Participants will use dyed merino wool “prefelts” and other fibers and embellishments to create 3 different fully felted flower or leaf pins/brooches that can be worn as an accessory on clothing, a hat, or a scarf.

In the first session, participants will choose flower and/or leaf shapes, cut these out of dyed prefelts, add additional fibers and then wet felt these. Layers will be shaped and then left to dry. In the second session, the felted petals/shapes will be layered and assembled, using simple hand stitching. Other embellishments can be added, such as beads, millinery stamens, wool curly locks, or ribbons, and then a pin back will be affixed to the back of the pins.

Class minimum: 4
Class maximum: 8

About the Instructor:
Melinda Schertenlieb has been working in the fiber arts most of her life: sewing, embroidering, knitting, crocheting, etc. She began exploring felting 12 years ago, and has taken a number of workshops (both group and individual) to learn techniques in wet felting. Using unspun wool fibers, silk fibers, and other textural elements, Melinda primarily wet felts handbags, vessels, scarves, and brooches/pins. She continues to explore techniques, and is expanding her fiber art learning to include some eco printing on fabric and some fiber dyeing skills.

ACWL-Nuveen classes are supported in part by grants from the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Nuveen Benevolent Trust.