Feltmaking

Felt is a homogenous fabric composed of densely matted animal fibers. When the fibers are wetted, tiny scales on each hair open like petals, and as the damp wool is agitated, the scales catch each other, entangling the countless threads on a microscopic level. When the wool dries, its scales close back up, locking the fibers into place and creating a sturdy fabric.

Feltmaking is one of the most ancient technologies, predating weaving and other yarn-based textiles. It is a process that occurs naturally to some extent, but in Central Asia, where sheep were first domesticated the technology was refined into an art form. Techniques for decorating the felt, using differently colored wools to create intricate patterns, were developed and passed on through generations of craftsmen. Jo and Kent use traditional methods which they learned in Turkey to create modern and distinctive area rugs.

JO HESSE

Jo Hesse began her feltmaking journey in Germany at the Freie Hochschule Stuttgart before traveling to Konya, Turkey to study traditional rugmaking methods with UNESCO honored Master Feltmaker Mehmet Girgic and his wife Theresa Girgic. She has led two month-long community rugmaking projects at A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton MA, and Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity in Florence, MA, as well as exhibiting her own work at both locations. For those projects she was awarded five Local Cultural Council grants. Hesse has had work published in Rug Insider and Fiber Art Now. She has taught preteens and teens at the Bowsprit Foundation in Unity, Maine and The Hartsbrook School in Hadley, MA as well as teaching feltmaking workshops at Sanborn Mill Farm in Loudon, NH and the Hill Institute in Florence MA. She now lives in Boston with her husband and one-year old daughter.