Felting by Lynn Huggins-Cooper is an interesting new book out through Pen & Sword Books on the history of the felting practice. This title will be of particular interest to contemporary and theatrical milliners/hatters working in the medium. There are several chapters devoted to the technological process and shift in methods/purposes for felting throughout history.

Other aspects of interest: there's a lengthy section of interviews with artisans working with the process/medium, and helpful "how-to" chapters concerning the difference between wet felting and needle felting. There's also a helpful directory of suppliers.

This book was ok. I really enjoy felting, specifically needle felting. I thought this was going to be more of an instruction and help book, but it is not

3.5 stars

If you are interested in the history and/or processing of textiles I recommend this book! The content is not well organized, but the info is interesting & thoroughly researched. Interviews with felt artists are included, as well as step-by-step instructions for a wet felting project & a needle felting project.

[What I liked:]

•The writer includes excerpts from primary historical documents, both describing the uses of felt & the various processes of making felt. That was really cool & informative. The book is obviously extensively researched.

•I super love textiles! Especially wool & other animal fibers (I love sheep so much). This was a really interesting & fun book for me. I never thought I’d get a book all about felt, & I really enjoyed the deep dive into the topic!

•There is a whole section on artisanal & hobby felting, including recommended resources for tutorials online. At the back is a glossary & a recommended resources section.

•The writer includes interviews she did with local & international felt artists & artisans about their craft, which is really neat. Several photos of pieces by these artists are included at the back.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The organization of the history part of the book is a bit all over the place. It keeps jumping between centuries & cultures. It didn’t make the text hard to read or digest per se, it just seemed random & I think it would benefit from a more organized structure.

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

Very disappointed in this book. Very heavy on detail but so uninspiring, dry and frankly dull.

I'm a felters and dyer and therefore expected really fresh and fabulous projects and photography. Instead the items shown border on weird and almost scary. I don't relate to the book at all.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review, sorry not to be more enthusiastic.

This book provides a great history of and introduction to the craft of felting, describing the tools used and the craftsmen that use them to create fantastical things. I do wish there was slightly more technical information about how to start felting yourself (there are a few short chapters at the end of the book outlining the basics), but the links given in the artist interviews make such information easily and freely available.

Felting is a historical survey and informational guide to working with wool for felting objects written by Lynn Huggins-Cooper. Due out 30th April 2021 from Pen & Sword, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback format.
This is the newest book in the Heritage Crafts series which cover many traditional and heritage subjects such as leatherworking and tanning, dyeing, fibre crafts, felting, and others which are in danger of being lost forever. This book makes a nice addition to the series and provides a surprisingly comprehensive look at felting as both a practical and decorative artistic activity.

The material is presented in chronological chapters of felting history from ancient times to the modern day. With such a massive timeline, the coverage is brief for each time period, but provides a lot of tantalizing glimpses to follow up later. The last chapters include interviews with several different individual artisans and collectives. The format provides the same questions to each interviewee and it's interesting to see how they came to their craft from often disparate origins, cultures, and geographical locations but their enthusiasm and respect is shared by all of them.

The photography is sparse and mostly confined to a gallery chapter at the end of the book, but the included pictures are beautifully clear and illustrative. There is a short general tutorial (for making a felted fairy doll) as well as a wealth of links provided (slanted toward readers in the UK) in the form of a solid bibliography and links section to stockists and teachers. This would make a superlative library selection for a guild or shop, as well as for any crafter's home library.

This is a good, accessible, clearly written introduction to felting materials and technique. The series as a whole would be superlative for library acquisition, maker's groups, homesteaders, historical re-enactors, and similar uses.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Whilst this book is of some interest as it writes about the history of felting starting form ancient felting, incorporating medieval, tutor, Victorian, to name a few, to felting in modern time. The second part of the book talks to felt makers and lastly a question and answer section on the ins and out of felting. There are a few photos of items made at the back of the book.
There where no project to make, no photos to get the juices running. As a felt maker/artist of many years this book fell a little flat.
Anyone interest in the history of felting it certain had a lot of information, anyone interested in taking up the craft probably better to look elsewhere

If you are interested in the history of felting then this book is definitely for you. It has been very well researched and full of facts about this amazing craft. The section of interviews I found very inspiring, and then there is a brief how to for wet felting and needle felting. I thought the book flowed really well as after reading all about it, I just wanted to make something myself so having a directory of suppliers near the end is a very good touch. The felting glossary is also very useful. I enjoyed reading this very interesting book and recommend it. Thank you #net galley.

Felt has probably been around as long as there have been sheep on God’s green earth. Reading this book I discovered that plant fibers such as rose, nettle, and sea cell can also be used to create felt. It’s older than spinning and weaving. Felt caps have been found and dated back 3500 years to the Bronze Age. Pompeii had felt glove and hat workshops. Huggins-Cooper relates the history of felt, the different types of felt, and includes short bio’s of leading artisans. I had not even heard of needle felting until 2017, but I have found it to be a fascinating craft that uses wool as a sculpting medium. As a knitter I was aware of felting knitted garments to create a thicker, warmer fabric, but the craft can be expanded for even greater artistic expression.
Recommended for crafters who are interested in the history and diversity of felting.

I enjoyed learning the history of felting as it is a craft I have been intrigued by for some time. The interviews given by the various crafters where entertaining although I would have preferred more step-by-step diagrams to be included as part of the learning process. It was lovely to see some of the crafters work towards the end of the book and I thought the book would benefit from even more examples of feltwork. Recommended as a gift for crafters.

I haven't done as much felting as I'd have .liked, but my daughter has created some really cute things felting! I enjoyed readiing this book and learning about the history of the art form. I knew some hats were felted, but never really gave to much thought to other items that were also felted through the ages! Interesting book and doe include some instruction for the craft.

This book covers the history of felting from its ancient beginnings to today.
It's a lovely read for people with an interest in history, crafts, and how time has changed the process. I really enjoyed the artisan interviews, what a lovely insight into such creative people.

There are a couple of 'how-to' guides and lots of links on where to access more guides and supplies.
There are also some beautiful photos of felt creations, and they are incredible.

When I think of felting, I imagine cute bunnies and foxes made by an indulgent grandmother. It turns out that felting has a long and storied history, beginning in the dark ages, when felted objects often had religious significance. Readers will trace the craft from ancient time up to today, with explanations of the difference between dry and wet felting and even a felting project they can create. An interesting and informative book

This is a comprehensive history of felting, from its origins to the present day, with instructions on how to produce wet and needle felted projects and interviews with felt artists. The book is interesting, touching on a history I was unaware of, and some aspects I found uncomfortable, such as the link between felting and the fur trade.
I would have liked more illustrations throughout - it would have been good to see examples of ancient felted items, and drawings depicting their use if no photographs of museum pieces were available. Although the book includes a step by step guide to making felt, it doesn't include any visual references which would be useful for people wanting to try out this ancient craft. As a felt artist myself I enjoyed reading the interviews with artisan felt makers and seeing the diverse range of products they create.
Overall an interesting read, but lacking in visual content.