by: Kendra

A Fiber Filled Easter

March 3rd, 2016 by Kendra | Posted in General News |

fiber-filled-easter

Easter comes early this year, so don’t delay. We have a few suggestions for making it a fiber filled holiday. For a lovely natural take on Easter grass, fill those Easter baskets with green fleece. Harrisville has gorgeous heather colors. Plan on one quarter pound bag filling approximately 2 average size Easter baskets. To use, unwrap the batts, pull apart and fluff pieces of the batt until the basket is filled. After the holiday, store in the bag and next year fluff all over again. Need a little adornment for those baskets? Dyed Silk Cocoons color 0000 (DYED-SILK-COCOONS) look like perfect miniature Easter eggs.

Harrisville Dyed and Carded Wool Fiber color 4270 (YFB-12-SEAGREEN)

Next, get ready for some felting fun! There’s nothing better than handcrafted goodies and making them with friends and family is magical. Imagine adorable wool bunnies gracing your Easter baskets. It’s easy with the Rabbit Needle Felting Kit from Romney Ridge. The kit includes felting needles, fiber and clear step by step directions accompanied by photos. Felted Easter eggs are a favorite for all ages. Both wet and needle felting, depending upon your preference, work great for this project. Here are some great tips to get you started:

If needle felting your eggs, start with some inexpensive undyed wool such as [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] to make your basic egg shape. Plan on 3 oz to make approximately one dozen eggs. Use colored fleece only for the outer layer (much more cost effective). Either the [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] with 6 oz of 21 colors or the Ashford Fiber Bag with 1 oz each of 19 different colors, will give you lots of color and design possibilities. Think solid, marbled, polkadots, motifs or a child’s initial. What possibilities! A basic felting needle like Felting Needle, 36 gauge, Triangular (4-pack) and felting pad such as Needle Felting Foam Pad (9" X 8") or Woolbuddy Felting Mat (my favorite) are the only pieces of equipment you’ll need. So easy, just roll, shape and needle. If you need a little guidance you can find lots of great tutorials on-line.

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Prefer the wetter side of things? Plastic Easter eggs are the perfect base to felt around. First, tape each egg at the seam with electrical tape so it is securely closed and will not come apart during the felting process. Next, wrap several thin layers of wool around the egg until totally encased. None of the base egg should show through the wool. Add any additional colors and design. Slip into the foot portion of a nylon stocking to hold the fibers in place until they bond. Fill a bowl with hot soapy water. Place the egg in the water and gently squeeze until the fiber is fully saturated. Now you’re ready to start the felting process. Take a look at our Felted Soap Stones video tutorial to walk you through the felting process. Except for needing to add soap to the hot water (just a squirt or 2 of dish liquid per cereal bowl size) the process is the same. Super easy, super fun!

Will your Easter be filled with fiber? Send us photos and let us know if you try these great family projects!

Crocheted baskets shown above are from [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] . Crocheted with [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] . Items include [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] , SockDoctor, [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] , [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] , [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] , [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] .