Needle Felting
Butterfly - Beginner
Butterflies — those delightful, flying little splashes of color — are the inspiration for the upcoming workshop! Using the quiet craft of needle felting, we'll bring one to life out of soft, beautiful wool. Needle felting works by interlocking wool fibers with sharp, specialized needles, transforming loose fluff into firm, sculptural felt. Because the needles are quite pointed, this class is open to students aged 12 and up — protective guards will be on hand to keep fingers safe. Over the course of three hours, you'll cut your butterfly's shape from wool felt, "paint" its wings with wisps of colored wool, and build up the body into a satisfying three-dimensional form.
When you're done, take it home as a wearable brooch or a charming piece of wall art.
No prior experience needed. All are welcome, ages 12 and older.
Date: 4/18/2026
Time: 1:00PM - 4:00PM
JFGM Member $90 | Non Member $105
*Admission to the garden is included.
*Registration required. Refunds will not be given less than 7 days before the program.
Seascape - Beginner
Swap your paintbrush for a needle and discover the surprisingly meditative art of needle felting!
Over three hours, you'll choose a mood for your seascape from provided examples, then build a marine landscape from soft layers of wool — blending colors and adding yarn for texture — until oceans, sea, waves, clouds, sunset, or sunrise emerge before your eyes!
Suitable for beginners, ages 12 and up. Finger guards will be provided as felting needles are sharp!
Date: 7/5/2026
Time: 10:00AM - 1:00PM
JFGM Member $90 | Non Member $105
Fairy House - Intermediate
Deep in the forest, tucked beneath a mossy root, a tiny door glows with warm light... Now you can bring that magic home.
Join felting artist Sophie Ancel for a 3-hour workshop where you'll needle felt your very own fairy house from natural wool roving, batting, felt, beads, and delicate embroidery. Complete with a door, window, and blooms of flowers and leaves, your little home even opens up, with a roof that doubles as a lid. A tiny light is included because every fairy house deserves a little glow.
Intermediate level. Ages 12+. Felting needle safety covered; guards provided.
Date: 8/15/2026
Time: 10:00AM - 1:00PM
JFGM Member $100 | Non Member $115
Meet the artist
Sophie is a French American textile artist who has spent the last ten years needle-felting dimensional landscapes—both large and small—that invite viewers to slow down and linger, to find themselves in the layers, in our relationship with the natural world, and in the quiet threads that connect us to one another. Sophie Ancel is often found near the sea or under a tree and lives in San Diego, CA.
She began working with wool in 2007, drawn to the material for its felting and sculpting properties, its warmth and softness, and its deeply tactile quality. Her felted wool works explore themes of long journeys, longing for home, the wind, togetherness, loneliness, displacement, untouched territories, and the consumption of the Earth’s natural resources.
There is a freedom in wool that she continues to discover, and a richness in its colors that endlessly captivates her. She hopes that when you stand in front of one of her pieces, you feel that pull too—the sense that there is always something more to wander into.
Sophie shares her art through teaching, and her work can be found at the San Diego Museum of Art gift store, as well as in exhibitions in San Diego and France.