Wet Felting with local Wool - Workshop in Berlin
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About this class
Workshop in Berlin: Wet-Felting with Local Wool
In this wet-felt workshop for all levels, you'll learn the basics of the technique and create a poetic and useful object.
Wet-felting is a traditional fiber art technique that transforms wool fibers into a dense, durable, non-woven fabric using only water, soap, heat, and agitation. The process begins by laying out thin, layered tufts of wool, alternating directions (e.g., perpendicular) to ensure a strong, cohesive structure. Once designed, the fibers are wetted with hot, soapy water, which opens the scales on the wool fibers.
The crucial step is agitating the wet fibers to lock these scales together, a process known as felting. This is done by rubbing the wool gently at first, often using bubble wrap or a net as a barrier, before moving on to more vigorous rolling, pressing, and, eventually, fulling the material. This friction causes the wool to shrink and bind into a solid fabric. Finally, the felt is rinsed thoroughly, often with a "shock" of cold water and vinegar to tighten the fibers, and left to dry.
What you’ll do in the class
First, we introduce you to the technique by demonstrating the simple yet magical process of fiber densification.
Then, we distribute some wool and you embark on your own transformation process, listening to your wise hands. We suggest choosing one of the three following objects: a soap-scrub, a platter or a pouch:
Felt wool around your favorite soap, this way, you produce a gentle scrub: soap and sponge in one! Alternatively, you can create a round platter to place under the hot pan or as a table decoration. If you have some experience or feel confident with wet-felting, you can produce a 3D recipient, a container. This process is a bit more ambitious.
Who is the class suitable for?
The course is accessible to everybody. No previous knowledge or inclination is required. It is ideal for anyone who would like to experiment with their hands, for those who never thought of wool as an essentially human material, for children, for grannies, for intellectuals, for autists, truly for everyone and especially for those who values care. Because wool is the material of care.
Details to remember
A Wool Connection
The wet-felting workshops, ateliers de feutrage humide are the opportunity to touch wool, which has been the material of care and comfort for millenaries all over the planet. A chance to re-connect with nature and take the time to listen to our wise hands.
