WET FELT A FINE WOOL PORTABLE LANTERN with Sheila Thompson
Wednesday November 11 & Saturday November 28 | 10am – 4pm

These felted luminaries or lanterns lend a warm glow to a corner of a room – perfect for those long winter nights. They are fairly easy to make with just two layers of merino wool laid over a resist, and can be decorated with wool nepps or fine fabric scraps. Tools are available to make the wet felting process a little less labour intensive but these lanterns generally felt fairly quickly. We make the built in felted ropes as the handles for carrying. A purchased wooden coaster is attached to the base so that a wax LED candle can be carried inside. We stiffen the lantern and shape its form using beans before it dries. Materials, except for the LED candle are provided and included in the cost.

If interested, please fill out the form below and I will provide additional information and save your space. Cost: $160. 6 hours of instruction from 10am to 4pm. This course is suitable for all levels of felting experience.

Sheila Supplies: White merino wool, a range of silks, partial felts, fibres and viscose/silk for surface embellishments, equipment to use for felting, beans for shaping, stiffener

You Bring: a towel, fine waterproof gloves (optional), apron (optional), lunch, and provide your own LED Candle (or purchase from me). Examples of battery operated LED Wax candles are: Aku Tonpa Ivory Flameless Candles Battery Operated Pillar Real Wax Flickering Electric LED Candle Sets with Remote Control Cycling 24 Hours Timer, 4″ 5″ 6″ Pack of 3 at Amazon.

About your Instructor:

Sheila Thompson is a woman in science with a PhD in Biogeography whose fibre art practice has been evolving for 25 years. Her artwork brings together her geographic knowledge and her advocacy for the environment and social justice. Through wet-felted sculptural vessels, futuristic leaves, and aerial topographies, she imagines how short-sighted political decisions may shape the health and wellbeing of future ecosystems.

Sheila is a member of Connections Fibre Artists, the Society of Canadian Artists, and several environmental organizations. She has also held volunteer roles with Artists’ Network, the International Feltmakers Association, local studio tours, and the Surface Design Association’s international exhibition group.  She runs her studio as a welcoming research lab, encouraging collaboration, experimentation with felting, and exploration across multiple surface design techniques. Her work has been published in international felting magazines, and she has received awards for her Erlenmeyer Imposter vessels and political topographies.

Sheila has curated several group shows that promote environmental awareness through fibre art, and she has participated in exhibitions spanning fibre and other art forms such as World of Threads and Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. She also co-curated a national touring fibre art show sponsored by the Ontario Arts Council. Her work is in many private collections and is available through Partial Gallery and in the Art Gallery of Guelph shop.