Wearables – Felt on the body
Unlike vessels, wearables lend themselves to nuno felting, which is the combination of wool fibres and fabric. Even accessories like hats and bags may have some degree of nuno felting involved in their construction. When making wraps, I specifically aim to create the felt to be as fine and flexible as possible. The use of extra fine merino wool roving and the lightest of silks, combined with gentle felting techniques, produces a very drape-able fabric.
Despite their light weight, they are warm and don’t need ironing! Felt clothing as seen in the northern hemisphere is generally warmer and thicker. Certainly it is not very practical for our hotter climate in Australia, and hence the desire to make lighter weight garments and accessories.
The water resistant properties of wool make it an ideal fibre for a range of wearable items. The density of the felt makes them wind resistant too. Apart from being biodegradable, wool is also more fire resistant than most fabrics as well as having antibacterial properties.
There are so many avenues still to explore with wearables including jewellery, fit for purpose bags / pouches and possibly something more ambitious like a whole coat!