Introducing "THE FELTED GARDEN"...

A NEW name for my felt making business...!

It seems like a natural step to combine two great passions of mine -

a love of plants, gardens and the wider environment together with felt making - 

and “THE FELTED GARDEN” says it all perfectly!

No obvious changes, the workshops will continue much as 

before with all the popular classes like ’Painting with Fibres’ and making

3-D forms vessels, bags and flowers... 

But the emphasis will be very much about seeking inspiration 

from the natural world around us.

I plan to hold workshops at different garden venues across the island
and this is already happening with the recent ’Painting with Fibres’ day
 at Wayside Herbs in Yafford, hosted by Joy Verrinder. 

Not only did we enjoy the wonderful setting 

but Joy shared her enthusiasm and knowledge of herbs, explaining their history, 

cultivation and practical benefits. The plants provided perfect inspiration 

and gave an extra dimension to the felt making day!

There are two more workshops coming up in the next few weeks…

“FELTING FLOWERS” at VENTNOR BOTANIC GARDENS on 30th May.
 Participants will be free to wander round the gardens & greenhouses, 

sketching or photographing the flowering plants before bringing their 
ideas back to the studio where I will show how to 

create 3-D flower and leaf forms in felt.

 A ’FELT JEWELLERY' workshop will be held at BRADING ROMAN VILLA 
on Sunday 7th June. This time the focus will be creating flower jewellery. 

More details about both workshops and booking details can be found here...

Felting is a completely natural process and

"THE FELTED GARDEN" describes every aspect of my work

as I've always looked to the natural world for inspiration.. .

Flowers, plants, seed pods and the wider landscape 

all lend themselves to felting and painting with fibres... 

Teasing wool into shape by hand, moulding and shaping vessels 

naturally result in very organic forms...

I've been experimenting recently with hand and machine stitching

 and I'm continuing with this, making plenty of fresh 
new work for Open Studios in July.
Although I've made felt for many years now it seems incredible 

that this event will mark five years in business...!!

This year has found us spending more time in our garden.at Freshwater Bay.

It's a very challenging site and a real uphill struggle! 
Half an acre on a very steep slope, 

relentless salty winds and heavy clay which bakes in the summer heat...

 But we do have our own underground springs which give a constant 

supply of icy water - great for rinsing felt! 

It’s a perfect spot for growing lavender which I cut and dry,

 and use in many of my designs!

So these are exciting times, with lots of plans ahead… 

and “THE FELTED GARDEN” seems a perfect way to describe this step forward...