Sheep’s wool natural dyeing and felting
Natural dyeing is an ancient practice dating back to the neolithic period. Colour is released from plants, fungi or minerals and applied to textiles. After cleaning the raw sheep’s wool we experimented with naturally dyeing it with what was around us and in the kitchen.
After dyeing the wool we explored how to transform the wool into a dense fabric using the ancient technique ‘wet felting’.
Infusing nettles into hot water
Dyeing wool with nettle
From left: turmeric, pomegranate, beetroot, red onion, tea, nettle (light), nettle (dark), Spirulina
Dyes with more intensity, from left: beetroot, nettle, tea
Preparing to felt, wool dyed with tea and turmeric
Friction, a requirement for wool fibres to bind, is created with bubble wrap!
Erin arranging a mix of brushed and unbrushed wool on top of the bubble wrap, and working her magic
The wool is laid out onto the bubble wrap and it is further teased out, by pulling any slightly matted fibres apart
Wet felting
Wet felting
