Kathy Hoath is a fibre artist whose primary medium is wet felting. She often integrates this with other techniques and materials to push it beyond its traditional boundaries and add to its aesthetic potential.
She is captivated by the transformative nature of wet felting—how a bed of loose wool fibres becomes a durable, non-woven fabric—soft and pliable or tough as thick leather—shaped by hand, soap and water, and intention. Kathy delights in the tactile experience of felting: the feel of the wool in the liquid, its earthy scent, and the richness of its colours.
Felting has been her passion since around 2010. Initially self-taught through books and online resources, her skills developed gradually. The pandemic marked a turning point, as access to new global online workshops allowed her to learn from renowned teachers. She is deeply grateful for their generosity in sharing their knowledge. Drawing from their techniques, Kathy has cultivated a distinctive style—though she considers herself always a student, with much still to explore.
Her three-dimensional felt work is architectural in nature, driven by an exploration of form, structure, balance, volume, and movement. She investigates how surfaces define space and how solid forms interact with their surroundings. In these works, she challenges the limits of the medium, blending artistic expression with engineering problem-solving. The question “Can that shape be made in felt?” is as creatively stimulating to her as the making itself.
Inspired by nature, mathematics, art, architecture and engineering, mythology, sport and dance, Kathy creates works that invite touch, curiosity and wonder.
Kathy has had work exhibited in galleries in North Yorkshire, Sheffield, Suffolk and Surrey. And a small selection of her work is currently on display at Freya Jones, 7 Bridge St, Buckingham, MK18 1EL, UK.
She has had articles published in Felt Matters, the journal of the International Feltmakers Association in June 2023, Filteforeningen GRIMA, the Danish Feltmakers Association magazine in October 2024 and Felt, the Australian magazine for felting in December 2025.