Felt...it's fabulous!
I made this felt suit in the 1990s
Keen to have a go at wet felting? Learning to make felt is an ongoing process...every fleece, every project, every new techniques changes my approach to feltmaking and life in general.
When I first found feltmaking, I was drawn to it irresistibly – a way to make individual, practical and unique garments at home in a fraction of the time it would take to knit or weave.
The design possibilities seemed endless – and they still do. Felt can be embellished with laid on yarns, other fibres, silk and cutouts made from soft pre-felts. Because it's formed by hand, felt can be made into 3-D seamless items such as hats, bags, mittens and even used to make seamless pockets in garments.
Nuno-felt (felt incorporating woven fabric) is a wonderful way of incorporating colour, texture and flexibility to felt garments such as scarves, waistcoats and jackets - even hats.
When I first found feltmaking, I was drawn to it irresistibly – a way to make individual, practical and unique garments at home in a fraction of the time it would take to knit or weave.
The design possibilities seemed endless – and they still do. Felt can be embellished with laid on yarns, other fibres, silk and cutouts made from soft pre-felts. Because it's formed by hand, felt can be made into 3-D seamless items such as hats, bags, mittens and even used to make seamless pockets in garments.
Nuno-felt (felt incorporating woven fabric) is a wonderful way of incorporating colour, texture and flexibility to felt garments such as scarves, waistcoats and jackets - even hats.
So what is felt?Feltmaking is an ancient craft which has been practiced for thousands of years throughout the world. Many fibres will felt and make a durable, unwoven fabric, but for most, wool is the most accessible, most easily-felted fibre and merino wool gives a durable, soft handling result for many items.
Well fulled , merino wool felt will turn off water, making it very suitable for outdoor wear such as hats, scarves, mittens and jackets. Merino wool is described depending on the diameter of the fibre. Fibre size is measured in microns (thousandths of an inch) and typically ranges between 14 (superfine) and 23 (strong). At the moment I'm stocking a range of wool tops: 19-20 micron combed merino tops - this is a fine wool which will give a durable result when properly fulled, but will still have a soft feel and handle. The tops preparation makes it a great choice for nuno-felt (named and pioneered in Australia by Polly Stirling), which is made by layering wool fibres onto fabric before felting. The fibre travels through the fabric, giving an amazingly warm, textured fabric. Extra Fine and Medium micron NZ Halfbred Coloured Wools and wool/silk blends: these are beautiful combed tops presentations from a specialist craft flock. Very soft for its micron size, this wool is surprising! Originally derived from breeding Merino and Romney sheep, and refined by careful line breeding, wool from the Haunui Handcraft Wools flock shows merino loft alongside lustre from its Romney ancestry. This versatile NZ Halfbred wool is suitable for jackets, hats, slippers, scarves and nuno-felt items such as scarves and waistcoats. Extra Fine and Fine grades and the silk blends can be worn next to the skin, and (depending on sensitivity) most can wear the 26 micron this way as well. |
A lizard crawls across an inset pocket in a seamless natural coloured Corriedale coat
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