Beth Marx has been a felt maker for almost 15 years and is still fascinated with the process.

Beth can’t remember when art was not part of her life. From the little girl who played art school in the basement of her Ohio childhood home to major in art at The Ohio State University, Beth has had her hand in many art mediums but has always had a real affinity for textiles.

An avid knitter, as were her mother and maternal grandmother, Beth knitted her first sweater when she was eight years old. In the early 2000’s Beth was knitting large pieces like handbags and boots and shrinking them down in a washing machine so that the stitches became almost invisible, the process is known as felting. But it was in 2006 that she has a textile epiphany when she examined a unique handbag in a Seattle boutique that was similar but much more refined and sophisticated than the knitting/felting that she had been doing. She discovered that the handbag was wet felted. She learned the techniques and ever since, felting has become her passion.

I cut holes in the black portion of the collar so that the red fabric could peek through mimicking the polka dots in the pants. It is also reversible and there is one photo of me wearing it on the reverse side which is the quieter side.
BETH MARX

She is now internationally known for designing and creating her own style of fashionable and sophisticated Nuno felted garments & accessories. She teaches extensively and has created a method to demystify the necessary shrinkage calculations. Her garments are sold in high-end boutiques and galleries in upscale locales, have walked runways, been published in books and magazines, and worn by a major theme park character.

In some of the photos I am wearing a felted hat that I created from super fine merino wool roving and silk hankies. All my felted pieces are one-of-a-kind and are created one at a time. They are seamless and involve no sewing at all; felting is more comparable to working with clay than with fabric.
BETH MARX

Nuno felting is the process of bonding wool roving and/or wool yarns onto another fabric. The name is derived from the Japanese word “Nuno” meaning cloth. Nuno felting is a slow process done by hand. With water and agitation, the wool fibers open up and cling to the fabric to create a new textile.

I had such a fun time with this photoshoot. The nuno felted top is sleeveless with a high collar. I created it from super fine merino wool roving and it includes silks that I hand painted along with other silk fabric, Kozu paper, and both plant and protein fiber embellishments.
BETH MARX

Beth creates organically in an intuitive process letting the piece evolve collage style as she repurposes cast-offs and vintage fabrics and infuses wool roving, silk, and other natural fibers. Beth’s style exudes a worn patina and an earthiness rich with layers, textures, shapes, and colors.

Beth Marx’s Art Piece was inspired by the AP120G – coming soon.

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