Have you every reached a turning point in your life where you felt fate was taking you in a different direction? This is what I am experiencing at the moment.
When I was first attracted to felt-making (more than 10 years ago) my desire was to learn how to create strong 3D shapes using just woollen fibres. Bag making and other 3D structures became my passion and over the years I began to felt with stronger and coarser wools such as Icelandic, Norwegian, Finn and several breeds of British Wool. But constant wet felting of coarse wool can take a toll on your body and by the end of last summer, my neck and shoulder muscles unfortunately became severely strained. I had hoped they would settle down again over the autumn and Christmas season but I am still experiencing problems and bag making is no longer an option, at least not for some time, according to my physiotherapist. I am gutted in one respect, as I love to create 3D structures, but I am determined to continue felt making!
Throughout 2025 I began to create more artwork with relief textures, mostly due to my shoulder but also due to demand. My artwork has been well received, and I have found that not only does this require less physical effort but also there are endless possibilities for creating texture and form – just on a smaller scale!
Texture has always been a big part of my work and wool mixed with different fibres and fabrics can create some fabulous effects! After much mental turmoil I have therefore decided that I have to put bag making and wearables aside for the foreseeable future and concentrate on experimenting with texture. Having made the decision, I am now very excited! I adore shibori, creating folds, craters, and other relief textures and have been wanting to delve deeper for some time.
This does mean, however, that I will not be attending any Artisan or Craft fairs until the end of the year as I want to spend time developing some new work, but I will still be running my workshops and hope to develop some new ones based on textural techniques. I will also be involved in several art exhibitions in 2026 and will try to post more of my journey as I go along.
