My name is Anna Esposito, I’m an Italian felt maker and I organized the “Third Italian Gathering of Needle Felt”. I proposed to the staff of “Abilmente”, the most important fair of creativity and hobbies in Italy, to host such gathering during the Rome 2024 Spring Edition. They accepted enthusiastically. I had a lot of ideas in my mind, a lot of things to do and only four months to organize everything! I got in touch with some professionals to offer the visitors diverse and interesting workshops from beginner to advanced level. They were happy to cooperate in partnerships. My partners in this adventure were: Sara Compagnoni, a designer who took care of 3D Pet Portrait courses and a masterclass; Daniela dalla Valle who taught courses on fairies, elves, gnomes from the Waldorf world; Giulia Alberti who organized DYE and botanical print courses and masterclasses; and I lead courses and a masterclass on painting with wool. The expo staff gave us a huge space that we used to exhibit animals and crafts of the Farm, all made of wool. We provided a size 1:1 puppet sheep covered by pre-felt merino wool to experience needle felting on a pre-made figure. The visitors could approach the technique by applying tufts of colored wool to the body of the sheep according to their fantasy. One of the most interesting parts of the event was the contest dedicated to “Flowers”. We had 16 artists participating and 3 of them won the competition. DHG-shop and Clover Italy have been important sponsors for us as they supplied several kinds of wool and tools for the courses. “La Rocca Farm” of Montefortino, Marche (Italy), has participated with their recovery project of the wool from the Sopravissana sheep, an Italian breed of merino cross-sheep in danger of extinction. Approximately 250 people participated to our 4 masterclasses and 16 different courses. For this exhibit, my friend and illustrator Simona Candido painted our mascot, a cute character depicting a happy dancing sheep that we called Annalisa. In fact, Annalisa is the name of the baby sheep born at “La Rocca Farm” during the preparation of the gathering. We welcomed Annalisa’s birth as a lucky sign! I worked hard to ensure a positive outcome of the event, but it was worth it! I met many new passionate followers and I felt like I was at a big party with friends, all sharing this incredible experience. I’m already thinking about the next gathering, and I hope to host enthusiastic felt makers from all over Europe.
Article by Anna Esposito Europe