Needle Felting

Have you crafted for your Wellbeing?

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Crafting can be an incredibly rewarding and therapeutic activity. It’s no wonder that many people are turning to crafts as a way to relax and de-stress. From needle felting to Indian block printing, there are so many different crafts you can try for your wellbeing. Whether it’s creating something beautiful or simply getting lost in the creative process, crafting has been proven to have positive effects on mental health.

Needle felting and Indian block printing are two popular crafts that you can try for your wellbeing.

Needle felt some low calorie cake!

Needle felting is a fun craft that involves using sharp needles to shape wool into 3D objects or sculptures, while Indian block printing is an ancient art form that involves creating intricate patterns using wooden blocks dipped in dye. Both of these crafts require patience and concentration, allowing you to get lost in the creative process and forget about all of your worries!

If you would like to try either of these crafts we have some beginners workshops in February & March that you may like to book onto….pop over to our workshop page to check the next date.

Felting in the washing machine

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Did you know you can felt in the washing machine?. You may have accidently done this with your favourite knitted jumper that you put on a hot wash by mistake. So why would you want to purposely put the wool in the washing machine?. Well it can save you a lot of time if you have a project that you need to complete in a hurry.

Soap & Agitation

Felt is made by adding water, soap and lots of agitation will make wool fibres attach together and most f the time I do this by hand, I have been making some bird pods lately and these take around 2 hours to lay out and felt but half way through I can add to the washing machine and save about 40 minutes and my arm muscles.

Not all wool will however felt and each time you undertake a project the results may differ due to the type of wool and water temperature. The bird pods are ideal for the washing machine method as they are all unique in colour size and texture.

So the next time you accidently shrink a garment…tell them it was meant to be.

Felt From Fair Trade

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Although I make a lot of felt items to sell I also buy felt from Fair Trade suppliers. Over the last few years I have visited many trade shows to talk to suppliers to ensure there is traceability of the gifts I was purchasing and they are part of a Fair Trade scheme which you can read about here https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/ . The supplier I now buy from has been a Fair Trade organisation for over 20 years in Nepal so they have been able to build and sustain relationships with the surrounding families and towns.

The wool used by the wonderful artistic Nepalese crafters is New Zealand wool , brought in a raw state which is then washed, carded and dyed with a fantastic rainbow of colours. Then comes the hard work with the wet felting. with some wool, warm water, soap and a lot of elbow grease you can make some fantastic items from small keyrings an inch wide to vast blankets and clothing. If you have never tried wet felting it is very therapeutic – you can book onto one of our workshops and try it your yourself when we get beyond Covid.