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Choosing wool for wet felting depends on the project outcome you are looking for.
Use this fiber guide to help you choose fibers to use for wet felting.
Fiber choice is a key element in wet felting because the type of fiber used will determine the felting process, the outcome of the project, and what the finished felt looks like.
If you are trying to make a hardy piece like a floor rug that will withstand a lot of wear, then use a coarse, dense fiber.
If you are making a scarf or piece that will be worn next to your skin, you want a fine, soft fiber so that it doesn&#;t chafe your skin.
The first question to ask yourself when choosing a fiber type is what texture you want the finished piece to have &#; rough and durable or soft and delicate.
The form in which you use the fiber is the next thing to consider. Do you want to use a raw fiber that hasn&#;t been washed or a beautifully cleaned roving that neatly lays out in soft tufts?
Rougher pieces that are made for durability (like rugs) can be done with raw fiber or washed uncombed fiber. The finer and more delicate the piece the greater need for clean and well-combed fiber.
Raw fiber is the hair of a sheep or other fiber bearing animal that has not been washed or combed. It is sheared off the animal and has had no other processing done to it. This is often called &#;in the grease&#; because it still has the natural lanolin oils the animal produces.
Raw wool from a Shetland sheep.The raw fleece has been washed, but it is still uncombed, so it may still be clumpy and maintain the locks of fiber that it had when freshly cut from the animal. Most of all of the lanolin oil has been washed from the fiber.
This is the most common way to find processed fiber is at supply stores or online. The fiber has been washed and processed so that it forms a neat and clean rope of fibers that are ready to be hand-spun or felted.
Roving is a term used in referring to a cleaned, combed fiber that is formed into a long skein.Another form of processing cleaned wool is a wool batt. This looks like a sheet of combed wool that is rolled up and looks like a pillow form.
This is great for creating flat felt because the fibers are already brushed to go in the same direction and the sheets can be separated and then layered in alternating fiber directions to create the flat felt.
There is a wide variety of fiber-bearing sheep breeds in the world. The variety means you, as the fiber artist, have a vast array of options to choose from.
Each breed of fiber sheep has a distinct fiber profile or collection of characteristics that determine how it will react to different techniques.
These variables include fiber coarseness or fineness, the length of the fiber, and other factors we will discuss below.
Included are a few other animal fibers that are good for wet felting.
I&#;ve included fibers under the &#;coarse&#; category as examples of fibers that are more rough than smooth, not in describing their micron count or another aspect of the fiber, simply in comparison with other options.
Corriedale is one of the finer wools in the &#;coarse wool&#; category.
While its texture is crisp and durable, it is still soft. The cream hue takes color well when dyeing and receives natural and chemical dyes.
Corriedale Top from The Woolery
Corriedale wool fiber.This wool comes in a variety of natural colors. Every fleece is different, and getting color consistency is difficult.
It felts well and creates beautiful pieces.
It is often used in its natural colors because of the variegation in tones.
Jacob Top from The Woolery
Jacob sheep wool fiber.This fiber has a slightly rough texture; though the fibers are fine, the crimp is loose. The fiber is lustrous and felts into a dense fabric with a slightly fuzzy texture.
Kent Romney Top from The Woolery
Romney sheep wool fiber.The Cheviot breed has a soft, fluffy fiber that is slightly rough in texture.
This fiber sits in the coarser wool category because the fiber ranges from coarse and scratchy to fine and almost smooth.
Because it is often a coarser fiber it is best for items that will not be next to the skin.
This wool takes dyes well, but they come out slightly duller as this fiber does not have much natural luster.
Cheviot Top from The Woolery
With a variegated crimp and high luster, this slippery fiber takes some work to felt, but it creates a nice medium-soft felted fabric.
It takes dye well due to the luster of the fiber.
You may see this breed of fiber referred to as &#;BFL&#;, short for Bluefaced Leicester.
Bluefaced Leicester from The Woolery
Want more information on Wholesale Wool Felt? Feel free to contact us.
Blue-Faced Leicester sheep wool fiber.This fine wool is best for smaller pieces as it is not as durable as some of the coarser wools. It has good bulk and a clear crimp with a slight luster.
Shetland Wool Top from The Woolery
Shetland sheep wool fiber.Merino is commonly available at fiber arts stores and online.
It is a smooth, fine fiber that creates lightweight, smooth products. Great for felting pieces that need to be soft and durable.
Fine Merino Top from The Woolery
This fiber is silkier than many types of wool.
The felting process may take longer with this fiber as you work and agitate it to the felted point you desire.
Alpaca comes in a variety of natural colors, from deep browns and blacks to grays, red browns, heather grays, and others.
