Felted Salt Bars - Can you do that?

[gardengeek]

I've never tried felting anything before, but was wondering if I could felt salt bars? I keep my salt bars in one of those sisal (or whatever it is) bags hanging in my shower. It's hanging in a spot out of direct line of any water spray and it seems to hold up pretty well even though the bag stays wet for a period from me using it.

I have some 4-7 month old ugly bars (round and square) that I can test it out on, but wanted to solicit feedback from you all first. I've read in a previous post from 2011 that salt bars would be too hard for needle felting, but I'm not ready for that anyway!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Obsidian]

You don't poke the soap when you felt so yes, you can felt a salt bar.

 

[earlene]

Obsidian, I have poked the soap while felting when I added detail via needle-felting. Granted, not everyone adds needle-felted detail to their felted soaps, but when the base layer of felting is fairly thin, it's hard to avoid poking through to the soap beneath.

But that aside, I would love to see photos of your felted salt soaps, gardengeek.

 

[Ladka]

Obsidian, I have poked the soap while felting when I added detail via needle-felting. Granted, not everyone adds needle-felted detail to their felted soaps, but when the base layer of felting is fairly thin, it's hard to avoid poking through to the soap beneath.

Wet felting is used to felt soap. When people want to embelish using needle felting poking into a (hard) soap bar can easily be avoided by a thicker layer of wet felted wool.

 

[gardengeek]

@Ladka I ordered a 1" size cookie cutter to use as a pattern to try needle felting on my wet felted soap so thank you for the info. So far, my felting has been pretty thick so hopefully I won't have any issues. I have felted some regular bars just for experimenting with the needle.

@earlene I posted my first two here. These are a couple I've done this week. I tried something a little different on the one with the heart. I pre-felted the colored piece with the heart and then I placed that on top of the felt wrapped soap and felted them together. The pointy-end of the heart got a little messed up when I was felting the soap so it looks more like a butt to me, but I think the overall effect is pretty cool. I liked the process of pre-felting, probably because it goes pretty quick.

Another thing, I think the Bergschaf wool I'm using may be a little too coarse. I need to get some Merino to try.

 

[Ladka]

Gardengeek, your heart looks like a butterfly to me.
I prefer coarser wool for felted soap. I explain to those not knowing felt soap that it cleanses, massages and offers a gentle skin peeling.

 

[gardengeek]

Gardengeek, your heart looks like a butterfly to me.
I prefer coarser wool for felted soap. I explain to those not knowing felt soap that it cleanses, massages and offers a gentle skin peeling.

Great points!
How long does it take you to felt a bar? I start my timer when I first dunk the bar into the water and it's been averaging 30 minutes. Maybe it's because the amount of felt I'm layering on?

 

[atiz]

I should read up on this topic because I know there's a lot on it on the forum... but can someone (@Ladka ?) explain it to me how the soap not goes bad when felted? I mean, we always say and tell everyone that soaps should dry out between uses, etc. But it seems like if I warp it in a thick wet felted wool where it hardly gets any air, it won't dry out at all.
Because other than that, I would really love to try it, and even have some nice feltable yarns lying around....

 

[Obsidian]

Obsidian, I have poked the soap while felting when I added detail via needle-felting. Granted, not everyone adds needle-felted detail to their felted soaps, but when the base layer of felting is fairly thin, it's hard to avoid poking through to the soap beneath.

But that aside, I would love to see photos of your felted salt soaps, gardengeek.

Well, yeah the soap is likely going to get poked at some point but the OP made it sound like she was going to try attaching the felt directly to the soap.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...how the soap not goes bad when felted? I mean, we always say and tell everyone that soaps should dry out between uses, etc. But it seems like if I warp it in a thick wet felted wool where it hardly gets any air, it won't dry out at all. ..."

I get exactly what you mean, but it works.

Sure you want a felted soap in a place where it can drain and dry between uses, just like normal handmade soap. I will prop the bar up on one side for extra drainage if possible, but I don't fret about it if that doesn't work.

I don't think plant fibers like cotton or linen would work as well, assuming you could do a felted type covering with these fibers. Wool fibers drain excess water quickly and dry faster.

