Wet Felting a Bag ... Part Two

     Once I've done the initial rolling, I take the mesh away and you can see how it has begun to shrink. The resist has buckled and I'm now going to pull the soggy cardboard out of the bag and throw it away. 

     Cardboard removed, I like to give the inside surface a good rubbing on the bubble wrap to make sure the surface is tightly interlocked. I look for thin spots and rub those away and pay attention to the creased edge as I want this bag to be more rounded. 

     Then, more rolling .....
Keep turning the bag and make sure the inside surfaces aren't sticking to each other. Lots of pressure now. 
Anyone see a bag emerging? It has a shape something like a saddle pad. The finished bag won't have a sharp crease like shown in the pics. You can see how much smaller it is now, compared to the pattern. 

     I'm all done with the large sheet of bubble wrap now and this is where I like to get out my highly technical, handy dandy antique washboard and really give the bag a good working over. This is where I can work on the shape and take the creases out. Lots of soap suds flying around here. 

     Moving on to the kitchen sink, I rinse the bag in water as hot as my hands can handle, rubbing the bag all over against itself, manipulating and squeezing and throwing it into the bottom of the sink with malice to shock the fibers. Once all the soap is out, I rinse it again with very cold water. 

     The bag must now soak in cold acidulated water for a minimum of 20 minutes. After this, a final rinse of cold water is given to make sure all the traces of vinegar are removed. I will roll it up in a towel and stand on it to remove as much moisture as possible, then sit it by the window to dry.