Wrapped Wool Brooch – Option 2

This workshop is the same format as Option 1 but it requires a bit more time to prep your wools. The wools in Option 1 come from a Hattersley loom, which gives the bundles of warp wools a natural twist ready for wrapping. Here we must add in the twist as we wrap.

This brooch is constructed from 3mm thick pure wool felt, while the wrapped wool embellishment is made from donated wool waste from industrial looms. The supersized wrapped installations at Sheila Hicks’ Off Grid exhibition in 2022 inspired me to experiment with wrapping wool albeit on a much smaller scale. 

• Price: £30/person for eight participants

• Who it’s for: Ages 16+

• Length: 3.5 hours

Mairi Flood

Hello, I’m Mairi the stitching creative behind @Meandering Yarns which is a documentation of my explorations into textile art and sewing. From a very early age, my mum instilled in me a love of making with yarns, textiles and much more. My parents took us on holidays to the Cairngorms and west coast of Scotland where we walked, camped or hostelled so not surprisingly that fascination with the natural world resulted in me studying Forestry at Aberdeen University. Later, when I had my children, I retrained as Primary teacher specialising in early years. All through my career, I continued to craft, sew and be creative.  After early retirement, I bought a new sewing machine and decided to see if I could sell what I made as Bosie Hug Tweed Baby Booties and, latterly, as Meandering Yarns. I developed a love of Tweed and wool. In 2024, after ten happy years of this, I decided to change track to give me more time for my personal exploration of sewing and textile art. I was keen to find opportunities to sew with others and share skills. So, I started volunteering at Birkhill. I now run workshops and, when needed, help plan and deliver longer projects at Birkhill, such as the Multiply 10 Cats Numeracy Bags, Saturday Slow Stitchers and making tote bags with the Wednesday Makers Group.