Needle-felting

Lis attended a Needle-felting workshop which was part of the Selling Yarns 2 Conference held at the ANU on the 8th March.

Gay Epstein, the tutor, has been a workshop convener at 'Beanie Fest' in Alice Springs for the past 6 years and has worked with women in remote communities making felt mukata (beanies).

Participants were shown examples and images of needle-felting from Australian Desert communities for inspiration. They first worked on design, then learned the technique of needle-felting and correct finishing whilst exploring the creative possibilities of the technique. There was a focus on Health and Safety and participants left the workshop with a finished embellishment on a beanie or item. There was also be discussion on other applications for needle-felting.