Discovering Shiraz’s Felting Craft: Artistic Traditions Unveiled

Felt is a type of traditional woven fabric that is produced with wool. To prepare felt, weaving is not done, but by pressure, humidity, and heat, they cause the wool fibers to get tangled.

The wool used for felting is spring wool with long fibers. Soap and egg yolk can also be used to improve the quality of work. Felt is one of the handicrafts of Shiraz which has been produced in other cities for years and adorns Iranian homes. Master craftsmen prepare this traditional art in different stages and usually arrange the motifs completely improvised on the original wool substrate. More natural materials are used to color different parts, and in this way, what is finally prepared will be completely from the heart of nature.

The different stages of felting in Shiraz

In some workshops, the freshly picked sheep’s wool is passed through the batting machine to remove the impurities from it. The old masters use the batting hand bow for this work.

According to the pattern or design he has in mind; the craftsman designs the desired design using colored wool on a fabric or wicker bed and on the floor.

After the design is finished, water is sprinkled on the colored wools by hand and then the dyed wools are spread over the entire surface of the design and then water is sprinkled.

At this stage, the felt is piped and then beaten on it for about 1 hour.

After finishing the beating stage, the entire surface of the felt is soaked in soap and water to intertwine the wool threads.

After the felt dries, it is washed with water and allowed to dry completely. Sometimes, after rinsing the felt, they add color to it, which will make the patterns more polished.