Making things from spare felt

Making things from spare felt

A lot of the times when I make a piece of felt, I don’t really have anything specific in mind for it. I just have an idea for a colour scheme, or want to try out new fabric or fibres or see how different things work together. Unless I’m doing a sample to keep, I try to make pieces that will be big enough to be used for something, like a book cover or a purse. I know from discussions we’ve had on the forum that I’m not alone in doing this, others have a ‘felt box’ where finished pieces go until the day we realise they are just ‘perfect’ for what we have in mind 🙂

Recently, I had a look through my box and found a nuno felted piece I made a while ago, it was just the right size for a small book-cover. I usually use three layers of wool when I make pieces that will become book-covers, but when I made this piece, I wanted to keep some of the nuno texture in the silk, so just used two.

This is the front:

And this is the back:

I know most of us stay in touch with friends and family by email today, but I still like to keep an address book, just in case and I do have some odd relatives who don’t have the internet!

Many years ago I bought some small mirrors to use with some mosaic tiles that I had, but they were too thick, so they stayed on a shelf. Then a few years ago I made a case for one and gave it to my mum as a present. I have another couple of boxes for felt off-cuts and looking through one, I found a piece I thought would be perfect for another mirror case, it was an off cut from a piece of felt I’d made for a trivet. I made this one slightly different and cut a hole in the centre of the felt so the mirror could be seen.

I should have wiped the mirror 🙂

Do you have a box or place to store your unused pieces of felt? What do you use your offcuts for?

9 thoughts on “Making things from spare felt

  1. That nuno felt made a lovely book cover – it looks a bit landscapey doesn’t it?

    I like the mirror case very much (blues and yellows are great – is it because it reminds us of the seaside?) and it’s a useful thing to have in your handbag.

    1. Thanks Lyn 🙂
      I hadn’t noticed the nuno felt was landscapey until you said that, I can see it now, though 🙂
      I love blues and yellows together and blending them for greeny shades. I think it’d be a nice stormy day at the seaside for these colours 🙂

  2. Great ways to use up your felt bin. This reminds me I better get making something for the second quarter challenge on the forum, times almost up. I have plans for some of my sample and didn’t quite work the way I wanted pieces.

    1. Thanks, Ann 🙂
      I’d forgotten about the challenge, I’ll look forward to seeing yours.

    1. Thanks, Ruth 🙂
      I even have a bag for the tiny little slivers cut from the edge, they’re good for adding in for textured felt.

  3. I like that little note book cover, and what a good idea the mirror cover is.
    Yes I make spare pieces of felt, sometimes just so I can feel the fiber and also so I have some ready to go when I see a good idea I want to try out or if I need to make up a fast gift.

    1. Thanks, Jane 🙂
      Yeah, spare pieces are great for needing a gift in a hurry. I was using some pieces for greetings cards, but then my machine wouldn’t work 🙁

We'd love to hear your thoughts!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: