Wet Felted Sleeves Methodology Report

WET FELTED SLEEVES Researchers Andrea Alvarez, Alex St. Angelo, Victoria Chaney, Ludmila Santana, Emma Patton, Inna Pevzner Advisor Jen Wong Project Wet Felting Workshop for UTSOA Students Semester Spring 2019

Finished sleeve by Jessica Go

aura Grenard leading the felting process

Project Description Wet Felting wool is a centuries old technique of crafting everything from tents to clothing. The wet felting workshop, held February 12th, 2019 took place in the Materials Lab Instructor Laura Grenard, M. Arch ‘12, demonstrated the technique of wet felting, which converts loose wool fibers into a non-woven textile through simple mechanical processes.

Participants learned about the origins and architectural applications of felt and crafted a seamless felted sleeve for a reusable drinking glass or cooler.

Materials

Sourcing

Tools

Natural colored core wool roving Dyed colored wool roving Piece of fabric (Fabric Tulle Bolt) Shelf Liner (plastic sheet) Small sponge Bubble wrap Pieces of yarn Olive oil soap Warm Water Jars

Living Felt - Felting Materials Austin, TX

Small bucket Small cup Towels Water Boiler

www.livingfelt.com/

Plastic sheet & Fabric

www.amazon.com/Warp-Brothers-Plast-Ribbed-Adhesive/dp/B008RETOAS/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1554845610&refinements=p_n_material_browse%3A335850011&s=kitchen&sr=1-3 www.amazon.com/Craft-Party-Fabric-Wedding-Decoration/dp/B01NAU9OD5/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1554845659&refinements=p_n_material_browse%3A378544011&s=arts-crafts&sr=1-1

Material Methodology Report: Wet Felted Tiles

Material Determinants The Materials Lab researcher early determined wool would be the main material for the workshop experience. Wool comes in form of batts and roving. Batting wool comes off the machine in thin sheets which are layered to form thicker sheets. The layering results in a textured wool that would have been challenging for wet felting, which wouldn’t be the case with roving. Roving is processed one step further and pulled off the machine in ropes where the fibers are mostly aligned, making it an excellent choice for wet felting. We decided to use artificially dyed wool with vibrant colors that would likely give opportunities to find interesting design compositions. The resulting dimensions of the sleeve were be determined by the size of jars selected. Rather than a perfect methodology for felting results, the project team was interested in an engaging, simple method to introduce students to a fascinating material that has many potential applications in the built environment.

Procedure

1

2

3

1. Using a piece of plastic sheet (4”x3”) as a guide, start placing small thin layers of white or beige wool (approximately 4 inches) horizontally over it until is covered, trying not to surpass the edge of the plastic. (Figure 2) 2. Place a second layer of wool in the same manner, except lay these fibers vertically.

Try to keep the layering as thin as possible, and not exceeding too far over the edges of the plastic.

3. Apply olive oil soap to the layers of wool using the fabric to avoid fibers sticking to the hands. Massage the piece towards the center.

4. Turn over the piece. Repeat steps 1 and 2 one more time, for a total of 4 layers that go around the plastic net. Be careful not to have fibers on opposite sides felting together, otherwise it will not be hollow.

5. Using colored bits of wool roving in different colors, create your pattern or design over the previously laid out pieces of white or beige wool. Try not to make your added wool pieces too thick. These thick places are more difficult to ‘felt’ and connect to other fibers.

6. After finishing the composition, start massaging over the fabric compressing towards the center using the wet sponge (Figure 3) 7. Turn over and massage for at least 1o minutes on each side of the sleeve. Press the edges to make sure there are no loose ends. If the sleeves felt together is ok, in the last step it can be cut to be hole.

8. Squeeze out the excess water.

9. Set the sleeve on a piece of bubble wrap (18”x12”). Begin gently rubbing the fibers with your flat hand towards the center. After a minute increase the pressure. You want to use friction to melt the fibers together.

10. Try to pinch a few fibers and pull them away. If they slide off easily, you need to rub a few more minutes. If they are stuck to the “fabric”, the fibers have been successfully felted.

11. Turn over the sleeve and roll the fabric into the bubble wrap. Compress the roll 50 times, felting the fabric. Do this for both orientations of the rectangle on both sides.

You may need to repeat this step multiple times.

12. Lastly, rinse soap under cold water and let dry in the sun for at least 24 hours over the jar (Figure 4).

13. Cut the edges for a cleaner finish after the piece has dried.

Future Applications The next step to take on this research will be creating 3D objects with the felting technique. A proposed method could be 3D printing any object and following the same procedure we could potentially generate a similar methodology for 3D felted objects.

Due the material properties , it is desirable to felt objects that are curvilinear in nature in order to make the rubbing easier to the touch and the felted product to have a cleaner finish.

4

Report prepared by Materials Lab Researcher Andrea Alvarez, Spring 2019 Material Methodology Report: Wet Felted Sleeves