Step-by-Step Guide to Adding Texture in Wet Felting

1. Choose your fibres

• curly wool locks for raised, organic textures
• yarns or threads to create ridges and lines
• silk or plant fibres for shiny, crinkled surfaces

2. Layer strategically

• place textured fibres on top of your base wool batt or roving
• add thin wisps of contrasting fibres to highlight raised areas
• experiment with uneven layering to create natural depth

3. Use resists

• insert plastic or foam shapes between layers to form bumps, ridges, or pockets
• remove the resist after felting to reveal sculptural textures

4. Manipulate during fulling

• roll tightly in one direction for ridges
• scrunch or pinch areas while fulling to create puckers
• use a washboard or ribbed surface to press in patterns

5. Combine techniques

• mix curly locks with resist shapes for dramatic 3D effects
• pair silk fibres with scrunching for crinkled, shiny highlights

Tips & Considerations

• shrinkage control: Textures exaggerate as wool shrinks; plan your size accordingly
• durability: Secure locks and yarns well during felting so they don’t pull out later
• experimentation: Small sample swatches are the best way to test fibre combinations before committing to a large piece

Mini tutorial to put these skills into practise, making a small round vessel 

Step 1: Prepare the Resist

• Cut a small circle of plastic to act as your resist.
• This will form the hollow vessel and allow you to build raised textures around it.

Step 2: Lay the Base Layers

• Place the resist on bubble wrap.
• Cover one side with two thin layers of wool, overlapping edges.
• Flip and repeat on the other side.
• Smooth edges so wool wraps around the resist.

Step 3: Add Texture Fibres

• Curly locks: Place them on the surface in clusters for raised, organic bumps.
• Silk hankies: Stretch thinly and scrunch them slightly before laying down — they’ll crinkle beautifully.
• Yarn scraps: Arrange in spirals or lines for ridges.

Step 4: Wet and Felt

• Cover with netting, sprinkle warm soapy water, and press gently.
• Rub in circles until fibres start binding.
• Flip and repeat on the other side.

Step 5: Fulling for Texture

• Roll the piece in bubble wrap 30–40 times, then rotate and repeat.
• Remove the resist once fibres are holding together.
• Shape the vessel by pinching and scrunching textured areas to exaggerate bumps.
• Roll tightly in one direction to form ridges.

Step 6: Rinse and Shape

• Rinse in hot then cold water to shock fibres.
• Shape the vessel with your hands, pulling edges outward and pressing textures inward.
• Let dry over a bowl or balloon to keep form.

Result

You’ll have a small vessel with raised curly locks, crinkled silk patches, and ridged yarn lines — a tactile, sculptural piece that shows off multiple texturing methods in one project.