Tulle comes in a variety of weights and sizes.Tulle
Tulle, or netting, is an incredibly useful accessory for the
blending board. The basic idea is to apply a layer of tulle
to the base of the carding cloth tines on the blending
board before you begin adding fiber.
This base of tulle does several things. First, you can use
it to remove the fiber from the blending board in the form
of a batt instead of as rolags. Second, the tulle protects
the board so that tiny bits such as vegetative matter and
noils do not get stuck at the bottom of the tines. In this
case, I think of the tulle as acting like an apron, keeping
things tidy. Third, if you are interested in creating batts for
wet-felting, use two layers of tulle: one at the base of the
boardand one on top of the fiber. When you remove the
tulle and fiber sandwich, you are ready to begin felting.A variety of brush and sandpaper options.Fall 2019 • Spin Off 47
Standard Accessories
Most blending boards come with some sort of
brush. These range from a stiff paintbrush to
something like a fl ick carder, except that the
tines point in the opposite direction from those
on a fl ick carder; I think of it as a “reverse” fl ick
carder. This tool is necessary for brushing the
fi ber onto the blending board.Many blending boards provide a keel, or block,
that attaches to the underside of the board, al-
lowing you to work with the blending board in
your lap in a variety of orientations or at an an-
gle on a tabletop.Most blending boards also come with two (or
more) dowels or a dowel and a thin metal rod.
These tools are used for rolling rolags as the
fi ber is removed from the blending board.Ashford blending board
accessories. Clockwise
from bottom: brush,
keel, and dowels.