Blank Canvas Arts and Crafts

Great Felting

It is relatively common to use wool in quilts. These quilts are outstanding for cold weather.

Wool retains heat extremely well. Wool probably retains heat better than cotton, and has the same wicking properties (they draw moisture away from your body and allows it to evaporate.) Wool quilts were very common during the Civil War, and were credited with saving many lives during the harsh winters.

Wool is a little more difficult to work with than cotton.

Because it is generally thicker (each thread of wool is thicker than each thread of cotton), the seam allowances don’t finger press well, and will require pins to keep them in place.

Because of the thickness, the quilt will be bulkier, and it may require a stronger sewing machine needle to sew through all of the layers.

Hand quilting is different because of the thickness of the fabric and also the weave. Some wools have fewer threads per inch than cotton, so your quilting stitches should be longer, and you may want to use a thicker thread.

Until recently, wool was mostly “Dry Clean Only.”

Each strand of wool has little barbs on it. When they become wet and agitated (as in a washing machine), the barbs join together, never to be separated. This is called “felting,” and creates a piece of fabric or quilt that is about 1/3 its original size. very disappointing if you have spent hours on the project and were hoping to would remain the same size.

New wool is on the market that they say is washable and will not shrink. Using a new biotech process, wool can be treated so it is washable in your home washing machine and will not shrink. This is a great benefit, and will require quilters to know the difference and which wool they have, so a tragic mistake is not made.

Wools tend to be more expensive than cotton, and the variety of colors and patterns available is somewhat limited. As quilters venture into other types of fabric, the selection is increasing, so look for a wider variety of wool in the future – including hand-dyed wools.

Final thoughts. With all of its challenges, wool makes great quilts. They are cuddly and warm, and drape very nicely. Try wool batting in the quilt for a 100% wool quilt.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren

Penny Halgren is a quilter of more than 24 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

This article courtesy of www.How-to-Quilt.com. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

©2006, Penny Halgren

My crazy cat is still in heat even though i took her to the vet twice: Are vets doing a great job?

I have taken my cat twice to the vet this month because she been in heat for more then 3 weeks making these strange noises every day and night. I have taken her to the vet to give her a shot that overall reduces and and completely of her being in heat the first week. But then days later about a week later the strange noises she makes keeps getting louder and louder almost sound like child crying. Then i took her again to the vet 14 days later they have given her another shot after i got tired of her making these strange noises again but then a week later the cat sounds like a child screaming and sound even louder that my neighbors called the cops saying that I been neglecting a child but called child services to remove the child of my home but the thing is that i dont have a child. They started looking all over my home for hours and placed me under arrest and started screaming at me where is the child later they heard a cat in heat making that strange noise again they felted stupid.

The injections can only do so much – why not get the cat neutered then you will never have to worry about it happening again and it will work out cheaper ( and better for the cat) than all these injections.

Felt Crafts: Making a Felt Lady Bug : Felt Craft: Making Shoes for a Felt Lady Bug

10 Skeins Tove Chestnut Brown Wool from Norway – Great for Felting $34.99

Shetland Moorit Great For Felting $3.00

GIANT skein handspun YARN 100% WOOL great for felting! $9.99

53 Rainbow Felt Sheets-Wide Variety-Never Used-Great! $6.99

blue Corriedale #71, great for felting or spinning $3.00

Purple Corriedale #87, great for felting or spinning $3.00

Round Adhesive Green Felt .5″ – 42 pieces- Great for Flower Clips/Headbands $2.50

Round Adhesive Felt 2″ -6 pieces-Great for Flower Clips/Headbands $1.75

Round Adhesive Felt 1.25″ -12 pcs- Asst. Colors-Great for Flower Clips/Headbands $2.00

Round Adhesive Felt 1.25″ -12 pcs- Asst. Colors-Great for Flower Clips/Headbands $2.00

Round Adhesive Felt 1.25″ -12 pcs- Asst. Colors-Great for Flower Clips/Headbands $2.00

Round Adhesive Felt 1.25″ -12 pcs- Asst. Colors-Great for Flower Clips/Headbands $2.00

Round Adhesive Felt 1.25″ -12 pcs- Asst. Colors-Great for Flower Clips/Headbands $2.00

Round Adhesive Felt 1.25″ -12 pcs- Asst. Colors-Great for Flower Clips/Headbands $2.00

Round Adhesive Felt 1.25″ -12 pcs- Asst. Colors-Great for Flower Clips/Headbands $2.00

Lavender Felted Soap 1 bar by Fiat Luxe These creamy, relaxing, gently sweet bars are made with ground lavender buds. Each is wrapped in wool to create a soap and washcloth all in one. Wool has natural anti-fungal properties and will retain its freshness. The wool acts as a wicking agent, soaking in the lather of the soap, making the encased soap last longer. The felt shrinks along with the soap as you use it, and the casing may be reus…

Spiderfelt Lavender Soap Felt Felting Kit Beginner w/ Wool Roving Soap $14.00 Create colorful felted soap bars from this easy Spiderfelt kit. Felted soap bars typically last 3 times as long as an unfelted bar – these make great gifts for friends and family. The felted covering gently exfoliates as you wash. These project kits were featured in an HGTV 2010 Handmade Holiday Special. If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at felting, this is a fun way to get started. Th…

Rose Geranium Felted Soap 1 bar by Fiat Luxe $15.41 The combination of rose geranium oil and sweet orange oil uplifts your spirits. And, with the addition of ground rose petals it makes a great facial soap. These luscious bars of soap are wrapped in wool to create a soap and washcloth all in one. Wool has natural anti-fungal properties and will retain its freshness. The wool acts as a wicking agent, soaking in the lather of the soap, making the enc…

Complete Feltmaking: Easy Techniques and 25 Great Projects $15.24 Felt is an ancient craft, dating back to the Bronze Age. It is the oldest textile fabric and was made before people learned to spin, weave or knit. Hand-made felt has an entirely different quality to the machine-made felt found in craft stores. It is a chunky, more hardwearing and can be made in a variety of designs and colors- it does not fray, so no sewing is required. And any crafter can learn …

Pursenalities: 20 Great Knitted and Felted Bags $4.50 First knit then felt-and let your pursenality pack a fashionable punch! From small sleek handbags to roomy totes these quick knitted and felted designs rank high on style and simplicity. You will not be able to make just one! Go trendy or traditional with Vintage Bubble Bag Summer in the City Tote and pretty petite purses. Choose from easy projects that are worked on big needles with 100% wool and…

Crocheted Pursenalities: 20 Great Felted Bags $7.64 Let your “pursenality” shine with crochet! After writing two bestselling books on knit-and-felt bags, this popular designer returns with 20 crochet-and-felt bags that rank high on style and simplicity – you won’t be able to make just one. Go trendy or traditional with projects such as Tequila Sunrise, Cafe au Lait, and Career Casual. Easy projects are worked on big hooks with 100 per cent wool and…