Product Description

Feltmaking is the magical transformation of a loose pile of wool fi bers into a durable, alluring nonwoven fabric. An ancient process that continues to work its wonder on modern artisans and crafters, feltmaking produces a flannel-like fabric with a tactile appeal like nothing else.

How is this fabric alchemy accomplished? The feltmaker adds a little soap and water to the wool, presses the fibers until they tangle together and hold the shape of cloth, and then vigorously works, or fulls, the cloth until it shrinks and strengthens to the desired shape.

In Uniquely Felt, Christine White, a professional teacher and feltmaker, gathers her considerable knowledge of the craft to write the comprehensive guide to all things felt. She describes the equipment, explores concepts and theories of felting, and thoroughly covers all felting techniques, including traditional, needle, three-dimensional seamless, nuno, cobweb, carved, and Beede ball.

And then there are the projects — handsome, indestructible bags; nuno shawls that marry soft wool fibers and wispy silks; bright picnic blankets and plush bath mats; lacy curtains made with impossibly sheer cobweb felt. Every project is striking in its fabulous depth of color and purity of form. There are no stitches, no seams, and no signs of woven cloth — just a wonderful, flowing piece of textile art.

The basic steps of feltmaking are simple enough to learn in an afternoon, but the infinite possibilities in every new pile of fiber keep enthusiasts fascinated for a lifetime. The process always begins the same way, but the fibers make the felting journey unique every time. This book is the ultimate guide to that magical adventure.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14543 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-14
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Christine White is the owner and director of Magpie Designs Felting Studio (www.magpiefelt.com) and founder of the Northeast Feltmakers Guild. She lectures and writes about wool and felt, serves as a guest curator for felt shows, and enjoys teaching feltmaking techniques and developing both functional and artistic felt. Christine lives in western Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

the kind of book you want to quit your job just to try all the things in it... NOW
Just skimming through I caught one of my errors in wet felting (if a little bit of soap is good, then a lot of soap is better... NOT) So.. I can be a bit excessive.
The style is as one friend speaks with another. Wonderful analogies to bring home points and so much content. Amazon has a section for "look inside" and it is the tip of the string. If you are at all interested in wet felting, go for it. At 320 pages it is engaging/detailed content with personality and style. No cursory fluff overview. Enjoy!

Amazing book - substantial
This book is beautifully illustrated on substantial paper stock. The graphics are very well done. The book covers practicalities like proper posture while felt-making and watching out for creepy-crawlies in your wool. The techniques range from simple cord making to creating yardage for upholstery projects to making your own fedora. Up until now, the only felting I've done was the accidental machine washing of a wool scarf. I'm really looking forward to trying these techniques.

One caveat - if you are looking for a good reference for the popular craft of needle felting, you won't find very much here. There are only 3 pages skimming the topic. You might consider Indygo Junction's Needle Felting: 22 Stylish Projects for Home & Fashion for a better text on needle felting.

A 'must' for any serious needlework library
Felt holds all kinds of potential for unique creations: add water and soap and you can create all kinds of items, or use cobwebbing techniques to make scarves, shawls and more. UNIQUELY FELT is not your typical applique guide: it offers crafters a fine set of projects based on felt and water use, and explains all techniques options, from traditional applications to needlework, 3-D seamless, cobweb and more. Large-size color photos blend with color sidebars of information and easy step-by-step detail for nearly fifty projects demonstrating a range of options for felt. A 'must' for any serious needlework library, this goes far beyond the typical felt/applique approach.