LOOKING 4 SOMETHING?

Honestly WTF

DIY Elbow Patch

Posted by on

While perusing Pinterest one evening, I came across an intriguing tutorial on the wonderful art of needle felting. I had to learn more – especially after realizing it entailed repeatedly stabbing a needle up and down into a piece of fabric or sweater. A satisfying stress reliever that results in something wearable? Sign me up. And now that I can officially call myself a needle felting maven (and nerd), trust me when I say that you’re going to have a blast with this technique. So grab your supplies and let’s get started on a pair of heart shaped elbow patches!

You’ll need:

With the sweater on, place a piece of tape about half an inch below the elbow. Do the same with the opposite elbow. Remove the sweater and insert the foam block into one of the sleeves.

Align and center the bottom of the cookie cutter along the top of the tape. Pinch off a few tufts of wool roving.

Fill the cutter, spreading out the wool fibers evenly.

At the base of all felting needles are tiny, sharp burrs, which grab and interlock the wool fibers. While holding the needle vertically, repeatedly stab it into the wool roving and through the sweater. I found it easier to work around the outer perimeter of the cutter first and then work my way inwards. Important tip: To prevent breaking the needle, always keep the needle upright and never at an angle. And don’t forget to pay careful attention to your fingers while felting as the needle is extremely sharp. Honestly.

Continue stabbing away until the surface is flat and even. Fun, right?!

Remove the cutter and use the tip of the needle to reign in any stray fibers, if necessary. Don’t worry about the holes as they will be mended later.

Patch up any bare or uneven spots by adding more wool roving where needed.

Carefully peel the sweater away from the foam. Notice that the fibers have transferred through to the backside of the sweater.

To smooth and set the patch, spritz with water and press with an iron on the wool setting.

Repeat the same steps the other sleeve.

Ta da! Your heart shaped elbow patches are finished!

(all images by HonestlyWTF)

Similar Posts

242 Comments

  1. Anne    January 31, 2012

    I love this, I saw this as well, and wanted to learn more.. this is fantastic!!

  14. k    January 31, 2012

    WOOOW; this is soo cool!! i have never even heard about this!!
    Had a elbow patch day at my blog too a few weeks back, but this is taking it to a new level!
    I love it!!! thanks for sharing!!

    love K

  23. Silw    January 31, 2012

    Dear, I have one question about this DIY. Do the sweater needs to be 100% wool or just 20% or less or more percentages?

  29. Vienna    January 31, 2012

    We enjoy needle felting in our house and this is a fun idea for warmth and love:)

  31. FabiaJPS    January 31, 2012

    Hy!
    This technique is cool, but do you know if it remains in place after washing the sweater?

    Thanks for sharing!
    Fabia JPS

  32. SuzyMcQ    January 31, 2012

    To make this a bit easier, you can purchase wool felt, and it must be 100% wool felt, cut it into a heart shape, place on your sweater and jab away. The felt will incorporate itself into the fabric of the sweater in the same way the roving does.

    For wool felt Etsy is a great resource.

  35. Malia    January 31, 2012

    Great idea, now I gotta go and find the supplies, thanks for sharing.

    notjustanotherfnblog.blogspot.com

  46. Lindsey    January 31, 2012

    sooo cute! what do u recommend for care when washing this type of material???

  50. courtney    January 31, 2012

    oh my gosh. that’s so sweet! i have been meaning to do heart shaped elbow patched on my jacket forever but i was just gonna use a denim fabric or something. but this is WAY cooler!!!

  52. Chanelle    January 31, 2012

    Oh so sweet ! No problem to wash it ? And must the sweater be in whool absolutely ?

    sorry for the english, french fan ;)

  53. Material fixations    January 31, 2012

    I’ve known about kneedle felting for a while (my mother was a project craze when I was growing up and taught me all sorts of fun and ussless skills. But this is really clever!

