Felt on a ball class fun
A couple of weeks ago I finally got to teach my December Felting on a Ball Class. My guild had a group of ladies that wanted to try felting a pot on a ball. We scheduled the class for December, then we got locked down again for Covid, so we moved it to January and had a big freezing rain event so we moved it to February.
We used Corriedale wool. It is easily available in lots of colours. to make things more different than the regular felting on a flat resist and blowing a balloon up in it, routine, we made them with 3 different colour layers and we made them thick so they could be cut.
The first step was to make a small sample so cutting could be practiced later before cutting the pot.
With this method, you work inside out. So your embellishments go on first.
Then we moved on to the task of getting your wool onto the ball. the gerti balls are nice because they are a bit sticky. If you use a kid’s beach ball putting soap on it helps the first layer stick. The first layer is not too hard the second layer is harder and the third layer is harder still as it gets bulkier and bulkier.
Adding the pantyhose tops is fun. If like me you use the legs of pantyhose for making felt balls this is a good use for the top part that is left over.
After that the is lots of rubbing and bouncing and rubbing and bouncing until they are felted enough to remove the pantyhose and deflate the ball.
Then there is rolling and rubbing and some throwing if you like. sorry, no pictures of that part. I forget when I am talking.
The next day student cut their samples and started to cut their pots. Some cut more than others.
Carlene decided she wanted hers covered in locks so added more where they had shifted in the felting process.
Nicole needle felted her cutouts back onto the outside of her pot.
Christine did some cutting
Diane did lots of cutting and then added lots of beads.
