Rug Hooking Instructions • Making Felted Wool • Rug Hooking Wool
Backing For Rug Hooking
• Linen Burlap AKA Hairless Linen • Poly/Cotton Weaver's Cloth
Fulling Wool at Home
- Fulling shrinks wool 15% to 25%, sometimes more.
- fulling can be done at home in a standard washer and dryer!
- 6-8 yards of wool can be felted in one washer / dryer load and within reason colors can be mixed. It is best to batch dark colors, light colors and very light or white wools. Expect some loss of color and mottling which in rug hooking is desirable. Each wool fabric will react differently so there is an element of surprise in every load.
- Fulling should be done before strips are cut. The raw edges do not normally need to be finished before the washing process. If unsure, zigzag or serge the raw edges before fulling.
- 100% wool felts the best and makes the best rug hooking strips but a small amount of nylon can be acceptable as can a small percentage of other animal fiber. Polyester blends and other synthetics will not felt and are not suitable for rug hooking. If unsure if yardage is pure wool, take a very small snip of fabric getting both warp and weft threads and cover with normal household chlorine bleach. Cover the container and set aside. The bleach will totally dissolve pure wool within 24 hours.
Continue to the "How To" instructions
What is Fulling?
Fulling is a process that compacts wool, which results in yardage that is slightly thicker and does not ravel. Tiny scales on the surface of wool fibers open in moist heat, they overlap and intertwine when agitated then clamp back down when cooled and dried. The resulting felted wool is stronger, thicker, with permanently bonded fibers yet it normally remains soft and pliable.