Since this is the Last-Minute Christmas Issue, we thought we should do something last-minute Christmassy for the Go Try It. And what’s more last minute than making your own Christmas tree ornaments just days before Christmas?
That’s what will be going on at The Place Studio & Gallery on Thursday, when a class on needle felted ornaments will take place from 6 to 8 p.m.
But what is needle felting, anyway?
“Felting, in general, is shrinking your wool together,” said Christa Zuber, owner of The Place. You know when you put a wool sweater in the dryer for too long and it shrinks? That’s an example of wet felting. “With needle felting, you’re using a needle to make your wool fibers tighter,” Zuber said.
But how does that translate to multiple pieces of wool all bonding to form one solid piece?
“So, it’s kind of like magic,” Zuber said. “It sticks to itself. Every time you poke it, it gets tighter and tighter.”
The needle referred to in needle felting is actually pretty sharp, Zuber said, and it’s about 3½ inches in length. There are prongs on the end to catch the wool. In other words, it’s a little dangerous, so this isn’t the ideal craft for the littlest ones, though Zuber said she always leaves it up to parents to decide what their kids can handle.
At the class, you’ll make your own ornaments in this fashion. Zuber has little embroidery hoops that will serve as the perimeter of the ornament, and there will be several designs to choose from.
If you don’t want to use one of the hoops, you can also use cookie cutters. In this case, you’d fill a cookie cutter with wool and then use a needle to poke it tight.
You can work at your own pace, so by the end of the two-hour class you could end up with handfuls of these things, or just one or two if you prefer.
When they’re all done, you can do several last-minute Christmas things with then, such as hang them on your tree or give them as gifts.
Oh yeah, and The Place is always BYOB, so don’t miss out on that opportunity. You can also bring snacks if you’d like.
The class will run from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The cost is $20 for adults and $15 for students. If you’d like to attend, just RSVP online (theplaceconcord.com) or call 369-4906 by noon the day before to confirm that you’re going.
If you’re really all about needle felting, you can also hit up The Place on Wednesday (the day before the ornament needle felting class) for a session of needle felting your pet. This is The Place’s creative take on “paint your pet,” which a lot of paint bars are doing these days.
The first step will be to provide a photo of your pet – you don’t have to send one in ahead of time, but it will be easier if you do. Then there will be two options – a flat, sort of felt painting, and a 3-D version. The 3-D kind will have a pipe cleaner skeleton with felt over the top.
This class (also BYOB) will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday for $30 for adults and $20 for students.
