Thursday, December 16, 2010

A "Make It" Christmas: Felted Soap


Since I grew up in a teaching family, preparations for Christmas usually didn't start until school was out for the holiday.  Then our house turned into "Santa's workshop".  Each family member would get busy creating meaningful gifts for the others.  Mom's gifts usually involved a sewing machine or crochet hook, and Dad's his woodworking tools.  Sis and I enjoyed making glue, glitter, and fabric scraps into works of "art".  A "making it" Christmas was always the best!  Don't you love homemade gifts?  Sometimes ideas come too late in the season, but they are always useful for "next year" or "last minute" stocking stuffers.

Here's an idea from Earth Guild for making felted soap; perfect for a "make it" Christmas, this year or next!


Felted Soap

A curious idea, but the result can be very pleasing. Make a bar of soap with a built in wash-cloth, good for gentle exfoliation.

Materials

  • A bar of soap (one that is round or has rounded edges will be easier to cover evenly; edges are apt to make thin spots)
  • Wool roving or batts - it doesn’t take much (colorfast; rich colors should be checked to make sure they will not run)
  • A stocking or piece of similar mesh or netting
  • A ribbed mat, such as a washboard, a felting board, a sushi mat, a ribbed container lid, or a piece of bubble wrap (not absolutely essential, but useful to speed up the process)

The Process

  • Wrap a thin layer of wool around the soap in one direction.
  • Wrap a second layer at right angles to the first.
  • Wrap a third layer on top of the first.
    These layers can be all the same color, or not. Cover the soap as evenly as possible, paying special attention to corners and edges.
  • Add wisps of wool in various colors and directions.
  • Carefully put the wrapped bar in the toe of your stocking, or wrap it up snugly in whatever mesh or netting you are using. Gently dribble on warm water, till the wool is wet through.
  • (If you are not using a mat, skip to the next step.) Gently rub the wrapped soap on the mat of your choice, all sides and all edges, for about ten minutes. It should lather up.
  • Roll the bar around in your hands as if you were washing them. When the wool is well adhered to the soap, remove the stocking or mesh wrapper.
  • Rinse with cold water. The cold will shock the wool and may give the felting process an extra boost.
  • Rinse away the suds, squeeze the bar a little bit to remove water, blot on a towel, place on rack to dry.
    Between uses, the bar should be placed on a rack so that it can dry out.
© Earth Guild (You may reproduce this if it is unaltered and our name stays on it.)

3 comments:

  1. What a clever idea! I think I will have to give this a try. Thanks for opening a new door for us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You know I make homemade soap and have never made felted soap~you have inspired me to put this on my to do list!
    Wishing you a most blessed evening and weekend ahead...
    What a blessing your blog is!♥

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for continuing to constantly inspire, in so many ways, with your posts, I'm going to have to look up some information about what you've written - but it looks like something that would be Really Nice to make and give away. Hoping you and your family are well and preparing for special times with family and friends.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on my blog post. I am always happy to hear from blog readers. Your words encourage and inspire me. I am glad you stopped by to share conversation, recipes, ideas, and thoughts on creating a welcoming home.