Our February 2023 workshop was with Karen Lane of Lincs in Stitches. On the Saturday, she gave a fascinating talk about the history of wet felting, so we were all inspired to have a go on the following day.

The theme for the day was fairy slippers, but Karen had said that if anyone wanted to make something else there was plenty of scope. We ended up with a couple of people making pictures, one bowl maker, and 10 pairs of boots. Because the felting process involves lots of water, most people decided to wait until everything had dried out before boot laces and other embellishments were added, but even so, we had a lovely display by the end of the day.

Sometimes, textiles can help in unexpected ways, giving us comfort, and expressing difficult things. The Yorkshire ‘Speak Their Name’ Suicide Memorial Quilt is a prime example. One of our members visited it in Beverley Minster, and took these photos.

If you would like to visit it too, you can check the opening times here. The exhibition is on until 28th February 2023.