Caring for Felt
If wool is treated with moisture and agitation it will eventually felt together and shrink. Once the fibres have begun to felt together the process can speed up and further shrinkage happens easily. It is therefore really important to wash felt with great care. Basic care includes occasionally picking off any dust particles caught up in the fibres plus any tiny balls of wool that may 'pill up'. Jumpers do this a lot, but scarves and hats don’t really.
Dry-cleaning is recommended, however, gentle washing by hand is fine in mild, warm, soapy water. Rinse in cool water and squeeze, remove excess water in a towel. Don’t wring it out as this will distort the shape too much. All wool needs to be reshaped after washing. For a hat the easiest way to do this is in front of a mirror: pop it back on your head whilst still damp and gently encourage it back into shape by pulling or patting. Flowers just need a bit of a scrunch, scarves need to be gently pulled out flat. Once in the correct form allow the wool to dry naturally – hats over an upturned bowl, scarves over a rail. Creases can be removed by wetting, squeezing out in a towel and allowing to dry naturally, reshape as before. Avoid creases by keeping felt unfolded, ironing is not recommended as it crushes the fibres too much.
Dry-cleaning is recommended, however, gentle washing by hand is fine in mild, warm, soapy water. Rinse in cool water and squeeze, remove excess water in a towel. Don’t wring it out as this will distort the shape too much. All wool needs to be reshaped after washing. For a hat the easiest way to do this is in front of a mirror: pop it back on your head whilst still damp and gently encourage it back into shape by pulling or patting. Flowers just need a bit of a scrunch, scarves need to be gently pulled out flat. Once in the correct form allow the wool to dry naturally – hats over an upturned bowl, scarves over a rail. Creases can be removed by wetting, squeezing out in a towel and allowing to dry naturally, reshape as before. Avoid creases by keeping felt unfolded, ironing is not recommended as it crushes the fibres too much.
