Explore the magic of needle felting with a delightful Dala horse image and take your colorwork skills to a new level! Dala horses have been a Swedish icon for centuries, and this class will take a new spin on the traditional wooden-painted form by recreating the image in wool. During this class held virtually via Zoom, students will learn how to stretch a felt backing onto an embroidery hoop and keep it tight for ease of use. Plus, they will learn to transform the beautiful array of hand-dyed roving from the instructor’s farm’s sheep into their own interpretation of the project. Focus will be given to shape creation, colorwork, and three-dimensionality.

At the end of the class, the instructor will offer suggestions for using or mounting your finished piece.

This is a beginner-friendly course. Bring your creative spirit and love of wool!

Important note: This is an online course. Each student must supply their own embroidery hoop as specified in the materials section.

Required Tools

All students will be mailed a kit containing:

• Two felting needles
• Craft felt backing with transferred design,
• Ample wool to make the project such that any color could work in any of the design
• Elements

You will need to supply:

• Foam work surface (or request one from instructor for $6 extra)
• An 8-inch embroidery hoop (must be 8-inch)
• Scissors

Optional Tools

Needle felting multi-tool (or request one from instructor for $16 extra). ASF will contact you upon purchase of ticket to ask if you’d like to purchase the multi-tool or foam to come with your kit.

About the Instructor

Laura Berlage is a contemporary Renaissance woman living and working on her family’s century-old homestead farm outside Hayward, WI. From fiber arts to creative writing, music to storytelling, she never tires of the magic of transforming idea into form and overlapping narrative and visual. Laura also loves working with the many beautiful natural materials from her farm — especially the wool from her sheep.

Completing her MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College in 2011, Laura continues her lifelong passion for learning with mentorships and intensives that offer engaged, hands-on teaching with small groups to encourage creativity, imagination, and expression. Her business is Erindale Tapestry Studio.