Felting Journeys is a series of articles on how members have fallen in love with feltmaking. Our inaugural post is by Clare Brophy.
What is Nuno felting?
NUNO is a method of wet feltmaking. The name is derived from the Japanese word for ‘cloth’. It involves the bonding or blending of sheep’s wool into a sheer or woven fabric like silk gauze or silk chiffon. The resulting material is lightweight, strong, warm, and luxurious.
It was invented by Polly Stirling, an Australian textile artist, 25 years ago when she sought to create wearable felt for warmer climates. {There is a fascinating video interview with Polly here – https://youtu.be/xYnBcCqtUzg?si=wYDtobdIA4fScjyC }
You can Nunofelt using other fabrics, too. Any open or loose weave, where the fibre can migrate through and intertwine, can become felt. Other fabrics give a different result to silk, plus the finest Merino wool. Nuno made using silk and Merino drapes beautifully and feels luxurious on the skin. I’ve used muslin, cheesecloth and several different kinds of cotton, but my first love is silk chiffon or the finest Margilan silk and Merino.
Some Examples of Nuno felting
How do you make NUNO?
To create Nunofelt, you make a sandwich by placing silk inside the Merino wool by laying down the wool first, then the silk, and then the wool on top. The rest of the process is the same as any wet felting process. You can also make an ‘open sandwich’ by adding wool to only one side. Some designers make the sandwich with Merino wool inside two layers of silk. I’ve never tried this myself, or not yet!
What about silk?
I discovered Nunofelting about eight or nine years ago. I was immediately hooked! I scoured charity shops searching for vintage silk. I became known among the nine charity shops on Camden Street and the one on Prussia Street as “The Silk Searcher”. My neighbour, Feltmakers Ireland’s Chairperson, Deirdre Carroll, kindly donated some of her silk scarves to upcycle into Nunofelted wearables. If I found a dress or a blouse, I’d cut it up into small sample sizes, dye them into many colours, and use the only wool roving I knew about then, from DHG in Italy – Merino roving.
Of course, I made mistakes:
1. Buying silk online, only to discover it wasn’t silk but some mixed synthetic mixture masquerading as silk which didn’t felt. I vowed never again to buy online but to hold the silk in my hand and have it tested. Be clear on which silk you need for the final purpose. I’ve used silk Organza and silk Habotai. Both felt well for fine wearables.
2. I tried using cheaper, rougher wool batts, as I bought wherever I could, often in kits, online. I was never entirely happy with the results; it depends on your purpose. Batts are okay with muslin for bags or slippers – just not worn next to the skin.
I am sure I became a nuisance at the silk counters in the TWI Fabric Shop in Dublin and on my other regular shopping sprees in the Julian Lopez Fabric Shops in Madrid and Murcia because I insisted on the Burn Test when I was buying silk Chiffon or Habotai. They always brought me to a safe sink with water, got a cigarette lighter and proved that the silk I was buying was indeed truly silk! (If it’s not silk, it has a flame; if it IS silk, it will leave a charred hole and no flame). Another less reliable test is the ‘blow test’: if you can feel cold air on your palm when you blow through the silk, then it is silk.
I should say, too, that very early on, I discovered Margilan silk Gauze and was brave enough to buy a 100-metre bolt directly from Afghanistan! I enjoyed dying it and matching it to the Merino wool. I was constantly learning about textures and finishes.
Margilan Gauze is a very light, soft silk fabric with a beautiful sheen, allowing for transparency and breathability. Meld it with the finest Merino, or a silk and Merino mix, from DHG in Italy; the results are fantastic! I like adding Tussah silk or viscose to add interest and texture.
I should add another reassuring fact: I have washed all these silks and wools in relatively warm water and ironed them on a silk setting. I have used, in recent years, a sander to speed up the felting. Silk, fused with Merino, is a robust fabric that fares well in this process.
More Samples
My involvement:
Before I discovered feltmaking, I had been a painter/artist, having gone to the National College of Art & Design (NCAD) for a few years before and after I first retired in 2004. But after discovering Nunofelting, I did nothing for an entire year except study wet felting on YouTube, joining all sorts of online communities for wet felting, especially those of the Nuno style. I created endless samples. I am indebted to the many makers who upload tutorial videos and share them with learners like me through YouTube. I am also indebted to those who answered my questions.
Lena Archbold’s online courses became my ‘go-to’ place. After you buy her courses, she follows up by emailing her students many helpful tips. Additionally, there are countless courses available online for all standards of feltmaking. For example, Guild member Hélène Dooley (Feltzen) teaches online via the International Feltmakers Association.
When I made my first wrap, the only 100% silk chiffon I could find in this city of Dublin was in TWI, Mountjoy Sq. East. Dublin 1. And they only had a black colour, so I made a black Nunofelted wrap, with black Merino roving and tussah silk fibre. Later, a city dress designer, whom I employed to make a dress for me for a special wedding, saw it and asked me if I would trade it with her in return for her dressmaking skills! She adored it, and I was delighted with my dress!
Then, I made a second wrap, this time for myself, using the same back silk chiffon and a cool green wool fibre. I was wearing it around my shoulders while stopping for a coffee en route to a family wedding in south Wicklow one day. We popped into Avoca. Imagine my shock and surprise when a very glamorous lady stopped me. Hugely admiring my wrap, she asked where I bought it. I thanked her but avoided answering about buying it. She persisted, and finally, I whispered, ‘I made it myself!’ Well!! She then told me she was the buyer for Avoca and would buy them from me!!! Could I make, perhaps, 10 a month? For all their stores???
So, my business was born! After eight years and a particularly busy three years during COVID-19, I finally closed this year – retiring for the second time in my life. I have sold Nunofelted wraps, neck warmers and collars online all over the world during these years. I also sold them in a designer shop in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin.
Other Maker’s Examples
You will have seen exquisite examples of Nuno felting at Feltmakers Ireland’s recent ‘Bountiful’ exhibition, where designer Mel Bradley created two felted scarves using the technique.
Feltmakers Ireland
Several years ago, I was out in Phoenix Park one Sunday morning and happened to walk by the Studio near Knockmaroon Gate, which is now the Biodiversity Centre. Curious to see what was happening, I stopped and was invited in by Vicki. I soon joined Feltmakers Ireland and widened my knowledge of feltmaking: making hats, slippers, and neck warmers. And I learned about adding all sorts of embellishing fibres and yarns. I did all their workshops and Sunday Sessions. I am indebted to this wonderful group of people who warmly share their skills and knowledge with all new members, as I was then.
I have always been a lifelong learner, and although arthritis in my hands, and my advancing age, (78 next birthday), are stopping me now from feltmaking, I will always support Feltmakers Ireland in whatever way I can!
So, hang it there, new members! The sky is the limit with Feltmakers Ireland! I have experienced Showcase, Bloom, and Art exhibitions. Plus, I have also had the experience of working on the committee!
Nowadays, I see that Textile Art is, at last, getting more attention and publicity than before. Our next focus will be to persuade the Art world that Felt Art can rightfully take its place alongside all other art forms. Onwards and Upwards!
Me, wearing my own black and green wrap about eight years ago!
Signed: Clare Brophy
November 2023
