1. Lay one piece of bubble wrap, bubble side up in front of you.
2. Tear off small tufts of wool or alpaca and lay side by side down the center of the bubble wrap. The laid out wool should measure 6-8” x 12”. Lay more tufts on top of the last ones so they are perpendicular to the first. Repeat laying a third layer perpendicular to the last.
3. Next, lay out strips of colorful wool or Alpaca in desired patterns: stripes, dots, and rings all look great! Wool yarn can also be used for this step.
4. Add 2-3 drops of dish soap over the top of the wool and approximately 1/3 cup of warm water. Place a second layer of bubble wrap on top of the last, bubble side down.
5. Start patting the water through the fiber so it is saturated, but not drenched—you may need to add more water at this point.
6. Continue pressing, rubbing, and patting the fiber through the bubble wrap for approximately ten minutes. Once the fiber is secured you can rub it on the bubble wrap and watch it continue to shrink.
7. Rinse your finished felt in cool water and dry—you can press it with an iron too.
8. Determine where you want the pocket to fold over and mark the fold line. Cut a smaller square piece of craft felt that extends from the fold line to the bottom of the felt.
9. Cut small holes through both the craft felt and handmade felt around the border and where you want to tie the button on. Use the safety pins to mark where you cut the holes.
10. Thread the lacing through the button, the hole in the craft felt, back through the other side and the second hole in the button. Tie both ends in a knot.
11. Tie the lacing to one side of the pouch and lace or stitch the sides together. Tie off as you did when you started.
12. Finish by cutting a small slit in the handmade felt for the button to go through.
