Traditional feltmaking techniques can be used to create flat or two-dimensional pieces or fabric.

Three-dimensional forms can also be made by using different felting techniques.

Felt is a nonwoven textile that is made by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be very soft, or very rough, and can be made into any size or shape

Felt is the oldest acknowledged textile fabric. The process of making felt dates back to the Iron Age. It is practiced by cultures all over the world.

Feltmaking is still practiced by nomadic people in Central Asia, where rugs, tents and clothing are still made using this process. Scandinavian countries also have a long history of feltmaking.

Yurt made from felt.

Women of At-Bashi Kyrgyzstan making traditional felt rugs.

This magnified photo of unfelted wool shows the scale structure of the fibers.

When wool gets wet, the scales on the fibers open up, causing the fibers to lock onto each other.

This is a photo of wool before it has been washed and processed.

Feltmaking (also known as wet felting or traditional felting) is an ancient process that involves working loose wool fibers into a sturdy fabric called felt.

You need two things in order for animal fiber to felt.1. Moisture. The fibers must be

entirely wet.2. Friction.

Most animal fiber will felt if it has moisture and friction applied to it. Some fibers take longer to felt. Heat and soap are now used to help fibers felt faster.

Wet Felting has two stages to the process. The first is called felting where the fibers begin to tangle together. You must be very gentle with the fiber at this stage.

.The second stage in the feltmaking process is called fulling. This is when the wool fibers shrink and lock together to form felt. At this stage, more and more friction is added to shrink the fiber and make it more dense.

Needle Felting (or dry felting) is a method of making felted items that uses a sharp, barbed needle to poke down through loose fibers, entangling them into a dense mat. Needle felting can be used to create a lot of detail to both flat felt and felted forms.