Year-end felting classes are a big hit

On her first day at Casa Ursulina, Sister Maureen Freeman (right) introduces her eager students to needle felting.

The visit of Sister Maureen Freeman to Casa Ursulina in late November and early December brought a rise in excitement to the women of Casa Ursulina. Sister Maureen, a Sister of St. Joseph and director of the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., spent two weeks teaching the art of felting to an eager group of women. The felting program doubled the class load at Casa Ursulina during these two weeks, but everyone agreed: "Valía la pena" — it was worth the effort!

Basically, felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers. It is the oldest form of
fabric known to humankind.

Even before Sister Maureen's arrival, the women had spent some time preparing material for felting, beginning with washing and carding raw wool donated by area sheep farmers. Sister Maureen, affectionately known as "Moe," began with needle felting, a simpler version of this ancient art. Then she introduced wet felting, a much more complicated and labor-intensive process.

The pictures show the enthusiasm and hard work that went into this process. As always, the women learned fast and worked with great energy. The results speak for themselves!

Left: Clarina, Moe, and Mercedes show off their new hats. Middle: On the last day, the entire group merged their leftover wool into a communal rug. Right: Lucia and Ana Teresa, who are sisters, delighted their teacher with the gift of an alpaca that they had felted.