January 15, 2011 How to Make a Felted Purse

Needlefelting is an interesting art form and much can be made with alpaca and llama fiber. For this project we used llama fiber which is a strong fiber to work with and spin as it has many of the same properties of alpaca.

First, we needlefelted the llama fiber around a thick piece of felting foam until it was thick and strong. Then we wet felted it and tried to determine how to make it in to a workable purse. Fortunately, Bagsmith carries leather purse straps to be attached and a purse lining that has various compartments and that can be removed to use with other similar purses. We then used the Knifty Knitter to make a large leather strip mesh bag to cover and decorate the purse. An interesting challenge that hopefully will last a long time!

Here is what we came up with.