In some of my latest blog posts, I’ve been talking about the factors we have to take into account in wet felting. We’ve already seen that:
- the WOOL choice is definitely where everything starts,
- SOAP has a fundamental function in the process,
- and the combination of WATER and TEMPERATURE is extremely important.
So, you could say that PRESSURE is the fifth element in wet felting, because nothing happens without mechanical action. This means you’ll have to either sweat, or use some kind of tool or machine to add AGITATION to the felting to complete the process.
Image from www.nzmerino.co.nz
Wool fibers felt due to the microscopic scales they have on the surface. During the felting process, they open up and connect to each other, creating the fabric.
And the purpose of agitation is exactly to interlock the fibers to create a compacter, thicker material. Pressure forces the air out of the fibers, so that they can come in contact with one another. At the beginning, it should be applied lightly and slowly, to allow the fibers to migrate.
There are many ways to apply pressure to the piece, and any form of agitation will do the job, but some methods might be more appropriate, depending on the project.
If you do a research on this, you’ll find a couple of different techniques. I’ve made a small list that gives you an overview of the methods.
- Rubbing/massaging/kneading
- Pounding/beating/stomping
- Rolling
- Tossing/throwing/tumbling
- Sanding
Next week I’ll go into each of them in detail, and talk about the advantages and disadvantages, as well as when I use them and what is needed for each of the techniques.
If you have any questions on the subject, please send me an email and I’ll include the answer in the post.
See you then!
