There was a real buzz in the air at todays’
session - lots of energy for feltmaking. For most of the group, this was their
first time in turning sheep’s fleece tops into gorgeous felt pieces. Step by
step we learnt about the history of felt and how it was discovered, how to
prepare the wool, layering the fleece in warp and weft directions, pulling the
fibres together and then getting very soapy when rolling our wool inside our
bamboo mats. Dalip chuckles “This is like rolling pastry!”
There was lots of chatter and laughter
between Touchstone and Sikh Elders participants this week, as we get to know
each other a little better. Between us we took pleasure in sharing stories from
our cultures – especially stories we were told as children. Such as Sumerian
legends of warriors, tales of Anansi the spider – a character from West African
folklore, as well as dark cautionary European tales from the Grimm Brothers.
As we got more confident with felt making,
we introduced other materials – pre-felt. This acts as a blank canvas, which you
can work directly onto. A collection of beautifully illustrated storybooks were
offered to inspire design ideas for felt. The group were very artistic and
found ways to express their ideas creatively. We created forested landscapes,
characters such as air goddesses and children. There were many ideas for future
felt making.
All the time our stories were shared, wool
was turning into felt beneath our fingers. There’s always that fantastic
‘reveal moment’ when we unroll the wool and see our felted pieces for the first
time. Here are some lovely quotes from the day:
“Thank you for giving me something to
occupy my mind and fingers!”
“It’s great to learn so many new skills at
my age.”
“This is so relaxing. Wish I could do this
all day.”
“This keeps me out of mischief.”
“This is good for my arthritis.”
Bryony and Musarat
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