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Feltmaking

Information provided by Shelby Cefaratti

How to Measure Percentage of Shrinkage

Before you invest a lot of time and effort into any felt project, it is a good idea to make a sample. The sample will become an invaluable tool telling you information about the hand of the felt, percentage of shrinkage to expect and a starting point to figure out how much wool to gather for the project.

Make a flat piece of felt and record the following information:
Base Your sample should be a 12" square—1 oz. of fiber
Layers How many layers did you use?
Time How long does it take to reach the soft felt stage?
  How much time does it take to reach the hard felt stage?
Final measurement What are the dimensions of the final piece of felt?
   
Shrinkage formula (A - B) / A x 100 = percentage of shrinkage
A = measurement before felting
(_______- _______) / ________x 100 = X
B = measurement after felting
 

Please take a look at chapter six of Fundamentals of Feltmaking by Patricia Spark for more information on felting calculations.

Click here for the steps in felting

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