Nuno Felted flower

Today’s workshop at Plainview JFK High School was a success! Students used various colors of unspun roving to create beautiful felted flowers. It was an honor to be welcomed into the community-I enjoyed working with all of the students so very much. Special thank you to Rosemarie Elder, art and fashion teacher at the school, for her warm presence and for continuing the project. Very inspiring being a part of the Huntington Arts Council program Journey(Arts in Education) and meeting talented young people.

HOW TO MAKE A FELTED FLOWER

for this project we need;

-Bubble wrap

-Different colors of roving 

-Liquid dishwasher soap

-Hand soap

-Empty bottle of water(any regular plastic bottle will do with  small holes poked in the top)

-Small piece of organza fabric

-Latex gloves

-White vinegar

The process is broken into two parts. First, making the felt from unwoven rowing, and second constructing a flower!

Mix the dishwasher fluid and water in the plastic bottle (a few drops should do the trick) and poke the holes in the cap. Next, lay loose rowing in the form of a circle on the bubble wrap, and make sure the roving is distributed evenly with no noticeable gaps. For flowers with more volume, make two circles(one should be larger than another).

Lay the piece of organza fabric over the circles and squeeze the soapy mixture onto the fabric. Make sure that the wool is all wet. To join fibers of wool together, rub wool through organza fabric. Start with a gentle touch and then apply more pressure when rubbing. The water, soap, and stress make rowing into a fabric(felt).

Once felt is joined, carefully peel the organza fabric off the surface.

Place a towel under bubble wrap (the felt piece should be on the bubble wrap)and like a burrito, roll a towel. Proceed to unroll and roll again 2-3 times, changing the direction of the felted piece on the bubble wrap.

The idea is to continue working the wool-the more you roll, the more connected it should become.

Lastly, take a piece of hand soap, add some water and start rubbing this piece of felt vigorously against the bubble wrap-they say that felting is therapeutic for a reason :)

Mix vinegar and water in 1;5 ratios. Rinse your felt using this mixture to get out the soap, squeeze excess water out and leave to dry.

And now we have the fun part-start forming your flower. Get creative! Sew or hot glue flower pieces together. You can add a pin on the back of the flower so you can wear it. Enjoy!