Bubble Scarves
I made this scarf myself with 100% wool jersey fabric some bottle caps and rubber bands. Then I felted it in my washing machine. It’s warm and cozy and all my friends want me to make one for them!
Believe it or not this is an ancient technique the Japanese call Shibori (fabric manipulation). Here’s another scarf I made, but on this one I used little wooden beads to make the bubbles.
So let’s make scarves!
What you’ll need are hundreds of plastic bottle caps or wooden beads and the same number of rubber bands.
I like the latex free ones. They seem to hold up better in the washing machine.
You’ll need about 1-1/2 to 2 yards of 100% wool jersey fabric (it should say “dry clean only”, because we want it to shrink around our objects in the wash, and it WILL!)
Cut a strip that is 18″ wide x the length of fabric you purchase. If you want fringes, like the teal scarf, cut those first (about 4 1/2″ long and 1/2″ wide).
Then start placing the beads/bottle caps under the fabric, and wrap the rubber band on the top side of the fabric very tightly to hold them in place. You’ll want to place the beads/bottle caps as closely as you can together, like this.
When you’re finished, place the entire scarf (and it will be surprisingly heavy) inside a delicates bag to insure that if any bead or bottle cap comes loose in washing/felting process it remains contained in the bag and not in your drain!
Then set your washing machine for the smallest load (mini), HOT water, high agitation, and a regular cycle. Add 1 Tablespoon of non-bleach detergent (don’t add other objects in with your scarf, it’s unnecessary and will wear on the color and jersey fabric).
After washing, set your scarf on a towel to air dry. It could take 1 to 2 days depending on your weather. Don’t remove those beads/bottle caps until the fabric is BONE dry! Then start unwrapping all those rubber bands! And voila you will have the most amazing scarf! Cute, right?
Now, I can do that! And you can, too!
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Can felting be done in a front loader washing machine? I see you recommended to do it with high agitation, but there is none in the front loaders…..
Thank you.
Hi Angela! Thanks so much for your excellent question. Although I don’t have personal experience with a front loader (I’m from 1956 after all!), I do have friends who have very successfully felted in one. Here’s an article on how to felt in a front loader washing machine here: http://knitting.about.com/od/felting/qt/felting-frontload.htm
I hope that helps!
Fondly,
Polly
Hi There,
I was just wondering about washing the scarf. If you washed it in cold, will the pattern still remain, or would you need to have it dry cleaned?
Thanks,
Pam
Hi Pamela,
Once your scarf is felted, it will stay felted. Washing it in cold water is a good idea. I would wash it delicately, or by hand if you can. Then lay it out to dry on a towel and take a bit of time to make sure that all the “bubbles” are pushed in the same direction (out).
If you do need to wash it in warm water, you’ll need to put the objects back in because the scarf will felt a little more in that temperature.
Hope that helps.
Fondly,
Polly
Here in florida, we rarely need a heavy scarf… is there another material that would shrink properly other than wool? Thanks! Looking forward to making this with my daughter
My darling mother lives in Florida! I know that sometimes the evenings can cool off there, and some indoor places can be very air conditioned! A lightweight scarf does come in handy. Deborah, the only fabric that I know of that will felt this way is wool. BUT, you can find very lightweight wool jersey fabric, which will felt in the “bubbles”. The teal colored Bubble Scarf I made is very lightweight and feels much like a cotton T-shirt fabric. Give it a try and let me know how it goes, okay?
Where did you purchase the wool jersey?
I purchased it at my local fabric store. But I’m sure you can also find it on-line! Thanks so much for your question, Andrea!