Felt with Chris Liszak: Coats, Calculations and Community

In this episode Heather Potten, Louise Curnin and IFA chair, Chris Liszak, explore how mathematics and craft combine in feltmaking. Chris explains her yardage approach to making tailored felt coats — measuring pieces, multiplying for average shrinkage and using sewing skills to achieve a good fit. The conversation focuses too on teaching and community-building within the International Feltmakers Association. Chris highlights how the IFA uses online tools to connect geographically-spread feltmakers. She outlines how, in Region 18, they run monthly Zoom meetings, record talks and send newsletters to share workshops and show-and-tell across the Americas, and encourages regional coordinators to work together in a similar way.

Hosts Heather Potten and Louise Curnin chat with Lori Demange, the IFA’s editorial coordinator, about how a desire for warm slippers launched a decade-long felting journey. Laurie recounts learning wet felting from countless online videos, turning a side-hustle of needle-felted pumpkins into a creative education that led her to craft fairs, artist workshops and editorial volunteering. The conversation covers how workshops with generous tutors expanded her practice, and how felting opened doors to fibre festivals, books and a wider textile community.

A warm, conversational episode about how feltmaking ripples beyond craft: new skills, small businesses, artist co‑ops, travel, and personal growth. Heather Potten and new co-host, Louise Curnin, talk about turning classes into lasting friendships, opening local shops to sell work, and branching into related crafts—dyeing, leatherwork, ceramics, weaving—to enrich their felting. They describe shared rituals (making at a table, silent concentration), studio life (yurts, messy bedrooms and dogs on mic), and the satisfaction of creative escapes. The episode ends with behind‑the‑scenes laughter and production notes, making it an inviting snapshot of the two feltmakers.

As Season 4 of the podcast Felt Matters draws to a close, Vivienne Morpeth and Heather Potten discuss some of the highlights of Vivienne’s life as a feltmaker. They chat about her initial encounter with felting, the role of family and mentors, and the support and inspiration from the International Feltmakers Association. She stresses, too, the importance of teaching through experimentation. This has been particularly crucial in the development of her upcoming book Nuno Feltmaking | design, techniques and projects for the creative maker which she discusses here with her daughter, Raphaela.

In this episode of Felt Matters, hosts Vivienne Morpeth and Heather Potten discuss the art of Nuno Felting. Vivienne shares insights into how she crafts her signature felt dresses. Early on in her felting career, she utilised inherited scarves and sewing patterns. However, she soon developed her own way of creating seamless dresses with hand-dyed silk and fibre, techniques she describes in her upcoming book. In contrast, Heather describes how she uses ready-printed silks to create texture and pattern on a 3D vessel for an exhibition called Holding Conversations.

As Felt Matters launches its fourth and final season in its current form, Vivienne Morpeth and Heather Potten talk about friendship, art, and facing life's challenges. Vivienne, whose treatments for cancer have failed, has decided to spend her remaining time completing her book and creating this last set of podcast episodes. Together they touch on the balancing act of discussing death openly while still chatting about their great love of felt. They explore the possibility of the podcast evolving, ensuring that the discussions and community spirit continue beyond Vivienne's involvement.

In this episode of Felt Matters, hosts Vivienne Morpeth and Heather Potten explore Heather's deep-rooted connection to Orkney. Heather shares her fascination with her Orcadian heritage and jewellery from her childhood, specifically pieces by the innovative designer Ola Gorie. As they discuss their shared love of Celtic and Norse art, the conversation evolves into a felting project primarily inspired by these cultural symbols. The episode unfolds with tales of Heather's formative years in Orkney, weaving in elements of mythology, family, and creativity, resulting in unique felted pieces representing these rich influences.

In this episode of Felt Matters, hosts Heather Potten and Vivienne Morpeth explore a unique felting project led by Jeanne Osnas in Anchorage, Alaska. Inspired by Episode 1 of the podcast, Jeanne worked as an artist-in-residence, introducing elementary students, aged five to eleven, to the art of felting. Over two weeks, students created colourful flat felt pieces, later transforming them into mosaic art. The project nurtured a collaborative environment, with older students like Jeanne's daughter, Rosemary, helping younger peers. This episode highlights how felting can engage young minds in creative expression and foster a sense of community through art.

In this episode of Felt Matters, hosts Vivienne Morpeth and Heather Potten discuss artistic collaborations, featuring an insightful interview with Lydia Needle. Needle, whose name serendipitously echoes her craft, shares her journey from teacher to needle felting artist. She elaborates on the ecological and artistic inspirations behind her ambitious 50 Bees project, which raises awareness about bee conservation. The episode highlights the vital role artists play in addressing global challenges through unique perspectives and collaborative efforts, emphasizing the power of informal, creative education in fostering change.To find out more about the Fifty Bees project, check out @fiftybeescic and @lydianeedlehttps://www.fibreartstaketwo.com/articles/lydia-needle

Felt Matters hosts, Vivienne Morpeth and Heather Potten examine the dynamic of collaboration in their latest podcast episode, marking the start of the third season. As they recount their journey to becoming podcasters, they highlight the spontaneity and joy of unscripted dialogue. The episode further explores the creative synergy between Vivienne and artist Alun Kirby, who together embarked on a project merging cyanotype prints with nuno felt. Listeners are treated to an engaging discussion about the trial-and-error process, artistic exploration, and the interplay between established techniques and modern art forms.