About our Makers: Maria Lalic, Textiles to Treasure Workshop: Making folk style cloth dolls

Our workshop on June 10th is Making Cloth Style Folk Dolls, presented by Maria Lalić. During this class you will learn how to make one of Maria's Welsh Lady dolls, or a Mumma doll, using vintage and recycled textiles and Maria's exclusive patterns. A sewing machine will be available though you are welcome to bring your own.
This year’s Wool and Willow Festival will coincide with the launch of Maria's range of folk art inspired dolls, teddy bears and gifts which will be marketed and exhibited under the banner ‘Textiles to Treasure’.


Maria studied at The School of Home Economics, University College, Cardiff in the late 1970s and specialised in Textiles and Psychology. Her interest in both subjects continued and by 2000, she had gained qualifications in Counselling and completed courses in Creative Textiles with the Open College of Arts, specialising in making Worry Dolls which could be used as stress management aids and to prompt therapeutic disclosures during Counselling encounters. In 2004, Maria enrolled at The University of Glamorgan and in 2007 gained a first class Honours degree in Combined Studies (Creative Writing, Textiles and Welsh). By this time, two of her books had been published (A History of Llansantffraid and Paper Dolls and Coconut Mushrooms) as well as several articles in The Bevan Foundation Review.

Before 2006, Maria created wall hangings from her own naturally dyed, hand-mad felt which was then embroidered using a range of stitchery techniques and found objects. An accident (yes, it was her own fault – she was running too fast, downhill and on tarmac) resulted in injuries to both arms and meant that her career as a feltmaker was over.

A fervent believer in every cloud having a silver lining, Maria decided to start her own business in the Autumn of 2007 and became a freelance Writer, Tutor and Textile Artist. Having learnt how to Needlefelt, she is back to producing wall hangings and still makes the art dolls which combine a range of stitchery techniques with needlesculpture. Maria lives as simply and self-reliantly as possible on a croft with her family, dog (Miss Myfanwy Price), cat (Lily Smalls the Treasure), 2 goats and a varying number of chickens. She hopes this philosophy shows in both Textiles to Treasure (which uses reclaimed and natural fabrics) and in her work as a Textile Artist and Dollmaker (where she draws her inspiration from the landscape and legend of her native Glamorgan).

Lily's Wood

To reserve a place on Maria Lalić's workshop, or find out more about the workshops at Wool and Willow 2011, please follow this link: Wool and Willow Workshops.