I made a pattern from a cloth diaper that i had here. I enlarged the pattern quite a bit, since i'm not familiar with wet felting and how much the wool will shrink. (i made the pattern on the slick side of wax paper, and then covered with saran wrap)
Using some Lincoln Longwool Roving that I had here on hand, I started layering over the pattern- first one direction, then the next layer, another direction. I used a total of 4 layers. (it took between 1 and 2 ounces of wool)
Once the 4 layers were down, I took hot soapy water and poured over the wool and massaged the wool, flipping it over as it began to felt, and continued to work the wool. Once I could pick it up, I wrung it out and ran it under hot water - then cold water, to get a tighter felt. I finally wrung it out and threw it in the dryer for a few minutes. It came out a strong felt and slightly bigger than the oversized pattern that i had made.
I made another pattern (the exact size of the cover) and cut out the felt to the proper size.
Now how cute is that? I still need to do something with the edges and gather the little legs and back. It will need buttons or velcro. I'm thinking of putting snaps in it to attach the cloth diaper to -to hold it in place. And then.. maybe a little felted lamb on the bottom! (but nothing 'too cutesy' lol)
A few things I never new about wool covers - Wool will wick moisture away - and even though it is not 100% waterproof, because of the wicking, it will help to keep the baby dry. Also, they do not need to be laundered every use - the wool has neutralizing properties. They should be treated with lanolin. ( i have more to read on that!)
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