When I personally think about textile resources that are not being utilized, my mind immediately refers to the vast existence of preexisting garments, especially knitwear. One may easily be able to alter a pair of woven pants or tops, however, knitwear is difficult if not impossible for the average consumer to alter to their specific tastes and functions as they can do with woven garments. A vast majority of knitwear that is left behind on thrift store racks is of wool fiber. Unlike many of the synthetics of today’s production making soft fleeces and valor. Wool tends to be uncomfortable and intolerable to many consumers driving them away from purchasing new and older wool items. Wool being a particularly older fiber used, many of the garments made using wool are dated in design and stiff in structure. Wool sweaters are also one of the most commonly found held-onto garments found in the back of closets due to damage. As wool is a protein, moths and other insects use the fiber as a food source leaving permanent damage and an unwearable garment in some cases.

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      A great way to revitalize these forgotten garments is through a process called wet felting. Either in following a pattern to shape or creating a new textile to cut and piece together, carded fibers of wool pulled from preexisting garments is laid onto a water-resistant surface (tarp, plastic, etc.) and wetted using water can distribute the water evenly. Using unscented soap, typically sheep fat soap to continue with the theme of the medium, one scrubs the soap over the wool layer and uses a dish scrub brush to buff the surface. This binds the wool proteins together through friction, the water helps loosen the proteins in the fiber to ease the felting process. While wet, either a shape is trying to be achieved using stretching, molding, and adding additional fibers to extend a shape, or one can leave it flat. After a series of rolling and batting the fabric, the wool is left to dry and the process is deemed complete.

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      My proposal is to perform this exact process with a series of retired wool garments bought second-hand and create playful panels for said garment. In typical fashion with the fiber, I am choosing to create a wool coat again using either only felted wool fabric or a combination including preexisting wool fabric I already own. I have included my sketches for possible garment designs below as well as resources further explain the wet felting process as well as the intensity of wool garment production.