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About felt making
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Felt making is one of the oldest known forms of textile
craft. Wool becomes felt when it is subjected to moisture, heat,
and pressure. Hot soapy water makes the wool slippery, and causes
tiny scales on the fibers to open up. The scales prevent the fibers
from backing up again after they slide across each other; with agitation,
the fibers get hopelessly tangled together. When cooled, dried and
compressed, the scales close and lock the wool into the tough, durable
material we call felt.
I have used two felting methods, traditional hand
rolling and needle felting.
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Hand rolling
is very versatile as a wide range of qualities, densities and finished
can be obtained. Surface design may be added later when the fibers
are partially felted or applied afterwards as appliqué or
embroidery. This depends upon the desired effect or quality of the
work that is sought. Surface design can be other wool fibers, pieces
cut or pulled from partially felted wool, or a wide variety of yarns.
I like to use natural fibers of silk, cotton and wool.
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Nunofelt is a technique
where wool fibers are felted directly through the woven fabric,
usually pure cotton or silk. As the wool shrinks it takes the cloth
with it, resulting in a crinkle effect. As the felting progresses,
the fibers twist and curl more and more tightly around each other,
gathering and bunching the fabric.
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| "Cobweb"
felt is made by laying out a very fine layer of fibers and pulling
the fibers during the felting process so that holes or a web effect
is formed.
Many other techniques are used to produce a variety of weights,
decorative finishes and uses.
With felt and nunofelt techniques it is possible
to produce very unique pieces with multiple variations.
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The second method, needle felting,
is done on a machine where barbed needles are speedily and repeatedly
punched through a layer of carded fibers. Either fleece or tops
may be processed in this way. Surface design is then applied and
passed through a second needle machine.
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