1. Artist as Teacher
Using my art work to support
work with children

2. Angie Lewin How to use
Mary-Clare Buckle felt making
Artists
What it supports
My art work Websites
Final piece
Contents
My work in
Example of the classroom
My inspiration activities
Surface
decoration NC Links
Additional
Information
My felting
How to -
process Starting points
Click flower
to return to When first viewing this presentation, view from beginning to end. On next viewing feel free to
this page use this hyperlinked contents page to take you directly to the page you wish to look at.

3. Every piece of artwork should
have an inspiration or a
stimulus.
My inspiration was my Nan’s garden where I used
to spend a lot of time as a child.
I specifically remember her chive flowers and
their vivid colour against the green.

4. The decision to make felt
These are examples of my trial
pieces of felt.
This felt didn’t work and needed something to
make it more eye-catching.
Nuno Felting inspired by Mary-Clare Buckle

5. Mary-Clare Buckle
Buckle is an abstract textile
artist mainly using the process
of felt making to create her
pieces.
These are examples of her work.

6. Embellishing the surface
My sketchbook was key to helping me
think out ideas and consider the
effectiveness of trial pieces.

7. Angie Lewin
Lewin is a printmaker who specialises in
linocuts.
I was not inspired by her process, rather
her beautiful garden depictions.

8. My Final Piece
Up close detail of the final piece.
Final piece displayed at our exhibition.
The A-frame further adds to the garden
theme.

9. Using my work in the classroom
My work can support learning and teaching about felt and the process of felt making.
As well as the process of felt making, my
work would cover the teaching of the
following elements of art:
Colour
Texture
The other elements of art are:
Space
Shape
Form
Line
Click here to see additional slide on
Tone the process of felt making.

10. Colour Texture Process
Colour is easily covered by Texture is also something The process of felt making
felt making as it is the that can be covered by felt is clearly covered by
main tactile element of felt making, as different teaching felt making, as it
because it is the colours methods of felting create is almost impossible to
that make the final piece different textures. teach about felt making
aesthetically pleasing. and not teach the process
Older children should be or skills of it.
Children should carefully given the opportunity to
consider what colour choose different methods Skills can be introduced
merino wools they will use of felting to create a texture from an early age and
to create their work. to suit their purpose. developed throughout the
children’s school career.
Colours can be mixed by
carding two colours
together to integrate the
fibres.

11. Felt making supports the following areas of the KS2 national
curriculum for art and design:
• 2a - investigate and combine visual and tactile qualities of materials and
processes and to match these qualities to the purpose of the work.
•4a - visual and tactile elements, including colour, pattern and texture, line and
tone, shape, form and space, and how these elements can be combined and
organised for different purposes.
•5c - using a range of materials and processes, including ICT [for example, painting,
collage, print making, digital media, textiles, sculpture].
Felt making can also be linked to:
•2b
•4b
•4c (If using artists to inform felt work)

12. Children using my work as a
stimulus
“Look, this is how our
felt will look when it is
finished. I wonder how
Miss R. made it look
like this?”
Where possible, use original art work. It is so
much more valuable than seeing a picture on
the white board.

13. Learning Objective (for year 3/4 activity):
I can respond to a stimulus to contribute to a whole class felt piece
Activities:
•The initial stimulus for the art work was a trip to study a local environment.
Here the children made sketches and colour samples to take back to class.
•Back in class, children decided on the colours they
required for the felt. This supports the colour
element of art.
•As there are several stages to felt making,
children were grouped so each group was able to
be part of the main piece of felt.

14. •While one group was working on the main
piece, the other groups were working as
individuals to make small pieces of felt combining
one of two of the colours used to create boarder
pieces.
Children were encouraged to think
wisely about their colour choices, to
create an effective boarder piece.

15. Final piece on display
Inspiration complete with
boarder felt
Whole class felt
completed

16. Felt making can be:
• A result of any stimulus – I really mean anything!
• A stepping stone in a textiles project – make the felt as a base to work on.
• A piece of art in its own right
• A way of recording – rather than drawing or painting, why not felt what you see.
• A final piece or a starting point
• Designed – plan desired outcome from a stimulus
• Free flow (lets see what happens)
Felt inspired by literacy

17. Ideas for starting points to lead to felt work:
Why do we have to draw
still life all the time?
Nature
Why not use artist’s work
Just a few ideas, the
list is limitless!

