craftlog

* felt coin purse

Posted on April 23rd, 2005 by maitreya. Filed under Felting.

I ordered a pound of roving off eBay last week. I have a tendency to agonize over my craft-buying, so I must’ve looked at over a dozen web sites and eBay stores before I settled on Ronnie’s Handspun Gifts and More soft wool blend. It’s a little cheaper than all out merino top, but it’s still really soft and felts well, and I want to try dyeing it. I got a pound for $11.50 plus shipping = $17.25. I’ve been playing with it with the help of my 2 good felting books: Handmade Felt Book (in Japanese) and Simply Felt. I like the design in the Japanese one better, but this is one case where I found the diagrams insufficient. Simply Felt has good directions, and now all the Japanese diagrams make more sense.

The original goal was to make a scarf like one in the Japanese book, but now that it’s warm out, I think I’ll wait on that one. Instead, I tried a little change purse. My purse frames from Lacis also came in the mail last week (only $6 each!). My favorite little purse when I was little was one of these, and I’ve been seeing them a lot, again in the Japanese books and sites. A lot of the zakka sites have them, sometimes called “gamaguchi.”

Here’s a cool one from Feltwork Zebra:

And more felted ones from Praha:

And these awesome crochet ones (via Tuula, which is in Swedish so I can’t tell who made them. It’s possible they’re from undersolen, but I’m not sure):

I made mine by felting around a plastic form (cut from a freezer bag), then cut open, trim to fit, and sew to the frame. I didn’t bother to embellish it any because I think this will be my practice one. I didn’t get very even coverage with the roving tufts, but I only noticed after I’d already felted a bit. The patch of roving I tried to apply didn’t blend in perfectly, and didn’t even patch the gap completely. Oh well, it’s good to know I can do it at least. The book recommends using some screen or sheer curtain fabric to keep all the roving in place at the very beginning, which I didn’t have, so that’s probably my problem. Must get some.

15 Responses to “felt coin purse”

amanda Says:
April 24th, 2005 at 1:30 pm

Wow–I think this is so wonderful for a first attempt! Beautiful! Do you needle felt as well? Wouldn’t that look great on the pouch too?

amy k. Says:
April 25th, 2005 at 11:27 am

thank you!great links and wonderful project-I had never seen a felt coin purse, wool yes-but not felt. I need to try-
so is needle felting for small projects (smaller then this coin purse) and the wet felting for larger? (I no so little about this)

Maitreya Says:
April 25th, 2005 at 10:37 pm

Thanks for the nice comments! I’m guessing the Feltwork Zebra decoration is probably needle-felted. Since this is my practice one, maybe I’ll play around with some of the test-dyed roving I’m going to try. I like needle felting for solid, kind of dense, small things. The wet felt seems to lend itself to sheets and hollow things. I got my netting, so I’m ready to give the wet felt another go.

Wanda Says:
July 24th, 2005 at 10:37 am

where, oh where, do you find the purse frames for those size purses (where they don’t charge almost 10.00 apiece for?) Thanks.

Maitreya Says:
July 24th, 2005 at 1:34 pm

I got them at Lacis for $6 each.

Claudia Says:
October 26th, 2005 at 8:45 am

I love your coin purse, I’ve been wanting to make one for a very long time, can’t really start a new craft right now! I also love the Japanese felting/craft books, thanks for all your information on them. We now have a good sized Japanese bookstore in the mall near us and I think I may have to go over and see what they have. I don’t read Japanese, but that just makes it more interesting!

laura Says:
May 29th, 2006 at 2:14 am

Hi, these are great ! where do you get your coin purse frames ?
Thanks, laura

Rose Davis Says:
December 18th, 2006 at 11:46 am

I am looking for a felted coin purse pattern knitted w/wool. I already have the frame and have looked high & low on the internet for a pattern. Do you know where I can get one. Thanks, Rose

gupta art suppliers Says:
January 21st, 2007 at 5:29 pm

iam interested in your coin purse with metal lock, please quote the price

adrienne Says:
August 29th, 2007 at 11:56 pm

Hi!
Your change purse looks absolutely beautiful. You did a terrific job on it. I’m just starting to think about making some holiday gifts and I thought these would be great. I think a change purse would appeal to just about anyone. It seems like it would make a perfect gift!

Where did you get the pattern?

Thanks for your time…

Adrienne D.

jinjer Says:
October 18th, 2007 at 4:58 pm

Hello!

I think it looks great!! If your unhappy wit the evenness of the coverage, I can suggest the following:

Most problems come from the spreading of the roving, not the felting. Take your time to get the roving spread out into perfectly even sheets with perfectly parallel fibers, and you won’t have many problems.

The whole thing is easier to manipulate if you use something heavier than freezer bag for your pattern. I like the heavy vinyl used for cheap upholstery. Bonus: the knit backing kinda keeps at least one side of the roving in place.

Before moving your wrapped pattern to your felting station, pat the whole thing down to take the air out of it & start the felting process.

Don’t use too much soap, especially at first. It just makes the fibers slip past each other.

while felting, rub/sand towards the center of your pattern at first, to keep the wool close to it’s edge.

Hope any of that is helpful,should you try again!!

jeni Says:
January 27th, 2008 at 7:50 pm

lovely coin purse! how did you get the frame on?

Anonymous Says:
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm

ichapafablach

생활지혜 Says:
September 9th, 2008 at 5:34 am

딸국질은 횡경막의 경련에 의해서 일어 나는 것으로 쇼크를

준다거나 잠시 호흡을 멈추면 낫는다.

하지만 경우에 따라정신적 부담감으로 빨리 멎지 않을 때가 있다.

멈추게 하는제일 좋은 방법은 심호흡을 한 뒤 견딜 수 있는데까지

숨을 쉬지 않는 것이다.

또는 숨을 멈춘채 찬물을 조금씩 마셔도효과가 있다.

그래도 가라 앉지 않으면 조용히 숨을 내쉬면

서 아랫배를 들이밀거나 때때로 배에 힘을 가득 준 뒤 호흡

을 멈추는 복식호흡도 좋다.

출처:http://cafe.daum.net/lifebean

dawn Says:
September 13th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

I have been looking for a pattern for one of the felted coin purses for years! Do you know where I can get a pattern?

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