I do it all the time. I buy wool skirts (more fabric) at Goodwill and our
local flea market, cut apart, wash in hot water with a little laundry
detergent, rinse in cold (it's the sudden change in temperature that shrinks
wool). Dry in the dryer and enjoy! I'm on my fourth wall hanging/table
runner. I made the one with chickens and eggs (the pennies) around the
outside that Connecting Threads had in their catalog. You can even overdye
wool (eg. light color plaid) with another color such as green, blue, etc. I
haven't tried this yet but some of my friends have and they used RIT, not
the expensive dyes being sold now. Use only 100% wool because mixed blends
don't shrink well. To tell if it's wool, snip off a small piece and put in a
cup of bleach. In an hour or two it will be completely gone--if it is a
blend or a polyester, it will still be in your cup. Good luck and have fun.
I like the thrill of finding fabric for nothing or a little of nothing---and
you can find more variety that if you buy a yard of wool. Don't be afraid to
use checks and plaids--they add texture and interest to your work.

Betty

"M. Wetmore" wrote in message
...
All of a sudden I have been bitten by the "felted wool" bug. I have
so many cure "folk art" style wall hangings made from felted wool, I
decided I need to make one for myself. Actually, I have a great
pattern I would like to make. It is the head of a cat with a bird
sitting on his head. But, I have found that felted wool is very
expensive. So, here's my question. How do you felt wool and can you
felt any wool. ie...can I go to a thrift store and buy wool clothing
and then felt the wool?

Mardi
Real e-mail address spelled out to prevent spam. mardi at mardiweb dot
com.
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