It's a Futte Futte Christmas!

Since the tree toppling incident I decided I needed more unbreakable ornaments. 

Enter the Futte Futte! 

It was a total spur of the moment "Hey, Loki lets make some felt balls" kind of event. I think I spent more time trying to locate everything I needed then actually making the felt balls, well almost.

It was a bit wet and messy using the Futte Futte indoors but I think I learned a few thing on how to use it better, so it was actually faster than I thought it was going to be.

The other thing that prompted me to wanna make ornaments is that Loki has his own tree that he can decorate (or un-decorate) as he sees fit with no help from Mama.

 Felt "bulb" 

Fluffy snowman!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Tis the Season: Part 1

Ohhh its holiday time again and as usual  I have more ideas than time, energy or motivation. At least the tree is up. Which is actually saying a lot after a near tree disaster last Wednesday when the whole thing toppled over and crash landed on the ground. Needless to say I was reduced to a crying mess at the sight of my , just finished being decorated, tree on the ground with a pool of water around it. Luckily nothing major was broken.

I had no forethought to snap a photo of the fallen tree, just a small part of the carnage.

Moving on...

I wanted to post about my handmade holiday items. 

Frist up is my string of  felt "popcorn and cranberries" 

I made about a 3 foot string by hand pre-futte futte. This is actually what prompted my search for such a tool. After spending days, yes DAYS, making these tiny white and burgundy balls my hands were raw and sore. Worth it not to have to string the real thing every year (which I used to do).

I need to make more because I don't have enough to cover the whole tree. As it is I kinda snake it back and forth across the front of the tree to cover more "prime" viewing space.

Next Up: Stocking!

Futte Futte Ball Shaker: Let's get it on!

OK, so now that you've gathered your goods let's make a felt ball or 2. After you have you wool snake (see yesterday's post) you have to rip up the fluff into smaller pieces and fluff it up more so it will go into the futte futte cup better and it will also felt better.

*Fluffed wool in 1 half of the futte futte*

Put the other half of the futte futte on then dunk the whole thing in your SUPER SCALDING HOT tub of soapy water. This is where reading the japanese directions may come in handy. My interpretation is that you have to stir the water with the futte futte. (it's not for the waters sake but for the felting process.) For the 1st ball I "stirred" the water for about 2min.
Then remove from the water, this is where it's nice to be outside if you can. Shake that thing, and shake it! In my dream world (why I ordered the futte futte in the first place) you would be done. Sadly, you are from from it. Re-dip in HOT water, stir, shake, dip, stir, shake, dip, stir, shake, so on and so on.
*My 1st ball midway through the process*
It took me about 15 min. to achieve a ball I was happy with  (green ball in the last picture). I changed my approach slightly with the 2nd ball.

*Red/yellow roving snake for 2nd ball*
I used a bit more roving (which makes a bigger ball) and did the whole dip, stir, shake in a fast progression. It didn't cut down on the time or how much stirring and shaking had to be done.

*2 finished felt balls (2nd attempt on the left)*
All in all the Futte Futte Felt Ball Shaker makes nice balls and totally saves your hands from the hot water, but I don't think it's any faster or better then doing it by hand (aside from not burning your hands off, which I admit is a huge plus). I guess I thought it would take less time. My main motivation in getting the futte futte was to make some christmas garland ("popcorn" and "cranberries") because my 1st string took me a million hours and I didn't even make it that long. I didn't do it though because I lost my motivation when I realized that my time would not be saved. 

It's totally possible I'm doing something wrong as I do not read Japanese. I tried translating the page in google but it didn't really help. If you have any tips or tricks please share. I'd love to hear them! I'll keep working on it too.

HAPPY SHAKING!

Futte Futte felt ball shaker: Gather your tools

It was super hot and sunny here on Monday and I decided it would be a good day to haul out the old Futte Futte. 1st steps 1st, let's round up all the things you need to make a felt ball.

*The Futte Futte Felt Ball Shaker in all it's glory! *

(comes with a tiny spoon to measure the soap)

*Lovely Colorful wool roving for felt ball making*

*Soap and a some kinda tub*                           

I used Dawn this time to see if it helped 

with felting.(no difference.) 

 A medium sized tub is helpful so you have a good amount of room to swish about in.

                                        Also the water should be HOT, HOT, HOT!

This is a picture of the amount of roving I tore off of the ball. It's about 12 in but really I think it's an eyeball kinda thing. 

(It looks like a weird green flat snake.Hum maybe my next project?)

That's all you need to get started. I recommend doing this outside because it's easier to get you shake on and not make a mess. Stay tuned for the step by step in the futte futte process.

Futte Futte felt ball maker

** check out my latest post on the futte futte**
Loki tries his hand at felt ball making.

1st you swish it around in HOT water, then...

Shake and shake, 

                                               and SHAAAKEEE!