Adding movement to an art piece takes it to a new dimension.  The shape becomes fluid, even mesmerising.

A while ago, a friend challenged me to engineer a technique for a hanging spiral.  When I shared the outcome on social media, I was delighted to receive numerous requests for a workshop to teach my process and the result is my Hanging Felted Spiral Tutorial.

This tutorial will introduce you to my technique for making the hanging felted spiral, so, once mastered, you can add your own artistic ‘twist’ to your spirals!  The cost of this tutorial is €70 .  Please see the schedule below for the 2024 course schedule.  To register for the course, please fill out the contact form at the bottom of the page during open registration.  If you would like to be notified when registration opens for the next class, please fill out the CONTACT US form with the class name and date in which you are interested.

This course will teach participants the technical skills required to make the hanging felted spiral.  It will take place over a four week period.

Week one of the course focuses on all the preparatory steps you will need to undertake to make your hanging felted spiral.  You will be supported by illustrated PDF materials which will be available for you to download and by a series of videos which you can view online.  I have broken the preparation work down into a series of short steps which will guide you through the whole process.  These various steps will provide you with a solid foundation  upon which you can build your spiral.  I will also discuss how you can grow your spiral for your future pieces once you have mastered the techniques you will learn on this course.

During week two we will concentrate on laying out and felting the spiral and the weight which will be attached to the bottom of the spiral.  I will share my method for laying out the fibre which will provide better elasticity during the final shaping.  You will learn how to keep the twists of your spiral flat and separated and the fulling method I use.  I will discuss troubleshooting.  You will learn how to make a ‘teardrop’ weight.  Finally I will show you how I suspend the completed spiral and weight so that it appears to be floating in mid-air.

All learning materials will be provided to you during these first two weeks.  During weeks 3 and 4, I will encourage you to experiment with the knowledge gained during the first two weeks of the course and I will be available to answer your questions throughout.

Please access the materials list by clicking on the following link Hanging Felted Spiral Tutorial Materials and Equipment list.  I would highly recommend that you source the materials as soon as you have been accepted onto the course as there are items which you may need to purchase online.

Please note that this tutorial is aimed at felt makers who have already developed their technical felting skills.  It is not suitable for felt makers who are at the start of their felting journey.  While the tutorial provides a step by step guide to making the spiral, there are times when students will be given the opportunity to apply their preferred methods to the process.  For example,  a sander is used during the initial felting process.  It is, however not essential to use one and students will be asked to choose between this method and their preferred method.  Therefore you must be confident in your preferred method.  A knowledge of book resists is preferable, though not essential.  Previous experience working in three dimensions is essential.  Also required is a basic knowledge of needle felting and sewing.

Part 1 of the course work will be made available to you at the start of week 1 of the course and part 2 will be available for download at the start of week 2. The course work will be supplied in PDF format and a link to view the PDF online will be provided on the class website where you can download it to keep.  The videos will be available throughout the class but not available to download.    You will be given a link to the online class website.  The class website will have sections for students to show their work and ask questions, and also a section specifically for asking the instructor questions.  The instructor will visit the forum daily.

The cost of the course is Eur70.  You will be billed/invoiced by Paypal and the Vendor name on the bill will be Helene Dooley.  Class size will be limited to 30.  A welcome letter containing details of how to access a Class Website Navigation PDF, and an Adding Photos to the Class Website PDF will be attached to the Paypal invoice for your convenience.

2024 Class Schedule:

12th April 2024 (Registration opens on 1st Apr, 2024) Class Ends 10^th May, 2024

11^th October 2024 (Registration opens on 30^th Sept 2024) Class Ends 8^th Nov, 2024

Dates subject to change without notice.

To register, please fill out the contact form below:

Registration for this course is now closed for the October 2023 session. If you would like to be notified of the next open registration, please fill out the contact us form here with the name of the class in the comments section.