| Canberra Region Feltmakers |
About us
| Felting is an ancient craft, which is just as useful and relevant today as it was 3000 years ago. A simple and yet sophisticated textile, felt is made by locking fibres together using just water, soap and friction. |
The Canberra Region Feltmakers Inc. (CRF) was formed in 1994 by 14 keen felt makers. From those early beginnings, helped along by a cold climate that is felt friendly and a region producing fine merino, CRF has developed into an active group. The group meets each month, runs a busy workshop and felting fun program and demonstrates feltmaking at public events. Our exhibitions and fashion parades showcase our members' work and provide an opportunity for the public to buy. Sign up to our email list if you would like to know about our upcoming public events.
Our members are skilled artists. Felt making and other technical skills are increasingly left out of tertiary textiles and fashion courses and specialist groups such as ours offer an opportunity to learn about and enjoy working with handmade felt. We welcome everyone who wants to learn the art of felting with us.
Our objectives
- to provide a forum for the promotion of feltmaking
- to promote cooperation and interchange of ideas about feltmaking through regular meetings and newsletters
- to provide a centre which may be used for meetings and as a bureau of information
- to promote feltmaking to the general public through exhibitions, demonstrations and workshops
- to encourage standards of excellence in the craft of feltmaking
- to liaise with similar organisations throughout Australia and other countries to encourage greater interaction between craftspeople in this and related fields
- to do all such things as are incidental to or conducive to the above objectives.
Upcoming events Workshops Join us
Meetings
CRF holds monthly meetings (except December and January) at the Scout Hall in Kett Street Kambah, ACT (next door to The Burns Club) to enable members to work on joint projects and share experiences. Meetings typically include an activity related to feltmaking, a sometimes a short formal meeting ending with a display table, and visits to the CRF shop and library, all in a friendly and welcoming environment. Non-members are welcome to come to up to two meetings to 'check us out'.
We also have small group drop in days run on a casual basis. See our calendar for more information.
CRF Shop and Library
CRF runs its own shop as part of the Saturday meeting each month to give members access to equipment and materials at very competitive rates. The shop runs for an hour at the end of the meeting. Stock varies from month to month but typically includes wool tops and batts in a variety of colours, silk fibre and other materials for surface decoration, scarves and fabric pieces suitable for nuno felting and Landscape dyes for wool.
Supplies for feltmaking can also be purchased from many businesses online (try searching for felting supplies).
CRF has a library of books, DVDs, magazines related to felting and textiles and hat blocks available for loan to members.