Materials
STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam:
+Three – 4″ balls, white
9″ diameter x 12″ tall wicker basket, choice of color
Old wool sweaters
Needle and thread
Washer and dryer
Glue gun and glue sticks
Scissors
Old towel
Instructions
- Choose a sweater with or without patterns on sleeve. (Note: The sleeves are the part being used for the balls. Also select a sweater that has a bottom ribbing at waist for the basket wrap. 100% wool sweaters “felt” the best, but other animal fiber and synthetic fiber combinations work.)
- Felting is the process of creating a denser cloth by compressing and matting fabric. To easily felt your sweater, wash in the washing machine in hot wash water and cold rinse water with a clean towel and laundry detergent. The towel will agitate the sweater causing felting to occur. (The longer you keep the sweater in the washing machine, the stiffer the sweater will become.) Dry sweater flat on towel.
- Slide foam ball inside sleeve. If sweater has a pattern, slide ball into design area of choice. Cut sleeves approximately 1″ beyond either end of ball. Around the cut edge of sweater, use a double threaded needle to stitch a running stitch 1/4″ in from edge. Pull threads together and knot securely. Repeat for two more balls.
- Cut bottom ribbing off sweater body. Wrap around basket and glue together ends with glue gun.