My first felting experience was not in a classroom, or a backyard. It wasn’t with merino wool, or the fibres of a different sheep. There were no towels, but there was lots of water, and laughter. One summer day my mother brought home a bag of wool and the idea of felting. I was ten years old at the time. Little did I know that even though my first felting project worked out in the end, there were many techniques that could have made the project easier.
Felting is the art of using water, heat, and agitation to bind wool fibres together. Felt can make vessels, sculptures, garments, and cloth yardage. The process of felting is simple at first but has great depth once you see all that it has to offer.
Featured image credit Ian Mackenzie Humber.