Fibre. Friction. Felt

From floaty, delicate tunics and wraps to sturdy hard-wearing bags and vessels, the possibilities for creating seamless felt are infinite. 

They are all created over a resist, involve multiple layers of feather-light merino wool tops and a variety of additional silks and yarns for decoration.

I lay out the wool in fine layers first in one direction, then in the other, repeating this several times, depending on the quality and strength required.

When I'm happy with the design, I wet the piece with warm water, apply soap, roll it all up and keep rolling. The action of the warm water and the friction shrinks the fibres to bond and form cloth. 

The fulling process finishes the formation of fine, strong felt.