Making felted stones is such a relaxing and lovely thing to do especially with children.
The stones we have made today are for the upcoming spring and Easter celebration, but you can give them any colour or design you like. At the moment I'm thinking of making some rainbow stones and soft pastel fairy stones...
Required Materials;
stones (or wooden eggs)
wool roving (no 'superwash')
access to hot and cold water
liquid olive soap or eco dish soap
bubble wrap or a plastic bag
a bowl
optional; a felting needle
and a nylon stocking
1 and 2 - Fluf out the wool roving broadwise and pull out strands. Lay down multiple thin layers in all directions and place the stone on top. Look closely at the shape of your stone. Wrap your stone in the roving folding the layers carefully but firmly around the stone. Tuck the ends underneath the stone and close with another layer.
3 - Now your stone should look something like this. At this stage I prefer to even out the fiber by pricking it with a felting needle until it is no longer visible where the fiber was rolled. When you don't have a felting needle you can wrap a very thin layer of fiber around the edges. Check if the stone is covered evenly and add extra thin layers to balance any thinner spots.
4 - If you would like to give your stone a pattern or multiple colours, add some very thin tufts of wool roving and press them lightly into to the wool wrap.
5 - Add a few dropps of soap to the hot water. Delicately sprinkle some water on the stone until it is moist. Be careful not to flush away the fibers. When the stone is moist put some soap in your hands and very gently move the stone from hand to hand. When you work with children you can wrap the stone in an old stocking or cheese cloth.
6 - After a short while you can see the fibers start binding together around the stone. Now gently add more pressure by rubbing the stone between your hands like when washing your hands. Keep doing this for a couple of minutes and keep the stone soapy and wet by dipping it into the hot water from time to time.
7 - For the final felting rub the stone with some more pressure over the bubble wrap. Make sure you rub all the sides and edges evenly. Keep rolling and rubbing the stone until the wool is firmly felted. Immediately rinse the stone with ice cold water and make sure you rinse out all soap. The temperature shock will improve the felting. Shake off superfluous water and let it dry on a towel in a warm place.
Your stone is now finished. Don't wring it with a towel or squeeze out the water. Leave it just as it is and let it dry. Usually I put the stones in front of the radiator in the evening and the next morning they are ready. After they are completely dried you can trim off any fuzz using scissors.
I wish you lots of fun with this wonderful technique!
