There is nothing more amazing or spectacular than using a bar of homemade soap. So how do we make the experience of using handmade soap all that much more fun? We put it in sheep’s clothing of course! Today I will be sharing with you how to make felted soaps.
To begin we will need some bars of soap, wool roving and a bucket of hot water. This is a great place to use bars that may be a test batch or are even cosmetically challenged. If you need a place to find roving, check at your local yarn store.
Take about 2 feet of roving and fan it out so it appears lacy. Wrap your soap firmly until
you can no longer see the bar. Dunk the bar into your bucket of hot water and agitate the roving. Use small motions so the roving stays in place. Continue to agitate until the roving is a firm dense mass around the soap. The roving should not be able to move freely. If you are having a hard time, replace your water for something hotter and just keep agitating. Also the cooler your water, the longer it will take to felt. Keep it as hot as you can stand and it will work beautifully.
Once your roving has felted around your soap, pat them dry with a paper towel then set them out to dry. I really like to put them on a cookie rack or a wire shelf where they can dry out more completely. Repeat with your remaining soaps.
This project is a lot of fun because there is so much you can do. You can use colored
roving, you can hide cosmetically challenged bars and simplify using soap because it has a built in foam builder that shrinks with your bar! This is even a great project for those who will be traveling but don’t want to carry around a wash cloth with them!
What other great reasons can you think of for using and making felted soaps? I want to hear!
For an even more luxurious touch you can try using other animal fibres like mohair, alpaca and/or llama. We sell rovings, finished felted soap and do it yourself kits. A nylon stocking can be used to tuck the roving wrapped soap in, keeps it together and makes felting faster. You can also embellish the finished soap.
Juliette
Felted soap allows you a better grip on the soap. It’s not as slippery. It also allows you to set it down in the shower without it slipping away.
My go-to fiber is alpaca. I love how soft it is. I use the stocking method and rub my soaps on an old fashioned washboard after dipping them in boiling water. When they are all felted up, I rinse in ice water to set the fiber and unwraps the stocking before drying.
Christine,
I adore alpaca. What an incredible fiber!
I must admit I have never used the stocking method but it sound like it helps keep some of the fiber in place. I will have to try it.