Shedding is a natural part of pet ownership, yet can become an inconvenience. To stay on top of it requires regular brushing, cleaning and vacuuming of their fur.
One way is to turn your cat’s fur into an eye-catching accessory! Here are a few ideas to get you started: Felting is an ancient textile art which uses needles and moisture to knit fibers together into tight, durable structures.
Needle Felting
This book employs needle felting, an art craft technique in which wool fibers are compacted by stabbing them repeatedly with barbed felting needles, to compact cat hair (or roving purchased from your local craft store) into decorative feline-themed items.
Felting requires a mat or cushion to protect felting needles while providing a stable work surface; cookie cutter sized foam pieces work great for this.
Carders, which consist of two wooden brushes with stainless steel pins, are great tools to use to blend different colors of roving by brushing over one another – as more you brush, the more colors merge together! Blending colors together is integral to creating seamless sculptures; any type of roving may be used; this book provides four projects involving cat fur specifically. All projects are fully described and photographed before concluding with tips on grooming your cat in general as well as short biographies about each cat used in these projects!
Felting Balls
Felting balls are one of the simplest projects you can complete from cat hair, starting with a strip of wool roving (processed wool that hasn’t yet been spun into yarn) that measures three times bigger than your desired ball’s desired diameter. Anything larger would prove challenging to shape into an aesthetically pleasing ball shape.
Roll the roving tightly, this will help create a firm felt surface and tuck it under along its sides as well. Pin its edges for extra security if necessary; after 7 minutes of rolling stab it all around with needles in all directions to finish off this step.
As opposed to some of the crafts in this book that use cat hair, this project doesn’t involve shaving your cat completely bald. Instead, use small amounts from their top coat when brushing it off, and clip with scissors carefully as you snip off. Your resulting ball will become your cat’s favorite toy while giving you comfort knowing it comes from their shedding!
Cat Fur Hats
If your cat’s shedding has you stumped, why not try something creative like Japanese photographer Ryo Yamazaki has done? He uses shed feline hair to fashion whimsical wizard hats for his cats that range from trump tupes and princess leia wigs to whimsical wizard domes!
Yamazaki first got the idea for feline fedoras when he noticed a lump of fur that resembled one on the floor and formed it into one for his cats, starting an ever-expanding collection of feline fedoras. Now, both him and Hiromi craft these fashionable headpieces at home in Tokyo’s Tama district, sharing images of their felines wearing these fashionable headpieces on social media such as Instagram.
Quirk Books will soon be publishing a book full of cat hair styling ideas! With step-by-step instructions for crafting 25 fun hats ranging from Viking helmets and Santa’s stocking caps, to Wisconsin cheeseheads – there is sure to be something sure to make your furball purr and smile!
Jewelry
Cat hair has made waves in fashion this year. After one Russian beauty salon created an uproar when they shaved a cat design into an undercut for one client, Instagrammers across the world have taken notice. Instagramers everywhere are showing their support by trying this unusual new trend themselves.
Flora Davis takes jewelry-making a step further by crafting intricate baubles featuring her Ragamuffin cat’s fur. Additionally, she works closely with pet owners on custom pieces.
Needle felting experts can use cat fur to craft accessories like tote bags, finger puppets and picture frames. Crafting with Cat Hair by Quirk Books of Philadelphia features this fascinating craft as an inspiring collection of feline-friendly projects with instructions for turning loose clumps of fur into one-of-a-kind handicrafts that are sure to be popular among cat lovers!https://www.youtube.com/embed/MPqr3PnFANA