FAQ

FAQ

How long will my order take to reach me?
Processing: We come in weekday mornings and download all the orders that have come in the previous day and begin packing and shipping them. Most of the time we can get all orders shipped that day. When the site is busy or during the holiday season, it can take an extra day to be shipped. As your order ships, you will receive an email with your Order Confirmation and tracking information.

On the Way: After your order ships, transit times vary depending on where you live and the carrier. Please visit the shipping/delivery page for complete time in transit information.

 

Where can I find coupons?
To get notices of sales and specials, sign up for our Sales & News email list on the bottom of any page on our site, in the footer.

 

Fabrics and Felts
Multiple yard orders: Any yardage of felts and fabrics that is more than one yard will come in one, continuous length when possible.  If you absolutely need continuous yardage, please let us know.

Multiples of half yard cuts will come as separate half yard cuts.
We assume that if you wanted a yard, you would order one yard rather than two half yard cuts.

Minimum order: A half yard is the minimum cut for most of our fabrics and felts.

Our 100% Merino Wool Felt comes in a both a 72" width and a 36" width.  

Our shopping cart cannot take fractions. For 2.5 yards of fabric, order 2 yards, and order a half yard, it will come in one, continuous piece. 


Doll Making

I'm making holes in the fabric
For machine knitting you must use jersey ball point needles.  And we recommend using a new needle.
For hand sewing, you have to use ball point needles

 

I want to make my first doll. How much experience do I need?
We recommend you buy a kit for your first doll. The materials you need will be assembled together along with complete instructions.

You should have crafting and hand sewing experience and be comfortable cutting, pinning, and sewing the doll parts together. Sewing the body with a sewing machine is recommended as it is stronger and more even than hand sewing. 

It can be stressful to try to get your first doll to be "perfect". Please let this idea go. Your child will love and cherish the doll because it was hand made by you. All the little imperfections will not be noticed - the point is to place the specially made doll in his or her arms.

If you are a beginner, you may want to start with the bunting doll, which is simpler and does not have yarn hair and dress up clothes.

 

How much fabric/yarn/stuffing does it take to make a doll?
Fabric: You'll need a half yard of fabric for the length to make a 12 or 16 inch doll, 3/4 yard for a 20" doll. Most of our knit doll fabric is 60+ inches wide, so you will be able to get 2-3 dolls from each length, depending on the pattern and how carefully you cut the pieces out. Please note some of the Premium knit fabric is 33 inches wide. For a 33 inch width, you will get one doll per length.

Yarn: Plan on one skein of yarn per doll. If you are making a boy doll with short hair or a crocheted cap, you can get 2-3 dolls per skein of most yarns.
Wool Stuffing: Most dolls can be made with a half pound of wool. The 20 inch doll will require one pound.

 

Felting and Roving

What is the difference between the kinds of wool roving that you sell?
The differences are in the fineness (the diameter in microns), and the staple length (the average length in inches) of the individual wool fibers that make up the wool. There are many breeds of sheep, each breed having a characteristic micron/staple length of fiber. The finer fibers are silkier, and the longer staple length makes a stronger roving.
Merino: 21-22 micron fiber, staple length approx. 7.5 cm (3 ins).
The finest, softest wool we carry. Especially recommended for anything that's to be worn next to the skin.

Corriedale: 27-30 micron fiber, staple length approx. 11cm (4.25 in.)
Very close to the merino in softness, a wonderful array of vibrant colors.
Both of these two are recommended for needle felting, and while any wool can be used for wet felting, these are a little slower to work with with wet technique.

Ecosoft: this is a mixture of corriedale and other fibers, a little coarser than the pure corriedale. The colors are subtly blended and a little softer and richer. This fiber needle felts and wet felts with equal ease.

My felting needles are breaking. What am I doing wrong?
Be sure you are using the right size needle. If you are punching through a fabric, stick to the larger 36 needles. Use the finer, 40 point needles only for detail finishing, these needles are not intended for use with dense fabrics.
Be sure to punch directly up and down. If you are making a flat piece, go straight up and down. If working on a 3D piece, make sure your needle is perpendicular to the surface you are punching into. Sideways pressure on the tip will break it. Do not try to move a color into place by pulling it sideways with the needle tip and punching at the same time. This creates pressure to the blade which is the most common breaking point.

Make sure you are using a felting pad underneath. The soft foam or brush is designed to protect your needle tip. If you punch through to a hard surface, it will break your tip off.

Don't use a lot of force. The working tip of the needle is mere centimeters so anything past the first couple of centimeters of the point is not felting your material.

Wool Felt

Yes, all of our felt varieties are 100% wool or wool/alpaca blends.  NO synthetics!!

How thick is your felt? How do I clean it?
Each felt is different, the thickness, weight per yard, and care and cleaning instructions are on each individual felt page in the description.

 


I am making Christmas stockings. What kind of felt should I use?

•We recommend craft weight felt for most projects like these. The 3mm felt is VERY heavy and dense, and the hand made felt is softer and spongier, as most handmade products tend to be.