Felt is probably the oldest known textile. It is made from layers of wool fibers which are compressed and with the application of moisture, heat, and friction become a very strong, dense fabric with no warp or weft. For thousands of years felt was used to create warm clothing and shelter. Today, unique decorative objects and lightweight, drapable fabric are made from felt.

Nuno felt describes a fabric that is lightweight and drapes well. The term was first coined by Polly Stirling to describe felting into weave. Using wet feltmaking techniques, moisture, heat and agitation, a minimal amount of wool fiber is layered on a fine weave fabric and produces the nuno felt.

Needle felting is another technique used to create felt. A small barbed needle is poked into a mass of wool and causes the fibers to tangle and hold together. This technique is called dry felting because it does not use moisture or heat to create the felt. Needle felting is used to create 3-D figures and shapes as well as flat felt.