Jamie Lewis...

Jamie works in the kitchen at his Birmingham home most days felting wool fibres into large satchels, smaller bags, tea cosies, cushion covers and of course, the Felt Zoo Animals. He was shown the basics of feltmaking by his mother, Christine Lewis, years ago and his first felting session produced a comfy pair of slippers. From there he's pretty much self taught, developing his own processes and his own style. He gained a 2:1 in Fine Art from Coventry University but doesn't do that sort of thing anymore. Most of his work is felted in one piece around resists cut out from floor lino, rubbed by hand with olive oil soap and water or rolled in roman blinds before getting a rinse and spin in the machine. Jamie finishes products with poppers, buttons and linings whilst manning his stall at events.

Having enjoyed a few years creating wildly colourful and intricate designs, Jamie now likes to keep things simple, making the most of the muted shades of natural wools. So that means one background colour and no more than two other colours and traditional shapes. As a result his Natural Wool Satchels are popular with men and women of all ages.

Jamie favours trading at outdoor Arts, Crafts, Designer/Maker or quality Retail Markets in city centres or large towns. You'll find him monthly at Moseley Arts Market (4th Sat), Stratford Rother St Market (2nd) and at other events in places such as Manchester, Hereford and Warwick. Have a look at the Events Diary to see when he's back near you.

What's Felt?

Felt is formed from animal fibres, usually wool, through the combination of moisture, heat and friction, all of which cause their tiny scales to lock irreversably together. It's the oldest manmade textile, thought to have been discovered when people filled their leather boots with sheep's wool to protect themselves from blisters - the sweat, warmth and foot movement caused the wool to felt, resulting in felt socks when the boots were removed. As a non-woven textile, felt cannot be torn or ripped and when properly shrunk (fulled) it can't stretch.

Can I Learn?

Of course! You'll need some carded wool (preferably a selection of dyed Merino for beginners), a fairly large sturdy table, old towels, bubble wrap, soap (preferably pure olive oil) and a couple of hours. Jamie can be available for one to one or small group lessons either in his own home, your home or a hired venue. Please contact to discuss prices and availabilty.