How to avoid stiff felt

Have you ever had your felt become too stiff? Have you wondered why that happens? Have you tried making it thinner, but ended up with a lot of holes? These are common issues that many felt makers face. Let’s have a look at how to solve that, so that you never have to waste all those beautiful materials again.

I find there are many misconceptions about how to avoid making your felt too stiff. So, to start, I want to have a look at some of the most common ones.

Misconception #1 – There’s a certain number of layers I have to use for a particular item

You see, the thing is that it’s not about the layers. Please don’t ask how many layers are needed for a piece! Someone else’s layers may be much thicker or thinner than yours. So, what you need to know is how much wool to use. You don’t believe me? Then, try this:

• On a 25 cm square (or 10-inch square), lay out 4g divided into 4 layers. Then felt it.
• Next, do the same, but with 12g. So, on a 25 cm square, lay out 12g divided into 4 layers. Then, felt this as well.
• And let me know if there is any difference between the two pieces of felt: the one you made with 4g and the one you made with 12g. I mean, after all, they’re both 4 layers. Right?

Misconception #2 – Ironing and/or stretching your felt makes it soft and drapey

I do recommend you iron your felt, since that helps make any wrinkles disappear and makes it smoother. It also warms up the felt, allowing you to stretch it out and shape it better. But it won’t make your felt softer and drapey if it’s stiff.

But, again, you don’t need to believe me. Get the samples you’ve just made and try it. See for yourself how much of a difference you get by ironing or stretching out your felt.

Misconception #3 – Washing your felt with conditioner or boiling it removes the stiffness of your felt

There is no way to soften felt that is stiff. After the fibers have felted you can’t unfelt them. You need to make it soft from the start.

Have you started wet felting recently and are feeling overwhelmed with all the techniques you see, so you’re not sure what to do next? What if there was a way to advance in wet felting without overwhelm, one step at a time?

I've created a guide that helps you know what to do next, no matter which phase you're in. You can download it here.

So, let’s have a look at what makes your felt fine and flexible.

Tips #1 – Choose your wool correctly.

No matter how much quality your felt has, if you work with coarse wool, your felt will never be drapey and flexible. A soft wool like an extra-fine merino is perfect for thin and flexible felt. That’s a 16-to-19-micron Merino. Some felt makers prefer working with wool tops and others with wool batts. I’m a tops person 😊 But the results can be equally good with batts.

#2 – Lay out thinly.

In other words, use less wool. The layout is key for a fine and flexible felt. That means you need to work thinly but evenly to avoid holes in your felt. Get used to weighing your wool and making samples. This way, you won’t get unpleasant surprises.

#3 – Understand shrinkage.

You need to understand how shrinkage works and how much a piece needs to shrink before you decide on how much wool to use and how big to make your resist.

#4 – Know when your felt is ready.

Most felt makers worry about over-felting. But most actually under-felt. I think these worries about over-felting show up because people are afraid their felt becomes too stiff. But, as you’ve been discussing, stiff felt is caused by laying out your wool too thick.

So, forget about over-felting. Make sure nothing lifts anymore, and you can’t distinguish the individual fibers. The only time over-felting can be an issue is in nuno felting and clothing. But, in my opinion, these projects are more advanced. So, it’s better to only tackle those when you understand the basics first.

#5 – Work slowly and gently. This also means not starting with hot water.

Felt in general doesn’t like to be rushed. And fine felt in particular needs to be handled with slow and gentle methods, like massaging and rolling, rather than throwing. I find working with room temperature water also helps, since it allows the felting process to be slower.

And bonus tip: make a sample to be able to understand how your fiber will respond.

It’ll allow you to test if the wool is the right one, if you are laying out thinly enough, how much shrinkage you need to calculate, when your felt is ready, and if you’re using the right layout and fulling methods for your goals. And you’ll be able to conclude all of this with just a small amount of wool and not too much effort either, instead of risking a whole piece.

Today we’ve looked at 3 misconceptions about stiff felt, as well as 5 tips to actually make your felt fine and flexible. Next week, we’ll go on with this topic with a more hands-on video.

I’ll see you then!