Transforming Wet Felting with Texture and Interest
Posted on
Step-by-Step Guide to Adding Texture in Wet Felting
1. Choose your fibres
- curly wool locks for raised, organic textures
- yarns or threads to create ridges and lines
- silk or plant fibres for shiny, crinkled surfaces
2. Layer strategically
- place textured fibres on top of your base wool batt or roving
- add thin wisps of contrasting fibres to highlight raised areas
- experiment with uneven layering to create natural depth
3. Use resists
- insert plastic or foam shapes between layers to form bumps, ridges, or pockets
- remove the resist after felting to reveal sculptural textures
4. Manipulate during fulling
- roll tightly in one direction for ridges
- scrunch or pinch areas while fulling to create puckers
- use a washboard or ribbed surface to press in patterns
5. Combine techniques
- mix curly locks with resist shapes for dramatic 3D effects
- pair silk fibres with scrunching for crinkled, shiny highlights
Tips & Considerations
- shrinkage control: Textures exaggerate as wool shrinks; plan your size accordingly
- durability: Secure locks and yarns well during felting so they don’t pull out later
- experimentation: Small sample swatches are the best way to test fibre combinations before committing to a large piece
Mini tutorial to put these skills into practise, making a small round vessel
Step 1: Prepare the Resist
- Cut a small circle of plastic to act as your resist.
- This will form the hollow vessel and allow you to build raised textures around it.
Step 2: Lay the Base Layers
- Place the resist on bubble wrap.
- Cover one side with two thin layers of wool, overlapping edges.
- Flip and repeat on the other side.
- Smooth edges so wool wraps around the resist.
Step 3: Add Texture Fibres
- Curly locks: Place them on the surface in clusters for raised, organic bumps.
- Silk hankies: Stretch thinly and scrunch them slightly before laying down — they’ll crinkle beautifully.
- Yarn scraps: Arrange in spirals or lines for ridges.
Step 4: Wet and Felt
- Cover with netting, sprinkle warm soapy water, and press gently.
- Rub in circles until fibres start binding.
- Flip and repeat on the other side.
Step 5: Fulling for Texture
- Roll the piece in bubble wrap 30–40 times, then rotate and repeat.
- Remove the resist once fibres are holding together.
- Shape the vessel by pinching and scrunching textured areas to exaggerate bumps.
- Roll tightly in one direction to form ridges.
Step 6: Rinse and Shape
- Rinse in hot then cold water to shock fibres.
- Shape the vessel with your hands, pulling edges outward and pressing textures inward.
- Let dry over a bowl or balloon to keep form.
Result
You’ll have a small vessel with raised curly locks, crinkled silk patches, and ridged yarn lines — a tactile, sculptural piece that shows off multiple texturing methods in one project.
Next steps see these three videos making ridges and holes with Muffs Merino and general embellishments with and finally more texture with Stab Things Into Existence.
