-Dagmar Binder-

SCULPTURAL WALLHANGINGS

           Nature as inspiration and teacher

From November 23 to 29, 2025

Felt is a wonderful material for decorative interior design, brings warmth into the room and has an air-cleaning and sound-absorbing effect. In nature we can find a variety of beautiful forms and structures that can serve as an inspiration and starting point for felt art. In addition, we can observe interesting and efficient architectural solutions that nature has found to create stability. These basic principles of statics play an important role in the planning and creation of a 3-dimensional felt object, too!

Course overview

In this workshop we will go together trough the entire process of creating a sculptural wallhanging: from the idea (or inspiration) to the finished object. The challenge will be, to find a practicable way to transform your natural model into a textile object. 

Step by step, you will develop your general design, choose suitable materials, plan the initial layout, position of components and shape and arrangement of resists and find technical solutions for specific details. You would lay out your project and felt it to a good, firm quality.

Educational objectives of this course

• Build a sampling and experimentation of different local or local/regional wools and their behavior when using 3D felt manufacturing techniques.

• Know how to use reserves and their number depending on the complexity of the chosen structure.

• Understand and use manipulation techniques to create complex, precise and artistic architectural form.

• Build a project plan by making samples and choosing reserves and fibers adapted to the imagined structure.

• Being able to implement the right solution during the decisive and delicate stages of carrying out a project.

• Know how to plan future projects independently, choose appropriate materials, techniques and reserves, based on artistic or functional goals.

Detailed program

During an experimental phase, day 1 – 3, we will explore various possibilities of creating 3- dimensional felted forms, in order to draw your attention to the important aspects of the techniques, expand your knowledge and provide you with a pool of technical possibilities. We want to see how different wool types react together in terms of shrinkage, colour, texture, formability and stiffness. We will also take a close look at fibre direction and how you can influence consistency and shape of your felt with a well planned layout.

Day 4 you will have a day off for relaxing, collecting ideas, planning your individual project and/or continue experimenting individually. For inspiration, you may want to dive into Krystel's wonderful textile library!

Day 5-7 are dedicated to the realization of your individual projects. 

• Based on many years of experience and skills in sculptural felting I will give advice and support with choosing suitable techniques and guide you through the felting process. 

• Together we will discuss how to proceed with the different steps of layout and felting process and which details need special attention. As each student would work on a personal project, the group can learn from a variety of versions and different technical aspects that might be implied. 

• To translate an idea into a felt object and achieve an optimal effect in a room, we should rather avoid tiny details, focus on expressive forms and try to reduce the project to its most important, generous and simple features. Less is often more! 

• Feutre Formation France, in its co-working space, offers a 3m wide electric felt rolling machine which can be used to help us fulling large pieces of felt. A few sanders are avialable, too, which can replace manual rubbing in the prefelting stage and help connecting 3d elements to a surface more efficiently. You are welcome to bring your own sander. I'm looking forward to an exciting week of experimentation and felt art, where we can unite and expand our ideas, experience and creative skills!

Monitoring of execution and evaluation methods

• Attendance sheets.

• Learning is supported by practical demonstrations, one-on-one consultations and illustrated help and explanations.

• Training evaluation forms.

Materials available for students

• Each participant will benefit from a suitable individual workstation, with individual felting table adjustable in height, small felting equipment.

• Possibility of purchasing raw materials (wool, textiles, threads) on site if necessary and depending on available stocks. 

• Large light and bright workshop, abundant library specializing in textile art and colors.

Level of prior knowledge and prerequisites

It is necessary to know and be familiar with the basic techniques of making hand felt. This training is not suitable for beginner felters. 

Thanks to the completion of this workshop, you will be able to plan future projects independently, to use your own wool production or wools from local/regional production, to choose appropriate materials, techniques and reserves for the creation of works of art or decorative or functional objects.                                               

To participate effectively in this training, knowledge of basic wet felting is required, and knowledge of the practice of felting with reserves is an advantage. Depending on your felting experience, we can adjust the level of difficulty during this training.

Personal Financing Rate

6-day training course (42 hours): €840. 

Maximum number of students: 10

Accommodation

Our residence is the ideal place to sleep on site throughout your training. If you would like to know more, write to us at contact@feutreformationfrance.fr