Remember, the packaging calls it natural or wool, and it smells like wool during use. These are not the cheapie acrylic kind. No More Sprays - Steam or other sprays are unnecessary because the wool actually absorbs moisture from the air as heat is applied. The mat has a dense, firm surface but has a little bit of give to it. We’re just tacking it in place so that wool doesn’t fall out. Then press them while making 3 different layers. The mats are very solid, nothing like the wool blankets. Foam, Brush or Pillow: Which mat should I use for needle felting? ». Yes, when wool pressing mats get damp from the steam coming from your iron, they smell like wet sheep. When that’s done, fold over the empty side of the material – closing ‘the book’. If it’s not, add more layers until you’re satisfied that it’s thick enough. A nicely pressed seam improves the accuracy of the quilt block and helps the whole quilt top lay flatter. Now take your needle and thread and sew big, loose stitches around the open edges of the fabric. These wool pressing mats have been used in the sewing industry for many years. It helps to retain heat for longer duration and provides stability when pressing the fabric. If you’re constantly turning and adjusting it as you stab, it won’t get stuck. Once it’s been flattened slightly take it over to your sewing machine and change the setting to the longest, loosest stitch that you can. I was felting a wool sweater for mittens and followed a set of directions that told me to wash it multiple times. I like how it grips the patches so much better than muslin. Wool pressing mats have become increasingly popular and an essential among many quilters. But the wool blanket will be good on an ironing surface if folded in layers. Now we’re going to fold two of the edges underneath like a pamphlet kind of shape. … Repeat, doing alternate left-right/top-bottom rows until you have FIVE layers of wool. I decided to make my mat half the size of the smallest blanket, which had a bound edge. I think it works great. Needle Felting Injuries: How to avoid stabbing your fingers! Pure and Natural 100% New Zealand Wool - 100% wool, fleeced and tightly felted to make the Love Sew™ Wool Pressing Mat the perfect ironing surface for all your quilt block and fabric pressing needs. Now that the thin felt is stuck in place we can tidy it up a bit but doing a neat stitch around the edge – I chose blanket stitch, but seeing as the edges of felt don’t fray you could do a small running stitch or backstitch. More efficient than a traditional ironing board, a wool pressing mat lets you smooth both sides of your fabric at the same time, thanks to wool’s thermodynamic properties. Article continues below this Ad The Features 100% New Zealand wool; 1/2" thick, so it blocks the heat from coming all the way through. If you get a wool pressing mat of your own, here are a few tips for using it: Keep it clean. The wool ironing mat itself is very lightweight, making it extremely portable. (Ignore the extra bit I left to the right.). (Feel free to do a loose backstitch by hand if you don’t have a sewing machine.). The felted wool pressing mats receive rave reviews for their ability to retain heat, and for the perfect amount of give. The mat’s ability to generate and trap heat is a big selling factor, as it helps reduce pressing time and creates extremely flat seams. It worked! I recently purchased a wool pressing mat to use at my wood desk next to my sewing machine. Creases are sharper, and seams are easier to press open or to one side with less effort. It is absolutely the cottage Lan wool Pressing Mat as it will do this job for you in an amazing and effective way. A pressing mat is one of the hottest notions for quilters. Pure and Natural 100% New Zealand Wool - 100% wool, fleeced and tightly felted to make the Love Sew™ Wool Pressing Mat the perfect ironing surface for all your quilt block and fabric pressing needs. The heat that is wasted through the thin foam batting in Jane’s situation, leaking out through the bottom, isn’t a problem with wool felted pressing mats. The Test Put your feet up and have a cuppa whilst you wait for the washing machine to do all the hard work! Environmentally friendly and even more, helps you to create with even better results. I use it the same as any other mat under my iron. I bought these for applique but do not like using them. Read on to learn how to clean and care for your wool pressing mat: Loose threads from fabrics You’d have to really be trying to attach your work to the pad if it got stuck! From what I've read, most all … This is where the sewing machine comes in again – set your sewing machine back to its normal settings (I do 1.4mm stitch length with tension set to 3) and stitch a straight line down each of the short edges. There is no wood in a wool pressing mat. I strongly suggest that you use a 100% cotton duck (you can find it at a store like Joann's). The wool pressing mat is 100% natural, felted wool. I remember my grandmother boiling wool fabric to felt it but don't remember what she made with it. Not only are they ultra-convenient, lightweight & portable, but they are the best mat surface for pressing your quilting fabrics. The Wool Pressing Mat that I tried out was 17” x 17”, but there are various sizes available. It certainly didn’t harm anything, so if you have some washing to do anyway maybe put a few bits in with it. Hints & Tips for using your wool pressing mat: 1- Don’t use steam in your iron when using your pressing mat. I put a towel in too but