This is Big Ted before he gets felted. The body is sewn and stuffed leaving an opening in the top of the head, the limbs are pinned on and so are the ears and muzzle.
The teddy has been unpinned and the stuffing out and now the it is being felted.This is the size of the arms and how it looks before and after. By doing one limb at a time i am able to control the amount of shrinkage needed, both arms need to be the same. Repeat the same thing for the ears.
How i felted it.Using the sinks in the kitchen, i have the bear part i want to shrink in one sink with pure hand soap, (baby shampoo works well too). I boiled some water in a kettle and poured it onto the bear parts and agitated the wool, (a couple of pairs of rubber gloves on saves your hands from getting scalded). Slamming the item hard down hard also shocks the yarn fibers too. The other sink is for cold water. Alternate between very very hot water and agitating and rubbing the wool and rinsing in cold water until you get the size you want.
Both arms done.
Body now done.
Place them in a towel and roll it up and press to take out excess water. You will need to dry it flat. I have a cast iron table in the back yard that is just right for it as air can get both under and the sun over to help get it dry. Check frequently.
Tilli
Meg.