  64. mackenzie    January 31, 2012

    Felting is SO much fun! And roving is so beautiful! Love this post and am totally adding this to my DIY-do list.
    xoxo,
    Mackenzie

  65. Emma    January 31, 2012

    Really good idea!! I would like to do it myself aswell, but do you know if you’re able to do your sweater in the washing machine, or will the felt come off again? Would love to hear from you xxx

  67. sarah    January 31, 2012

    genius! I freaking LOVE this – and I think I have most of the materials already. how cute will this be for Valentine’s? =)

  68. sarah    January 31, 2012

    PS – Emma, if you are using a 100% wool sweater, you probably don’t want to wash it in the first place – it’ll shrink like the dickens, even if you don’t put it in the dryer (and you need to felt onto 100% wool as the felting needle is designed to help tangle the wool fibers around other wool fibers; I’m not sure you’ll be as successful if you are not using 100% wool). And I don’t think the needle felting would come off, but it DEFINITELY would shrink and warp if you put it in the wash. Hand washing SHOULD be okay, but you’ve got to use really cool water, and woolite (or ecover) and not let it soak longer than 3 minutes before rinsing and drying, and you’ll still probably notice that the wool will gradually shrink/contract over time, with repeated hand-launderings, which may cause the elbow of the sweater to pucker and/or the heart shapes to warp into something less adorable. (Still, it’s what I plan to do, honestly; I hand wash most of my wool sweaters cos I simply can’t afford to pay for dry cleaning)

  72. Whitney    January 31, 2012

    this is such a cute idea! I am a little bit obsessed. but I have a quick question, do both the sweater and the roving need to be wool or can the sweater be some other material? I am slightly allergic to wool so an entire sweater of it would send me over the edge but if it were just the elbows I could totally handle it. let me know! I would love to try this if I could :)

  73. Erica    January 31, 2012

    @Whitney, I’m sure felting on woven cotton would work – I don’t see why you shouldn’t try! Good luck!

  74. Samina    January 31, 2012

    Hi darling, I know your blog from today, and I’m voting for you…Ilove your blog!I hope you’ll be winner!

  77. Rio and Jane    January 31, 2012

    Sweetness!!!!! so cute!

    ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿
    Thumbprints That ♥ To Look Cute
    rioandjane.blogspot.com
    ✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

  78. Audrea    January 31, 2012

    WHOA! I never even knew such a thing existed. So cool and so easy! Must try. thank youuuu!
    I’ve been looking for something to spruce up my wardrobe. Look at some of my outfits and give suggestions, would you?? I would so appreciate it!

    http://www.audreamy.blogspot.com

  80. Root    January 31, 2012

    This is such a sweet idea! I love elbow patches and this looks easy enough for even me to do! Thanks!!

  84. Jessica    January 31, 2012

    Love this!!!! I’m going to do this myself!!! Super cute!!!!

  85. ONE LOVE ONE DNA    February 1, 2012

    AMAZING IDEA ! ! ! <3 GREETINGS FROM POLAND, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR FIRST BLOG :

    ONELOVEONEDNA.BLOGSPOT.COM
    ONELOVEONEDNA.BLOGSPOT.COM
    ONELOVEONEDNA.BLOGSPOT.COM

  86. laure    February 1, 2012

    LOve the idea:) I made one inspired from Zadigue and Voltaire! Come have a look …
    ilovedoityourself.blogspot.com

  87. Paula    February 1, 2012

    Oh I am SO excited to do this! I’m going to be extra cheesy and wear it on Vaneltines day ;) x

  94. DC2NY    February 1, 2012

    OMG, I had no idea about such incredible craft as needle felting! Girls, thank you so much for ShARinG this diy, <3<3<3
    I'm going to do it for sure!!!
    Btw, I voted for you on Bloglovin' and hope you win!!!

    DC2NYConfessions Blog

  105. Amanda    February 1, 2012

    This is such a great way to add a personal touch to my old cardigan! I have never heard of needle felting until now, and it looks so much better than a cut-out and sewn-on patch of craft felt would. Thanks for sharing this project!