I don’t know if this made any difference. It might be closer to a rectangle shape, so trim it to a rectangle if that’s the case – we want to waste as little as possible. I have a couple of questions. I just bought one and it's fairly thick and felted really well. Unlike real wool mats, cleaning your wool presser mat doesn't take a lot of work nor a lot of detergent. Needles For Felting: What should I use and what’s the difference? Your email address will not be published. Then find a board that gives you a lot of ironing space and place the layers on top of it. wet wooly mittens. On the right ‘page’, start placing strips of wool to form the first ‘line’. I tried using a silicone pet mat (typically used for putting under pet food bowls) under the wool mat, Because the Wool Pressing Mat is made of 100% New Zealand wool, it absorbs the heat from the iron and “reflects” it back to the fabric. You shouldn’t be leaving your work in the same position for long. A wool pressing mat for quilting and sewing works more efficiently than a traditional ironing board. 2 easy steps are all you need to follow if you want to get your wool presser mat clean. After I saw wool pressing mats for sale, I just cut the sweater into as large a square as I could get. Keep creating rows of wool until the page is full. You could use the blanket, maybe as a base, adding wool roving felting in layers onto the blanket. Put a line of glue down one of the edges and stick it to the felt. Create flawless seams with our wool pressing mat. Turn your volume up and watch this fantastic video by Nick BallThese unique pressing mats are 1/2 inch thick made from a firm pressed wool with 10 percent polyester for added rigidity.Wool has many properties that make it perfect for pressing, it does not melt or burn and it absorbs moisture.The mats hold in heat for even pressing on any fabric type. I didn’t record how much I used exactly but you’ll notice as we go that you need a fair bit. What is Needle Felting? I used that blanket as a template to cut the second blanket to size, leaving me with 4 blanket layers. Wool Pressing Mats for Quilters. Get tips and tricks about using your wool pressing mat here. This Dritz Quilting felted wool pressing mat is the perfect tool to press your quilted pieces. They are heavily felted wool. I set my machine to a 40 degrees celsius wash (100 Fahrenheit) which lasted about 40 mins. The smell reminds me of winter in Michigan . Needle Felting Tools: What do I really need? We want these stitches to hold the wool tops in place when they go into the washing machine, but we also want to be able to get them out easily when we retrieve our wool from the washing machine – that’s why they mustn’t be too tight. Flip it over and you should now have something that’s perfectly good to use as a felting pad. For the first block, I pressed on the wool pressing mat. The wool above is lovely grey Jacob wool. Your creation should look pretty bulky at this point. I know I need to felt it first. My ironing surface is a wooden “big board” and each of the pressing surfaces was placed on top of the board. There is no wood in a wool pressing mat. The best wool quilter's ironing pad that won't scorch or burn your fabric. Pros Several sizes of Wool Pressing Mats are in stock. To be honest – you can probably just use the wool that you’ve got the most of, but throw in some natural coloured wool if you have it. No More Sprays - Steam or other sprays are unnecessary because the wool actually absorbs moisture from the air as heat is applied. The Wool Pressing Mat from Precision Quilting Tools is made from 100% Wool from New Zealand. In this Quilt & Sew Tips online video class brought to you by Annie’s Creative Studio, quilt expert Heather Valentine discusses the benefits and drawbacks of using wool pressing mats. When you press your hand right down on to the fluffy mountain of wool you should be able to feel how thick the wool will be once it has felted. The first step is to find and use 3 different fabrics. « Foam, Brush or Pillow: Which mat should I use for needle felting? You now have your first layer of wool tops. I got the large one - figured I needed at least 24 inches based on what I iron. I folded it in half and used the already rounded corners as template to cut the corners of the folded edge. Moment of truth time…when the washing machine has finished its cycle, take out your felt – It should look something like this: Now rip the material open or unpick the stitches if you have to, to reveal our woolly creation. Open up your piece of material, imagining it’s a book. I trimmed away bound edge, to reduce bulk. I haven't and don't plan to spray starch my patches while they're on the Magic Pressing Mat. The felted wool feels really good. Wool is wonderful at a lot of things and one is keeping the moisture when it’s wet. However – I wanted to tidy it up as the underside and slightly scruffy edges made me a bit twitchy and less inclined to use it! This is because I don't know if I can wash out the starch. What can I put under the mat to protect my desk? The fibres in the wet felted piece are more tightly felted together, creating a much denser material. Needle Felted Bunny Tutorial: Make your own Bobby the Bunny, Needle Felted Bee Tutorial: Make your own Betty the Bee. » Learn the basics. Using it will make ironing and pressing easier and faster, saving time and energy. The dense (½” thick), tightly felted, firm pressing mat is available in a variety of sizes. 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