How are your hats made?

I hand-sculpt each hat in my home studio on salt spring, Canada, using various felting techniques...  

Wet Felting

Wet felting is a time consuming, tactile process where thin tuffs of wool are layered over a resist (pattern). Once 7-10 layers of wool are achieved the fibres are saturated with soapy water and agitated gently at first, then firmly by hand until the wool fibres have entangled around each other.  The next step is to full (shrink) the felted fibres by thoughtfully and energetically rubbing the piece over a textured surface using very hot water - this step is typically repeated over the course of a few days until the item has shrunk to approximately 50% it's original size.  When the desired shape is achieved, proper PH balance is restored by soaking the item in a vinegar solution mixed with essential oils to protect against wool moths. If you would like to learn how to wet-felt, please feel free to join my Patreon community!

Dry Felting

Typically, my more sculptural hat embellishments are created by dry felting, where special barbed needles are repeatedly stabbed into wool bundles until the desired shape is achieved. This is also a time intensive, but highly meditative process… and just a bit dangerous for the fingers!

Nuno Felting

Some of my pieces incorporate nuno felting, which is a technique that combines wool fibres with natural fabrics, such as silk. It creates beautiful textures and allows for excellent draping and strength for garments.  

Leather & Weaving

For accents and hat bands I love harkening back to my leather working days when i made stone embedded cuffs and book covers. I particularly enjoy harvesting vines from my backyard to weave hat bands and circulets that have a more earthy, natural feel.

can you make me a hat?

While i am not currently taking custom orders to create hats, i do, every so often, make one-of-a-kind hats for sale. If you are on my email list or a member of my Patreon community you will be the first to know when they are available. Alternatively, you can learn to make your own! As of March 20, 2026 i will be offering tutorials in felting, uploading a new instructional video to my Patreon every month. While i, at first, will not be specifically teaching how to make hats i will be teaching all of the foundational techniques to create whatever your creative mind can dream up :D Felting is truly an an incredible medium - accessible, boundless and magical - and i am so excited to share it with you!