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By Peter Kougias
Hometown Weekly Intern
On Thursday, July 13, librarian Kristen Chin lead a group through soap felting. Soap felting is an entertaining and cheap project for a rainy day or perhaps a new hobby.
A novice to the craft, Chin confidently demonstrated the steps to the group. Felt is sheep’s wool that is unwoven. Chin advised the group to wrap their bars of soap with the felt. Each person had their own unique design. Some sported psychedelic vibes, dynamic patterns, and one was even made to look like a flower.
After designing the bars of soap, Chin instructed the group to place the bars into a tied piece of netting. Then, each person dipped the bars into a bowl of cold water, absorbing just the right amount. Next, everybody scrubbed the soap bars, creating massive amounts of soap suds. The final step was to stick the bar into warm water and continue the process of rubbing.
Soap felting is a great opportunity to get more use out of a bar of soap. The felt works as a loofa. The suds help get a better clean in the shower. Perhaps most appealing, felting prevents the wretched slab of soap that is abandoned next to the tub’s water spout - the felt utilizes the soap down to the last piece.
The process was extremely relaxing and constructive. The techniques reflect childhood arts and crafts while invoking a mature twist. The felting is a great opportunity to bring a group together, sit around, chat, and make art out of soap. They also make great gifts.
By the time you start, the water and soap will unwind you of a long day’s tasks.
