Wool hats that never felt better

Jo-Anne Barr from Currabubula on the North West Slopes of New England has been making hats for about 20 years. She established JAMB Hats and Millinery in 2018 when she worked as a traditional milliner, but in early 2022 began making her own felt to create felt hats – an art in which she is now a specialist. 

Jo-Anne uses Australian wool fibres to handcraft a distinctive and wide range of hand-felted hats – from timeless fedoras and elegant cloches to cosy beanies and playful bucket hats. Custom made hats can also be arranged. 

“Wool is the gold standard for felting. The scales on wool fibres open with warm water and agitation, then tangle and lock in place,” Jo-Anne said. 

“The 19 micron Merino wool I use, which I source mainly from Nundle Woollen Mill, is fine, soft and felts quickly. Polwarth wool has slightly broader fibres, which provides structure and strength so it’s great for hats and sculptural felts. The Polwarth fibres are sourced from Tarndwarncoort in Victoria, which is where the Polwarth sheep breed was originally developed.” 

Unlike other felt hat makers that use commercially made felt hoods (unfinished hat bodies), Jo-Anne makes her own felt by hand using a technique known as wet felting.  

“This is a traditional textile technique that involves matting together wool fibres from rovings to create a dense and sturdy fabric. This process is achieved by using a combination of friction, water and soap. The felt is then put on a block and shaped by hand into hats of varying styles. Our hats don’t contain any chemical stiffening agents unlike other felt hats on the market.”

Jo-Anne Barr and her winning designs from last year’s Fleece to Fashion Awards (above) and with a display of her hats at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in July (top of page). 

Jo-Anne works from her farm studios in Currabubula, where she runs her own farm, and Walcha, where her partner farms and together they have a strong connection with local woolgrowers. 

“My enthusiasm for Australian wool comes from my passion for textiles and rural life. I enjoy the process of sourcing beautiful Australian wool fibres to create unique, stylish and functional hats,” Jo-Anne said. 

“My interest for textiles began at a very young age, with my grandmother teaching me to sew as a child. I studied textiles at school, went to Hawkesbury Ag College to study a Bachelor of Applied Science specialising in textiles, did a post grad in Education at UNE, then worked in a textile mill as a technician.” 

Her work within the textiles industry continued for many years but her career has also included teaching. To manage farm life and her hand felted hat business, Jo-Anne gave up full-time teaching in 2022 and since then has been a casual ag and textiles teacher in Uralla and Walcha.  

Through JAMB Hats and Millinery, Jo-Anne also runs popular one-day felting workshops across Australia, at which participants can learn the art of wet felting with Australian wool and create their own hat, scarf or fashion accessory. 

“I love taking these traditional skills to creatives and fashion enthusiasts alike in different locations – there’s something really powerful about sitting at a table, wool in hand, creating together and seeing their unique piece emerge,” Jo-Anne said. 

Her own felting skills continue to expand too. Last year, Jo-Anne won the Established Designers Encouragement Award at the Fleece to Fashion Awards in Armidale with an entry that featured a seamless felted coat, which is the first wearable garment she has ever felted, along with a felted fedora-style hat and a matching clutch. 

More information: www.jambhats.com.au  

This article appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine that was published in September 2025. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.