What is felt

FromWikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Felt is a non-woven cloth thatis produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers. While sometypes of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form

construction materials. Felt can be of any color, and made into any

shape or size. 

Felt is the oldest form of fabric known tohumankind. It predates weaving and knitting, althoughthere is archaeological evidence from the BritishMuseum that the first known thread was made by windingvegetable fibers on the thigh. In Turkey, the remains offelt have been found dating back at least to 6,500 BC.Highly sophisticated felted artifactswere found preserved in permafrost in a tombin Siberia and dated to600AD[clarificationneeded].

Many cultures have legends as to the origins of feltmaking. Sumerian legend claims that the secret of feltmaking was discovered by Urnamman of Lagash. The story of Saint Clement and Saint Christopher relates that while fleeing from persecution, the men packed their sandals with wool to prevent blisters. At the end of their journey, the movement and sweat had turned the wool into felt socks.

 

Feltmaking is still practiced by nomadic peoples in Central Asia and northern parts of East Asia, where rugs, tents and clothing are regularly made. Some of these are traditional items, such as the classic yurt, while others are designed for the tourist market, such as decorated slippers. In the Western world, felt is widely used as a medium for expression_r in textile art as well as design, where it has significance as an ecological textile.

his "wet" process utilizes the inherent nature of wool andother animal hairs, because the hairs have scales on them which aredirectional. The hairs also have kinks in them, and this combination of scales (like the structure of a pine cone) iswhat reacts to the stimulation of friction and causes the phenomenon of felting. It tends to work well with woollen fibres as their scales, when aggravated, bond together to form a cloth. 

Felting is done by a chemical process in industry. It is alsodone with special felting needles, which grab individual fibres anddrag them against their neighbors, thereby binding them. Felting may also be done in a domestic washing machine on a hot cycle. 

From the mid-17th to the mid-20th centuries, a process called"carroting" was used in the manufacture of good quality felt formaking men's hats. Beaver, rabbit or hare skins were treated with a dilute solution of the mercurycompound mercuricnitrate. The skins were dried in an oven when the thin fur atthe sides went orange - carrot color. Pelts were stretched over a bar in a cutting machine and the skin sliced off in thin shreds, the fleece coming away entirely. The fur was blown onto a cone-shaped colander, treated with hot water to consolidate it, the cone peeled off and passed through wet rollers to cause the fur to felt. These 'hoods' were then dyed and blockedto make hats. This toxic solution and the vapors it produced resulted in widespread cases of mercurypoisoning among hatters. The UnitedStates Public Health Service banned the use of mercury in thefelt industry in December 1941. 

Felting is done by a chemical process in industry. It is also done with special felting needles, which grab individual fibres and drag them against their neighbors, thereby binding them. Felting may also be done in a domestic washing machine on a hot cycle.

 

From the mid-17th to the mid-20th centuries, a process called "carroting" was used in the manufacture of good quality felt for making men's hats. Beaver, rabbit or hare skins were treated with a dilute solution of the mercury compound mercuric nitrate. The skins were dried in an oven when the thin fur at the sides went orange - carrot color. Pelts were stretched over a bar in a cutting machine and the skin sliced off in thin shreds, the fleece coming away entirely. The fur was blown onto a cone-shaped colander, treated with hot water to consolidate it, the cone peeled off and passed through wet rollers to cause the fur to felt. These 'hoods' were then dyed and blocked to make hats. This toxic solution and the vapors it produced resulted in widespread cases of mercury poisoning among hatters. The United States Public Health Service banned the use of mercury in the felt industry in December 1941.

Needle felting is a popular fiber arts craft conducted without the use of water. Special barbed felting needles that are used in industrial felting machines are used by the artist as a sculpting tool. Using a single needle or a small group of needles (2-5) in a hand held tool, these needles are used to sculpt the wool fiber. The barbs catch the scales on the fiber and push them through the layers of wool tangling them and binding them together much like the wet felting process. Fine details can be achieved using this technique and it is popular for 3D felted work.