Embellished Felted Soap with Jane Hansen

Using wool’s ability to felt to our advantage, we will wrap handcrafted herbal soaps in colorful rolags made by blending colors using hand carders.

As part of the class, each student will learn about unique characteristics of wool and how to properly use hand carders to prepare the fiber. Color blending can be used to make infinite new and dynamic colors using a few batts of dyed wool. We will soak the wrapped soaps with warm water and agitate the wool by rubbing it in circles on each surface until the wool has just begun to felt together, then rinse them, press them dry in a towel and set them out to dry and be admired. Following this wet felting technique, each student will also learn to use a felting needle to embellish their soap with any design they can dream up.

Soap that has been wrapped in wool has become a popular gift item. It brightens any decor. Felted soaps are like having a wash cloth built right in and they work great to scrub a gardener’s hands clean. The wool continues to shrink so that it is always tight against the soap. The wool wrapper helps the soap to last longer so long as the soap isn’t allowed to sit in water, which would cause the wool to wick and soften the soap.

$35 per person includes one felted soap kit (includes a bar of handcrafted herbal soap and sufficient wool to cover and embellish it). Additional kits can be purchased day-of for $9 per kit.

This class is suitable for ages 12 and up (ages 12-15 must be accompanied by an adult)

Instructor Bio:

Jane Hansen, fiber enthusiast, has been an avid knitter since early childhood. Over the last 20 years she has moved closer and closer to the source by raising her own sheep, making her own soap, learning to spin, card and felt wool.
Jane has a Masters degree in Architecture from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and worked as an Architect until 2000 when she and her husband decided to move to Northern Wisconsin and begin their adventure in sustainability and self sufficiency.

Jane was the coordinator of the Wisconsin Local Food Network from 2005 until 2015. She is a fellow of the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program (Now Leadership Wisconsin ) Group XII (2006-2008).
Jane has taught knitting classes for 4-H youth and adults in addition conducting soap making and felted soap workshops.