Frequently Asked Questions

     There are several reasons I've shifted away from that model, but the primary one is the pandemic in 2020, which had a cascading and lasting effect on my business and sales. The uncertainty and disruptions caused by the pandemic made it difficult to maintain made-to-order or custom hat production. Now, rather than worrying myself sick, I focus on creating what I want and accepting that this is my new normal in business. However, I'm excited about the future and plan to start making video tutorials and traveling again to teach workshops soon. It's a shift towards prioritizing my creative freedom and sharing my skills in new ways.

     I use wool because it is the most common kind of animal fiber used in wet-felting, the process I use to make my hats and one of the oldest textile types in human history. Wool also makes my hats sturdier so they hold their sculptural shape longer compared to felting with other kinds of fibers.

        Wool and related animal fibers are an essential part of wet-felting, the process I use to create my hats. This is because animal fibers (including human hair) have hooks and similar imperfections called "scales" and it is by tangling and interlocking fibers using those scales that allows for felt to be made. Synthetic and plant fibers are too smooth and so cannot be tangled and interlocked together in this way. In fact, many animal fibers are also too smooth to be felted (again, this includes human hair).

        All the animal fibers I use are responsibly sourced and I also try to use local farm sources as much as possible. I would be glad to answer more specific questions about where my fibers come from. Just send me your questions.

     Because my hats are handmade there may be some inconsistency in the density of the felt. That means that there may be some places where strong light can shine through a little. This has no impact on the durability of the hat. If it is important that your hat be completely impervious to light just let me know. I can make a denser hat, but this does mean the hat will weigh more and be less breathable.

     Generally dirt will sit on the surface of the wool felt and often can be dabbed or wiped off without the use of soap or too much water. I use fine tweezers to remove pine needles and other forest debris.

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