How to make felt beads tutorial 2

A while ago I posted a tutorial on how to make felt beads, the technique I used the last time required an already failed piece of felt. It has been brought to my attention by my friend in the know that felt balls on cushions and the like are very trendy at the mo

So I thought I would do a tutorial for someone that doesn't already make felt. Lets get going shall we?

YOU WILL NEED:

wool fleece ( merino is the easiest to use)
water
soap
hands

Tear off a small about of fleece, you will get a feel for how much after you have had a go.

Wet the wool under the tap and rub a little bit of soap on it, the squish it into a a was in the palm of your hand.

Between your palms start slowly rolling it into a ball. It will feel very slimy and not very manageable at first but persevere it won't take long before it starts to come together. ( if after a while you find it is still to slippery to work with tab it on a towel to take away some of the soap)

Sometimes you will get a smooth ball straight off the bat but more often than not it will look like this with a gap down the middle. Don't dispare this is totally normal. Take a wisp of wool fibres and lay them across the gap and around the ball.

Carry on rolling.

You might need to wet the ball a little more. Felt is made though the combination of friction and pressure. So as you feel your bead getting firmer you can roll faster and apply more pressure. Till your ball ends up looking like this one.

You can add layers of different colors if you like. When you are happy with your balls since and squeeze all the soap out of them, roll them back into shape and leave them to dry.

Your first couple of attempts after they have dried you may find are a little too loose and squishy so next time apply more pressure and don't rinse them till they feel good and hard.

Happy beading!