Nuno Felting
The Process
Nuno felting is a wet felting method perfected by Australian artist Polly Stirling. It is a labor intensive process, which involves laying out a pattern of wool roving onto a fine gauge natural fiber such as habotai silk or wool gauze, wetting it with soapy water, and rolling it up with a textured plastic sheet. It must be agitated, and rerolled several times, always staying wet. During this process, the wool roving fibers work their way through the base fabric, creating a completely melded new fabric. There are many variables including the materials used, the temperature of the water, and the length and pressure of the rolling action. The finished fabric is then rinsed in hot water which shrinks the roving more than the base layer, with beautifully textured results.
