Needlework - Workshops

More Details VALERIE HEBERT WOOL FELTED WOODLAND FRIENDS Discover the magic of needle-felting as you learn to transform wool into six charming woodland animals in this workshop led by Valerie Hebert and Liz Wagner. In this workshop, makers will explore the foundations of sculpting wool into form and detail, creating a delightful menagerie of a fox, owl, bunny, hedgehog, raccoon and bear. Beginning with simple shapes, you’ll learn how to build firm felted bodies, layer on color, and add expressive features that bring each creature to life. Once your forms are shaped, personalize your woodland friends with sweet embellishments—embroidered noses, stitched smiles, tiny tails, or soft tufts of fur. Makers are invited to customize each animal’s expression using embroidery floss, plastic eyes, and small found natural items like sticks or twigs. These miniature creatures make heartfelt gifts, whimsical shelf companions, or adorable backpack charms. And with extra wool included in your kit, you’ll have plenty of material to create additional animals or experiment with new colorways after completing your first set of six. Explore the cozy world where fiber art meets soft sculpture.  AN INSPIRING HISTORY Many people wonder if needle felting and wet felting are a new craft. Felt making - turning wool and animal fibers into felt - is ancient, going back thousands of years, back to the time of Noah and the Ark. As the rain began to fall and Noah ushered all the animals on the ark, they set adrift for 40 days and 40 nights. Upon finding dry land and the animals disembarking, what was left on the ark? A beautiful carpet! All the animals shed their woolly fur, which was rained on and stomped on by the animals. The combination of fur, water and action is what formed the carpet, an example of what happens in wet felting. Though felt-making itself is ancient, the felting needle technology dates back to the 1800s and the barbed needles used today in dry needle felting were developed in the 1980s for the specific use of handcraft needle felting.  The Curated Kit of Tools & Materials This workshop includes: Two detailed, digital workshops led by Valerie Hebert and Liz Wagner Tools & materials from artisan suppliers, curated for you by Valerie and Liz The tools & materials included in your kit: Core wool for six animals A selection of short and long hair wool for body & details Felting pad Felting needles Embroidery floss Embroidery needle Plastic eyes Materials to have at home:  Small sharp scissors Household glue for fabrics or even Elmer’s Glue Safety Note: The needles are very sharp and it is easy to stab yourself if you take your eyes away from your work. Do not attempt to watch TV during this craft, or your fingers will have more pokes than your wool! This course takes time and patience, so is best for kids who are able to sit and focus for longer periods of time. About the Artist: Valerie Hebert Valerie Hebert — known to many as a “Joy Fairy” — is a San Diego–based fiber artist whose work radiates warmth, playfulness, and intention. Inspired daily by the coast’s beauty and gentle climate, she is a fine art painter at heart who discovered the transformative world of wool felting while raising her two sons. A class on felted handbags opened the door to needle felting: the process of shaping and embellishing wool fibers with a barbed needle instead of a paintbrush. This magical medium became the perfect intersection of her lifelong passions for sewing, painting, and creating. For more than fifteen years, Valerie has relied on the meditative nature of dry needle felting to ground and steady herself through life’s greatest challenges, including the loss of her husband and life partner to an aggressive brain cancer. The rhythmic, focused motion of shaping loose wool into something tender and beautiful has served as both solace and expression — a quiet space where grief and beauty coexist. Valerie carries this healing, joyful energy into everything she shares. Whether through her artwork, an in-person class, or an online workshop, she invites others into a gentle, creative world where imagination, resilience, and joy come together. About the Artist: Liz Wagner Liz Wagner finds joy in guiding crafters of all ages through the creative process. As a mother of five and kindergarten educator, she delights in the innate and uninhibited creative spirit that young makers bring to the workshop table. “Combining fiber arts with sculpture makes the needle felting process unique. It’s exciting to manipulate tufts of wool into adorable three-dimensional creatures. You only need a special needle, the right fibers, and a dose of imagination.” Liz lives in sunny San Diego with her family of 7. She is crazy about her four chickens, gardening, and making something from nothing. We can’t wait to see how your wool felted animals turn out. Share your creative journey and finished creation with us by tagging @thecraftersbox @Valsart in your social posts. Don’t forget to use #thecraftersbox so our community can also see your workshop come to life. Happy making!