Expert needle-felter, fiber artist, and storyteller Hillary Dow of Binding Tales will lead this fun workshop at the Gilley, guiding participants through the process of creating a felted coral reef wall hanging. This workshop is suitable for all skill levels including beginners.

Learn needle felting techniques as you transform puffy piles of wool into a vivid and dynamic coral reef that features several types of coral in a variety of colors with dark shadows and 3D depth. Your wool supplies will include a 5x7 wool pre-felt; blue, purple, green and coral blended batts; and solid color roving. All the felting tools necessary to create your piece are provided, including several sizes of felting needles, single and multi-needle tools, finger guards, and a felting pad. The rich variety of prepared colors allows for a painterly approach to needle felting. All the wool used in this project is sourced from Maine fiber farms.

Hillary will display an author-illustrator showcase of original artwork as well as her children’s books, which will be available for sale. She is the author, illustrator and publisher of Binding Tales books, featuring pictures she has needle felted with wool sourced from Maine sheep. Born and raised in the western mountains of Maine, she now lives with her family in Hampden.