Welcome to the world of feltmaking, where you'll embark on your journey to mastering this art form. These foundational techniques will serve as your launchpad for more advanced felting projects in the future. Learning how to handle fleece and manipulate fibers to shrink and harden felt will equip you with valuable skills for your creative endeavors!

Begin by choosing your desired wool tops color. Hold a 10cm (4in) length of fleece about 10cm away from its end. Gently pull wispy pieces of fleece using your fingertips and the fleshy base of your thumb. Maintain some distance between your hands to ensure the fibers separate effectively.

Lay the fleece directly onto a bamboo mat, ensuring all the fibers run in the same direction for the first layer. You'll need to build two or three layers of fleece, depending on your desired final piece's durability. Alternate the direction of the layers to facilitate fiber entanglement and avoid bunching the simple flat felt fleece.

To create motifs, pull a small length of fiber, spread and separate it loosely between your fingers. For circles, pull a strand and coil it so the ends overlap. Experiment with blending similar colors to add depth. Keep your designs loose, as they will define themselves during the shrinking process. Continue with the simple flat felt making process.

Place netting on top of your fleece without disturbing your designs. Sprinkle warm soapy water across the design area. Avoid over-wetting; you can add more water gradually if needed. Spread water through the fibers and remove excess by wiping the netting with a cloth.

Continue until the fleece feels completely flat and matted without puddles or air pockets. Adjust any design elements that may have moved under the netting during wetting.

Rub soap over the netting to ease the rubbing process and encourage felting. Soap's alkalinity helps the wool fibers' microscopic scales swell and open.

Rub the fleece vigorously with both hands and plenty of pressure. Some fibers may come through the netting; remove excess by peeling back the netting while holding the fleece down. Continue for about ten minutes or until the fibers no longer move. Rinse in warm water to remove the soap from the simple flat felt.

Roll the simple flat felt tightly in the bamboo mat to initiate hardening and shrinking. Don't worry if it distorts; it will flatten out later.

Roll the mat in all directions to prevent uneven shrinkage. Roll back and forth with firm, even pressure, unroll, turn the piece 90°, and repeat. Continue for a full 360° rotation, then turn the felt over and repeat. Rinse with very hot water, shock under cold water, rinse thoroughly, and repeat the rolling process while it's warm. Lay flat to dry in a warm place, or use a wool-setting iron to speed up drying.