Large pieces of low grass have to be applied differently than high grass. Seaming low grass is difficult so larger pieces are needed.
Tall grass can be butted together and the seam hidden by brushing. These are two pelts just placed together. They are not glued down. Low grass must be dyed in larger pelts to fit the area.
Low grass was an unexpected find in the search for a method of making tall grass. I my search for fur I just bought a piece of plush felt at Walmart because it felt furry. It proved to be harder to dye, but made the perfect low grass.
Plush felt is fuzzy. I got this at Joann fabrics. Walmart tan plush felt also works well and is easier to find than the white.
This hillside will get low grassed.
Cut a piece larger than the area to be covered. The extra will be needed for tufting. The low grass makes seaming difficult so larger pieces need to be used. Seams can be hidden between the larger pieces with brush, bushes or tall grass.
Pour a solution of eight to one dye to water over the fabric piece. Wring the excess out of the fabric and pour it back into the dye container. This step soaks the felt backing and makes it easier to dye. Just brushing on the dye will cause the felt to hold too much water.
Place the wet pelt on a piece of corrugated cardboard. Paint the pelt with the solution. Eliminate the light areas and give it a uniform color.
The painted grass should look like this. The color is fairly uniform.
Iron the grass using an iron on its hottest setting. The iron will not melt the wet fabric. Make about five passes. After ironing blow-dry the piece with a hair dryer, start blow-drying on the back and move to the front. Stop when the fur is soft and only slightly damp. Let the pelt air dry for a day on a flat surface.
Total air-drying produces a pelt that is not consistent in quality. It is an interesting effect and will be put to use. The pelt should be soft and pliable.
Position the finished pelt on the layout
Cut the pelt leaving a border around for tufting. The border on large pelts should be irregular.
The edges do not have to be glued down tight to the landscape. The tufting covers the edges even with large gaps.
The tufting covers those gaps. The tufting should cover all the glue. Matte medium is not as matte as it should be. It dries with a slight sheen.
The hillside covered in California low grass. The edges tufted out.
This is probably my fault in the article. I should have indicated that the grass is planted on scenery finished as ground work. The ground work should be colored and track ballasted.
I found out later that a pelt can't be screwed up. I have samples from my early experiments that I thought were lost causes. Once they completely dried they become fluffy and all supply different textures.
I repeat DO NOT use soil, ground foam, etc to cover the edges. It will not look realistic and you will have a mess. Use the tufts and the grass will look like it is growing.
