Do any of you purchase 100% wool to felt for wool appliques? If so, please tell me where you've found it online..not in local fabric stores. I googled it, but there are so many...just would like to hear first hand from those who have used and how you liked the wool from wherever you purchased it. I've tried findings at the thrift stores, etc.....but there's usually very little in choice. I'd like an assortment of colors in small amts.

Not long ago a member was asking if anyone would be interested in a wool club or some such thing. For the life of me I can't remember who it was. Maybe someone will chime in with that info. However, I was the happy recipient of 3 large boxes of wool remnants from my cousin. What are you looking for specifically? I may be able to help you out.

I used to recycle old coats and jackets for felted wool. Now that I live in a warmer climate, it's harder to find used wool clothing.

I would like to collect an assortment of colors in small pieces....like large enough for flowers, leaves, stems, hearts, etc. Thanks.

Yes, I too have gone to the thrift stores...but usually to just find darker colors, or beiges/grays, etc. And, it seems as if in Arkansas, not many people wear wool anymore.

When I find them, I buy pure wool sweaters and put them in a very hot water wash, then dry on hot. They usually shrink madly, and then can be cut up. Last one I think I made mittens with them to go over gloves for packing in the snowy mountains. Just an outline of mittens and elastic in the folded over long wrist band.

Never tried them in applique, but if they won't shrink any more or bleed dye, then why not? In fact, I have a very old, very nice long cashmere coat that is, or was lovely in its day, but it's not good enough, quite, to wear now, but too nice to throw away, and in donating it to Sally Ann they would probably toss it or sell it to some other country. So I'm thinking of felting it myself, after removing the lining. I'll have to watch this site to discover what kind of applique to make of it, besides tree trunks and limbs, and wooden buildings, etc.

The wool appliques are so nice to work with, after the wool has already been shrunk and dried, the edges will not ravel, therefore you do not have to turn under edges or apply fusibles, etc. I usually just sew them on by using embroidery floss or pearle cotton using a blanket stitch.

I will rummage in my stash and see what I can come up with. I will PM you. It may take me a few days.

I have purchased wool clothing from goodwill and plan to over-dye it. I purchased a coat for $4. The only drawback is I have not found white or light wool yet.

I've looked around at fiber fairs, wool felt in quilt shops and online. The weight of the wool varies and it is a bit expensive. The best way to evaluate online sites is to get a few pieces and see if you like the colors and weights of the fabric.

Try this website and see if it helps you:

http://www.birdbraindesigns.net/wool.aspx

primative gatherings, the cotton patch (in East Tawas, MI),
eveningstar designs, fabric.com, sue spargo.com, and the local thrift stores
are all my favorite resources for wools. and wool is wonderful to play with dyeing fabrics, so if you are not finding the colors you want in the thrift shops consider dying your own.
marcus brothers puts out felted wool bundles- i think the pieces are something like 9"x11" in a variety of colors (solids) and hand dyes (mottled) i watch for sales on these because you get a number of great colors at a good price.
if you visit the marcus brothers site you can find out the shops that carry them - then visit those shops and find a couple that (catch your eye) then watch for sales. :thumbup: i love working with wool!

Here's another with bright colors

http://www.woolylady.com/

I have also been trying to find wool for applique. I have found quite a bit at thrift stores that I have felted myself but like others have posted most of it is darker colors. I have found some pink and light blue but good colors are limited. I am currently making the Baltimore Album BOM with wool but need a new source for colors. I am looking for Turquoise, yellow, orange, bright green. I will check out the sources posted on this link.

I have not tried dying wool - what kind of dye do you use? Is the process hard to do? I have found some natural colored sweaters so I could easiy dye those.

if you are interested in dyeing your own wools visit:
Dharma Trading Company- they offer all of the needed supplies for textile dyeing- wools, silks, cottons- everything you need including FREE tutorials and instruction sheets.
i have been dying fabrics for years and buy all of my supplies from Dharma.
here's a pic of the wool hand appliqued quilt i did a few years ago- most of the wools were hand dyed/felted recycled wools.

ckcowl, that is beautiful. I too remember a board member asking if anyone would be interested in doing wool applique and I thought she had alot of interest.
Wonder what happened to that idea? I have done some, and it is wonderful and easy to work with (for me easier than cotton).

The Dorr Mill Store in Guild, NH is the Keepsake Quilting of wool for quilters, rug hookers and braiders. Their customer service is superior and their wools are simply heavenly no matter what you intend to use them for. http://dorrmillstore.com/index.php/s..._the_dorr_mill

The Dorr Mill Store in NH is the best place to buy wool for applique. They also sell Cushings and Pro Chem dyes. Woolrich in Pa. is another good place. If you do a general google search on rug hooking you will see many more options.

here's a pic of the wool hand appliqued quilt i did a few years ago- most of the wools were hand dyed/felted recycled wools.[/quote]

Your quilt is beautiful. Is your black background wool also? I would love to do one of these. I have kept a pattern I found in a series of Fons & Porter's magazine...just for that purpose. :)

No, I really don't want to get into dying fabrics. Not for me...but I admire the work that others do.

Your quilt is absolutely stunning! I am in awe!!! I would love to do something like that. I will definately check out Dharma. I never thought of searching under rug hooking for ideas. That is something else I would love to try someday but too many quilts are waiting to be done right now!

Thanks for showing such a beautiful quilt!

Thanks for all of the links. Just when I think I have scoured the internet for all possible resources, you come up with more really great sites.

:thumbup:

Little Lamb is another shop in Barrington, NH. I was there recently and was blown away by their wool room. I think they have a website that you could google for.

Here's the link http://www.littlelambquiltshop.com/index.htm

I buy it on eBay.

thanks, everyone for your input.

I don't know if felt will work but Craft Warehouse here in WA sells 100% wool felt.

I noticed there are a lot of sites from Australia. I don't know how strong/weak the dollar is right now, but it looks like the felt is 100% wool. Most felt squares you see in hobby stores have very low or no wool.

Question. If I wash a wool sweater in hot water..dry. Then cut it will not shrink if washed again when I put it on a quilt?

I really don't know.....never tried that. I've always just washed wool to shrink it and make it felted to use for wool appliques, not worrying about how much it shrinks. Sometimes, I would wash the wool 2 or 3 times, because it looked like it would still ravel. Never paid any attention was to whether it shrank some more. Sorry.

Oh, GREAT question! I can't wait to hear the answers.