STEPS TO MAKING THE TECHNQUE

1.   Creative hand made felt involves simple tools, supplies and techniques.  Wool fibers (in the form of roving or batts), a hot water source and liquid detergent along with table space and towels are all that is required.  When techniques other than simple hand felting are used a few additional supplies are needed. Several different felting techniques can be combined in the same piece.
 
2.   SIMPLE FELT - uses only wool roving or batts (for beginners Merino is easiest to handle).  Roving is thinly layered at right angles and then sprinkled with a mixture of hot water and liquid detergent and then agitated.  Agitation begins gently and progresses to forcefully as the fibers start to bond together and form a fabric.

3.   Applied, laminated or nuno felt- are names that refer to felt that is made by forcing wool fibers into a base fabric.  The base fabric needs to be woven loosely enough for wool fibers to penetrate - commonly silk chiffon or cotton scrim are used.  Wool fibers are laid on top of the base fabric or the base fabric is sandwiched between two layers of wool fibers - again heat, detergent and agitation are used.  The fibers then penetrate the base fabric and bond into it.

4.   Needle or dry felting-specially designed barbed needles are used singly or in multiples to lie in thinner strands of fiber and more tightly control the design process.

This sampler is a combination of all the above felting techniques.