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Step 1
I start with a recycled vintage 100% wool sweater. I wash it in hot water and dry it in the dryer to make it nice and fluffy. |
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Step 2
I cut and sew a new sweater from the old. |
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Next comes the fun part: needle felting the design.
Needle felting is a technique that uses special barbed needles and wool roving (wool before it has been spun into yarn) to appliqué a permanent design onto a wool backing. |
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Step 3
I hand dye all the roving I use in my designs to give me a wide variety of colours. |
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Step 4
I felt the design onto the sweater. This is the most time-consuming part of the process. |
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After poking them over and over and over, the fibers of the roving mesh together with the wool fibers of the sweater. |
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Step 5
I use my home-made felting machine to give the felted design the final touch for extra strength. |
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Step 6
I finish the sweater with a ribbon facing and buttons or a zipper. |
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A finished Sweet Thing Designs sweater. |
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