Fulling methods: does it really matter which ones you choose?

Felting and fulling methods. You’ll see different felt makers using different ones, and this may have raised the question for you: Is it really that important which ones you choose to use? I mean, they all produce felt, right?

Well, yes, I guess that’s right. But choosing the right felting and fulling methods for your projects is important because they create different results. So, in my opinion, it’s wise to think about which ones you want to use, according to the project you’re planning.

Maybe if you’re a beginner felter, this may seem like too much. And that’s perfectly ok. But, if you’re in a more advanced phase of felt making, if you want to sell or exhibit what you make, or if you just want your felt to be of better quality, I promise you this is an important facet of your craft.

But words don’t mean much. So, I’d like to illustrate this with an example. I’m going to make two samples using the same materials on both, but different fulling methods. And in the end, we’ll see how different our results are.

Since I don’t want to overwhelm you, I’ve divided this experiment into two parts. This week, I’m showing you how to felt your sample with gentle felting and fulling methods. And next week, we’ll see how the same sample (with the same amount of fiber and the same layout) will look different just by changing the fulling methods we use (more aggressive ones).

If you’d like to have a better feel for what’s happening, I recommend you make your own samples after watching the videos. This way, you’ll have the chance to see how your own felt even feels different.

So, when you’re ready, just click on the video above to follow the exercise. And, if you’d like to get more information about the different felting methods and when to use them, you can download the free PDF guide here.