Your shawl was made entirely by hand, using a process called Nuno felting. The process was invented in 1992 by Polly Stirling in Australia. "Nuno" means "fabric" or "cloth" in Japanese. In this technique, superfine wool fiber is laid in wisps over a fabric base, and then felted by hand so that the fibers lock together. Typically, silk or cotton is used as the fabric base, although linen and other fabrics may be used.

The advantages of this technique are the beautiful drape, and the strength given to the sparse wool and silk fabric. The medium allows an artist many design possibilities, including dyeing the fabric, wool and any embellishments used. I dye most of my fabric and some wool fiber, as well as over-dyeing the recycled saris, silk scraps and silk fiber.

The process of Nuno felting involves a lot of soap, water, and work! This makes the care of your piece fairly easy: hand wash in cool water with any mild soap. Rinse and gently squeeze (don't wring).

Lay out a couple of towels end to end. Lay your shawl on the towels and "block" to the original size (gently shape the sides so that they are straight, and the same WIDTH as the original.

Roll the shawl up in the towels, and press the water out.

Hang to dry (this takes a couple of hours).

Press your shawl on silk/wool setting, being careful not to catch the edges or decorative elements.

Wrap yourself in this luxurious piece and enjoy!

Pamela Frame

www.FrameArtsFlowers.com