Inspired by wet-felted hat gurus like Zsofia Marx, Ariana Mariane and Dawn Edwards...
I decided to take the plunge and immerse myself into the world of wet-felted hats.
I've recorded a step-by-step tutorial to walk through the measurements, calculations, felting, fulling and shaping process.
At the end of this video, you will have your own wet-felted hat (what we call a "toque" up here in Canada!). It will be durable, waterproof, and good for a lifetime.
Here are a few lessons I learned during this process:
- Styrofoam hat blocks are XS, and can be found on Amazon or Etsy
- The average width for a hat is 22" if you are making this as a gift
- Use 19 Micron Merino Wool for a 40% shrinkage rate
- Ensure you allocate additional length for the brim (I like to measure an inch below my ear)
- Measuring your head;
- Calculating your measurements using your shrinkage rate to cut your foam resist; and,
- At the final stage of fulling, you will want to shape your toque over a head form such as a styrofoam head, or any type of spherical object (see resource linked below).
- Shaping can go one step further as it is common to use clips to hold in place ridges and other creative forms in place since felt can dry to the shape it's been held in. I haven't gotten to this point yet, but this is the next step!
Shrinkage and shaping are the magic of felt at play!
If you would like to join our free virtual monthly felter's meet-up group, please visit my facebook page below to request access, and to learn more!
Resources:
- 8 Essential Hat Blocks for a New Milliner - Posted by Laura Del Villaggio
- Poly Hat Blocks for Shaping your Hat
- How to measure your hat size by Ariane Mariane
Thank you for stopping by, and happy felting!
Sophia