My Journey into Paper-Wool Felt
Blending paper into wool is pure magic. It profoundly transformed my felt art, first my wearable art pieces and nowadays my non-functional, purely artistic creations. This post is about both, the magic and my journey.
My journey into paper-wool felt began in 2016, when I first succeeded in blending a delicate paper bug cutout into merino wool fibers. Back then I was into wearable art. My signature item then was the 4-in-1 art vest.
The photo below shows this art vest, the starting point:
My first art vest from 2016 – featuring a mulberry paper bug cutout.
I still remember how difficult it was! It took me hours, and I even thought the paper would never blend. But luckily I can be very stubborn, and as you can see, it worked!
Paper blended into wool has completely changed my art life!
Fiber-based papers remain my go-to for garments — they meld beautifully with wool and result in pieces that are easy to handle and washable. Layered, they give a beautiful stiffness for pieces like this statement cowl:
The real magic unfolded in the years that followed, as I experimented further with fiber- and non-fiber-based papers, testing how each behaved when introduced to wool. I learned which papers blend deeply, which hold their structure, and how to harness each type for unique creative effects.
For more artistic or sculptural projects, I love using non-fiber-based papers, including craft papers, recycled packaging, and even printed or metallic tissue paper. These offer extraordinary textures and visual delight, add shine and glimmer.
Above picture shows craft and packaging papers blended into wool inwet felting techniques
💡 Why Paper-Wool Felting
It’s expressive — each paper brings its own texture, color, and feel.
It’s sustainable — you can recycle and upcycle
It’s versatile — from wearable art to purely sculptural or painterly work.
It’s unpredictable in the best way — always full of surprises, alimenting the inspirational flow.
Detail of a paper-wool-felt creation: different types of fiber- and non-fiber based papers blended into wool
With golden printed papers I'm able to set accents of glimmer and shine as shown in the pciture above.
Pictured below is one of my most recent pieces, which started from an intuitive paper wool collage (an exercise that I offer in my paper-wool-felt webinar 2025). This stained glass reminding piece has all kinds of papers in it. Once felted, I went in with my most precious mixed media techniques: stitching & painting
Nowadays I love to transmit this fabulous techniques in my workshops and webinars! Join if you like to learn how to make bold intuitive felt art as never before! I‘m looking to introduce you to this completely new way of felting and the endless new possibilities it offer to textile artists.
With love,
Ariane