Wander More with Welsby

Discover ‘Wander More with Welsby’ - a fantastic comics-inspired trail around Bowness-on-Windermere!

Belmondo at Bryson’s Tea Room & Bakery in Bowness-on-Windermere

Dax enjoying a cuppa at the Windermere Jetty Museum

Duffell taking in the view at the Windermere Jetty Museum

Say 'Hello!' to Welsby at Bowness-on-Windermere Information Centre

See if you can spot Mossop the Woodland Sage on Queen Adelaide’s Hill

Come and find Belmondo, Dax, Duffell, Mossop and Welsby… Five fabulous felt characters on a trail around Bowness-on-Windermere in the beautiful Lake District, Cumbria!

This fun family-friendly trail runs from 17 March – 25 April 2022

Discover super dude Welsby on a character trail that starts from Bowness-on-Windermere Information Centre on Glebe Road, Bowness-on Windermere.

Meet the other wonderful characters including Belmondo and Duffel along a walk that takes in Bryson’s Tea Room & Bakery and the Windermere Jetty Museum.

Mossop, the mysterious Woodland Sage, had been relaxing on Queen Adelaide’s Hill, but has packed his trunk and set off on his Easter holidays, so the tour now ends at Windermere Jetty. Keep your eyes peeled though, we hope he’ll be back soon!

These awesome felt creatures are the creations of Louise Evans, AKA Felt Mistress, an internationally-renowned creator of felt figures, from human-looking creatures to monsters and bugs, and her partner, comic artist, illustrator and designer Jonathan Edwards.

The Wander More With Welsby Trail was instigated by the Lakes International Comic Art Festival – taking place from 14 - 16 October 2022 in Bowness-on-Windermere – working hand in hand with the Lake District National Park, the National Trust and local partners Bryson’s and the Windermere Jetty Museum.

Enjoy the trail!

#WanderMoreWithWelsby

Meet the Felt Mistress

Felt Mistress, AKA Louise Evans, is a UK-based stitcher and prolific tea drinker who creates a range of one-off bespoke creatures with her partner, illustrator Jonathan Edwards. Originally trained in fashion design and millinery, Louise has brought many of the skills learnt through years of work as a couture dress maker to the world of character design.

As well as original Felt Mistress characters, Louise has also collaborated with a variety of other artists including Jon Burgerman, Jon Knox (Hello, Brute), Ben Newman and Pete Fowler. (Louise created "John Evans" from Pete's designs for Gruff Rhys' American Interior film in 2014). Her work has been exhibited in the UK and internationally and in 2010 she was given her own window on Oxford Street as part of Selfridges' Christmas display.

In 2011, together with Jonathan, she spent six weeks in Japan, creating work for a gallery residency in Nara, which culminated in headlining the Headspace arts festival in Osaka. In 2013, she was a speaker and exhibitor at the prestigious international character design festival, Pictoplasma, in Berlin and staged her largest exhibition yet, The Hiber-Nation, at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.  It featured her biggest creations to date including a 9ft tall "Hugger".

Felt Mistress: Creature Couture - a 400-page book containing many examples of her work - was published in November 2012.

Lousie’s main interests are sewing, Japan, buttons, creatures, cake and Mr Edwards. When not sewing, she likes to dream she'll live to see the day when you can download French Fancies "off of the Internet".

FeltMistress online

Web: www.feltmistress.com
Instagram: @feltmistress
Twitter: @feltmistress

Meet Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards work first appeared in 1993 in Deadline and Tank Girl Magazine, with strips such as “Dandy Dilemma”, “Simon Creem”, “The Squabbling Dandies” (with Richard Holland) and one pagers about, amongst others, Scott Walker, Sly Stone, Nancy Sinatra, Kraftwerk and The Beach Boys. Since then, he’s worked for clienst that include Mojo, Q, MAD, The Black Eyed Peas, A Skillz & Krafty Kuts, The Jungle Brothers, The Glastonbury Festival, and more.

His own comics include Aunt Connie & The Plague of Beards, A Bag Of Anteaters (with Ian Carney) and Two Coats McWhinnie (also with Carney). He’s also been a regular contributor to The Guardian since 1999, illustrating, for example, the Hard Sell weekly column in The Guide supplement since 2002.

Jonathan Edwards online

Web: www.jonathan-e.com
Instagram: @jontofski
Twitter: @jontofski

 

Photography credit Harry Johnson (LDNPA)