Felted wool - a great fabric for quilting and banners

A friend recently asked me if I still use felted wool.
The answer is a resounding, "YES".

I still use it, search for wool for it in suitable colors (always on the lookout for great greens BTW), and felt it.

It is my fabric of choice for applique motifs. I never use craft felt on banners. Felted wool is so much better.

The following directions are from a handout I gave to students who took my Penny Rugg classes.

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How to use Felted Wool

Wool yardage or sweaters can be abused in the washing machine. They become a wool product that lends itself beautifully to applique. (Boiled wool or European loden-type wool is a controlled version of what we attempt at home.) It produces a dense, thick, moisture-resistant fabric. It does not ravel easily. It adds a new dimension to quilts, wearables or home dec projects.

It is a thicker fabric. And the finished project can be stiff and heavy. It does not drape well. Great for banners but not good for garments! Try to minimize seams in vests, coats or jackets. Seam allowances can be difficult to turn. Because of this I usually work on a foundation fabric and butt edges of felted wool if possible. Use bound edges for finishing or use linings that turn under.

How to full wool

Select wool yardage, wool clothing, or sweaters that are NOT labeled “Washable wool”. (This finishing technique helps the article resist abuse. It’s good new for consumers but bad news for our purposes.) Blends can only be use if the fabric content is at least 80% wool. The resulting textures of blends can be somewhat bumpy as the fibers may shrink at different rates.

Prepare the fabric
Repair small moth holes, tears, etc, with matching colored thread.
Large holes and tears should be marked with different colored thread.
Remove buttons, stay-stitching, interfacings, collars, waistbands, etc.
Cut into large, flat pieces.
Cut sleeves open to lay flat. Cut off cuffs to use elsewhere.
Fair Isle sweaters have carrying yarns on the reverse side. Clip them if they are longer than ½ inch.
Clip selvedges on new yardage.

The felting/fulling process:
Use small loads. Like colors together.
Use the longest, hottest wash cycle.
Add a small amount of detergent. NO BLEACH or bleach products.
AGITATE – AGITATE – AGITATE
Check several times during the cycle to shake out pieces and redistribute them.
Add hot water if necessary to keep warm.
Rinse in cold water only , no softeners/conditioners.
If you dry in the dryer, clean out the lint trap several times.
Press flat with a steam iron.

This process produces a lot of lint. Clean out your washing machine and dryer.
If you dry in the dryer, clean out the lint trap several times.
Press flat with a steam iron.

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Try felting some wool and see how it works in your projects.

Enjoy!

Make a church banner . . . Get a design (Part 2 of 2)

There are more ways to get a design for your banner if you are not comfortable with sketching.

There are computer drawing programs that can automate your drawing. But, be aware. The rule of thumb is that if it is easy to draw by hand it will be more difficult to draw in the computer. And, conversely, if it is hard to draw by hand it will be easier to draw in the computer. Computer drawing programs excel at repetitive elements. And they simplify drawings based on exact measurements.

There are also specialized quilt design programs. I especially like them for developing pattern pieces. The product I use includes an excellent drawing program. Coupled with its quilt design features it’s a great product. The control you can get with a program like this is phenomenal. You can enter measurements by a hundredth of an inch. A big advantage here is that the program automatically provides all the information you will need. It generates scale drawings, finished blocks (with or without colorings or fabric mock ups), applique templates, yardage requirements, and even cutting info. All this at the touch of a button.

Internet access makes finding designs easy. Did you see a line drawing or image you like on the Web? Be aware. Don’t assume because it is on the Web it is free. It is legal to use it only if you have permission from the person who owns the design’s copyright. When it doubt, ask.

There are also books and CDs available with line drawings that make good banner designs. Be sure you observe all copyright laws. Look for royalty-free designs. Dover Publications has a large collection of clip-art and design books available. Their copyright permissions are usually printed in the front of their books.

Paging through web sites or design books is a wonderful way to find inspiration. Just make sure you are using other people’s designs fairly. When in doubt, ask.

Remember, you only need a simple design. Whether you draw it yourself for get it elsewhere a simple line drawing is all you need for this project. Beautiful color pictures with lots of detail and shading are not suitable in this instance. You don’t want to be working with a design that will end up with hundreds of tiny, tiny pieces. A banner is meant to be seen from a distance. This means fewer elements and larger pattern pieces work best.

