Introduction to Needle Felting – Elise Campbell

Maximum participants: 14

This workshop will introduce you to needle felting in a way that goes beyond the basics of inserting a barbed needle into wool. Students will learn about and experiment with different felting needles in order to become familiar with how they work and what they are used for. Participants will be given various presentations of wool (pre-felt, batting, roving, top, etc.) to learn the benefits and uses of each in needle felting. Students will also receive wool from different breeds of sheep, including commercially produced wool and local wool.

Elise will teach tested techniques of needle felting in both 2D and 3D, such as: sculpting a solid core, getting rid of needle holes, smooth transitions, and creating multiple shapes. Additional tips will include things like creating clean lines, needle angles, and ways to connect 3D felted pieces together. If you’ve ever wondered why anyone would take carded wool (ready for spinning) and felt it, this workshop is for you!

Tickets are non-refundable except in limited circumstances as described in the Purchase Policy.

Elise Campbell – Full of Wool

Elise Campbell is a textile artist and educator who works with wool, silk, and other natural fibres to create sculptural and wearable art. Originally from Ladysmith, BC, she now resides in Stillwater Lake, just outside of Kjipuktuk/Halifax, NS. Her focus in felting is to push wool as a medium to create contemporary connections through texture, surface design, and form. Using dye, resists, and natural fibre to fashion fabric, her sculptures tell stories of ecological movement, environmental stress, and the symbiotic relationship between humans and the natural world. Having grown up on the Pacific ocean and moving to the Atlantic coast as an adult, Elise’s works are heavily influenced by the sea, those who live within it, and the importance of protecting our ecosystems.

Elise’s work and creative research, including an international felting study, have been supported by grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and The Robert Pope Foundation. She has received awards and invitations from art galleries in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, and Ontario, and her work is held in private collections and regularly exhibited publicly.