Felt-Making for Beginners
Course Overview
Do you love colour, pattern and texture?, Do you enjoy working with your hands?
Join us for a fun day of felt-making. This ancient art/craft combines wool fibres with heat, moisture and friction to create not just an incredibly durable matted fabric but one that has many modern day applications from wearables to accessories, homewares to fine art.
In this class you’ll learn the basic techniques of the felt-making process which have remained relatively uncharged for centuries. You’ll learn the different types of laying out methods, how to incorporate colour, design and pattern into your felt during the laying out stage, finishing techniques for achieving a hard-wearing and durable fabric and all the tips, tricks and information on where to source materials and equipment at minimal cost so that you can continue your explorations into felt-making from your own home.
Felt-making is an incredibly forgiving medium and people are often surprised at what they can achieve, especially those who consider themselves ‘uncreative’. There are no ‘mistakes’ and each piece just shows you another iteration of this amazing material. It’s a voyage of discovery where you can go at your leisure and follow your own inclinations.
By the end of the day you will be taking home 2 pieces of uniquely designed hand crafted felt. A flat piece which can be used as a table mat or be stitched up to make a pouch/purse. And a small round seamless soft pod/vessel. Plus notes with step by step instructions and information on wool suppliers and other felting materials.
Materials List
- An old towel and a waterproof/plastic bag to take your wet felt and towel home.
- Optional: apron if you worried about getting water on your clothes.
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About the tutor
Gill Brooks
Mad keen on textiles from an early age, Gill experimented with everything under the sun: dyeing, sewing, embroidery, knitting, rug-making, you name it. In 1994, Gill attended her first felt-making workshop and that was it.
Gill had found her perfect medium and has been felting ever since. Over the years, Gill has attended many workshops, often with the who’s who of the international felting world, including Jorie Johnson, Marjolein Dalinga, Alexander Pillin and Jeanette Appleton. Gill has been teaching workshops since 2002 and has introduced hundreds to the joys of felt-making and the versatilities of handmade felt. Gill designs and makes one of a kind accessories which she sells through various handmade craft shop and galleries. Her work has been featured in a variety of magazines including Vogue Living and Home Beautiful. ‘I’m continuously inspired by this extra-ordinarily versatile medium, it’s wonderful properties and its amazing history. A never-ending world of possibilities.
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