My Story

I am an felter, textile artists, hat maker, educator, farmer, mother, partner and friend

My passion for textiles began at a very young age, with my grandmother teaching me to sew as a child. I studied Textiles and Design throughout my schooling and then went onto study Applied Science specialising in Textiles at University. This led me working in a textile mill (spinning, knitting, dyeing and finishing mill) as a technician. My work within the Textiles Industry continued for many years where I took on many different roles for various companies including teaching in universities. 

I am qualified and experienced in a range of areas including textiles, education and training and agriculture.

Being a lover of fibres, textiles, fashion, agriculture and having an interest in hats, learning the art of felting years ago has enabled me to blend these passions, where I get to work with Australian agricultural produce (fibres) to create beautiful, unique, stylish and functional hats. I have been making hats for over 18 years and have been creating wet felt hats for over 5 years. I have recently given up my full-time high school teaching job to allow me to focus on my farm and on my hand felted hats.

Having an education background, I am always interested in opportunities to share my skills, love of Australian Textile fibres and experiences with others, so they too can appreciate the benefits of the great creative art of felting and hat making using beautiful fibres. This has led me down the path of running hand felted hat workshops.

Jo Barr