Technique using your tumble-dryer.

Hilde Blank is sharing a couple of her techniques with us. She is regularly asked for written detail. Here goes.

If you are tired of rolling your felt, try this method.
Here are my notes of my presentation which I gave at the 10^th  Felters Convergence, held in Masterton in 2009.

SIT BACK AND – WATCH YOUR DRYER FELTING!

HILDE BLANK

This presentation will guide you through the technique how to use your tumble dryer in felting. This technique is especially useful for Nuno felting as it helps with sliding the fibres through almost any fabric! But it is evenly useful for making pre-felts or fulling handwovens!

Layer sequence for Nuno felt 1 (1 layer fabric, 1 layer wool):
            ------------         painter's drop sheet / thin plastic

            =======        wool + decoration (water)
            ------------         fabric

            ------------         painter's drop sheet (optional)

            ------------         polyester (slippery)

            =======        table

Layer sequence for Nuno felt 2 (1 layer fabric, sandwiched between 2 layers wool):

            ------------         polyester (slippery)               \          
            =======        wool + decoration                 I           flip bundle over,

            ------------         fabric                          >          remove stiff plastic, add decoration & wet,
            =======        wool                            I           then cover with painter's

            ------------         plastic, stiffer type                 /           drop sheet

            =======        table

Layer sequence for pre-felts:
            ------------         painter's drop sheet
            =======        wool (water)

            ------------         painter's drop sheet

            ------------         polyester (slippery) / optional
            =======        table

Lay out fabric and wool as described above, wet  with just enough of your normal soapy solution, press down with a small flat plastic bag (like veggie bag).  Cover with drop sheet. Start your roll with a lightly wet rolled up  towel.  Be careful not to create folds. Cover the whole roll with another wet towel. That gives extra weight for a good beating!  The two towels for inside and outside should be slightly bigger than the roll.
Secure the  roll every 10 – 20 cm with fabric strips, tight at the ends, outside the wool, firm but not too tight in the middle. The roll should not be dripping wet!

Snake roll into dryer, tumble for 10 minutes in cold dryer. Heat is not necessary. (Why waste energy..). If roll is rather small, add a towel or some jeans.

Re-roll parcel, use the outer towel as the inside roll. Tumble for another 10 minutes.

Re-rolling works best if you do not open the whole roll, but use the outer towel to start rolling from the outside. Continue rolling up, while opening the former roll a bit at a time. That way you easily can even out any creases without getting a big wet, flat piece stuck to your table!

That way you can produce big flat pieces of felt or several garment pieces at once in the same roll, ready to be stitched together in the pre-felt stage.

Check wool-fabric bond:      -enough → start felting with hot water
                                                -not yet   → re-roll, back to dryer until happy with result   
Points to consider:

–                    open weave silks, cottons are quicker done than dense polyesters.

–                    is fabric suitable for your project? Some fabrics get stiff when bunched up,
            some get scratchy.

Treatment of tumbled pieces:

Fold carefully and press out any cold water. Carefully re-soak with hot soapy water. Rub slightly on smooth side of a bubble wrap, fabric and wool side. After some handling you can start to drop the piece on the table. Continue to rub on the bubble wrap to keep the shape of the piece. On the woolen side you can use a plastic bag or your fingers and some extra soap  to get a smooth finish.
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 ©Hilde Blank, Dryer Felting 2009