Wearable Art - Art you can wear!

I love felting. Sometimes I make pictures and now I also make clothing and accessories. They are pieces of Art you can wear.

On this page, you can see pictures of my wearable art. As felt is such a versatile fabric, I like to make unique fabrics with which to create a range of clothing and accessories.

Using the ancient art of wet felting, I agitate wool fibres together to make a felted fabric. Each piece is unique, due to the way I blend different colours of Merino wool fibres and add textures with yarns.

I use a wide range of colours to blend, fade and create landscapes. I want to create products that are individual, slightly whimsical and a little fantastical. I buy all of my Merino wool tops from World of Wool in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

Product planning starts in my sketchbook, where I use watercolour brush pens to create a quick sketch. I want to try out new ideas on paper before committing to the felting.

If you cannot find what you are looking for, you can use my contact page or email me directly - katy@feltedyarns.co.uk

The Process:

Step 1 – I lay out the fibres in the design I want. They are laid down in four or five very thin layers to build up the picture. Using a water spray bottle, I gently dampen them. This part of the process needs to be gentle, so as not to disturb or move the fibres.

Step 2 – Cover the wool fibres with a sheet of nylon or fine netting. This keeps the fibres in place and allows the water and soap to get through to the fibres. Using very warm water, helps the fibres open and attach to each other. The soap, makes the process smoother and helps with the agitation and rolling. I soak the fibres and agitate the fibres using a sweeping motion with my hands. Sometimes, I use a rolling pin or other tube like items. The felt gets agitated in different directions to ensure an even finish.

Step 3 – Fulling: Wonderful  word. This is the process of fulling the fibres. It means, I roll the fibre fabric many, many times. This helps the fibres to shrink and felt with each other. 

Step 4 – Shocking: Once all the fibres have felted with each other, the fabric needs to be washed in hot , then cold water. This finishes the shrinking process and washes out all the soap. Hang out to dry. Air drying will take several hours or overnight. 

Step 5 – Now I have a lovely fabric to use to make my products.

There are five categories for my Wearable Art - Scarves; Neck Warmers and Bags.           

Other products include Kits and Bowls.
Further information can be found below:

Wearable Art - Bags

Here you can see a selection of bags I have made using the same techniques as described previously for other products. The photo shows shoulder / crossbody bags made earlier this year. The main fabric is hand made felted fabric, using Merino wool fibres. They are lined with contrasting polyester fabric, including a small pocket. Ribbon loop and wooden button as fastener. The strap is cotton webbing - approximately 150cm long. Dimensions: Approximately 22cm W x 35cmL.

I am making a new collection of

• Tote Bags
• Evening Clutches
• Satchels / Messenger Bags

For more information on my felt bags, click here.
For my latest products, please visit my Latest News page.