Santa's Laundry Line

This tiny laundry line will remind you that even Santa has chores. Or maybe an elf does the laundry?

The finished size of the jacket is approximately 6 inches. Remember to always pull your wool roving off the bundle --- DO NOT cut the wool as the trimmed edges are harder to work into your finished felt piece.

You could create a whole family laundry line with larger suits for the adults in the house and tiny suits for the children!

Ingredients

- 50 grams Red wool roving
- 15 grams White wool roving
- small clothespins or clips
- 36 inches hemp yarn or cord for the laundry line

Tools:

- Clover large felting mat
- Clover 5-needle felting tool

1. Pull a 1 x 3 inch piece of red wool and place it on your felting mat. Pull three 1 inch tufts and lay them across the 3 inch strip so that the fibers are perpendicular to one another. Reshape the roving with your hand so that the piece has a fairly straight edge. Using your 5-needle tool felt this strip until the roving is well attached. Take care to use the needle tool at a right angle so that the needles do not break. Pull the strip up from the felting mat and and tuck any loose fibers in so that the strip has smooth edges. Turn the strip over and lay it on the felting mat. Using the 5-needle tool felt the other side until firm. Repeat to create the other arm.

2. Pull a 1 x 3 inch piece of red wool and place it on your felting mat. Using similar sized pieces cover the surface of the felting mat. Place a second layer of wool perpendicular to your first layer. Place a third layer of wool perpendicular to the second layer so that you have created a three layer pile of roving pieces, each layer alternating in direction. Felt this with your 5-needle tool to create the jacket body. Pull the body up from the felting mat and and tuck any loose fibers in so that the piece has smooth edges. Turn the body over and lay it on the felting mat. Using the 5-needle tool felt the other side until firm.

3. Join the arms to the body of the jacket by placing each arm on the body at a slight angle and with some overlap. Using the 5-needle tool, felt the arms to the body until secure. Turn the jacket shape over to felt the other side until firm.

4. Pull a 2 x 6 inch piece of red wool and place it on your felting mat. Pull six 1 inch tufts and lay them across the 6 inch strip so that the fibers are perpendicular to one another. Reshape the roving with your hand so that the piece has a fairly straight edge. Using your 5-needle tool felt this strip until the roving is well attached. Pull the strip up from the felting mat and and tuck any loose fibers in so that the strip has smooth edges. Turn the strip over and lay it on the felting mat. Using the 5-needle tool felt the other side until firm. Repeat to create the other leg of the pants.

5. Join the legs of the pants together by placing each leg at a slight angle and with some overlap. Using the 5-needle tool, felt the legs together until secure. Fold down any loose felt along the edges and create a flat waist. Turn the pants shape over to felt the other side until firm.

6. Pull a 1 x 2 inch piece of red wool and place it on your felting mat. Pull two 1 inch tufts and lay them across the 2 inch triangle so that the fibers are perpendicular to one another. Reshape the roving with your hand so that the piece has a triangular shape. Using your 5-needle tool felt this triangle until the roving is well attached. Pull the triangle up from the felting mat and and tuck any loose fibers in so that the triangle has smooth edges. Turn the triangle over and lay it on the felting mat. Using the 5-needle tool felt the other side until firm.

7. Follow the manufacturers directions to remove a single needle from your 5-needle tool. Using this needle embellish the cuffs, neck and front of the jacket and the cuffs of the pants as shown. You may embellish both sides of the Santa suit but the red fibers will be visible on through the white on the original side.

Click here for a printable version of this tutorial

Ingredients & Tools