Wool Felting with Local Artist Pamela Penny!

Post Contributed by Jocelyne Adkins, Program Director

Heidi, preparing her design for felting

What a terrific way to end the year: spending the afternoon with Pamela Penny, a talented local fiber artist, who introduced our students to the art of felting! Her demonstration was filled with humor and informative details about the process we were undertaking. For the project, she provided vibrant colors of dyed wool that immediately inspired our creativity. Using a method that Pamela developed for youth groups, the felting process was simplified, streamlined and tidy! Within an hour, the students had made beautiful, felted artworks, ready to frame or hang as is. We love this process ~ a huge thank you to Pamela for her work with us today!!! Do check out the photos below, to see Pamela and our students in action : )

Pamela demonstrating how wool, in it's carded state, with fibers aligned in one direction, easily pulls apart

Here, Pamela twists the wool fibers to make a yarn, making a much stronger configuration

Pamela, with the help of Jadon, demonstrates just how strong this configuration can be!

Pamela shares a few felted wool pieces, the process of using water, soap and friction to bind fibers into "fabric"

Ben watches as thin tufts of wool are arranged on a square of cheesecloth

Anika arranging her design

Elise and Heidi

Ben

Theo

Ethan

Chan

Wilson's finished design is placed in a plastic bag with water and soap. Rolling the bag produces friction.

Joseph rolling the bag to produce friction, which will bind the wool fibers to each other and to the cheesecloth base.

Group friction in action!

Rinsing the finished pieces

Drying...

Voila! Heidi's completed work : )

Dominic

Jordan

Jadon

Chan

Thank you once again Pamela! Our students had a great time and the results are fantastic : )
Viewers: visit Pamela's website at http://pamelapenney.com/ for information about classes, workshops & parties!