The lighter colors can be overdyed if desired.
Alpaca Top from The Woolery
When purchasing fibers online or from a fiber store, read the labeling.
There are wools treated so that the fiber can be spun, knit, and washed without felting.
This is called a &#;superwash&#; fiber and will be labeled as such.
This is great news for spinners and knitters because they can make beautiful sweaters and other pieces, and the item won&#;t accidentally shrink if thrown in the washing machine.
However, for the felter, this is a problem when you want to intentionally cause felt.
Other things to consider when choosing fibers to experiment with is that the shorter the fiber length, the less tendency it has to form a good felt.
There is not enough length in the fiber to cause it to tangle and form the felt desired.
The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook: More than 200 Fibers from Animal to Spun Yarn.
By Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius
One of my favorite places to order fiber online is The Woolery.
1. Wicking that works
Nature knows what it&#;s doing. Water does not hurt felt. In fact, wool is the most hydrophilic of fibers. Felt can absorb up to 30% moisture and still feel dry to the touch. First, merino felt quickly absorbs moisture away from the surface and into the body of the felt. Then, through a natural process called wicking, moisture is continuously drawn outward along the fibers where it turns to vapor in the tiny air spaces created in the felting process (more on that below). From there is a short trip back to the surface where it evaporates away.
2. Stain and dirt resistant
Our merino fibers are sealed in the dying process to create a natural barrier against stains. Fortunately, most common stains are actually not stains at all, they are residue that has become trapped between the fine merino fibers as water moisture is pulled away by wicking. No problem, spot cleaning is easy. With a simple mix of warm water, light detergent and a little massaging, the trapped residue lifts and washes away with a thorough rinse. Remove excess moisture with an absorbent towel, lay flat and let the natural wicking process do its thing till dry. Here&#;s more on how to care for your felt products.
3. Lightweight
Our merino fibers are extra curly and spring-like. When you put a lot of them all together and interlock the curls tightly, you get a strong, lightweight felt. But here&#;s what&#;s most fascinating: merino felt is classed as a lightweight textile because much of its bulk is actually empty space. Yep, it&#;s true. The irregular spring-like shape of the curls prevents individual fibers from aligning too closely. The separation creates a lot of empty space in between, which means, the more empty space, the lighter the textile. All without losing structure or strength.
4. Strong and durable
We chose felt as our signature textile for its simple, natural beauty and endless utility. With millions of years in the test labs of nature, it&#;s not surprising that many tech fabrics are modeled after the natural benefits and attributes of merino fibers. Their tensile strength and spring-like flexibility give felt unmatched strength. It can be fully bent 20,000 times before failing. Merino wool felt can take temperatures up to 300ºF for long periods without damage and they are impervious to cold. The fibers are also completely water-safe and clean easily. They take on rich saturated color while maintaining a natural antibacterial coating, they can even neutralize formaldehyde (your body will thank you). The list goes on &#; literally, keep reading.
5. Soft and scratch-free
Many types of wool are itchy, we don&#;t use those. That&#;s because some wools fibers are so course the cut ends actually poke the skin causing itchiness. The secret to merino&#;s soft touch is simple: the thinner the fiber, the softer the felt. The average diameter of merino fibers makes them naturally flexible allowing them to softly bend and give way when they come against the skin.
6. Odor resistant
Merino wool is known and prized for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. The thin waxy coating on wool fiber contains fatty acids that naturally inhibit the growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria. This means that woolen items do not need regular washing and will remain fresh after repeated use, unlike many synthetic fibers.
7. Sustainable and renewable.
Merino wool is rapidly renewable, biodegradable, recyclable and can be produced naturally with minimal negative impact. But all that is just half the story. Sustainability is about more than where things come from. It&#;s also about where it goes, its purpose, and how it stands the test of time. Things built to last do not require constant replacements. Less is more.
8. Oeko-Tex® natural, non-toxic dyes.
It&#;s more than just the rich beauty and saturated color, it&#;s what goes into it. Oeko-Tex®natural dyes are the forefront of natural sustainable color technology. All Graf Lantz felt is certified to Oeko-Tex® International standards. No toxins, no residue, no odor, no yuck. No worries!
9. Great for all season weather
A common perception for felt is that of a winter-only textile, that&#;s understandable. When most people think of wool they usually stop at big, heavy, warm, itchy sweaters. But not so fast, 10 out of 10 merino sheep would strongly disagree. The points above show how felt is tough and adaptable with utility in every season. Obviously, a felt wedding dress in August might be a bad call. But for just about any other purpose felt does its job well no matter the weather.