Feltmaking at BELFORD FIRST School
Friday, 15 July 2011

Feltmaking in Schools
9 local schools have been visited by Anna Turnbull and Paula Constantine, 2 artists experienced in feltmaking, to involve the children in working with wool from local breeds of sheep, collaborating on the creation of a number of felt wall hangings.
The finished hangings have been displayed in their schools and in various community locations over the summer including The Glendale Show, Berwick Slow Food Festival, Etal Show, Kiknewton Show, The Glendale Festival, Bamburgh Show, Belford Show, Horncliffe Harvest Festival, Crookham Community Lunch, Belford Harvest Festival, The Cheviot Centre Wooler and a Heritage Music Event in Wooler.

Belford First School, Years 3&4
The class had already created drawings of their visit to the ‘Children’s Countryside Day’ and were to use these as the basis for their individual designs for the felt wall hanging.
The first step was to redraw their pictures in wool, selecting fibres prepared from a variety of local sheep breeds. A wool fibre outline was laid down first. It was then in filled with various coloured wools to create a wool picture.

Each child then added a background of wool fibre to their picture.

A large background was laid out on bubble wrap, and then sprinkled with warm, soapy water.

Their individual pictures were placed on top.

It was then covered with more bubble wrap and sheeting and tightly rolled around a pipe so the felting could begin. The children took turns to roll the piece.
All were pleased with the final results.