There's something about felt that seems so cozy for fall. But being decidedly non-crafty, we're a bit afraid to take on projects that involve anything more than scissors and glue. Enter felted rocks, a simple home decor item that requires tools as commonplace as hot water, liquid soap and a pair of nylons.
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Felting Rocks
Oregon blogger resurrection fern offers the following tutorial for those who want felted rocks without the peril of rubbing their fingers raw.
Items needed:
• Small smooth rocks
• Wool fleece or roving
• Hot water
• Liquid soap
• An old pair of stockings or nylons
• String
• A washing machine
Time: 1 hour
• Take a large bowl or fill the sink with hot soapy water.
• Take a stone and wrap it with wool fleece, making sure to cover all directions of the stone. Usually about 3 or 4 layers.
• Wet the stone in the hot soapy water and gently rub the stone in your hand for a few minutes until it seems wet, soapy and smooth.
• Do not rinse, just set aside. Cover as many stones as you want.
• Starting with the toe of a stocking, place a fleece covered rock snugly in the stocking and tie with a string in order to separate the stones so they don't felt together.
• Place this rock-filled stocking in your washing machine, put the setting on hot, and low water level and start the wash cycle (this has never damaged the machine).
• When the cycle is done, remove the stocking. Hang to dry or remove the stones first, whichever you prefer.
Vary the method buy using multicolored fleece or by adding a thin vein of a contrasting color to make it look like a faux sea stone.
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No thanks.
view Mrs.B's profile
How about gluing lint to rocks
view atomicranch79's profile
make a labor intensive display featuring cruelty to sheep to show that rock shapes are beautiful!
view lisaversa's profile
lisaversa hit the nail on the head! bam!
view *heather leaf*'s profile
Why?
MyDesignSecrets.com
view MyDesignSecrets.com's profile
Don't you have anything better to do?
view K T G's profile
... you could watch paint dry.
view hrhprincessfiona's profile
acutally the same way you can do nekless or any other jewelry, felt is amaizing you can do anything from it!
check it out
http://public.fotki.com/supersonic-/veltiniai-papuosalai/
view chicago_girl's profile
The work of this woman is so creative. Didn't your parents teach you that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. Grow up.
view growup's profile
Wow, I'm surprised at these negative comments. They completely miss the intent of the work. Resurrection Fern, who blogs from Canada, creates beautiful objects from sustainable materials that are inspired by her deep appreciation for the natural world, and she also does a tremendous amount of advocacy and work on behalf of the environment and the creatures within it. I would urge these folks to check out Resurrection Fern's blog to understand the context of her work.
view zencrafter's profile
cast pearls before swine..... not all will appreciate what they are given... or are taught.
Just as not all people will see art for art. I think that these are beautiful, true art teaches
others to see how the artist sees... the fact that she has softened a stone, has given it a
gentleness that it never had before is lovely she has changed the nature of the stone it self.
He that throws the first stone....
Ha ha ha! Don't judge someone you don't know.... she is not cruel to anyone, or anything!!!
Honestly sheep cruelty?? I have lived and grew up on a farm.... it is cruel not to shear them, in summer it's really cruel not to!!! They get over heated! Please... if you don't understand the art at least don't insult the origin of the products that make up the art. There is even hair
loss when you brush a sheep... and btw. they love to be brushed it feels good*..or when they brush up against bushes you do not really know where the wool came.
before you judge try to see how the artist sees. Change your prospective.
And if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all, if you did not like it look
at something else... you don't have to say something hurtful.
This is a site for creativity! Lets all be kind.
Thank you and take care all.
Rane
view Rane's profile
Well, unfortunately many unhappy people come to the internet to try and exorcise their pain by leaving nasty comments places. Let's wish them some happier days.
But the point here is making some beautiful, so let's focus on that.
Thank you for sharing this way to handmake some beautiful items! :)
view emmatree's profile
Thanks for the heads up about this woman's art. I've just spent a half hour cruising through the archives on her blog and all I can say is WOW!
As for all the negative comments, I bet they were written by the same people who shop only at chain "design" stores and natter on about adding "pops of colour" to their interior spaces. Heh. I bet if these stones were used as pops of colour in a Pottery Barn ad, they'd be all over them.
view JenJensen's profile
well, this is my first time here (i came over via a link from margie's lovely blog where she shares chronicles her love of nature and her nature-inspired art) and really, those first few commenters are joking, right? surely they must be. why would anyone want to leave a negative comment about such a thing as this? margie's blog is a daily read for me as she truly is an inspiration in how she finds time daily for the natural world, as should we all be so lucky to do.
view cathygaubert's profile