In Spring I love to see the little lambs playing in the fields. Seeing them reminds me of their gorgeous soft fleeces and I want to make something from their wool.

It is possible to make SOFT JEWELLERY from fleece If you can buy some carded fleece – this has had all the tangles taken out of it. You can get dyed fleece in all sorts of colours to compliment your clothes and make something no one else will have. I will put a supplier’s name in this article so that you can send away for it, unless you know someone who uses fleece already. It would be cheaper if a group of you send away for fleece and choose colours that go together well; then you can share little pieces and get a good range of colour between you. Perhaps if there are enough of you interested in making this jewellery, I will come and do a session with you at church or someone’s house. You will have to get a group together and then contact me on 01772 682503 – Mrs Chris Hoban.

To make felt you need carded fleece, soap and some hard work from YOU. A tiny bit of fleece is needed for each ‘bead’ and that is rubbed over a bar of soap and dampened, not soaked with water. You then roll this small piece of fleece in the palm of your hand using the other hand to roll it in a circular motion. The more you keep circling, the firmer the felt will become until you get the sort of felt you want. The balls used for the beads can vary in size. You will have to experiment to work out how much fleece you need to make the bead size you like best. More than one colour fleece can be used together to make a multi-coloured bead. The finished felt balls needs the soap swilled out of them and then they need to dry out.

These beads are then threaded on shirring elastic or necklace thread with a fastener attached to form a necklace, or bracelets. Small glass or wooden beads can then be sewed on them if you like to add a bit of sparkle to your creations. Beads are a real fashion statement lately.

You can make sausage-shaped beads too. The balls and sausage shapes will make super earrings. You need to buy the ‘finings’ which go into your ear and stitch them to your home-made felt shape. Hobbycraft in Deepdale has jewellery bits and pieces, but I don’t think they stock fleece.

These beads can be made by children of five or so upwards. Teenagers can make super accessories this way. Adults doing embroidery courses often do a display of this sort of jewellery and it can look unique and funky. You can make weird sculptured long shapes and just wear one earring. You are only limited by your imagination.

I hope I have enthused you enough to try your first felt making. It really is a lovely hobby and making felt jewellery doesn’t require lot of equipment. I have made the beads on a train and a car journey. I store up the beads in a polythene bag and wash them through when I get home. Have a go yourself. I would love to see any jewellery you make.

Adelaide Walker

2 Mill Yard Workshops

Otley Mills

Ilkley Road

Otley

LS21 3JP

Telephone : 01943 850812/600643