Felted wool - restretching

RottenCad · Post by **RottenCad** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:25 am

Hi all,

Please accept my apologies for having done something stupid, then asking an idiot question ...

I have just followed the advice of a friend, and hot washed some fairly open-weave wool to "felt it up a bit". I now have a lovely felted piece of wool, about 1/3 size of the original. Which is a bit of a b*gger.

Is there any way I can evenly stretch it out, or have I completely knacked it???

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:40 am

you have alovley piece of felted wool now what do you want to do with it

did the same by accident with me hose last year they kind of shrunk drnmatically

Phil the Grips · Post by **Phil the Grips** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:44 am

Swear, swear again, punch a wall and then find someone to make a hat out of it.

Alice the Huswyf · Post by **Alice the Huswyf** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:02 am

What Phil said, but stamp around a bit too. This is not retrievable.

Later addition: When pre-shrinking wool I usually use the 40 degree quickwash cycle no spin at hottest. 60 degrees to 'boilwash' twill - at the cost of huge shrinkage. Any higher and I've had felt.

guthrie · Post by **guthrie** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:23 am

Sorry. Buy you some wool at Berkeley?

Maybe next time just hot wash it.
Mind you, now you can make a felt hat.

gregory23b · Post by **gregory23b** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:24 am

Sell it on as pre-shrunk felted wool, add a premium on to it for the hard work and its increased Orfentrickery, with the proceeds buy some wool, do not repeat previous tasks. Or buy preshrunk wool.

sally · Post by **sally** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:27 am

You might be able to stretch it a bit, bit it won't be by much. Ideally do this on a frame so you can tension it evenly as it dries. Sometimes just having two peopel stretch it carefully but firmly whilst it is damp will even it up a bit. Otherwise, as the others have said, well fulled wool is a useful and orfentik thing, you just might need to rethink what you were going to make with it

RottenCad · Post by **RottenCad** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 11:44 am

Thanks everyone - sort of confirmed what I thought!

I had originally planned to make a 3/4 length dagged-sleeve tunic. It may be a pair of hosen now. For a twelve year old...

Not to worry though, I know someone who was worried his cloak might need some more colours - would cherry red be for you, Guthro old chap???

Nigel - adopt, adapt, move on ought to be my motto. Thanks - how did your hose turn out in the end?

Meinherr Grips, thank you for your most thoughtful suggestion. Alice likewise - I will now purchase a cat to kick...

Sally, thanks for the slightly more practical suggestion - I can probably eke out a few inches all round with a frame - if I can get a 10-15% increase it may be enough to go on with the original project ...

Thanks all!!!

Tuppence · Post by **Tuppence** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:36 pm

As said above, not really retrievable.

I'd generally advise against washing wool, unless you know fabric very, very well (in which case you can work out how it was made and whether washing will have a bad effect on it).

Usually I'd only wash wool if I want to produce a particular effect (like heavy fulling or making a hose-y type wool more dense, etc).

On the upside, a heavily felted wool will be almost water proof, so is good for outer clothing and foul weather gear.

Thanks - how did your hose turn out in the end?

They'd have fitted a large teddy bear.
And now fingers crossed the replacement pair haven't done the same thing after getting soaked at Conisbrough. Mind you, he was wearing them at the time, so maybe it'll be like shrink to fit jeans???

Sophia · Post by **Sophia** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:37 pm

For future reference when I buy wool and want to pre-wash it I normally use the warmest setting on the wool wash cycle. Just to make sure I always buy at least 1/3 extra. Despite this I have on occasions had to rethink the project.

If you also pre-boil the linen for the lining plus pre-wash any other fabric involved (again allowing 1/3 extra for shrinkage) you will have a garment that can occasionally be washed on the delicates cycle in your machine

If I intended to boil the wool I would indeed buy 3 times as much as needed. Though to be quite honest it is better to invest in pre-fulled wool which from people like Hainsworths (Cloth Hall - Lindy Pickard normally carries this) or if you want natural fleece colours then try Stuart Peachey who has an excellent range of seriously authentic fabrics, not cheap but worth every penny.

Indeed I intend to invest in some of Stuart's fabric to produce a set of common people's clothes for me and Peter C-H this winter. I have the middle class, upper middle class and nobility pretty well covered now for 1450-1509.

Good luck with your project - hope it turns out.

Sophia

guthrie · Post by **guthrie** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:47 pm

Cherry red? Maybe...

Sophia- I usually gety fabric from Dave Rushworth, who is Stuart Peachy?
And I thought LIndy Pickard was doing stuff with linen, last I saw, but havnt seen her at Tewkesbury for 2 or 3 years.

Phil the Grips · Post by **Phil the Grips** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:58 pm

I think you should use it it to make is all little fez's to wear as our new fieldsign/drinking attire!

Easily done- Guthro has a hat pattern IIRC, could be summat for me to do while "resting" in the sticks if you want to send me all the bits.

guthrie · Post by **guthrie** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 12:59 pm

I do? Not as far as I recall. Especially not for a fez, though a friend of mine has a fez that i could borrow i suppose.

Sophia · Post by **Sophia** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:03 pm

Lindy Pickard was at Cressing this year with an excellent selection of Hainsworth clothes, not cheap though. I think she also does a lot of Civil War stuff.

Stuart Peachey is behind Historical Management Associates Ltd which is an umbrella which includes Stuart Press (books), Feast and Banquet Services (doing the banquets for Joust, has worked at Hampton Court Palace), Artefacts Sales and Hire (specially made fabric, etc.). Also very involved in Greyhill Project (restoration of agricultural landscape to original condition complete with LH associated). He is well known for the authenticity of his kit - including some claim its ability to move without him

Sophia

guthrie · Post by **guthrie** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:22 pm

Ahh, right. Thanks. Being back up in Scotland means that i dont get to meet many people and am out of touch with what goes on.

Phil the Grips · Post by **Phil the Grips** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:30 pm

guthrie wrote:I do? Not as far as I recall. Especially not for a fez, though a friend of mine has a fez that i could borrow i suppose.

I thought you made your blue "flowerpot" hat from a pattern you had- my mistake.

RottenCad · Post by **RottenCad** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:35 pm

Thanks everyone, esp. Tuppence and Sophia. I'll keep you posted with what it eventually becomes - the current default is "Tablecloth" !!!

TTFN,

RC

guthrie · Post by **guthrie** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:39 pm

The hat you might be thinking of was bought, and isnt particularly rigid. I could probably rustle up a patter off it easily enough though, and I made a 2nd coif this year, so I am aware of how my head is shaped. Don tknow about anyone elses though.

Tuppence · Post by **Tuppence** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:25 pm

Just a tip re. hainsworth's - if you know what you're after you can go direct - ask for sally or david in general woollens. or they can send out swatches if you don't know what you're after - they're worth it for the names alone - medical maroon and dental green!

but seriously, seriously gorgeous wool - my fave of any fabric I have ever worked with (might explain why I have quite so much of it, and why I've spent quite so much time in their warehouse

)

Debs

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:28 pm

so thats why the garage spare room and lots of other places have the stuff stashed in em