I stumbled (literally – I love ‘Stumbleupon.com’) across this Heart Elbow Patch DIY tutorial by Erica of ‘honestlyWTF’ a couple of years ago and I’m determined to do this with one of my jumpers before winter comes to an end. I mean hey – all it entails is repeatedly stabbing a needle up and down into a piece of fabric, heck yes I can do that. Here’s Erica’s ‘how to’ and exactly; what I plan to do myself this weekend!
Here’s what you’ll need (most of which you can get from Spotlight or The Warehouse)
- wool sweater
- 36 gage felting needle
- piece of dense foam cut to size (or a needle mat)
- some wool roving
- a 3” (or thereabouts) cookie cutter
- an iron
With the sweater on, place a piece of tape about half an inch below the elbow. Do the same with the opposite elbow. Remove the sweater and insert the foam block into one of the sleeves.
Align and centre the bottom of the cookie cutter along the top of the tape. Pinch off a few tufts of wool roving.
Fill the cutter, spreading out the wool fibres evenly.
At the base of all felting needles are tiny, sharp burrs, which grab and interlock the wool fibres. While holding the needle vertically, repeatedly stab it into the wool roving and through the sweater. I found it easier to work around the outer perimeter of the cutter first and then work my way inwards. Important tip: To prevent breaking the needle, always keep the needle upright and never at an angle. And don’t forget to pay careful attention to your fingers while felting as the needle is extremely sharp!
Continue stabbing away until the surface is flat and even. Fun, right?
Remove the cutter and use the tip of the needle to reign in any stray fibres, if necessary. Don’t worry about the holes as they will be mended later.
Patch up any bare or uneven spots by adding more wool roving where needed.
Carefully peel the sweater away from the foam. Notice that the fibres have transferred through to the backside of the sweater.
To smooth and set the patch, spritz with water and press with an iron on the wool setting.
Repeat the same steps the other sleeve.
Viola! Your heart-shaped elbow patches are finished!
Ange x
Gurlinterrupted
A Girl Interrupted By Fashion, Beauty & Anything Pretty That Catches My Eye
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