This is the first hat I ever felted. It is made from 100% alpaca fiber that was dyed and formed into batts by a fiber processing plant. I loved the pinks, purples, and blues, and knew that it would be perfect for my first felting project.
The batts look alot like the material used inside of quilts except much easier to pull apart. The process starts with 4 layers of fiber and then many hours of gentle massage with soap and hot water. The felted piece is then put on a hat form and shaped, but I didn't have a hat form. I used a mixing bowl and it worked perfectly. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I have an 8-cup head.
The flower was cut out with scissors from leftovers and molded by hand. A wooden button for the flower center, some yarn on the brim, and a leather lariat finishes the hat. It actually won a ribbon at the AOBA National Conference that year.
No matter how much better my felting techniques or my finished felted projects become, this will always be my favorite hat.
For classes on this project and others, visit:
http://www.alpacamoon.com/feltclass.html
http://www.alpacamoon.com/feltclass.html
We'd love to have you visit the farm.
Nice work on the hat! Congrats on the ribbon -
ReplyDeleteLOL, 8 cup head. Hmmm... I wonder how many cups my head is.
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent first project!
ReplyDeletewow that too nice ,,I would love to visit your blog very often,, Thanks for sharing such wonderful thing.
ReplyDeleteregards - kamagra