Process
A batt is a large, flat sheet or web of fiber, often created by a drum carder.
It is made by layering fibers in a crisscross pattern, creating a uniform thickness.
Purpose:
- Felting: Batts are ideal for wet felting and needle felting because their loosely arranged fibers interlock easily.
- Quilting and Padding: Used as a filler in quilts, upholstery, and padding due to their uniform thickness.
- Craft Projects: Useful for making large, flat felted pieces or sculptural forms.
A carded sliver is a continuous, rope-like strand of fibers that has been combed into alignment by a carding machine but is not yet tightly twisted.
Purpose:
- Spinning Yarn: Sliver is a preparatory stage for spinning into thicker, rustic, or textured yarns. It retains natural fiber irregularities.
- Felting: Often used for needle felting or wet felting due to its fiber alignment and ease of manipulation.
- Blending Fibers: Different types or colors of fibers can be combined during carding to create a unique sliver.
Combed top refers to fibers that have been further processed after carding by a process called combing.
During combing, shorter fibers are removed, leaving only long, parallel fibers.
Purpose:
- High-Quality Spinning: Combed top provides long, smooth, parallel fibers, perfect for spinning fine, smooth yarns.
- Precision Felting: Its uniformity makes it excellent for detailed work in needle felting or wet felting.
- Dyeing: The smoothness and consistency of combed top allow for even dye absorption, making it preferred for hand-dyed spinning or felting projects.
- Luxury Textiles: Common in the production of premium fabrics, such as those made from Merino wool.
Mill ends are leftover or surplus fibers from the textile manufacturing process.
These may include short fibers, irregular pieces, or fibers from the ends of production runs.
Purpose:
- Budget-Friendly Crafts: Mill ends are an economical choice for crafters looking for affordable materials.
- Felting: Used in felting projects where fiber uniformity isn’t critical.
- Stuffing and Padding: Ideal for filling pillows, toys, or other items due to their varied textures.
- Creative Fiber Arts: Often used to create textured, eclectic yarns or unique felting pieces.
Nepps are small, tangled knots or clumps of fibers.
They can occur naturally during fiber processing or as a byproduct of mechanical handling.
Nepps may be undesirable in some applications, like spinning, because they create inconsistencies, but they are often used creatively in felting to add texture or decorative effects.
Purpose:
- Texture in Felt and Yarn: Nepps are used to add visual and tactile texture to felting or hand-spun yarns.
- Artistic Designs: Useful in creating intentional decorative effects in felting or weaving.
- Blending: Incorporated into fiber blends for novelty yarns or felted textures.
Commercial Prefelt is partially felted material, created by lightly entangling fibers, usually through needle felting process.
It retains enough structure to hold its shape but is still soft and flexible enough to be shaped further.
Purpose:
- Base Layer in Felting: Prefelt serves as a foundation for layered designs in wet felting projects.
- Shaping and Cutting: Easy to cut into specific shapes or motifs for applique in felting or fabric art.
- Intermediate Crafting Material: Prefelt allows crafters to combine multiple colors or designs before final felting.
- Garment Production: In industrial felting, prefelt is used to produce lightweight felted fabrics for garments and accessories.