This is for Rach, Faye and Faye's mom....
I looked for a link that could maybe describe this better than me but couldn't find any good link on the machine at all... lots of felting by hand links though....
Anyways, the felting machine a great embellisher. It has no tensions or thread... it uses 5 barbed needles that allow you to take one fabric and "punch" in into another... fusing the fibers.
Like my bolero to the left here... its an old Goodwill sweater. I washed it twice in hot water and dried it, cut it into a bolero (after you've "felted" something in the washing machine like this it will not ravel)... then I took eyelash yarn and punched it all around the edges. Then I took ribbon metallic serger thread and punched in it randomly... steam ironed it... and yes, its permanent! And SO easy!
You can punch yarns and wool roving into cottons, denims, wools... from what I learned at the seminar in ATL ,"I felt like it", you can punch any fabrics and fuse them except leathers and suedes.
I just got a pattern yesterday for making wool roving appliques and then punching them into a pair of jeans and a purse.
One result of felting, besides easy embellishments, is you get very textured embellishments!
Check out the beautiful wallet here on the right...
I didn't make this. Its on the Janome web site.
Its felt with wool roving, yarns and angelina fibers all punched in.
You can do felting projects by hand with the barbed felting hand needles... which come as a single or in a round handle with 5 barbed felting needles. Then you felt your projects on a large foam block....its just takes longer than the machine... but you do have the advantage to getting to sit in front of the TV and work this way.
Any local sewing shop should be able to help you with the felting supplies.
There's much to be done with this machine and hand felting I am just learning about...
I need more hours in my days for all my projects!
I hope this has helped explain what felting and what a felting machine is!!