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Ever look at a piece of handmade felt and marvel at the textures? Would you like to visit my studio and get your hands on some lovely wool? If so, please sign up for my texture workshop where you will spend the day playing with fiber, meeting the Mosshollow Hill critters, and learning new skills.

The first workshop is Tuesday, November 26 from 10-4, and the second workshop is Sunday, January 19th from 10-4. The cost of each workshop is $250 with a $50 deposit. A layaway plan is available upon request. If you’re interested in taking both workshops, you will get a discounted price and learn some more advanced textural techniques.

Find inspiration in the textures around you…

What is this “felting” of which you speak?

You will get to experiment with three different kinds of felting techniques: nuno-felting, surface design, and resist. This piece of felt I made for a Weirwood cosplay shows all three techniques in one piece.

Nuno-felt is laminated felting where you work wool into an open-weave fabric such as silk chiffon, cheesecloth, mesh, tulle, etc. If you can breathe through the fabric, you can felt it.

-The top image shows wool and angora rabbit fur felted onto silk chiffon. Look at the top edges of the fabric, and you can see the lovely crinkle where the silk puckered as the wool shrunk.

Surface design is often combined with nuno-felt, but if you have an old wool sweater, you can design directly on that. With surface design, you can play with yarns, scraps of fabric, fibers, etc. Get creative!

-The top image shows strips of polyester fibers and yarns felted onto the wool.

Resist felting is when you enclose a non-porous material in wool and then remove it in order to create pockets, boots, mittens, hats, bags, or texture. Felters use a variety of materials ranging from marbles (shown above), plastic tarp, beans, etc.

-The top image shows where the marbles had been removed after having been covered and felted to the base wool layers. You cut out the marbles, remove them, and then you’ll have a lovely texture that, when dry, can be beaded or embellished in a variety of ways.

You can bring materials from home (the more repurposed the better) and mix them with my supplies to create 3 samples of felted texture you can display in your home or incorporate into a garment. Each sample will be approximately 6″-12″, small enough to complete in the time frame and large enough to learn the technique.

You will receive thin tree branches upon which you will hang your textured art if you so choose.

Come prepared to get soapy and wet as well as work your muscles because felting is labor intensive!

The studio awaits you and your creativity. If being creative frightens you, or you have no idea of what to make, fear not. Once you get your hands on the raw materials, your hands will know what to do. I’ll be your guide, and I look forward to helping you explore fiber art.

Details

What to bring:

• 2-3 large towels
• 1 hand towel
• wear clothes that can get wet and soapy
• wear comfortable shoes
• any yarns, fibers, materials, remnants you have stored away and want to use or repurpose
• lunch

What I’ll provide:

• snacks (let me know of any food allergies and dietary restrictions)
• drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
• wool
• silks/cheesecloth/tulle or other nuno-felt base fabrics
• embellishments (silk noil, yarns, fabric scraps, etc)
• felting materials (mats, rollers, plastic tarps/sheets, and a variety of resist tools
• 1 handmade bar of vegan soap from House of Wormwood (made at Mosshollow Hill) that you can use during the class and take home with you
• inspiration (if looking through my books, materials, and felted examples isn’t enough, wandering around the farm, touching trees and plants, and meeting the sheep, goats, and chickens just might do the trick)

Mobility concerns:

My studio is on the 2nd floor of our house, so if mobility is a concern for you, we can arrange to have the workshop downstairs and/or outside if needed.

Keep in mind that felting is physically demanding and felters use their upper body strength as well as their leg muscles in order to create quality pieces of felt. If you are dealing with back, shoulder, or wrist pain, please contact me for more information. I want to ensure a positive experience for everyone.

Stretching during felting is IMPERATIVE. Trust me. I pulled a gluteal muscle the first time I felted because I didn’t stretch or watch my body for signs of wear.

Allergen alert:

We have cats and a dog inside our home, so if you are prone to allergies, be forewarned. Our dog has never been inside the studio, but the cats have.

Capacity:

I would like to limit the class to 5-6 people, but I can make exceptions if requested.

Experience level/age requirements:

Beginners welcome! You don’t need to have any previous experience with felting. I ask attendees be at least 11 years old. This would be a wonderful experience for a group of friends, a shower gift, a holiday gift, a date, or a chance to meet like-minded people.

Layaway Plan:

If the workshop is cost prohibitive for you, please contact me about a payment plan. I understand and am willing to work with you so please let me know.

Feel free to contact me at hello@mosshollowhill.com if you have any questions or concerns.