Traditional (Wet) Feltmaking Tutorial Small Felt Sample

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The feltmaking exercise below is intended to serve many purposes. Instruction is provided for both the Merino Top and Norwegian Felting Batts available on this website and it is a useful tutorial to introduce the feltmaker to common terminology used to describe feltmaking. Additional clarity is also given to the two basic steps called felting (forming soft cloth) and fulling (adding stability/integrity) of the cloth. Feltmaking Many other textile processes are coining the phrase felting. What is described here is authentic feltmaking which is defined as the formation of cloth by the irreversible tangling of wool fibers using moisture, heat and friction. Wool has microscopic scales along its length that grab irreversibly on to one another when subjected to moisture (warm, soapy water) and friction (rubbing). Overview In this procedure a small square of fiber is felted to the soft cloth stage. It is then cut in half and one half is fulled to the desired firmness. The Wool Preparations Merino Wool is very fine wool and often is found as a preparation called top. Wool fibers are placed in a linear arrangement with all of the short and irregular fibers removed. The result is a continuous length of overlapping fibers in a long tubular shape. Throughout these instructions I will first describe the steps using Merino Top and show the differences when handling the Norwegian Felting Batts. With the Norwegian Felting Batts the fibers are layered in sheets and, while the fibers do lay in one general direction, they are not as neatly arranged as with top and the fibers vary in length. To begin Use a template of 8 x 11 paper to keep your project from growing. Pull off about a 6 section of wool top. Hint: first take a tiny wisp of fiber from the end of the wool top and make note of its length. If your hands are closer together than the length of the fiber you will not be able to pull the top apart and you will need to space your hands farther apart. Divide the 6 section of top into about 3rds.

Pick up one of the wool top sections and lay the wispy end on the edge of the template. Hold it in place with one or two fingers from your other hand and pull away leaving a layer of fiber on the template. Continue as shown in the picture until and entire layer has been placed on the template. If the layer is very thin or it is hard to pull the wool apart, move your hands farther apart. If you have large clumps of wool in your layout it may be that your hands are too far apart. Evenness does take practice but uneveness it will be less noticeable as you add layers.

Lori Flood Felted Fibers

www.spinsterstreadle.com

2007

Repeat as above to create a second layer that is 90 degrees to the first layer. Create a third layer the same direction as the first layer and a fourth layer that is the same as the second (i.e. alternate layers). For this sample I have also added some darker colored wisps of wool top, wool yarns, and wool prefelt (softly felted wool).

When using batt, pull about a six inch strip of fiber away from the main batt ideally in the direction the fiber lays. Pull a thin sheet of fiber from the batt and lay it across the template. Continue until the template is covered with fiber and fill in empty spots as needed. Repeat in alternating layers until you have four layers. The same designs were added to the batt as were to the top.

The Merino Wool Top will lay much flatter than the Norwegian Felting Batt as it is finer wool. It will also lay flatter when wet and during the felting process. The Norwegian wool is courser in fiber diameter and has a stronger crimp which will bounce up a little even when it is wet.

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Lori Flood Felted Fibers www.spinsterstreadle.com 2007

To wet the sample first remove the template. Sprinkle the piece with warm soapy water (how soapy? slippery between fingers, how warm? body temp). Pour the water over your hand to prevent hard splashes that may disrupt the fibers or use a mesh fabric. Make sure the entire sample is completely and evenly wet without being so wet that the fibers want to swim away.

Wetting down the batt is done the same way.

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Apply friction to the fibers by rubbing the wet wool. Use a screen of some sort to protect your designs however remove the screen frequently to inspect your progress and ensure that the screen is not being felted into the project. Hint: use gloves or insert your hands in bread baggies if the screen is harsh on your fingers.

Lori Flood Felted Fibers

www.spinsterstreadle.com

2007

The best way to determine how your felting is progressing is to use the tent test. Gently pinch the fibers and pull up. If the fibers slide away from one another gently press them back into place and keep rubbing. Felt is formed when the fibers cling to one another and form a tent when pinched and lifted (as seen in the picture above). Turn the project over and rub the backside until it also passes the tent test. Squeeze out the excess water. The fabric is now at the soft felt stage and, while it holds together, it is fairly fragile and will not hold up to daily use until it is fulled. In this exercise the soft felt is cut in half and one half is fulled. Fulling is the act of tangling the fibers further to the point that there is no shifting of fibers in the cloth. The amount of fulling depends on the intended purpose of the finished felt. A scarf will be fulled to create a firm cloth but not so firm that the scarf becomes stiff. A purse will be fulled until it is very stiff so that it will hold up to daily wear without pilling or developing holes. Wet one half of the cloth in warm water that is slightly soapy. Ball the felt up in your hands and roll it around in your palms 8 10 times. Stop at this point and straighten out the cloth until it lays flat again. Then ball up the cloth as before and repeat the rolling process. It is important to straighten out the fabric after each agitation or it will form a ball. Repeat these steps as needed until the cloth reached its desired strength. You will notice considerable shrinkage during the fulling steps.

Compare the fabric to the unfulled half. The image on the left shows fulled cloth that is appropriate for a scarf or wall hanging while the middle image shows the piece fulled farther as needed for a hat or handbag. The image on the far right shows the piece fulled as needed for a rug however, in the case of a rug I would probably also select a wool fiber that is stronger than Merino such as the Norwegian wool shown in the lower frames.

Fulling the Norwegian Felting Batt is done the same as the Merino Top. This wool would be ideal to use for a wall hanging, hat, handbag, or rug since it makes very stiff, firm felt. However, I would use the Merino wool for scarves and garments that lay next to the skin.

Lori Flood Felted Fibers

www.spinsterstreadle.com

2007