these instructions are for felting a silk lap wrap by combing a silk lap and one layer of fine merino tops.  silk laps are also refereed to as “skins” - you will understand why after you have worked with them.  they are very “organic”  each lap has a unique shape.  they come in a quilt-like batt form which are then separated into thinner layers that are suitable for a wrap.  each layers weighs anywhere from 100 gms to 250 gms.  the staple length of the silk fibres run the entire width of the laps (1.25 meter), therefore the laps are incredibly strong and easy to handle- look for the thicker edges which serve as a guide if you want to peel away a thinner layer (very similar to the way you work with silk hankies). two laps can easily be pieced together to obtain any length or width as the “seam” disappears during the felting process.  with the heavier laps  (~200 gms) there are several options on working with them:  they could be spread out to make an even larger wrap; part could be cut off to make a second project; a layer could be peeled off to make the lap thinner; or the silk component of the wrap ends up being beautifully bubbly and crusty. 

materials

the lap for these instructions weighed 150gm.  i then laid down a 100 gm of fine merino tops (as a rule of thumb I use 1/3 less wool than silk) in one direction on top of the stretched out lap.  the lap was stretched out to just over 1.25 meter wide x 3.5 meter long.  finished dimensions for the wrap were ~ 0.75 meter wide x 2.5 meters long.

laying out

you will need bubble wrap or a bamboo blind (i use 4 meters of bubble wrap, flat side up).  lay down your netting.  on top of the netting, lay down your lap.  stretch the lap out to its required length by tugging and stretching (you can be quite vigorous the silk is very strong and won't fall apart) out all the thicker areas - especially around the edges where it is thicker.  be sure to keep stretching width-wise or it may end up too narrow.  remember that the lap will possibly shrink 30% - 50% in length and 25% in width (depending on how much wool is laid on top).  don’t stretch the lap too thin or else the beautiful silk effect will become lost and overtaken by the wool.  how thin to pull out the lap will be one of the hardest parameter to get right, experiment with a few small samples first to get a feel for it.  you should just be able to see the newsprint under the silk (if laid out on top of a newspaper).  stretching it out gossamer is an option, however, the wool easily overtakes and you loose the beautiful lustre of the silk.  This is not how I made my wrap.  my silk appears quite solid, crusty and bubbly which gives you and an amazing hit of "silk".

next, lay one fine layer of Merino tops running lengthwise down the length of the stretched-out lap. the silk won’t need much wool to hold it together since the laps have such a long staple length.  the finer you lay the wool the lighter the wrap will be and the better it will drape.  i lay the wool out so it just touches tip to tip (if it doesn’t touch at all it won’t shrink).  As a rule I use 1/3 less wool than silk - don't use too much wool, you will loose the lustre of the silk.  be sure and leave some spaces where you don't lay the wool - you should be able to see through to the lap in places.  if you lay down a more solid layer of wool the wrap will have less drape.  also remember that as the wrap shrinks the wool and silk will condense and become thicker. cover with netting.

wetting out and rolling

wet the wrap out with cold water and soap.  i love using a bar of olive oil soap (try italian/greek food import shops) - it is very gentle on your hands and on the wool, plus it is a good wetting agent.  you can also concentrate on working areas with just the bar in your hands or you can put the bar in a bucket of warm/hot water and dissolve to your needs.  wet out thoroughly, roll up the wrap and secure the bundle. 

- now roll about 200 times, unroll and straighten out any wrinkles, add more water if needed and re-roll from other end.  i don’t ever use hot water so that the wool has time to attach to the silk and not just felt to itself (very much like nuno felting).

- repeat the above procedure for anywhere between 1000 and 2000 rolls. take the wrap out of the netting when it begins to stick to it.  after about 800 rolls you can begin to use warm water.   if you are working in bubble wrap it will retain the heat much better than the blind, you won’t have to work so hard to keep the wool warm while working with it

- at the point where you feel your wrap is at least softly felted and holding together (preferably a bit more than softly felted) you can take it out of the bubble wrap and start tossing it.  be careful when tossing to frequently straighten out any wrinkles and also lay it out flat and stretch it in all directions so it doesn’t shrink up too much or shrink too fast!!!  toss until it begins to feel well felted.  it is very very import to continually stretch your lap to keep the fibres aligned which helps it retain its lustre. 

finishing

- to finish my pieces I always use a glass washboard (second best are the ridges on the drain board of your sink).  use lots of water and soap so that the wrap just floats across the ridges of the washboard (you are not trying to “scrub” the fibres).  if you work every inch of the wrap on the washboard it will really make all the difference.

the washboard fulls the fabric beautifully – which is where the final shrinkage happens and it helps the surface not to pill.  be careful not to overwork the wool – it takes very little rubbing, try and feel when the wrap just begins to firm up, then stop. if overworked the wool will come through too much on the silk side and loose it's luster.

- rinse thoroughly in warm water (with a little vinegar added if wanted) and spin out the excess moisture in the spin only cycle of your washing machine.  i iron dry (no steam) placing a cloth under the wrap to absorb the extra moisture.  ironing really helps brings up the lustre of the silk and adds a beautiful finishing touch to the wool.   

updates to the above felting method (sept. 2005)

over the years my method for felting has slightly changed.  here are few additional thoughts.

1. i lay out my wool now in a random pattern so that it doesn't shrink greatly in any one direction (of course if I do want it to shrink more in the length i lay the wool down lengthwise).  i still try and leave spaces which aren't entirely covered with wool to help the drape of the lap.

2. for those with limited work space here is how I work with the very large laps.  i only need a floor space big enough to initially stretch the lap out fully to the size i desire.  i use bubble wrap and then a thin sheet of painter plastic which i use to sandwich the felt once it's wetted out and the netting has been removed.  by sandwiching your felt completely in the plastic you retain all its moisture and the fibres more easily move around and felt, plus you don't have any dripping water.  once your lap is stretched on top of the bubble wrap and plastic sheeting, i roll it up and transfer it to my work space.  i then start unrolling part of the roll and start laying down the wool, then i roll that up and unroll another section - treat it like a scroll.  i do the same for wetting out the fibres, a little at a time.  but then I have to sandwich the felt in the painter plastic and seal it up tight to begin my rolling.

3.  don't over roll, the wool will penetrate too much into the silk and dull it's lustre.  in general, i roll 1/3, toss 1/3 and use the washboard 1/3.

4.  i can not stress enough how important it is to stretch your work continually.  from the moment it is strong enough to toss it is usually strong enough to stretch.  the more aligned the fibres the higher the lustre.

5. i never use hot water, and only warm water once I have tossed for awhile.

6. i have changed from olive oil soap to an even more gentle glycerine soap (look in the bathroom soap section - I like pears brand).  i have found that certain soaps act harshly on the silk and pulls the dye off the fibre.  some dye loss is expected with this much silk, however the soap seems to increase it.  by sealing your felt in the painter plastic, any dye loss will be caught in the plastic and not drip on your work area.

7.  i now use the colour nuance superfine merino tops for the silk laps.  it is the perfect wool for silk laps because it never becomes too firm.  your lap will be left with fabulous drape and softness.

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