-felted naughty pebbles- process

With the motto “felt whatever on your way” I started two summers ago to look around and imagine what could possibly become my next target for felting. Spending plenty of my daytime on the beach I realised how differently these white pebbles would look with a bit of color! Recognizing their natural beauty and design, from that day on I started to collect round, small-sized pebbles with a smooth surface. Their innate versatility and shape could produce a beautiful decorative result for exterior and interior spaces, especially by adding texture and color through felting.

-felted naughty pebbles- process

-felted naughty pebbles- process

For these pebbles I used different colors of Australian merino wool in band, attaching it primarily on them with the needle felting technique. Each pebble was wrapped around with at least three layers of wool, each layer of wool was then affixed with the needle. When the wool was firm on the pebbles I filled a small bucket with soapy warm-hot water. I sank the pebble into it and when it was completely soaked, I took it out and started to rub it with a plastic wrap. At the beginning softly and later harder, up to the point that the wool was completely affixed on the pebble. Afterwards I rinsed the pebble changing between warm and cold water. The whole process contributes in shrinking and fixating the wool in an irreversible way to create a surface that can’t be separated from the pebble.

-felted naughty pebbles- process

-felted naughty pebbles- process

-felted naughty pebbles- process

-felted naughty pebbles- process

The outcome is a soft, colorful, stylish and environmentally-friendly product which can have numerous applications indoors or outdoors.

-felted naughty pebbles- process

-felted naughty pebbles- process

For more felted pebbles here and here!

-felted naughty pebbles- process

* Felting is one of the earliest forms of textile processing. Asian nomadic tribes started spreading all over the continent thousands of years ago. Wool becomes felt when it is subjected to moisture, heat, and pressure. Hot soapy water makes the wool slippery, and causes tiny scales on the fiber to “open up”. The scales prevent the fibers from backing up again after they slide across each other; with agitation, the fibers get hopelessly tangled together.