Wet felting is an ancient practice for the purpose of creating garments to stay warm. Although this is still true, felting has diversified and become a popular fibre art practice.

The act of wet felting is the blending of loose animal fibres with the purpose of binding them into a solid form. The careful placement of fluffy fibres, application of water, agitation, and fulling (i.e. shrinking) results in a two- or three-dimensional object. Two-dimensional felted pieces are often depictions of the world around us, that is pictures. Three-dimensional pieces can be anything from clothing to sculpture.

“I do work in both two- and three-dimensional felting. In recent years my focus has been on creating two-dimensional fabric and using it to create smaller practical items. This allows me to create a richly textured and colourful fabric that has depth and variety.

In my practice of fabric-making, I use many materials including sheep wool, various silks, hand-spun yarns, plant-based fibres, paper, and anything that I can convince to stick.

Once I decide what I want to make (for example: eyeglass cases, bags, brooches, pendants, bracelets and cuffs, journal covers, bookmarks, or a piece of wall art) I select the appropriate fabric, cut and sew it into its form, and then embellish the piece with stitching, beads, or acrylic paint marks.

I upcycle in my wet felting as much as possible. I might dye a material that isn’t quite the right colour. I often use a section from a piece of found jewelry as an embellishment. If a piece of my felt has been in my collection for too long, I cut it up and use it in another creation.

The possibilities in felting are endlessly creative and practical at the same time. That is to say, transformational, which is what keeps me delving deeper and trying new techniques and ideas all the time.”