Use whatever method works best for you, or combination of methods, to get your design.

Where do you find your favorite designs?

Share it with us.

Love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

Make a banner in six weeks

Over the next few weeks I will teach you how to make a church banner. It seems like a lot of work. But remember, my favorite saying is “Anything is easy, when you know how.” Break down a job into smaller manageable steps and you can accomplish anything.

I will show you how to . . .

· Get a design. There are lots of different ways to get your idea out of your head and into a form that you can use to make a pattern. Try these.
· Make it the right size. When you any design it is rarely the right size. Learn several different ways to take your small sketch to something that you can see clearly from 100 feet away.
· Organize your work now to save time later. Time spent now makes sure you won’t be slowed down later by mistakes or by overlooking something important.
· Make your pattern. You say you never made a pattern before? No problem. Just follow these easy steps. My favorite pattern making material is readily available and may surprise you! You can buy it at any fabric store.
· Go shopping. It’s time to find the fabrics. Whether you shop online or in town, I will tell you what fabrics work well and why. Can you combine silks and cottons, specialty fabrics and quilting cottons? Of course you can, with a little know how!
· Prepare the fabrics. You found them, now prepare them. Not all fabrics are created equal. Learn how to make your fabrics easy to work with.
· Assemble the subgroups of the design. Work your design in smaller subgroups to keep it easy. Use this technique and enjoy the process.
· Assemble the entire design. Your design is coming together in full size. It is beginning to look great!
· Use embellishments and threadwork to complete the design. Your design is almost complete. Explore the possibilities with some simple embellishments of fabric, beads, or cording. Will threadwork enhance the design? Find out here.
· Prepare the mechanics. Everyone needs a little support now and then . . . this design does, too. Hanging vertically puts strain on fabrics. Learn how to support your banner.
· Label and document your work. What are the three things every label needs? How do you get this information onto a label? I’ll show you several different ways to make an easy and permanent label.

Remember, any job is easier when you break it down into smaller tasks.
Just take it slow.
Here’s some important advice I give all my students:

• If you make a mistake or get stuck walk away.
• Go make yourself a cup of tea, read the mail, or pet your cat.
• Give yourself some distance and do something nice for yourself.
• Then come back to the project. Often a solution will surface. If it doesn’t just ask. Post your questions here in the comments section. We’re here to help.

Keep it fun. This project is meant to be rewarding and satisfying.
I hope you have a great time following it.

If you have any questions, please ask them.
Do you have a different way to accomplish the same task? Share it with us.
Love to hear from you.
Enjoy!

Get a design (Part 1 of 2)

Welcome back to our journey.  

In the next few weeks we will watch the making of a church banner.    I will show you how I work.   You will see everything that takes place from the beginning of the spark of idea to the mechanics of hanging the finished piece in the sanctuary.  

If you have any questions, please ask them.
Have a different way to accomplish the same task.   Share it with us.  
Love to hear from you . . .

Now let’s get started.    We need to get a design.   

There are lots of different ways to get your idea out of your head and into a form that you can make a pattern. 

The simplest way to get a design is to draw.  Just doodling on a piece of paper with a pencil is a tried and true method that still works well.  

I work on a design in bits and pieces.    I sketch a little.   Look at it.    Walk away.   Think about it . . . a lot.   Come back to the sketch.    Do another version.    You get the idea.    Most times the design doesn’t happen all at once.   

Make several versions of your drawing.   Save them all.    I might like the smoke in this sketch, the background in this one, and the foreground in still another.   

Now combine the elements you like into the final version of the sketch. 
I use a make-do light box.

Or, you can trace your design elements with tracing paper.    Be careful here.     Tracing paper is often coated and smudges easily.    Make sure this is kept well away from any fabric or from surfaces you will be spreading fabric on later.

Or, you can copy and paste.    Photocopy all versions of the sketches with the elements you like.    Then cut out and paste the elements you like into your final version.    Make a copy of your finished composite sketch.

   
Use whatever method works best for you.

When you have a finalized version of the sketch make a copy.    Keep this copy in your file.

 That’s it for right now.

Remember any task is easier when you break it down into smaller tasks.    Take it slow.  


Want to try a few other ways to get a design?   Go to Get a Design, Part 2 of 2.   

If you have any questions, please ask them.
If you have a different way to accomplish the same task, share it with us.  
Love to hear from you . . .


Enjoy!