Micaela Losada from Lub Dup Felt, who has already come up with two Christmas tutorials for us, on how to make felt hearts and stars, has now made some super cute felt cacti plants for us too with nuances and shapes that make them incredibly lifelike. There aren’t many written steps but loads of photos which will surely help during the progression of the project.
Let’s get to work!
MATERIALS
Extra fine merino wool tops 10 g / 0.35 oz each colors
Carded "maori" wool 20 g / 0.7 oz each colors
Needle felt
Needle felting pad
Bubble wrap
Water sprinkler
Warm water
Soap
Scissors
Thin foam sheet
METHOD
In order to design felt fat plants, you can mix different materials and colors. I recommend some combinations:
Extra fine merino wool tops col. Caipirinha with carded "maori" wool col. Dune
Extra fine merino wool tops col. Meadow with carded "maori" wool col. Rouge
Extra fine merino wool tops col. Mint with carded "maori" wool col. Shell
Spread a piece of needle felting pad on your work surface and place a 20 cm / 7.87" circle of extra fine merino wool tops layer on it.
Lay two layers of carded "maori" wool on the extra fine merino wool tops, just around the edge, remaining its center untouched.
Cover the surface with two layers of extra fine merino wool tops again, as shown, in a circular direction.
Lay, on top of the fiber, a square of thin foam sheet with a hole of 5 cm / 1.97" in the middle. Be careful and match the middle of your felt with this hole.
Repeat the procedure, but now on top of the thin foam sheet.
Use a needle felt in order to attach the center of Merino layers.
Take away gently the needle felting pad and place your felt on the bubble wrap.
Now wet with soapy water.
Cover with a piece of bubble wrap and press softly using both hands until the wool is completely wet, on top and under it.
Roll the material as a “sushi” piece and start rubbing backwards and forwards. Repeat the rolling process until your felt has shrunk 30%.
It should have a diameter of 14 cm / 5.5", after the rubbing is finished.
Remove the foam sheet and drain off surplus water.
Cut the petals. They may have different shapes, if you want. Be careful not to reach the centre. You’ll find your biggest source of inspiration in nature.
Once you have cut petals from both layers, wet them again using soapy water and rub/roll the material as if it were a ball.
Keep on rubbing until the edges have felted.
Drain the extra water again as needed. You can use a towel for the procedure.
You can give your own special shape to each petal using your hands. You can stretch or curve each of the petals. Once you have decided the felt fat plants has the shape you want, put in a warm place to dry. Now, choose a pot that you like for your felt fat plants.
Don’t throw your scraps away! They can be useful for your future felt creations. You may add different fabrics or fibers, as an option. You just have to place them on top of the extra fine merino wool tops layer and proceed as before.
I hope you really enjoy creating your felt fat plants.
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