Can I use these....

[poopzmom]

I was given a bunch, I mean A bunch of wool blazers. Can I use them to make felt for felt play food? I saw some people saying you can do it with sweaters but I wasn't sure if it worked the same with blazers. If so how in the world do I do it?

[wombatclay]

As long as the blazers are 100% wool or mostly wool then yes... you can felt them and make whatever you want from there!

Just throw them in the washing machine on hot, then into the dryer on hot. You may need to do this a few times to get the heaviness of felt you want, but it's better (IMO) to go slow than to really go nuts and end up with something that is too stiff and/or scratchy (though with play food that may not matter much).

Some people suggest cutting any sleeves off before felting so that the sleeves felt "flat" instead of folded over (the felt will hold the "seam") but again, that may not be an issue here.

Once you have a felted garment, just cut it up and use it like any felt you might purchase. Make cupcakes or cinnamon rolls from the ribbed portions, cut yellow sections into cheese or butter or eggs, brown and heather make nice bread, you can "slice" wavy pieces of bacon, or lettucs, or bagels, etc.

And some mamas then needle felt details onto the felted garment material... you can get pretty fancy! And since the material is essentially "free/donated" it removes a lot of the "I don't think this is going to work" stress.

Have fun!

[mrsbernstein]

Thank you!

Now I am going to HAVE to go to the SA...they sell the blazers there for about 2 or 3 bucks EACH!

Mrs B

[wombatclay]

Yup... nothing like getting all the high quality felt you could possibly need (I lurve the cashmere and angora), in a rainbow of colors, while recycling/greening, for less than a dollar (ask the SA or thrift store people... often they'll mark down any garment that's been "pre-felted" so to speak). Not to mention there are some seriously nice fibers woven into simply atrocious clothing that DEMAND a new life as something lovable!

If you get really interested in this sort of garment felting there is a book called Warm Fuzzies that has some basic (nice) patterns for using felted sweaters. It's mostly an idea book since really using a felted garment is the same as using "just felt", but the pictures are pretty and most of the people I know are getting "former sweaters now gloriously felted" slippers, scarves, mittens, hats, and bags based on patterns in that book. And there's even a couple craft ideas for pets (so my MIL is getting a neat felted sunflower kitty toy... sort of a sandwich of two layers of yellow sunflower felt with catnip between the layers big enough for her cat to lay down/roll on )

[wombatclay]

update- my DH pointed out to me that "blazer" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone and a fabric I have in mind may not be the fabric you have on hand! So before going out and buying more, try felting one of whatever it is you happen to have to see if it works. Some wool fabrics have been treated to prevent felting and it's possible that's the sort of blazer fabric you have (the ones dh has are heavier/woven wool, bit there are some apparently that are much more of a "suit fabric"?)... often an item felts better if the care label says dry clean only, or hand wash only. Really abuse the fabric (hot hot water, extra agitation like with a ball or shoe in whe washer, and hot hot heat) and see what you get.

Sorry for the confusion! Worst case scenario maybe you could make fabric food that is more "stuffed" (like a beanbag) than "felted"?

[Tilia]

I have felted a few women's solid colored blazers that I bought from Goodwill on quarter day. The colors are really nice. However, the wool is a little different and it doesn't work in the same way. Some have felted but it turns out really thin. I like to have the felt be thick and soft to make playfood.

Also, each blazer that I have found had some sort of backing on the wool. After I washed it and started to cut it apart, I noticed that the fabric was back with white fabric that I had to peel off.

I have also done a skirt and it turned out pretty thin as well.

One of the best things I have found besides sweaters, is a white wool blanket for $2.38!