Hello all, Mary Ellen here.

Have you (or a laundry helper) ever mistakenly put a sweater into the laundry only to discover it at half its original size when it came out of the washer? If so, then you have already felted wool. Actually wool is not the only fiber that will “felt” but it is the most commonly used one. With the price of felted wool in quilt shops so astronomical, it’s well worth making some of your own. If you did the math to calculate how much per yard those luscious 8″ x 8″ pieces actually cost, you would have apoplexy. If you have a friend who also loves felted wool who would join you in this project, you could trade pieces and get a nice assortment for yourselves. I have some bits left from felting some men’s suit coats that I found in a thrift shop several years ago. It is amazing how much yardage there is in a large coat or **bonanza** a woman’s wool pleated skirt. If you are game at trying some overdying with ordinary RIT dye, you can make a lovely assortment of felts to use in many holiday (and beyond) projects. Try it, you’ll like it. (How many of you just thought of a boy named Mikey?) Here’s a link to an article from McCall’s Quilting that will give you the details. Click here.