Fox meets Fibre!

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Jane, a passionate felt maker living in South Belfast. Her story is one of creativity, community, and continuous learning, offering valuable insights for both seasoned artisans and newcomers to the craft.

The full interview replay is available to watch inside the membership, but here is an overview of the interview:

Members login: https://hub.learnfelting.com

Sign up at: https://heart-felt.co/membership25

Jane's journey into felt making began approximately 15 years ago through a local folk park's educational program. Her first felting project was a simple wet-felted picture, and this sparked a fascination that would grow into a lifelong passion.

Jane's involvement with the International Feltmakers Association (IFA) and various other feltmaking groups has been instrumental in her journey. When still a fairly new member, Jane took over as regional coordinator for Feltmakers North so was rather thrown in at the deep end, but she highlighted the importance of community and collaboration in the craft and told us that these groups offer valuable opportunities for learning, sharing experiences, and fostering creativity among feltmakers. She is also a member of Feltmakers Ireland.

A significant aspect of Jane's practice is her commitment to sustainability. It was lovely to see her passion for recycling and repurposing wool. She hates to see anything go to waste and this perspective underscores a dedication to resourcefulness and environmental consciousness in her crafting.

Jane relishes experimenting with different techniques and materials in her felt making. Some of these include carding wool, blending colours, and creating unique batts from project scraps. Her current projects include making pre-felts and exploring innovative ideas like weaving strips of felt together. The creative process brings her immense joy, and she values the opportunity to learn from others within her felt-making community.

It was a pleasure to see some of the wonderful wonders Jane has created:

Inspired by her connection to the state of Oregon and one of its most famous water features, Jane created this beautiful piece which she has submitted to IFA's Connections Exhibition:

This is Indie, the Indrie, Jane's felted version of a critically endangered Lemur in Madagascar... How adorable is he!😍

Inspired by the painting 'Salmon' by Harry Webster, Jane created this beautiful piece combining prefelts, batts and some needle felting:

We also learned about an incredible felting retreat Jane attended last year in Kyrgyzstan where they enjoyed eight workshops in 13 days, and her experience was truly inspiring! If anyone is interested in attending a retreat like this focused on traditional felting techniques, keep an eye on announcements from The International Feltmakers Association.

Jane's tip for any beginners wanting to explore wet felting was the importance of sampling in the feltmaking process. She emphasised that sampling allows for experimentation on a smaller scale which can build up your confidence to do the techniques on larger projects. She also highlighted the importance of sketching and making notes to clarify the creative process and achieve more structured results.

Looking to the future, Jane expressed a desire to expand her creative projects, particularly in feltmaking. She envisions creating larger pieces, such as full-sized garments although she acknowledged this may be tricky in her current compact and adorable crafting shed!

We would like to thank Jane once again for sharing her story with us. It was a pleasure seeing how her journey is characterised by a deep passion for all things felting, a commitment to community and sustainability, and a continuous exploration of her creativity. Her story serves as an inspiration for fellow feltmakers, encouraging us all to embrace the learning curve, experiment with new techniques, and share experiences within the community.

To see more from Jane, please visit her social media page below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhiteFoxNI

Learn more about IFA: https://www.feltmakers.com/

Learn more about Feltmakers North: https://feltmakersnorth.blogspot.com/

Learn more about Feltmakers Ireland: https://feltmakersireland.com/