Do you need a light-up hand-made felted hat? OF COURSE you do!
I'm so excited to participate for the first time ever in the Fremont Arts Councils' annual Luminata event at Green Lake on September 24. I had such an amazing time taking part in their Summer Solstice Parade, and even got to teach a wing-making workshop at their studio, the Power Plant. The creative spirit and enthusiasm that everyone associated with the organization brings to these events is inspiring, so I wanted to make sure I brought my creativity to the Luminata procession, too! I'm sharing this video and info so that you can make your own hand-felted light-up hat, for any occasion at all!
Making this hat from start to finish took about 2.5 hours of active time for me. I'm an experienced felter, but I also made a fairly complicated hat. A simpler hat will probably take about 2 hours, plus some time for drying.
If you are totally new to wet felting, you can also check out the workshops I offer, both in-person for very small groups in Seattle and online via ZOOM.
In addition to the video linked below, I've created a PDF for the project with more details and info. Click here to download. I've also copied the supply list below. Some of these are affiliate links. I may get a small commission if you purchase your supplies through these links, at no additional cost to you. This helps allow me to keep making more creative projects to share! Thank you!
Be sure to tag me @carrarts on instagram if you make an illuminated hat! I would love to see what you create!
Color Changing LED Fairy Lights
These are so fun and will let you change to color of your hat with the push of a button! You want waterproof lights if you will be wearing your hat outdoors.
Corriedale and Merino White Wool Roving
Sometimes also available at local yard stores, or order from the Woolery. I advise against ordering
fiber from Amazon, as the quality/origin can be questionable.
Olive Oil Soap
The best, IMO– but a pure liquid castile soap like Dr. Bronners or a natural, gentle dish soap can work, too. Most felters have a favorite soap, I like Kiss my Face or À la Maison.
Extra Large Boot Tray
If you need to contain large, wet messes in your working space, this is the thing. A smaller boot tray will work for smaller projects and smaller spaces, of course.
Con-tact Grip Mat Shelf Liner
I use this instead of bubble wrap, I like that the water can move through it, but it’s still nubby to apply extra friction to the felt. I order this to get wider width rolls that fit my giant boot tray.
Foam Sheet for Resist
I ordered some bulk packs of canvasses from Michaels once and they were wrapped in enough of this stuff to last me a lifetime, but you can buy it if you need to! Any mailbox/shipping store will likely have some in stock, too. If you are making larger objects and don’t want to tape together pieces, you can use 4 ft wide flooring underlayment!
Microwavable Bowl
My sink is not in my studio space, which means a lot of back and forth carrying warm and hot water. I like this bowl because of its handle. It also doubles as a hat form!
Ball Brause
Such a handy little gadget! One of the few things on earth you can’t order from Amazon! My understanding is they all come from Germany. The link is for my favorite fiber shop, The Woolery.
Palm Washboard A beautiful wooden tool handmade in the US, and so helpful for felting. Link to the manufacturer’s site.
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