for beginners in my shop. I also have felting wool for sale. You can take a peek if you like.
http://www.gfelted.etsy.com
Gerry

]]> Comment on NEEDLE FELTING CONTEST ENTRY~FAIRY DRAGON~by NINA by Mary Leatherman http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/needle-felting-contest-entryfairy-dragonby-nina/#comment-1732 Mary Leatherman Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:35:42 +0000 http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/?p=2210#comment-1732 I Love It To Be able To Do This It Would So Much Fun Maybe some day Can You point Me Out Something That Could Help Me. Thank You Mary Ann I Love It To Be able To Do This It Would So Much Fun Maybe some day Can You point Me Out Something That Could Help Me. Thank You Mary Ann

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