Magical Microwave Felted Purses with Judy Gelzinis Donovan (10/1/22 AM)

Experience the fun of watching magic happen when you mix wool roving and other fibery bits like sparkly angelina and novelty yarns with some hot soapy water, a bit of agitation and a few zaps in the microwave to keep the fibers nice and warm. This is a great way to try your hand at wet feltmaking in a small-scale way. Students will be learning how to WET-felt fibers around a template to create a one-of-a-kind felted purse. There are NO needles involved as in needle felting, just a bit of massage and agitation to turn fiber into true felt. Projects will be felted inside ziplock bags, so there is not a lot of watery mess that traditional wet-felting often has. This project involves a bit of physical activity using arms and hands while sitting at a table — massaging and rubbing the project on a bamboo mat until it transforms into felt. Once the purse is dry, it can be embellished with beads and yarns. Students will complete their bag in class and will leave with a handout of instructions for adding beads, buttons and yarns to embellish their creations.

Material Fee: $20 (Kit includes all materials needed to complete the project: templates, plastic bags, wool roving in a variety of colors, novelty yarns and other fun additives like silk roving and sparkles. Students will select the fibers and yarns they want to create their one-of-a-kind bag. Materials fees are not included in the registration and should be paid directly to the instructor just prior to the start of class.)

Supplies:

• One small bath towel (will be used to mop up clean soapy water)
• Pair of sharp scissors
• 6 heavy-duty one gallon zip lock freezer bags
• Sushi rolling mat or bamboo placemat or an old bamboo blind (rubbing surface for the felt)

Homework: none

Skill Level:  All levels. The rubbing requires a bit of physical work, so is not suitable for those with arm/hand issues.