 

[atiz]

"...how the soap not goes bad when felted? I mean, we always say and tell everyone that soaps should dry out between uses, etc. But it seems like if I warp it in a thick wet felted wool where it hardly gets any air, it won't dry out at all. ..."

I get exactly what you mean, but it works.

Sure you want a felted soap in a place where it can drain and dry between uses, just like normal handmade soap. I will prop the bar up on one side for extra drainage if possible, but I don't fret about it if that doesn't work.

I don't think plant fibers like cotton or linen would work as well, assuming you could do a felted type covering with these fibers. Wool fibers drain excess water quickly and dry faster.

Thank you! Will have to try. I was looking for something to use some leftover pure wool yarn anyway, so maybe I can just knit a little soap pouch and put the soap in it. I guess it's not proper felting technique, but it's feltable yarn so it will felt.

 

[DeeAnna]

There isn't any "proper" felting technique, so no need to make apologies. Feltng is a craft that can be done many ways -- whatever works best for you to achieve your goal is the way to do it. I've seen lovely purses that were knitted and then felted -- they were lovely.

 

[Ladka]

I

Great points!
How long does it take you to felt a bar? I start my timer when I first dunk the bar into the water and it's been averaging 30 minutes. Maybe it's because the amount of felt I'm layering on?

It takes me about the same time probably because I also like to make a thick layer of felt and make it compact.

 

[Ladka]

Thank you! Will have to try. I was looking for something to use some leftover pure wool yarn anyway, so maybe I can just knit a little soap pouch and put the soap in it. I guess it's not proper felting technique, but it's feltable yarn so it will felt.

Technically it is not proper felting, it is fulling. But you get similar results.

 

[DeeAnna]

A person both felts and fulls whether they start with knitted fibers or loose fibers. Felting is the initial tangling of fibers into a mat that is reasonably stable. Fulling is the shrinkage of the felted fibers.

But understanding the fine distinctions between felting and fulling isn't necessary in order to do a good job. Just enjoy the craft however you do it.

 

[mishmish]

Half an hour per bar seems like a very long time to me. Maybe 15-20 minutes? But I do several at a time, usually while watching a movie on tv. The first layer of wool I apply is undyed, because it's cheaper and it's not going to be seen. I don't felt it, I just wrap the soap and make sure the layer is even all the way around. Then I begin applying the colored wools in whatever pattern or shading I like. When I get them all wrapped, I'll start wet-felting them. I don't needle felt. I tried, but THAT took forever - I'm probably doing it wrong.

To Atiz: It was explained to me that wool is naturally anti-microbial. It dries pretty quickly, too. I advise people to "dry your felted soap with the corner of your towel" and leave it where there's air circulation, it will be fine. If the soap is well cured and hard when you start felting, it will be fine.

 

[earlene]

@Ladka I ordered a 1" size cookie cutter to use as a pattern to try needle felting on my wet felted soap so thank you for the info. So far, my felting has been pretty thick so hopefully I won't have any issues. I have felted some regular bars just for experimenting with the needle.

@earlene I posted my first two here. These are a couple I've done this week. I tried something a little different on the one with the heart. I pre-felted the colored piece with the heart and then I placed that on top of the felt wrapped soap and felted them together. The pointy-end of the heart got a little messed up when I was felting the soap so it looks more like a butt to me, but I think the overall effect is pretty cool. I liked the process of pre-felting, probably because it goes pretty quick.

Another thing, I think the Bergschaf wool I'm using may be a little too coarse. I need to get some Merino to try.

Yes, I prefer the softer Merino wool.

Regarding felting beforehand, I had that happen to me too. It seems to work better if the items is added after the soap is already felted, at least in my experience.

I have a pretty nice kit of small stainless steel molds for needle felting that I bought from Amazon. (here) But I also needle-felt free hand when the design I want requires it.

Below is a free-hand landscape that I felted before putting it onto soap. I am really glad I took a photo before it went onto the soap, because the design was disappointingly altered afterward. The next photo is of a soap I used a heart shape guide to needle felt on soap that I had already covered with the initial felting. I think I added the heart the next day, if I recall correctly. We bought the stainless steel heart shape & my first felting needles at a Yarn shop because my SIL hadn't brought her felting needels along on that trip. That was my first needle felting project the week my SIL taught me how to dye the roving, then how to hand felt, then how to needle felt. Then I went to Texas and taught my granddaughter. We all had so much fun that Spring with our soap felting projects. I included a picture of the soaps she felted.

