Creating a Felted Christmas Stocking

About this course

Participants create a reusable, adult-sized Christmas stocking by shaping wool fibres into a firm three-dimensional form using wet felting. The process begins with making a template and arranging the fibres before they are felted together. Decorative work then uses needle felting and simple embroidery stitches, with beads and sequins available for additional texture. The course also explores the properties of wool and ways to develop patterned textile forms.

What you'll learn

• Describe key properties of wool as a felting material
• Construct a three-dimensional form using the wet felting method
• Apply decorative designs through needle felting
• Use simple embroidery stitches to embellish felt
• Combine beads and sequins with felted and embroidered decoration

Is this course right for you?

The course is suitable for beginners to felting as well as learners with more experience who want to explore three-dimensional forms. It involves making an individual textile piece, followed by decorative needle felting, embroidery and optional bead or sequin embellishment.

• Suitable for learners at different levels of felting experience
• Includes work on a three-dimensional textile form
• Combines felt construction with embroidery and surface embellishment

Before you go

• Basic course materials and equipment are provided.
• Participants should bring a large plastic or melamine dinner tray, a sturdy tub or jug, soap, a bath sponge, a 30 x 60 cm piece of bubble wrap, a waterproof apron, a towel and a waterproof carrier bag for transporting wet felt.
• Nitrile gloves are suggested for hands that may be sensitive to soap.
• Participants should bring embroidery threads and a basic sewing kit, including needles, scissors, pins and a pincushion.
• Participants may bring sequins, beads, ribbons and other embellishments.