MARGO DUKE
Designer, Teacher, Author- "Needle Felting Magic I &II"
Margo considers herself a pioneer. She was born in Scotland and came to the US with her family when she was 12 years old; the love of working with fiber and color are in her genes. Some of Margo’s ancestors were Harris Tweed weavers and even today still live on the island of Stornoway in the same croft where they used to weave, surrounded by their flock of sheep. It was a dream come true to visit them several years ago.
This journey into the world of felting began when she first discovered the Baby Lock Embellisher and was in fact, one of the first to own this new tool.
By endless experimentation and learning how incorporate machine needle and wet felting, Margo has taken felting one step further and finds no greater satisfaction than seeing the magical colors and texture come together; she has won numerous ribbons and awards for her garments at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival including Best of Show in 2012. These days, however, Margo mostly enjoys Nuno felting – fine silk and wool fiber layered together, and she uses soap and water to create a light and airy fabric for her creations; at times she adds special touches with the Embellisher as well as free motion stitching to add interest.
Never one to stop learning and expanding her knowledge, Margo has other passions besides felt making that share her life: studying new techniques for textiles and experimenting. Documenting eco printing and natural dyeing has become a complete obsession so much so that she now has an outside dye tent devoted to just that outside her Bluffton home where she can often be found; she now is honored to share her experience when invited to give a workshop. Margo loves all things fiber/paper related and has mastered Joomchi (the art of Korean paper making).
Margo (Her Majesty Margo) has been fortunate enough to be invited to share her felting experience by traveling and teaching at events all over the US and in Australia, the Netherlands and in Scotland; this sharing of information has indeed become another passion and has only served to enhance her own knowledge and has permitted her to connect with the most amazing people and to make a myriad of lifelong friends.
Margo moved to SC from the Washington, DC area in 2013 where there were numerous opportunities to study under national and international world-class teachers that served to enhance her own skill set; she continues to experiment and enhance her knowledge daily and takes great pleasure in sharing what she has learned with others; she is a member of the Fiber Artists of Beaufort (FAB) and The Fiber Guild of the Savannah.
“Needle Felting Magic” and “Making More Needle Felting Magic” published by Martingale, and available on Amazon.
