Felt is a material that is made by condensing, pressing and matting the fibers together. This textile can be made of wool which is natural fiber and acrylic which is synthetic fiber. There are different kinds of felt s for technical, designer, craft and industrial use. Some felt materials are soft while others are rough and are used in construction materials. Felt can differ in terms of color, thickness, size, density, fiber content and some other factors depending on the usage of the material.

Many cultures have claimed that felt making has originated from their legends. Sumerian legends have said that the discovery of felt making was done by Urnamman of Lagash. There is a story of the discovery of felt that Saint Christopher and Saint Clement were running from persecution, so to prevent blisters they wrapped their sandals with wool. When their journey ended they found out that the wool had turned into felt due to the sweat and the movement of the sandals in the wool.

As certain felts are made by a number of different kinds of fiber, the fibers need to be blend together for which the raw fibers are placed inside an opened studded with nails, to make into a mass After blending into a mass the fibers need to be carded. The fibers are matted in a web in the carding machine.

• Mostly two carding machines are used in the process, to refine the web.
• After carding is done, the carded web is removed by a comb. The web can be removed by two types, either by a cross lapper or by a vlamir.
• Then the webs are joined together to make a thick web, and layered on one another.
• The separate batts are matted and shrunk in width and length, to make a dense felt.
• Next the batts are put into fulling machine that shrinks the material in a specific measurement.
• The wet felt is run through a neutralizing tank to remove the residue of sulfuric acid.
• The material is heavily rolled over for the last time to remove all regularities.
• The felt is then dried in a spinner and the excess water is removed.
• Finally the felt is kept on gaging table and the edges are neatly trimmed. The felt is ready to be dispatched now.

Over the years certain changes have taken place in the making of felt. The felted textile is made by using pressure, moisture and heat to interlock and mat the fibers together. Earlier in the middle age the fur was removed by hand from the hide and hot water and pressure was applied with hands to shrink the fabric together manually. Whereas today machinery is used to do these tasks, but the requirement to make felt remains the same.

There is an exception, that till the end of nineteenth century, the processing of felt was done with mercury. It was discovered that mercury had ill effects on the people who were using mercury to produce felt. It was a sort of poisoning which led to hallucinations, tremors and of sorts of psychotic syndromes. The hat makers were termed as ‘mad hatter’ because of psychotic symptoms that cropped from the poisoning caused by mercury. The hats made from felt materials were quite popular in winter months.

Felt is a kind of fabric that is made of animal hair or wool fibers by pressure and stream without knitting, weaving or spinning. Certain kinds of fibers like fur, wool and other kinds of hair fibers are joined together under a particular condition because of a specific feature and a massive degree of crimp.

So who are the felt products made?

The fibers are dyed after carding. Dyeing can either be done by machine or hand, though machine dyeing is preferred over hand dyeing from fast color. After the coloring process the labors press the raw material with hands with hot water and soap. There are no chemical additives and the felt product is fully handmade.

While the felt is still wet, it is given the shape of the product that has to be made. No patching or sewing is done to shape the product; the shaping is done by hand.  With a systematic way of rubbing and hand manipulation with the help of hot water the desired shape is achieved and then is sun dried.

Felt is an organic fabric that is produced from wool. The process itself takes a long history, first mention of felt production date to 6500 B.C.   From the ancient history we can proudly claim, that the felt is the oldest fabric known to man. This warm and easily made product  was used on wall paintings as the motif of felt applique  from 6500 to 3000 B.C in Turkey. Another traces are in the frozen tombs on the north of Siberia and date around 700 B.C. The tribes were producing mainly clothing, saddles, tents. Due to its characteristics, felt tents were strong, water and snow proof, meanwhile inside of the tent it was cozy and friendly.

The saint patron of felt

As the centuries passed away, felt remained. The Romans discovered process of making felt by a chance, when St. Clement, a wandering monk, stuffed his sandals with a wool to make them more comfortable. The fibers combined with the moisture from sweat and the pressure from his feet produced a fabric, felt. Afterwards, as he was established a bishop, he developed felting process and became the patron of hatmakers, who are working with felt to this day.

Modern ways of production

If we travel to the far East, in Central Asia there are still tribes, that practice feltmaking to produce their tents, traditionally called yurts, clothing, rugs. Currently, the usage of felt is represented in industry as well as in consumer sector. There are 2 main types of processed how is felt produced. Either we are speaking about wet felting or needle felt.

Wet felting

With wet felting, we can use the wool or other animal fibers. The process itself involves the application of warm, soapy water  on fibers applied to layers at 90 degree angles to each other until they are hooked together. At the end, the felt material may be finished by fulling. The result is that the felt is thicker and waterproofed.

Needle felt

Compared to the first process, in this one we do not use water. In this case, special needles are used in industrial felting machine. The needles are constructed the way that after each insertion to felt, they hook up together and the result is a fabric, that can  be strengthened by chemicals or by steam. This production is much more cheaper that pre previous one, so the most of the felt is produced this way. In this process we can switch the organic wool to synthetic fibers.   Clearly, the felt is an irreplaceable product that was proved by centuries and its production was improved to the version that we use these days.

Currently the sealing industry produces not only resistant materials, but they focus on environmental impact as well.

Conventional material proven by time

The market offers a wide range of sealing products which can be easily modified and reshaped, therefore they suit perfectly for their specific usage. However, the only product that is an answer for the question of sustainability is wool felt. Wool felt belongs to the oldest fabric materials which are used in different industries.

The manufacturing process itself is based on wet felting, when water is applied to layers and by repeated compression the layers are hooked together in single piece of fabric. As a result, wool felt does not contain chemicals, does not release any toxic gases, moreover it is chemically resistant and renewable.

The recycling process

Not only the wool felt can be made from recycle fibres, but it is able to decompose. Thus it is not harmful to environment and it contributes to Mother Nature protecting flora and fauna. Due to its structure, compared to another sealings, felt cuts with a clean edge, it can be cut to each and every size and shape, or thickness. You can cut the smallest pieces from it. Thanks to elasticity, it limits waste material which makes it an environmentally friendly resource.

Green water and flame proof

One of the main characteristics of a quality sealing is its resistance. For example, vinyl sealing withstands only 70°C, whereas wool felt stands 600°C. It can be exposed to weather when used as roofing insulation to prevent leaks. Instead of tar paper, which is impregnated with asphalt and coal, you can use more natural source for your home.

Refima offers organic products that are a modern choice for your industry, where economical meets environmental.

Discover new trend in design – design wool felt. 

Are you fascinating by combination of beauty, quality and nature? Now it means even more – the style. In our household we want to have decorations, which will be not only stylish, but also practical. In everyday life we appreciate especially natural products, which will have positive effect on us and our family. From time to time (and sometimes more often) carpets or other things are getting dirty very easy. But what if your wool felt carpet or place mat could be waterproof and protective? Even healthy, because of the dust catching ability Besides that – funny, creative and good-looking!

The secret of MERINO wool

Design wool felt is made of quality MERINO sheep wool, which is softer than ordinary sheep wool. Comparing to the normal one, MERINO fibre is only a part of a wool diameter. This is also the reason, why is this wool soft like silk. Its fibres have also natural UV protection and fireproof ability. However, it has many other qualities, which made it so special and ideal for everyday using – it contains Lanolin, the natural protection against fluids, dirt, bacteries, microbe and smell.

Create your own product

If you have problem to find in shops or internet the dream decoration you are searching for – you can easily create your own and start a business. With FELTWELT you can get self-designed personalised quality natural product, which will perfectly fit to your living room or kitchen. Together we will transform your original ideas into reality. Do not hesitate to contact us with your special requirements.