Felting is the process of transforming loose fibers—most often wool—into a dense, durable fabric through the application of heat, moisture, and pressure. These forces cause the fibers to mat together, creating a solid surface. Wool is especially suited to felting because its scaly fibers naturally lock into place during the process.


Probably discovered by accident, felting is one of the world’s oldest textile techniques. Legends credit its invention to figures as varied as St. Clement, St. Christopher, Solomon’s son, and even the animals on Noah’s ark. While these tales can’t be verified, archaeological evidence points to East Asia as felt’s birthplace, with examples from Mongolia dating to the first century CE.

Materials and Tools:

  • Bamboo mat(s) or bubble wrap: increases friction when you are rolling and fulling wet felt.
  • Fiber - Sheep’s wool in one of several forms:
  • Top, combed fibers that are aligned and wound into a continuous length.
  • Roving, a rope-like strand of fiber that has been carded or combed and then given a slight twist to hold it together.
  • Batts, flat sheets of carded wool.
  • Soap: Any soap will work, but dishwashing soap and olive oil bar soap are commonly used.
  • Spray bottle or ball brouse sprinkler: to gently add soapy water during felting.
  • Tulle or mosquito netting: to lay over your fibers to keep them in place during felting.
  • Water: warm to hot to speed the felting process.

Terminology:

  • Agitation: Rolling, rubbing, or kneading, or machine washing fibers with hot water and soap.
  • Blocks and lasts: Forms for making hats and shoes.
  • Crimp: The waviness of wool fibers, expressed as crimps per inch.
  • Layout: The process of arranging your fibers before felting.
  • Micron: One-millionth of a meter and a measure for grading wool. The lower the micron count, the finer the wool.
  • Pre-felt: Partially felted wool with loosely interlocked fibers, a stable but still "feltable" material for use in larger wet felting or needle felting projects. It can be wet felted by hand or purchased as pre-made sheets.
  • Resist: A barrier placed between layers of felt to prevent them from felting together or to create three-dimensional forms.
  • Shrinkage: The contraction of wool fibers when they interlock. Different types of wool have different shrinkage rates.
  • Staple Length: The average length of a group of wool fibers.

Process:

  1. Separate your wool into wispy pieces by holding a length of fiber in your hand about 4” from the end and gently pulling pieces away. (If the fibers aren’t separating easily, your hands are too close together.) Then, lay your wispy pieces directly onto a bamboo mat or bubble wrap, keeping all of the fibers in the same direction, until the mat is covered.
  2. Add another one or two layers of wispy pieces, arranging each layer perpendicular to the layer below.
  3. Lay netting on top of your layers and sprinkle warm, soapy water over the entire area. Gently rub the netting to start emeshing the fibers.
  4. Once your fibers are holding together, squeeze out excess water and roll your felt up in the bamboo mat as tightly as possible.
  5. Roll the mat back and forth with firm, even pressure about 20 times. Unroll, turn your piece 90 degrees, and roll again. Continue until you have rotated your piece a full 360 degrees, then turn your piece over and repeat the rolling process. Continue rolling until your piece is the desired size and thickness.
  6. Rinse and lay flat to dry.

Variations:

  • Needle Felting: Thin, notched needles are used to stab fibers repeatedly, causing them to bind together and create felt without water or heat.
  • Nuno Felting: A wet felting technique that bonds wool fibers to sheer fabric with an open weave (like silk gauze)to create lightweight, textured fabric. 

FAQ's:

  • What type of wool should I use as a beginner?
  • Wet felting: Merino, Romney, or Shetland.
  • Needle felting: Merino or Corriedale.
  • Nuno felting: Merino.
  • How do I choose whether to wet felt or needle felt? 
  • Wet felting can be messy and, depending on the size of your project, a physically demanding process. The resulting felt is dense and strong, so it is difficult to add new fibers or adjust shaping.
  • Needle felting is a dry and often portable process, although it can be time-consuming for large projects. Needle felt is relatively lightweight, and it is easy to add more wool or adjust shaping at any point in the felting process. It offers more control and is the best way to add fine or intricate details.
  • Can I combine felting techniques? Absolutely! Needle felting is often used to add details to both wet and nuno felt.
  • How much will my felt shrink? It depends on wool type and your felting technique, but 30% is a reasonable estimate. Test your materials by making a sample and measuring the dimensions both before and after felting.
  • Will felt keep shrinking forever? No. Shrinkage stops once the fibers are as interlocked as they can be.
  • How do I know when my felt is done? It is done when it is sturdy enough for your intended use, and it’s the size and thickness you want.
  • What is the difference between felting and fulling? Felting is forming fabric from loose fibers. Fulling is wet-finishing woven or knit cloth, washing or processing it to allow individual fibers to bloom/swell. Fulling can result in felted cloth, but doesn’t necessarily do so.
  • Why isn’t my wool felting properly? Check that your fiber is wool and not synthetic (acrylic doesn’t felt!) and that your wool is not superwash (treated to remove the scales from the fibers and prevent felting). You may also just need more rolling or stabbing - some wools are harder to felt than others.
  • Can I dye my wool before or after felting? Yes, although dyeing it before gives you better control over color placement.
  • Can I wash felted items? Yes. Gently hand-wash your felt in cool water since hot water and agitation may cause further felting/shrinkage.