  106. S    February 1, 2012

    Would it work on a thermal shirt? Would the texture affect the felting?

  107. hikaru    February 1, 2012

    inspirational as always!!!! thanks for the great tutorial!!!

  109. Erica    February 1, 2012

    @Ran @Jillian no, the patch will not come off and is not removable. And wool should always be dry cleaned or carefully hand washed. @Beindolwen yes, you can make patches in any shape. I like using cookie cutters which obviously come in all shapes and sizes, including stars!

  111. Erica    February 1, 2012

    @S I haven’t tried needle felting on anything else other than wool but I’m sure it should work on loosely knitted cotton. It’s worth a try! Good luck!!

  114. Greta    February 2, 2012

    What a cute DIY idea… very suitable for upcoming Valentine’s day. Thanks for sharing it.

  117. Marj    February 2, 2012

    Omg! Haleluiah!!!!!! This is so awesome!! I love doing projects like this. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!!!

  126. Liz    February 3, 2012

    Not sure if you mentioned it somewhere, and I missed it…but did you use wool roving from the website that you linked to? If so, what color? I want to recreate this exactly since it is to die for :)

  127. Lynn    February 3, 2012

    Erica this is totally what I had been searching for — as soon as sweater season hit I knew I needed to do something about elbow patches. This felting thing is bomb-ass.

  131. Lili    February 4, 2012

    I love the idea, but what about washing the sweater? the woll roving will cretainly leave colorful stains all around the patches…

  133. Mette    February 4, 2012

    Omg so wonderful, so unique and awesome!
    check out my blog: www-le.courage.dk, and leave a comment:)

    Love from denmark <3

  134. Miss K    February 4, 2012

    Thanks for this DIY! I spent the week gathering supplies and did it this afternoon. I LOVE the results. The first time I put too much wool roving in the cookie cutter, but it was easy to peel off and try again once I had it down.

    I found your blog through pinterest and am a convert!

  136. Sara    February 5, 2012

    Best DIY ever! so easy and so pretty! I loved it! greetings from Portugal :)

  139. Evelina    February 6, 2012

    Wow – this is amazing! I’ll definitely want to try it out one day! :)

  141. Mhea    February 7, 2012

    Unbelievable. But if I had to do something like this, I’d be a little worried :D

  147. JennyOH    February 9, 2012

    So cool! I’ve seen needle felting mentioned elsewhere but never really knew what went into it. Great idea for a beginner project. I think I have hand and star-shaped cookie cutters which would be equally neato for a patch.

  148. Sewitsa    February 9, 2012

    Hi Gina,
    Wow that’s Great! You know I never knew you could do this by hand…..i’ve only ever seen the felting machines! (like sewing machines) x

  150. Hafizah    February 10, 2012

    LOVE it! looks so easy and really cute. Thanks for this, going to try it one day. Hope you don’t mind me linking it on my blog :)

  152. Sara Moura    February 12, 2012

    WHOA! So cute!! It’s easy and it lokks great! I think I will try this on an old sweater :) Thank you so much!

    Btw visit my blog, I have posted a few fun DIYs too :)

    Made by: sara

  154. Wesley Barras    February 12, 2012

    Nice post. I need to put this on my blog! I am going to buy these materials and try to make it. Whoever came up with those red hearts is a pure genius.

  156. Amy    February 13, 2012

    About how much wool roving did you use? I just want to be sure I get enough. Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try this!

  157. cindy    February 13, 2012

    You are the queen! I’d seen this popping around Pinterest and finally took a moment to track down the original post. Huzzah huzzah! And now… I go snoop around your blog. :D

  159. tantra tapok    February 16, 2012

    wonderful idea, I have all the materials necessary to try something similar. I am interested in the question of washing? wash your hands in cold water, perhaps? or not to wash? you certainly have the experience, please share
    …. and greetings from Moscow :)

    http://tantratapok.blogspot.com/

  163. tameka    February 29, 2012

    This looks fun! Can this only be done on wool? Do you know if this works on socks (like darning socks)?

