Mindful Making: Creating Wet Felted Vessels

Wet felting workshops offer a hands-on way to explore fiber art through slow, tactile making. In my recent Mindful Making: Creating Wet Felted Vessels workshop at Omnihum Gallery in Taos, participants gathered to learn the fundamentals of wet felting while engaging in a process that supports creativity, attention, and embodied awareness. The workshop combined fiber art techniques with a gentle, reflective approach to making.

What Participants Learn

Participants begin by learning the basic principles of wet felting, a traditional fiber technique that uses warm water, soap, and friction to interlock wool fibers into strong, sculptural forms.

During the workshop, participants explored:

• how wool fibers shrink and bind during the felting process
• layering and shaping wool around a resist to form a vessel
• techniques for compressing, shaping, and strengthening felt
• how slow handwork supports focus, creativity, and mindfulness

Each participant created a small felted vessel while learning techniques they can continue exploring at home. The workshop emphasized curiosity, experimentation, and the pleasure of working directly with natural materials.

Materials Used (Merino Wool, Silk, Plant Fibers)

The workshop used a selection of natural fibers that highlight the expressive qualities of felt.

Materials included:

• Merino wool roving for its softness and ability to felt smoothly
• Silk fibers to introduce subtle texture and luminosity
• Plant fibers (flax, ramie & bamboo) that add structure and visual contrast within the felt surface

These materials allow participants to explore how different fibers behave during felting while creating richly textured vessels.

Workshop Formats (In-Person Gallery)

This workshop was held in person at Omnihum Gallery, a contemporary gallery and community gathering space in Taos that regularly hosts creative workshops and events.

The gallery setting created an intimate environment where participants could:

• work at shared tables
• observe each stage of the felting process
• exchange ideas and inspiration
• experience the meditative rhythm of fiber art making together

In-person workshops allow participants to fully engage with the physical processes of felting while building connections through shared creative practice.

Book a Felting Workshop

Participants interested in learning felting techniques can book upcoming workshops or inquire about private sessions. Workshops are currently offered in galleries, community art spaces, and small group settings throughout Northern New Mexico. Adult, children’s and mixed-age group options are available.

If you are interested in hosting a workshop or joining a future session, visit the workshops page or reach out directly through the contact form.

Workshops include:

• mindful making sessions for artists &/or beginners featuring fiber art explorations with natural materials

• wet felting vessels

• nuno felting wearable textiles
• also available- needle felting small objects

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