If you've ever been to Nepal you'll know that felt items are one of the most common products produced in Kathmandu. All the cute colourful shops showcase the end result of all the hard work that goes into crafting these items though ... we thought we'd show you how our felt pieces are made from scratch after our last visit.
The first step is to dye the wool. All the wool in our felt pieces comes from New Zealand, and is mulesing free (cruelty free) wool. The skeins are coloured depending on the item being made. Occasionally the wool is left undyed when 'natural' colours are needed.
The next step is to turn the wool into felt - a process both time consuming and physical. The wool fibre is matted and rubbed together (in our case by hand) while applying soap and hot water onto the fibres. The hot water and soap changes the pH of the wool and allows the scales on the fibres to open up and matt together more easily.
Once the wool has been turned into felt, the pieces are cut and shaped, and the creation of each item begins to take shape. To layer colours on top of one another is a process called needle felting, which is super fun to try!
Stitching is also needed to attach pieces (such as wings or embellishments as in the images below) onto the original felt.
Our felt makers are an amazing group of talented mothers, sisters and daughters who always have a fabulous smile (and a cup of tea) waiting for us when we visit. We feel so blessed to work with such a brilliant team!
Thank you for all your continued support and allowing us to provide ongoing employment for all our makers in Nepal.
Browse our unique handmade felt items.
Until next time,
Mel Xx
