More Wet Felted Bags

     Here is the green handbag with the open edges done in blanket stitch. I think it gives the piece a more finished look. I'm surprised by how much it shrunk. I measured before and after and it is 27% smaller than the resist pattern. The inside, which is white looks very even and there are no thin spots. Wet felting sure is a wool consuming craft though ... it doesn't take long to deplete your stash. 


     None of my new supplies have arrived yet, so I laid out another bag, this time in hopes I'd like it for myself. Based on my original design, it took two hours to lay out the wool the way I wanted it to hopefully look. Special attention was paid to the fringe. The inside of the bag is dark brown and the outside is grey. Both wools are rather coarse. I added a tiny bit of white to the fringe,  but it got lost in the brown somewhere. Next time I'll be a bit more generous with the lighter colors. 

     I also had to make the strap so that was an extra step. I spent most of the afternoon rubbing and rolling, which eventually wore me out. The end result was a bag which was too wide at the top and had several thin spots. 


    The next morning I had a brainstorm. That antique washboard I have decorating the wall might be useful. I began working the bag over the washboard, with hot water and soap, and voila!  it didn't take long at all. A bit of good elbow grease did the trick and I was able to shape the top so both the bag and the flap were narrower, with really nice results. This is my bag for sure now, and it's already full of junk. I love it. 


     That was my weekend ... how was yours?