Customer Reviews

Simply Felt: 20 Easy and Elegant Designs in Wool

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Forgive the textile-mill double-entendre here, but "Simply Felt" has a number of unique projects to tempt the beginning and advanced felt-maker.

Felt is a fun way to process sheep's wool, and it's growing in popularity. With a scrub board, soap and some fleece, you can create a finished project (garment, bag, vest, hat) in less time than it takes to spin and knit. Felt is an ancient art, predating woven fabrics, and still used today by many cultures for traditional garb; for example, the Siberian "valenki" are felt boots or liners that resist cold and snow better than leather. And many hats are traditionally made of felt on a block.

Speaking of hats, this book has a cloche hat I really liked. My favorite project, however, was a pillow of small squares sewn together with the seams out, for texture. If you make small pieces of felt and don't know what to do with the swatches, here's a great project for you.. There are bags, cache-pots, teapot warmers, slippers and a lot more. Many of the projects look a bit modernistic (abstract fiber imbedded to make a design) but you can use the methods to create your own design and go from there. I did not like some of the projects colorways or ornamentation, but every one gave me the thought "if I did THIS instead..." which is great; you don't need to copy these projects to use them. (I will say, however, that I adored the pillow colorway--pale blues, creams and grays, enough to make one of my own.) I figure, if you take these methods and employ your own tastes and ideas, you are sure to find some excellent projects to make here. This would also be ideal for a girl or boy scout troop badge project, a 4-H project (especially for a young person who raises sheep) or for your child or students, as felt is fairly amenable to children's abilities and interests.

I already own several felting books (The Art of Feltmaking and Exploring Textile Arts) and when I purchased this one I was very excited to learn more about this ancient craft. When the book arrived I didn't think there was a lot of new information in it at first, compared to what I already have. I was somewhat disappointed (although the diagrams are good and the directions are clear) but at the very end of the book -- ta da! -- I suddenly became inspired. That was what I wanted... something new and inspirational.

In the section called Decorative Flat Felt, she suggests adding small amounts of wool to to a fabric base, such as chiffon, silk, cheesecloth, or voile to make "a marvelously light and airy but durable fabric, which is ideal for scarves." I love the idea of combining cheesecloth with felt. Very inexpensive and easy to try. She gives a lot of suggestions using silk fibers, many of which are gorgeous. I like the Silk Inlaid Lampshade (page 67) -- an idea which was completely new to me. The Inlaid Containers (shown on the cover) are brilliant -- so easy to do, so useful!

But my two favorite projects, by far, are the last two: Child's Silk-Lined Jacket (page 111) and the Pictoral Pillow (page 115). The jacket is drop-dead gorgeous and looks really fun to make, which is more important than being gorgeous because otherwise you won't bother to make it. The pillow section is full of good ideas and these projects are more about already having the skill to make the basic structure and letting your imagination run wild when it comes to the embellishments. I purchased several pieces of feltwork which I received and wasn't happy with -- they were too plain, really boring and uninspired and I was thinking, these need something and I can certainly try to add it but I don't know what to do. I was a little intimidated at the idea of completely redesigning them on my own. But I have the time and the determination and now I have some sample pictures and the directions I need -- and now I feel ready! There's plenty of time from now to Christmas to add more details, embroidery, and what-not. I'm very excited! Sometimes a little structure is more liberating than complete creative freedom. Even if I may not do any of the projects in the book exactly, I can feel my mind brimming with new ideas... which I wouldn't have come to without reading the book.

If you already know about felt and you're pretty comfortable with what you're doing, you don't need it... but if you're ready to move into doing more glamorous and artsy things with your felt projects, Simply Felt is a good buy.

I am a spinner, weaver, knitter and crocheter, but I've done very little (intentional) felting...until now! This book starts off with a very brief chapter on machine felting (taking a knitted or crocheted piece of fabric and shrinking it into felt using the washing machine), but then moves quickly on to traditional felting techniques using loose fiber. Projects are grouped into chapters by felting technique, beginning with the easiest (making flat felt pieces like table runners and rugs) and ending with three-dimensional, seamless felting (hats, jackets, bags, etc). At all stages, the learning of a technique is emphasized over blindly following a pattern. Even though many patterns are included for each technique, variations are suggested and experimentation is encouraged. Just paging through this book is inspirational. The photography is lush, the projects themselves are comfy yet luxurious (such as a silk-lined, felted child's jacket made without a single seam), and best of all, none of the projects or techniques are the least intimidating. Very highly recommended!

Simply Felt is a great book! The photography really captures the color vibrancy of dyed wool and the soft, sensual texture of felt. Additionally, the colors chosen for many of the projects were subtle and enhanced that cozy, comfy quality that is characteristically felt. The illustrations are fun to look at and easy to follow. Many of the projects described in this book are not only great as learning vehicles, but are also functional. The first half of the book describes how to make basic flat felt. The second half describes how to make "seamless" felt and includes projects like slippers, hats, and vases (see cover photo). The instructions are pretty clear, but there were some typos in the second half of the book which could cause confusion. However, the processes described are simple enough that with a little patience most people will make it thru to success. If you are a crafter or interested in textiles and fiber, you'll be happy to have this book.

I wanted to purchase this book last year but was informed that the book was too expensive for the information inside. But because there is little to choose from in the felting industry, I decided to purcahse the book anyway. In my opinion, the book is everything I need to get started - great photos - small and large projects - excellent instruction for the beginner.

If you are going to buy only one book on felting this is the one to purchase. I have bought others but found this one, at last, to be the answer to all my prayers. It is concise, well illustrated, simple to follow. It give you more than the basics to create beyond the book. Five Stars happily

I looked and looked for a book that would let you felt right from the fleece. This book is pretty simple and lets you just work from fleece with minimal supplies to create felt. Some nice patterns in here too. The containers on the cover are a great pattern and the explanation to create them is one that i did not find on the internet. I specifically purchased this book after seeing some of the silk guaze/ wool felted scarves at a recent craft fair, and I was not disappointed at all! The explanation for how this is done is easy! With some simple household items ( ie. a bar of soap!) you can create some amazing gifts. For those of us who love felt but don't knit that great, and want the quickest and simplest way, this book will make you adept at felting!

Skimming through the book I thought the ideas and projects presented looked very interesting, and they are. The problem is that the author gives only the barest of details on the "how to" part.
This is NOT a book for someone who has never felted before (fortunately for me, I am familiar with the processes). This book comes close to just being a showcase for
the author's designs, which are lovely....but that's not all I was looking for.
Rachel

I bought this book as part of a kit from a felting supplier. The photos are beautiful, and the projects great. The problem I do have with this book is that there is not enough info on the techniques of actually making the felt. I would like to have gotten more info on troubleshooting, such as what to do when it's thin in spots, laying out the wool, etc. Also, there are NO photos of how to actually lay out the roving or what it should look like before you start wetting it down. There are only hand drawn illustrations. I was hoping for a little more than that from a book that labels itself for beginners.

Overall, though, it's a good book, and well done. I can't wait to try some of the vessels and the slippers.

This is a gorgeous book with amazing projects and I found it really inspiring, however, just a warning that i didn't think this was the best book for a beginner. I am not completely new to felting and bought this book in conjunction with one that had really clear instructions, which I cross-referenced with Simply Felt to get a better understanding of what I needed to do. The pics are amazing and definitely inspiring - just make sure you have a good basic knowledge if you are going to rely solely on this book to guide you. Happy felting!