Saturday 24 & 31 October 2026, 2 - 5pm GMT: Hand-felted Mittens with Álla Sinkevich

Online Workshop with Álla Sinkevich

Saturday 24 & 31 October 2026, 2 - 5pm GMT (British Summer Time)

Álla Sinkevich is a textile designer, maker and educator based in Copenhagen, working primarily with wool and felt. Her practice is grounded in close attention to materials’ agency and the ways form emerges through use, pressure, and time. She approaches making as a mode of inquiry, where knowledge is developed through the hand as much as through reflection.

Álla was born in Ukraine and educated across Europe. She trained initially in biology before completing a BA in Fashion Design at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, followed by an MA in Art and Design from the Royal Danish Academy. This interdisciplinary background continues to inform her work, which sits between textile craft, material research, and wearable form.

Working without patterns or stitching, Álla builds sculptural objects directly around the body, allowing wool to shape itself through controlled yet responsive processes. Her felted works, including wearable and sculptural art forms, are intended to be worn, handled, and experienced in daily life.

Alongside her studio practice, Álla frames felt-making as a material discipline rather than a fixed technique in her educational work. Her teaching emphasises observation, patience, and an understanding of fibre as an active participant in the making process.

Workshop Description
This workshop focuses on creating a pair of felted wool mittens, utilising a direct, hands-on approach and focusing on sculpting form directly through fibre. Participants work without supplied patterns or stitching, building cohesive form gradually through layering, hydration, and fulling the wool.

Across two sessions, Álla introduces the essential stages of the felting process: preparing fibre, establishing structure, controlling shrinkage, and refining shape through the use of the hands themselves. Attention is given to how wool behaves at different moments: when it is layered, when it resists, and when it binds and begins to hold memory.

Rather than aiming for uniform results, the workshop encourages participants to observe and respond to their own project. Small variations in pressure or handling are treated not as mistakes, but as part of the logic of felt. The pace of the workshop is deliberately measured. Demonstrations are followed by time for making, adjustment, and discussion.

Álla provides guidance throughout, supporting participants as they adapt the process to their own hands and working rhythm. By the end of the workshop, participants will have completed a functional pair of felted mittens and gained a deeper understanding of felt as a material that rewards attention, patience, and use.

Included in Your Material Pack:

• Carded fine wool, approx. 150 g
• Carded coarse wool, approx. 150 g
• 2 Hand-felted swatches showing a finished density
• Plastic resist, approx. 30 x 100 cm
• Bubble wrap, approx. 50 x 100 cm
• Mesh fabric, approx. 50 x 100 cm
• Wooden fulling tool (shape and size may vary)
• Vegan curd soap bar
• Pattern drafting paper sheet
• Studio note

Additional Materials to Bring:

• Pencil
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Kitchen scale
• Spray bottle (any household type is sufficient)
• Old bath towel (to absorb water and for rolling)
• Hot water (approx. 50 C)
• Vinegar or lemon juice, for the final rinse
• Gloves (optional)
• Water bucket or basin, if working away from a sink
  

Note on the Workspace
Please work on a large table with a waterproof covering. At the start of the process,
the felted piece will be significantly larger than the finished mittens, due to shrinkage.
Allow enough space to work comfortably and without rushing. Participants are asked to check in advance that their internet connection, camera, and sound are working reliably.

Level
Beginner to intermediate. No prior felt-making experience required, though basic
familiarity with textile processes is helpful.

Please Note: Material packs are shipped on an insured, trackable delivery service. Any customs duties, delays, lost or undeliverable packages are the responsibility of the customer. Once a material pack leaves the workshop tutors' hands with a tracking number, the seller has no further obligation to the buyer.

If we reach capacity, we may close bookings. Be mindful that we must close bookings at least 3 weeks before the workshop, in order to ship material packs. Book now to avoid disappointment.

Location
This is an online event. A Zoom link will be sent to participants the week before the workshop.

Recording
This workshop will be recorded, and a link to the recording will be emailed to all participants. Please allow 7 working days for us to send you the recording.



Cancellation Policy

All places reserved for workshops are non-refundable. 

If you require additional information about this workshop please contact events@selvedge.org.

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