CLASS: Wet Felting Using Naturally Dyed Pre-Felts: Part 1 of a 2-class series

Pre-felts are partially felted sheets of wool that can be cut into design elements, layered and then wet felted together into a single piece for table runners, rugs, wall hangings & much more. In this class, you will learn how to make pre-felts and naturally dye them.  This class is intended to be the first part of a two class series, though you are not required to register for both (See May 6^th class). Each participant will make at least one sheet of pre-felt (approximately 8-inch x 18-inch) which will then be dyed in class so you end up with 1-3 pieces of naturally dyed pre-felts in a range of colors. Open to all adult learners and individual children 14 years or older. Family groups are encouraged to attend with children 7 years of age or older.

Required Tools/Materials Students Need to Bring:

• 2 old bath towels
• Boot tray or large cookie sheet if you have one
• Materials fee (cash & exact change preferred)
• Notebook to take notes in class
• OPTIONAL: feel free to bring your own undyed wool if you would like to try pre-felting with it

Instructor: Cindy Hale

Instructor Bio: Cindy has 25+ years as a teacher of arts, science and farming with a particular penchant for creating events that increase community engagement. She has been teaching plant ID for over 30 years and wet felting since 2009. She got serious about natural dyeing in 2020 and greatly expanded her repertoire of skills through her 2022 ARAC Artist Access project: “Full Circle Production of Natural Dyed Pre-Felt for Use in Wet-Felted Art”. She is well known in the community as someone who enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills with the community and will be offering monthly workshops related to natural dyeing and felting in 2023 in conjunction with the Duluth Fiber Guild. Cindy and her husband have been farming ecologically since 2005, raising sheep since 2013 and are well connected among other sustainable farmers in the region.