Wool Felted Soap - Motives from Monastery Church of Rubik
The other souvenir that is also related to the Monastery Church of Rubik consists of wrapping soaps with shajak. This special process of wrapping the soap with the wool material brings an authentic and unique touch to the products available for sale. Let's explore other details of this carefully crafted process:
To begin with, the process of wrapping soap with wool includes several key steps that give the end result attractive and aesthetic. The color of the wool used is natural, undyed, which gives a natural and soft feel to the finished product. To achieve this effect, two thin layers of wool are used, each about 0.5 cm thick and measuring 10x10 cm. This technique provides a stable and elegant composition for the soap.
After finishing placing the layers of wool on the soap, another soap is placed in a bowl, we wrap the soap using another soap with olives and an oil composition which is written in warm water. The wrapping process begins with hand rubbing, ensuring that the wool adheres well to the soap. Then, the soap contained in the layers of wool is placed in thin elastic socks, which help to compress the wool with the soap. This interaction helps create a strong bond between the soap and the wool layers.
The process continues by placing the wrapped soap in a piece of swaddle. This diaper has the function of draining and drying excess water. To check if the wool is well attached, a simple test can be done where we try to pull it away from ourselves. At this stage we test if the wool has stuck by pulling it a little. If not, we continue the process until it is completely combined with the soap. Once the soap has dried, we proceed with the next steps to add the desired motif to the surface of the soap. To do this, brick-colored wool is used, which contrasts and creates a visual appeal. On the other hand, it is also our goal to reproduce the colors and weather of the fresco of the Monastery Chirch of Rubik. First, the shape of the motif is drawn on a thin cardboard, then this cardboard is used as a guide to reproduce the motif on the soap bar. The embroidery is done with shajak needles.
The dimensions realized by us are: 6.5x9cm. The dimensions in these souvenirs are usually dictated by the size of the wrapped soap. While the motif includes the dimensions 7x6cm.
