FREE FELTED WOOL PURSE PATTERN

This free felted wool purse pattern is made using a cardboard box. The cardboard box gives the purse its shape. Choose the size of box you want to use to make your purse keeping in mind that your purse will shrink by about one third. In otherwords, pick a box that is one third larger than the size you want your final purse to be.

The box must be sturdy. It should, also, have flaps on it that can be taped closed, not a separate top. Otherwise you will end up with a ridge in your purse.

This purse can be made with just the wet felting method or you can include some needle felting to finish your purse. You choose. (Isn't it great to have control over something in your life?)

Materials

• Carded wool - amount depends on size of purse made. You

  may wish to have different colors.

• Liquid dish soap

• Warm water

• Cardboard box - your choice of size

• Screen

• Sponge

• Saran wrap

• Masking tape

• Felting needle (optional)

• Foam pad (if needle felting)

• Tissue wrapping paper (for needle felting pattern)

• Marking pen (To draw pattern)

Instructions

Wrap your cardboard box in saran wrap and tape with masking tape.

Start your free felted wool purse pattern by place carded fleece on the box. Layer it onto one side of the box. To get a more even felt, put one layer in one direction and a second layer 90 degrees to the first layer. Add a third layer at 90 degrees to the last layer for a thick purse. (The fleece on this box is not layered, yet.)

Visit our wet felting page to see how to layer fleece and use a screen to felt.

Wet felt the fleece onto the box leaving the edge unfelted.

Turn the box and continue layering and felting.

Felt all but one end of the box.

Carefully remove the felted fleece and full on a washboard or other bumpy surface.

Rinse with cold water when you have the purse fulled to the size you want. You can keep checking it by placing it back onto the box. When it fits tight on the box, leave it on the box to dry.

Trim the end of the purse so that it is even.

Make some rope handles by rolling fleece between the palms of your hands with warm soapy water. You can felt the ends flat and sew them onto the purse. Or you can leave the ends unfelted as shown in the picture and needle felt them onto the purse.

At this point you can stop and not use the felting needle. You can sew designs on and use trimmings to embellish your purse.

Or you can further use your felting needle to put designs onto the purse.

Trace a design onto tissue wrapping paper.

Needle felt over the pattern through the paper with appropriate colored fleece. Carefully remove the pieces of tissue paper with your needle after you have finished the design. The paper pulls out fairly easily.

Needle felt the design onto your free felted wool purse pattern. Finish the purse with a snap to the inside center if you want or leave it open like a tote bag.

Enjoy your free felted purse pattern as a finished product.

Return from free felted wool purse pattern to using alpaca wool.

Return to owning alpaca home page