Handmade felt is made by layering clean wool roving or fleece, adding some soap, hot water and agitation. An easy way to make small felted projects is in your kitchen sink. I used a pizza pan as the form for this circular felted pillow.

White Heart

I made the white heart for the centre of the pillow first. I used white merino top for the heart.

• Pull the roving into small sections and layer them onto the pizza pan.
• Fill your kitchen sink with about an inch of hot water and add a bit of dish soap.
• Emmerse the pizza pan, with the layers of white roving into the hot water.
• Work the wool with your finger tips, massaging it, until it begins to felt.
• If any holes start to form, rearrange the wool to maintain an even thickness
• Keep working at the wool until it reaches the “green” stage.
• The Green stage is when the wool starts to hold together and maintain its’ shape.
• Then rinse the wool to remove some of the soap.
• Remove the white felted wool from the water, and cut it into a heart shape.
  

  Red Felt Layer

  I used Red Merino wool top for this felt pillow.

  

  • Pull the red merino wool into small sections, as you did for the white felt piece.
  • Arrange the wool into an even layer onto the pizza pan, keeping all the wool locks laying in the same direction. (vertically)
  • Arrange another layer of wool over the first, laying the wool locks in the opposite direction. (horizontally)
  • Repeat the layers again until you have at least 4 layers of wool, evenly arranged on the pizza pan.
  • Sprinkle a few drops of dish soap onto the wool, so that it is a bit sticky.
  • Place the white heart into the centre of the red wool
  • If the water in the sink has cooled, replace it with hot water and a bit more soap.
  • Emmerse the pizza pan, and wool into the sink.
  • Again, work the wool until it starts to felt.
  • Tuck the edges of the wool inside the pizza pan, so that your felt maintains its’ circular shape.
  • Keep pressing, gently massaging and working the wool until it becomes quite hard.
  • Pay particular attention to working the white felt heart into the red wool, as well.
  • You can check the hardness of the wool, by running your fingernail across it.
  • The wool should hold its shape and not move about.
  • The white heart should also be firmly in place, with no loose edges.
  • Drain the water from the sink and rinse the felt thoroughly to remove the soap.
  • Give a final rinse in cold water to harden the felt.
  • Squeeze out the excess water and lay the felt out to dry thoroughly.

  

  Finishing

  You can make another piece of felt for the backing of the pillow or another piece of cloth (maybe handwoven?) for the back of the pillow.

  Sew the edges of the pillow together and fill with fibrefill or other pillow stuffing.
  Felt

  Valentine Crafts

  More Valentine’s Day Crafts
  Valentine Crochet

  Feltmaking Projects

  Felt Necklace
  Felted Posey Pot
  Needle Felted Dolls
  Felted Eggs
  How to Make Handmade Felt
  Felted Pillow
  Felted Cat Bed

  Feltmaking Books

  Feltmaking (The Art of Crafts)
  Clear step-by-step instructions to make a series of projects, from beginner to masterclass and on the way you will learn about sheep and wool, the historical and anthropological background to feltmaking, and its mythology.
  UK: Feltmaking

  Felting – The Complete Guide
  Combine painting and sculpture, wrap it up in the delightful texture of wool, and you have felting.
  UK: Felting

  Little Felted Animals: Create 16 Irresistible Creatures with Simple Needle-Felting Techniques
  How to make the cutest little miniature animals, using just a few simple tools and some wool roving.
  UK: Little Felted Animals

  Quick And Clever Felting
  Kindle Edition
  range of easy-to-follow techniques including needle felting, wet felting, fulling and using store-bought felt fabric are explored though projects such as jewelry, flower corsages, bags, slippers, cushions and more.
  UK: Quick and Clever Felting

  Valentine Crafts

  More Valentine’s Day Crafts
  St. Valentine’s Day Knitting
  St. Valentine’s Day Cross Stitch
  St. Valentine’s Day Beadwork
  St. Valentine’s Day Basketry

  St. Valentine’s Day Crochet
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