While we are talking about felting...

[newamy]

I have 2 questions being as I've never felted anything:

So you produce the felted look by running it through the washing machine. Great. Then a few months later ones lovely felted bag is in need of some cleaning- do you hand wash it? Or have it dry cleaned?

Also I was studying the Booga bag pattern, and actually some other felted patterns. Why is it that many times there are no instructions to line a felted bag? I realize that the finished felted product is very sturdy but it still seems that lining would make it have a more finished appearance. (Also my mom taught me as a young and impressionable child that no matter what a purse was made of it was "cheap" without a lining ) Is it that the felting is so sturdy it would be difficult to sew something to it? Or does this ommission relate to the general aversion to sewing that I have observed among knitters? I KNOW how to sew and can produce a lining in an hour or less depending on size- the attaching takes the longest. I have knitted a knitting bag for my self and two bags for children and they all have been lined. So if I made a felted bag my inclination would be to line it. I guess I just wonder why people don't or if there is anyone else who also lines everything.

Thank you all.

[knitqueen]

As far as washing, I would gently hand wash and then re-shape as necessary and air dry.

Lining....I wish I knew how to line a bag! I'm one of those knitters you speak of with an aversion to sewing. Maybe not so much an aversion as never been taught how and am kind of scared of the prospect!! That said though, I think that all felted bags would be better lined. The felted finished product isn't as sturdy as you might think, especially since with a bag or purse you kind of want to put STUFF in it!!! Lining would be a great solution if I only knew how! It would also provide the possibility of adding pockets to the inside.

Somewhere I'm sure I've seen a link that describes lining a knitted bag, maybe someone will share it again because I've forgotten!

[lisak]

I haven't attempted to line anything myself yet, but here is link for when I try! (And I would think lining a felted bag would be just the same as any other bag.)

http://www.helloknitty.com/pdfs/Lining.pdf

Good luck!

[sara_jayne]

Here is another link I have saved when I'm ready to line a felted bag.

[go get your smock]

As far as washing my felted bags, I just toss them in the wash on gentle (in a zippered pillowcase!) When then come out, I block them just like I did before. I have a few bags that I regularly launder. My orange bag just now is a little dingy . . .

Some felted bags get softer and stretched out over time, and a hotter washing helps them draw back up a bit. The reblocking makes them look like new.

[newamy]

Maybe not so much an aversion as never been taught how and am kind of scared of the prospect!!

My mom used to sew all the time when I was little and she "made" me learn. I do not sew often- it's sort of like knitting in that it doesn't save you any money! I think in the "olden" days it did but there are so many beautiful nicely made fabrics to choose from and it is a profitable craft, like knitting, that manufacturers want to make money! Imagine that.

I do not sew super fancy things but I can produce a nice looking product. I'm an expert at curtains and Halloween costumes! Once in awhile I have visited sewing machine shops and drool over the nice machines but I do not feel that I sew often enough to make such a purchase. I sew on a very servicable Viking from the 1970's that belonged to my grandmother. I enjoy using it because I always feel she is helping me sew. So even if I did get a new machine I wound not part with this one.

Anyway many fabric stores offer classes and usually if you purchase a machine the shop will offer a series of classes so you can learn to use the new machine- even if one is an expereinced sewer, so that is a good way to begin. I think those people who are craftily inclined would enjoy sewing at least small things. I am a new knitter and I found that understanding sewing and fabric types helped a bit to get started, beleive it or not. So I think that if one is a capable knitter they would find sewing very easy. In fact if you can knit a sweater, sewing has got to be a breeze! Sweaters look daunting to me, I haven't tried one yet! Sewing is just learning to use the machine, learning terminology, and following a pattern.

Anyway, thanks for the insight on making felted bags.

[Celine]

So far I've only felted one bag and it did not felt as much as I would have liked. So I did line it. I am a quilter so I have a big stash of fabrics. For me lining a bag is half the fun!!

I just finished this bag in darker colors...

http://carodanfarm.com/shopsite_sc/s...media/kemp.jpg

I lined it with a fabric that has Gibons Girls on it. The color of the fabric was perfect for the Noro yarn I used.

I just cut out the fabric a little smaller than the outline of the completed bag. Then I put right sides of the fabric together then sew about a quarter inch seam all the way around except at the top of course. Turn the fabric right side OUT now so that the right side of the fabric is facing you.

I then put the fabric in the bag and sort of wiggle it around until it seems to be fitting the bag in the right spots.

Then its very important to fold down the top of the fabric and fold it under then stitch it to the inside of the bag. I use pins to keep the lining in place when I get ready to stitch it. I also put a few stitches in the corner of the bag to help hold the lining down.

Good luck!

[Old Knitter]

I think lining or no lining is a personal choice. I like the look of the lining. Be certain to wash and dry the fabric first in case the bag ever needs to be washed. I would caution, however, to be sure to put the original project in a bag or pillow case tied closed for it's felting. You will be shocked how much fiber escapes and I know from sad experience your machine motor does not like to injest it.

Holly