I have a question about felting. I live in an apartment and do not have my own washing machine. Frankly, I don’t trust the laundry mat machines…they just don’t have the settings and options of a home machine and I am worried my felted items won’t turn out right.
Can you felt items by hand in the sink? Is it just the hot to cold water shock…or the agitation? Would I want to bang my head on the counter trying to do it by myself?
Thanks!
You need hot water and the agitation/pounding so you can only but try. This topic was raised recently on the forum by someone in a similar situation to you. You will need to have the water as hot as you can handle (wearing gloves under rubber gloves can help) and really work the piece with your hands (even with another item in with your garment) for perhaps 30 minutes or so. Some I think suggested 40min may be required which is a long time! 
However, you can always do for less and then try again if its not quite as you want it. Knead the item like you would knead bread.
THANK YOU…it sounds possible with someone with a good deal of upper body strength, but I don’t know about kneading my creation for 30 mins…LOL I think I might give the laundry mat a try and just simply hover over the machine in fear
Pammie… I guess it depends on the size of your creation! Put jeans in with the item at the laundramat. I think you’ll find the washing machine there will be fine but I would hover too and not tell anyone you’re trying to felt as felting can create lots of fuzzy gunk in the machine system!
This might help you with the hand felting:
I have done small items before in my kitchen sink and it was kind of a pain but can be done. I used the directions from this link and it turned out ok.
I saw something a while back about using a 5 gallon bucket and a toilet plunger (new and unused, of course!) to felt. I don’t remember the exact instructions, but I think basically you just fill the bucket with enough hot water to get some good swishing action, but not enough to make a huge mess. Then plunge the thing to death. :rofling: Good luck!!
WOW…you all ROCK!