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Mette Østman

Autumn break at Filtværket

Updated: Jul 8

We finally got to try out 'vacationfelt' at Filtværket – a series of stand-alone workshop days which

all took place in my own workshop. Thanks to all the participants who dared test out this new

concept. It was both cozy and fun, and we've gained some experiences that'll be useful for future

events. I don't think this'll be the last time we'll do courses lasting multiple days here at Filtværket.


Oftentimes when I have taught 'vacationfelt' it has taken place at folk high schools, which includes staying the night, great food and daily rituals, as well as other subjects and teachers for support. That was not the case this time, and personally I did miss certain aspects of high school life, such as singing in the morning.


However, there were also some advantages to staying at Filtværket: Materials and equipment were available all week without me needing to stuff my car and trailer to the brim in order to make room for everything. It's not just about bringing the right wool in the right amount and the right colours for course. In my teaching, I use old projects for inspiration and to demonstrate ideas and colour combinations that worked out well, but also outright mistakes, which I choose to call 'experiences'. These are easy to retrieve from the 'archives' when we're in Ørstedsgade, and can be used to support the attendees' ideas.



Filtværket is a lovely workshop, where I enjoy spending my day. The tables are large and their height is easily adjusted. There is equipment enough for everybody and a large and solid centrifuge, which helps save water when the felting and fulling are at an end, and it's time to get the soap out of the wool. Furthermore, there is felt everywhere, which we may not notice during our day-to-day business, but the attendees can discover for themselves, and which can serve as inspiration and help build a creative atmosphere.


Luckily, there is both a kitchen and a dishwasher, which is definitely a necessity when we're eating and having coffee breaks together. Communal eating is an important aspect of attending both our courses and high school. When we're sitting around the table, we get to share so much more than just the craft we're learning, and every single day new experiences and opinions are shared. We can always learn more about each other, if we want to.


Spending the evening in the workshop works well when at a high school, where everybody is staying for the entire duration of the course. At our 'vacationfelt', some participants were there every single day, others fewer or even just a couple of days, since accomodations were not always just around the corner. It didn't make for the same social life we dreamt of, but it is something to keep in mind for next time.



A complete exhibition of the magical creations done over the course is not possible when people don't finish at the same time. Therefore I'll show photos from the entire week to share the joy of what we learnt and did. It was amazing to take part.



The employees of Filtværket deserve thanks as well. They helped out during the course, and found ways to make space so the production of apples and key rings could continue.






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