18. Back to ‘Using my work in the classroom’
Click here to open the above pages in Adobe PDF
Although the instructions are for felt making with young children, the
process is very simple and suitable for all ages!

19. Useful Websites
http://www.maryclarebuckle.com/
Website where you can view Mary-Clare Buckle’s beautiful felt work, her
contact is also there and she is very happy to email advice if you need it.
http://www.angielewin.co.uk/
This website is Angie Lewin’s official website and shows a huge range of her
linocut prints.
http://www.feltbetter.com/feltMaking.asp
Brilliant resource for felt making! Hyperlink takes you to a method page but
the whole website is useful.
http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/subjects/art-and-
design/index.aspx
Link to the Art and Design National Curriculum statutory programmes of
study for both Key Stages.

20. Additional Information - Resources
Merino Wool Tops – The main material that felt is made from.
Carders – To ‘brush’ fibres together to mix colours.
*Safety Warning* Carders are sharp metal brushes so with younger children should be
used by an adult.
Soap or Washing up liquid – bubbles help the fibre bind together.
Warm/hot water (hotter the better but consider the children) – heat helps the fibres bind
together.
Containers for water – seems simple but useful to get ready before lesson.
The rest depends on the method you are using to make the felt. The following resources
are for my recommended method:
Bubble wrap – Provides friction for the felting process to occur.
Fabric (ideally cotton, but whatever is lying around) – Allows for children to rub the felt
without disturbing the design and arrangement.

21. Additional Information - My Felt Making Method
This is the actual felt making method. It doesn’t include the previous
stages of designing, etc.
1. Onto the bubble wrap, lay 2. The next layer fibres should be
thinned merino wool with the lay vertically and the 3rd and final
fibres all running in one direction layer should be horizontal again.
(horizontal).
Thin merino wool by teasing it
using your fingers. Layers can be any colours. If Fibres
you want to save your
coloured wools use cheaper
natural wools for the first 2
You can card
layers and create your design
fibres
in coloured wool on the top. together to
If there is no design, I would fix colours
recommend using coloured before
wool on all layers. laying them
down.
Ensure there are no gaps in layers! You don’t want to see the layer below.

22. Additional Information - My Felt Making Method
3. Gently lay the fabric over your 6. Once you can feel that the
carefully placed merino wool. wool it wet and soapy you can
begin to rub harder and in all
directions. Circular motions are
4. Pour on a little hot water onto best.
the fabric and press down gently Continue for around 10 minutes.
to ensure the wool is wet. Too
much water will not cause a
problem, it will just be really wet. 7. After this time, lift the fabric
and the wool should come with
it. Gently pull at the wool to see if
5. Either rub with a bar of soap or it has become one thick piece of
squeeze on a small amount of felt.
washing up liquid and begin to
rub the fabric, slowly at first.
If it has: If it hasn’t:
Peel off the fabric, wash Continue
the felt in clean water from step 6.
and leave to dry.

23. Additional Information - Where to get Resources from
As you can imagine, Merino wool tops are not as easy to come
across as a set of art pencils, but by looking in the following
places, resourcing felt making should be easy.
Although merino wool can be found in art catalogues that
you might receive at school, I have found them to be
expensive for what they provide. I much prefer ebay to buy
good quantities of merino tops for reasonable prices.
xxstarburstxx is one of my favourite sellers offering 100g of merino tops for £3 and
you can choose an assortment of colours! This is brilliant for a first time felting
experiment.
forestfibres are also a well priced ebay company but
specialise in single colour bags of felt. Their bags are
normally 50g and vary between £2.50 and £5.
Their colour range is extensive!

24. Additional Information - Where to get Resources from
One the previous page I talked about Merino wool being sold in grams. It is
difficult to say how much Merino wool you would need to buy for whole class
felting, but I have 200g for a class of 30 to make the lighthouse piece and there
was lots left. Obviously the bigger the felt the more you will need!
Carders are not a necessary piece of equipment for felt making and
may only be required for advanced felt making rather than the first
attempt. However, I have been unable to source where the can be
bought.
Here is a really good guide on how to use carders Happy Felting!
if you do have any and wish to use them:
http://rosiepink.typepad.co.uk/rosiepink/how-
to-use-hand-carders-for-needle-felting.html