HOW TO MAKE A FELTED SOAP using a Willow Cottage NZ Felted Soap Kit

Soap having been felted for about 5 - 10 minutes is ready to put on a rack to dry.

Felting a soap is a very fun, easy craft that results in an excellent product to be used in the bath, shower, or at the handbasin!

First, purchase your Willow Cottage NZ Felted Soap kit!

Next, decide which colours of felted wool you want to use for the bottom layers.

An example of what you'll get in your Willow Cottage NZ Felted Soap Kit. Each kit is unique.

First layer

Take your first colour of carded wool and gently tease it out until it's the same width as the soap. Wrap this layer around the soap a few times.

Second layer

Now, in the opposite direction, wrap the second layer of carded wool.

Keep everything neat

Wrap a third layer

This layer doesn't have to be as thick, or cover as much. Wrap in the same direction as the first layer so it neatens the edges of your second layer.

Add whispy layers

Either with thicker pieces of wool, or little thin whispy bits, lay them over the soap, or wrap them around. Try not to add big thick layers at this point as they will be very hard to incorporate into the rest of the design - as you felt the soap the big thick bits will want to keep coming off.

Use all, or most of, the wool provided in the kit to get a good amount of wool around the soap.

Lower soap into very warm water

Holding the soap carefully with both hands, so you don't dislodge the wool, lower it into very warm water - either a bowl or sink. Hold it down under the water until it is completely saturated, and no air bubbles are rising from the soap.

Gently rubbing

Very gently rub the soap in all directions, slowly but firmly. The soap will start to lather, and as the lather comes through the wool it will begin to felt!

Halfway through

After a few minutes of firm, but gentle rubbing the wool will start to felt, and the colours will be stuck together. However, if you were to pull gently on a piece of wool you'll see that it is still very loose. Keep felting it a bit longer!

Finished!

When all the wool is neatly felted down, and doesn't lift if you pinch a piece up, you can call your project FINISHED! Put it on a rack to dry.

Keep your felted soap on a rack when not being used so it can dry out between uses.

We'd love to hear back from you if you try this wonderful, effective craft.

Debbie