Landscape Felted before applied to soap

• earlene
• Jan 16, 2018

I had fun making this felted landscape, which later was put onto a bar of soap. Perhaps it...

Free hand landscape felted prior to completing the process to cover a bar of soap; sadly it lost some of the design as it was further felted onto the soap.

Felting process

• earlene
• Jan 16, 2018

Pictured are tools & materials used to felt the soap for Sam's wife.

The heart shape design added using a stainless steel heart shaped guide. The soap was a gift for the wife of a friend of my brother.

Sarah's Hand Felted soaps

• earlene
• Jan 16, 2018

My granddaughter felted these soaps during Spring Break in 2016 to give to staff at her junior...

My granddaughter's felted soaps that she made to give to counselors she worked with at her junior high school.

 

[gardengeek]

Yes, I prefer the softer Merino wool.

Regarding felting beforehand, I had that happen to me too. It seems to work better if the items is added after the soap is already felted, at least in my experience.

I have a pretty nice kit of small stainless steel molds for needle felting that I bought from Amazon. (here) But I also needle-felt free hand when the design I want requires it.

Below is a free-hand landscape that I felted before putting it onto soap. I am really glad I took a photo before it went onto the soap, because the design was disappointingly altered afterward. The next photo is of a soap I used a heart shape guide to needle felt on soap that I had already covered with the initial felting. I think I added the heart the next day, if I recall correctly. We bought the stainless steel heart shape & my first felting needles at a Yarn shop because my SIL hadn't brought her felting needels along on that trip. That was my first needle felting project the week my SIL taught me how to dye the roving, then how to hand felt, then how to needle felt. Then I went to Texas and taught my granddaughter. We all had so much fun that Spring with our soap felting projects. I included a picture of the soaps she felted.

Landscape Felted before applied to soap

• earlene
• Jan 16, 2018

I had fun making this felted landscape, which later was put onto a bar of soap. Perhaps it...

Free hand landscape felted prior to completing the process to cover a bar of soap; sadly it lost some of the design as it was further felted onto the soap.

Felting process

• earlene
• Jan 16, 2018

Pictured are tools & materials used to felt the soap for Sam's wife.

The heart shape design added using a stainless steel heart shaped guide. The soap was a gift for the wife of a friend of my brother.

Sarah's Hand Felted soaps

• earlene
• Jan 16, 2018

My granddaughter felted these soaps during Spring Break in 2016 to give to staff at her junior...

My granddaughter's felted soaps that she made to give to counselors she worked with at her junior high school.

Oh my gosh, I love the landscape! It looks like a watercolor.

Such a nice idea for your granddaughter's gifting. She did a great job! My granddaughter (11yo) did one pre-felt yesterday that I'm going to felt onto a bar of soap for her mom. She said the process was calming, but I guess it was too calming because she only wanted to do one. It is a meditative activity; I like it!

I purchased a kit with the needles and finger guards so when my little lamb arrives, hopefully this week, I'm going to needle it onto one of the soaps I've already felted. My original plan was to do it on all my felted bars but I'm seeing now that that will be way too time consuming.

 

[gardengeek]

Half an hour per bar seems like a very long time to me. Maybe 15-20 minutes? But I do several at a time, usually while watching a movie on tv. The first layer of wool I apply is undyed, because it's cheaper and it's not going to be seen. I don't felt it, I just wrap the soap and make sure the layer is even all the way around. Then I begin applying the colored wools in whatever pattern or shading I like. When I get them all wrapped, I'll start wet-felting them. I don't needle felt. I tried, but THAT took forever - I'm probably doing it wrong.

To Atiz: It was explained to me that wool is naturally anti-microbial. It dries pretty quickly, too. I advise people to "dry your felted soap with the corner of your towel" and leave it where there's air circulation, it will be fine. If the soap is well cured and hard when you start felting, it will be fine.

I'm kind of doing the same thing. I wrap a few layers of undyed batting (other than the green I purchased that I absolutely LOVE), then position my pre-felt piece (or free hand some random pieces of roving), place it all in a knee-hi, and then start felting. I'm going to try some merino to see if that goes faster, although I do like the scratchiness of the Bergschaf.