Recipe
Wool felt sheet
Wool fibres (fresh fleece, carded wool, or shredded wool scraps) bonded into a sheet by hot soapy water and gentle agitation. The scales on each wool fibre lock together into a coherent fabric, no spinning or weaving required.
Every A New Field recipe has been run in a domestic kitchen or community hall. Read the safety notes before you start and adapt for your venue.
What you’ll make
A soft, slightly fuzzy sheet about 3-4mm thick. Warm, light, and surprisingly strong. Holds dye beautifully.
Flexible slots (flex around your material)
Felting fibre
Wool / animal protein fibre20g looseExamples Carded wool tops, raw fleece (washed), shredded wool jumper, alpaca or angora fibre, foraged wool from fences
Note, Fresh fleece or carded wool tops felts fastest. Reclaimed wool from shredded jumpers also works if 100% wool.
Fixed ingredients
- Hot water · 1L at ~60C, Hotter water felts faster, but risks scalding small hands. Use kettle-fresh and let it sit two minutes.
- Mild soap · 1 tbsp, Olive-oil soap or grated bar soap is gentlest. Liquid hand soap works at a pinch.
Equipment
- Bubble wrap
- rolling pin or wooden dowel
- towel
- washing-up bowl
- kettle.
Refinements and variations
- Lay coloured scraps in patterns before felting
- Felt around a flat object to create a pocket.
Source notes
Foragable wool from fences and hedgerows where sheep have rubbed past, or from old wool jumpers shredded into loose fibre. Avoid synthetic blends; the felting reaction needs animal protein scales.