  164. Amy    February 29, 2012

    Just an update, I purchased wool roving @ Hobby Lobby, a great big bag of various colors! I did my first trial on a very nice 100% wool sweater (mens actually for a good price on evilbay), turned out well! I was actually surprised at how easy it really was. I had LOTS of roving left over. THEN, while I was at Walmart…yeah, I know…..they had little girls sweaters on clearance for $7. They were acrylic and cotton (I believe more acrylic than cotton…the cheap ones! LOL) So I purchased one to try it out, and if it worked, my niece would get a cute sweater out of the deal! I followed all these instructions, BUT I made sure to really get a good amount of the roving through to the other side. THEN, I even washed it! *gasp!* I washed on gentle, in cold water, and then I did the unthinkable….I tumble dryed on ‘cool’ for about 10 minutes. It turned out PERFECT! The wool felted just enough to really keep it in place, but not enough to shrink horribly and distort the shape or wrinkle the sweater sleeves. I wouldn’t do the same if I was planning on a large design, as it would be too noticable, but for a little girls sweater, it turned out fine!

  165. Rachel    March 7, 2012

    Thank you for this, I have shared this on my blog because it is inspirational. We are just starting to experience the first signs of Autumn here in Melbourne and the other day I pulled out a boring black merino wool top and give it a new look..which I am sure my friends will ask about. Please check out my blog if you have the time.

    Cheeers from Melbourne, Australia

  166. Megan    March 10, 2012

    This is awesome, definitely gonna go get supplies and do this to my cardigan tonight. What are the care instructions afterwards though?

  170. Asha    March 14, 2012

    This is awesome! I was wondering though if you could do it on a regular tee shirt though I was thinking of doing diff designs on some shirts I got since it’s a bit warmer now. Thanks in advance!

  172. Sophia C    March 22, 2012

    This is an easier take on elbow patches! I used to sew them on with printed swatches I collected from work. I will definitely have to try this!

  173. Molly    March 22, 2012

    Such a great post interesting and fun. I totally agree anything to take out a little aggression that in the end creates something cute. Sign me up!!

  174. Toni    March 24, 2012

    Finally, a clothing revamp that doesn’t require sewing skills……count this talentless soul in!
    toni xo

  175. Catherine Yarmosh    March 24, 2012

    So cute….hope it’s easy to do! Going to try it on my daughter’s shirt:)

  176. Mary    April 1, 2012

    It is amazing, so nice and simple to do!
    I was wondering, how much fibre do you need?

  177. Lara    April 5, 2012

    Love this DIY! It’s a little bit unclear to me though.. Do you have to put the sweater inside out?
    ‘Cause I don’t really get it after the step ‘take out the foam’ it looks to me as if you put the sweater inside out..?
    Xo

  178. Marie    April 9, 2012

    It is so cute! I’m going to try this as soon as I can!
    One question: has the felting needle a special function or is it also possible to just use a regular needle like one you use for stitching?
    <3

  182. luck    May 8, 2012

    How do you launder the sweater or sweatshirt after adding felting

Leave a Comment

  • Recommendations

  • Tweets

  • Recent Comments

    • Denise: Oh so cute!! I would love a pair of these sneakers.
    • Beth: If I won the Vans, I would have to clear my calendar for the very next day to do this…such fun!
    • monkeyshines: fantastic colors! Bises, monkeyshines http://monkeyshines-monkeyshin es.blogspot.com/
    • Katie: LOVE THESE! I love the shoes, and I love the idea. I suggest E6000 to everyone, (I work in a craft...
    • Hanna: This is seriously the cutest idea ever. I love the new pastel brushed twill Vans!
  • SAY Channel Style
© 2010-2012 Honestly WTF | Powered by WordPress | Theme & Development | Creative Commons License