If you are anything like me, you will kill any living plant that is brought into your home.  Yes this includes the so called “hearty” plants.  I have found a solution. Faux succulents.  But not  the plastic ones that will sit on your shelves and collect dust. These are made out of wool, through a process called felting.

Felting can be done in several ways, my favorites are needle and wet felting.

Needle felting can be used to make shapes. The needle is super sharp, and has several barbs.  The barbs help make the felt fibers bind together. The more you poke your project, the tighter and more defined it will become.  This process teaches patience, you can go super fast, but you will probably stab yourself.

 

 

The second process is called wet felting.  The way I felt, uses a zip lock bag, soap and water.  I begin by picking out my colors and layering them until I have a decent amount. Next I put the layered felt into the zip lock bag with water and a little soap. At first you just want to press the felt into place, you do not want to mess up the pattern. After a few minutes, you can then start to shift the bag more.  Again the more you move the felt, the tighter it will be. Once I feel like it is tight enough, I rinse it in the sink. You can alternate between hot and cold water to get the fibers to bind more. Typically with this method, I will tighten the fiber bonds with my “felting gun” before I cut.

Once the mat is as tight as you want, you can then cut out select shapes. After you have about 20 petals, you then use the needle to join them together.  I like to start from the outside and work my way in.

After you have formed you succulent, you can put it into a votive, or attach it to another artsy item.

The best think about roving wool, is that you can find it in TONS of colors. The succulents do not have to be just green. If you would like a custom product just reach out!

Happy Crafting!

-R