The Felted Bag Book. Susie Johns
Lily
Introduction
A handbag is not only a necessity, it is the finishing touch to your outfit. A good-looking bag is a great way to express your individuality and sense of style, not just a receptacle for all those necessary items such as money, keys, make-up and heaven knows what else.
Forget designer bags for the moment. Forget leather bags and bags made from canvas or plastic or snakeskin. Here is a selection of entirely different bags: those made from felt. Felt is a great fabric. It’s thick and strong – perfect for making beautiful, practical and hard-wearing bags. You can make felt in a number of ways: either by wet felting or needle felting with wool fibres, or by ‘boiling’ woollen items.
This book introduces these various techniques to those unfamiliar with the felting genre, while also offering a number of new ideas and patterns for those who are already felting fans. The book is broken down into chapters on wet felting, knitting, crochet and recycling, offering fun and diverse projects to follow for each. It also encourages you to be imaginative and creative, with suggested variations on the main theme and plenty of scope for adaptation, using different colours and finishes. Each bag can be customised to express your individual sense of style. And once you have mastered the basic techniques, you can come up with your own ideas and create your own unique pieces.
Felt has a long history, probably dating back to the first time a pilgrim placed some sheep’s wool inside his shoes to prevent blisters on a long journey, only to find that the heat, moisture and friction from his feet had compressed it into a piece of felt fabric.
Felt-making has been – and still is – practised all over the world. In Scandinavia and Russia, the process is used to make boots and mittens; in Asia, large felt panels are used in the construction of yurts (a tent-like shelter used by nomads) and for capes worn by shepherds; in Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries you will find felt carpets and rugs; and in South America, the United States, the UK and numerous other countries it is it is used to make hats – and also in the manufacture of pianos and cars, among other practical applications. Felt-making is currently enjoying a big revival, with many artists, designers and craftsmen using the process in very creative ways to make clothing and household accessories.
Anyone who enjoys working with their hands, with fabrics and yarns in particular, can easily produce a simple felted bag. Start with combed wool fibres or with spun woollen yarn, if you prefer, and in no time at all, following the step-by-step projects in this book, you will be the proud owner of a delightful felt bag. So now is your chance to discover this craft for yourself and make a bag – or two or more – that is beautiful as well as practical and hard-wearing.
It is fascinating to witness the process of soft woollen fibres being transformed into thick felted fabric, and particularly satisfying, in the case of the knitted and crocheted bags, which are felted in a domestic washing machine, to know that you intended to shrink them to a fraction of their original size, and did not do it by accident, as many of us have done at some time with a beloved sweater or scarf.
I have enjoyed making the bags in this book and hope that you will be inspired to try some of the projects for yourself.
SUSIE JOHNS
Basic information
The materials and equipment needed to make a felted bag will vary according to the technique you have chosen to use – whether it is wet felting, knitting, crochet or recycling. If you turn to the beginning of each chapter, you will find a more detailed list of all the items you will require.
Many craft shops and yarn shops carry a range of specialist materials for felting, such as wool fleece, yarns, crochet hooks and needles, and some can be real treasure troves when it comes to other items such as buttons, bag handles and clasps. However there is no doubt that, with the demise of many of the small local wool shops that once graced every high street, buying on the internet has made specialist shopping a whole lot easier; you will find a whole range of useful materials and equipment by typing ‘felting’ into a search engine, or by browsing online craft catalogues.
Hoarders among you may find a use for old wool and cashmere sweaters (even those that have been attacked by moths) and stashes of knitting yarn. Those who enjoy browsing in junk shops and flea markets should be on the lookout for pure wool garments that can be recycled, as well as second-hand knitting needles, crochet hooks, buttons and old handbags that can be dismantled or deconstructed, giving attractive handles, buckles or clasps a new lease of life.
Try techniques such as needle felting (top) on small swatches, and knit (or crochet) a small test piece (bottom) before tackling a larger project
Wool
The most important material is, of course, wool. This may come in the form of wool tops, which is wool fleece that has been carded (combed) so that all the fibres run in the same direction. It is sold in thick lengths, like a rope, and is used for wet felting and needle felting. The desired quantity can be gently teased away, or the whole rope, or part of it, can be rolled to make bag handles and straps.
Perhaps a more familiar way to purchase wool is in spun form, in skeins, hanks or balls. These can be used to make knitted or crocheted fabrics, which can then be felted by shrinking them in the washing machine.
Ready-made woollen garments, such as scarves, sweaters, shawls and woollen blankets, can also be turned into felt. This is a great way to recycle fabrics that may otherwise be consigned to landfill.
AFTER-CARE: Remember to treat felted items as you would any woollen items. Dry cleaning is recommended. If you prefer washing, it is best to do this by hand; you may be able to wash them in your washing machine on a wool cycle. Washing may distort the shape and you will probably have to ease them back into shape while damp.
You can also buy ready-made felt, manufactured