WinnipegFIRST

• Posted: Feb 4th 2009, 09:00 / Written by: Megan Benedictson
• Tagged as: west broadway, felting, wool, Winnipeg

Everything old is new again, and in West Broadway a group of friends have picked up an ancient art with fresh results.

It’s called felting, and it involves taking pieces of un-spun wool and turning it into felt shapes using either a wet (soap) or dry (needle) method. It is the oldest known form of textile production.

The term ‘felt’ refers to cloth that is made by matting, pressing and condensing rather than by weaving. Since felt can be made to any thickness, you can use the process to create three dimensional cloth objects.

Heather Bays discovered an instructional needle felting video on YouTube while searching for a new hobby, “I had started out crocheting, and it was a curiosity to see where I could go with wool.” At the same time a friend was experimenting with soap felting, so Bays sought out the barbed needles required to dry felt.

Bays mainly felts animal sculptures, which she describes as being small enough to fit on a necklace but big enough to look good on a shelf. She sells them at craft sales, and will have a table up at the Winnipeg Humane Society Fundraiser on Louis Riel Day.

Bays’ good friend Meghan Flett picked up the good habit just in time for Christmas, and is now hooked on felting delicate pins and patches for friends and family.

While needle felting requires patience and creativity, it is not technical or difficult. One simply stabs a piece of wool repeatedly, and the barbed needle mats it into a solid mass, which is easily shaped with more concentrated jabbing. As easy as it is, Flett warns that it is not for everyone, especially children.

“They are very sharp, and because of the quick stabbing motion that is required it is not difficult to get a stab in the finger.”

While felting is picking up in popularity, it has proved difficult for Bays and Flett to find supplies in Winnipeg. The only local store they found which carried any felting accessories was Ram Wools, but after clearing that store’s supply of felting needles they have started ordering online.