BORDERLAND LODGE · GUNFLINT TRAIL · FEBRUARY 25-28, 2027
Woodland Winter Wool Retreat
Aurora Needle-Felted Landscape Workshop
With Gunflint Trail Artist Kris Kieper
The Retreat Experience
Imagine a few winter days on the Gunflint Trail: Creating art inspired by the northern lights, savoring handmade meals, and settling into the warmth and comfort of the boreal northwoods.
The Woodland Winter Wool Retreat brings together three things that make a Northwoods getaway special: creative exploration, outstanding food, and the restorative beauty of the winter wilderness.
Create Something Beautiful
Guided by Kris Kieper, a Gunflint Trail fiber artist specializing in needle felting, you'll be introduced to Feltscaping, her distinctive approach to creating landscapes with layers of colored wool.
Through demonstrations and hands-on instruction, you'll explore how color, light, texture, and depth come together to create a luminous, Aurora-inspired landscape. You'll discover how to translate the beauty of the northern landscape into fiber while developing your own creative interpretation.
No previous needle-felting experience or art background is needed.
Enjoy Warm, Scratch-Made Meals
Meals at Borderland Lodge are part of what makes this retreat special. Everything is made from scratch, utilizing local and foraged ingredients whenever possible. You can expect thoughtfully prepared meals reflecting the quiet season – comforting wild rice oatmeal, slow-braised dinners, hand-rolled pasta, and hearty soups accompanied by warm, fresh bread.
Settle into the Northwoods.
Unwind and end your day in one of Borderland Lodge’s lakeside cabins or lodge rooms.
The retreat schedule offers plenty of opportunity to explore the area. Bring your Nordic skis or borrow complimentary snowshoes to explore the surrounding lakes and trails. Or stay in and unwind by a roaring fire in the main lodge or your cabin.
Choose a one-day workshop or extend your creative experience over two days, with more time to explore the techniques behind felted landscapes. Whether you're coming to learn a new art form, enjoy a memorable winter getaway, or simply make space for yourself, this retreat offers an opportunity to slow down, connect, and experience the Gunflint Trail in a different way.
Choose your workshop
One-Day Aurora Workshop – Friday: Capturing the Aurora
Learn the fundamentals of needle felting and create a small Aurora-inspired landscape. Explore color selection, fiber blending, layering, and the basic techniques used to build a scene with wool.
The workshop will introduce essential techniques for creating a luminous Aurora sky and a simple Northwoods treeline.
Two-Day Aurora & Northwoods Workshop – Saturday: Bringing the Northwoods to Life
Build on the first day's experience with additional time to explore Northwoods tree forms, fiber selection, texture, depth, subtle color transitions, and techniques for refining your landscape. The extended format provides more opportunity to experiment and develop your skills.
Two-day participants will explore techniques for creating distinctive tree shapes and silhouettes, building depth through layers, refining color transitions, and experimenting with different fibers and needle techniques.
The second-day project may be a new study or an extended landscape exercise, depending on the final project design and available time.
Meet your instructor
Kris Kieper is the fiber artist behind Feltscaping, her distinctive approach to interpreting northern landscapes through needle-felted art.
Living on the Gunflint Trail in northeastern Minnesota, Kris draws inspiration from the region's forests, lakes, changing skies, and fleeting moments of light. Working with fine layers of colored wool and other fibers, she creates richly textured landscapes that explore color, depth, atmosphere, and the experience of being present in a place.
Her work includes Northwoods landscapes, sunsets, and the ethereal colors of the Aurora Borealis. Her original artwork is represented by Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais.
Through classes and experimentation, Kris has developed her own techniques for translating the colors and character of the Northwoods into fiber. In this workshop, she'll invite participants to explore those same relationships between light, color, and landscape while developing their own creative interpretations.
retreat details
What's Included
Guided needle-felting instruction, demonstration, and individual assistance with Kris Kieper
Your selected one-day or two-day workshop
Three nights of lodging, depending on your selected package
All scheduled meals, prepared from scratch at Borderland Lodge
Complimentary snowshoes for exploring Gunflint Lake and nearby trails
Additional instruction and project exploration for two-day participants
Accommodations
Choose from several lodging options:
Private Lodge Rooms
Cross River ($630) — 1 King bed
Stargazer ($630) — 1 Queen + 2 Twin beds
Private Cabins
Private Room in a shared cabin (Jack pine)
Upstairs King Bedroom ($350)
Upstairs Twin Bedroom ($325)
Lower Level King Bedroom ($300)
Lower Level Twin Bedroom ($300)
REGISTRATION fee
Your registration fee covers hands-on instruction, materials, and all meals from Thursday arrival to your Sunday morning departure.
Choose the one-day Aurora Workshop to explore the fundamentals of Feltscaping and create a small Aurora-inspired landscape, or the two-day Aurora & Northwoods Workshop to build on those skills with additional techniques for creating trees, texture, depth, and subtle color transitions.
One-day Aurora registration: $595
Two-day Aurora & Northwoods registration: $745
An optional framing will be available at an additional fee. Lodging purchased seperately.
Meals
The retreat includes the following scheduled meals:
Thursday: Happy hour/dinner
Friday: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Saturday: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Sunday: Breakfast
Meals follow a fixed menu. Borderland Lodge will contact participants in advance to ask about dietary needs.
Alcoholic beverages are not included in the meal price. Beer and wine are available for purchase in the main lodge.
Workshop materials
The registration fee provides participants with everything necessary to complete either the One-Day or Two-Day project. Separate specialty material purchases may be available, or links to suppliers provided.
Prefelt foundation, cut to the project dimensions
A curated selection of colored wool roving
Felting needles variety pack
Felting foam
Printed project instructions and printed reference photo
Explore the Winter Northwoods
Between workshop sessions, take advantage of the winter landscape surrounding Borderland Lodge.
Possible activities include:
Snowshoeing: Explore Gunflint Lake and nearby trails with complimentary snowshoes.
Hiking or snowshoeing: Visit Magnetic Rock Trail, depending on trail conditions.
Cross-country skiing: Explore the Upper Gunflint Trail System, with ski passes available at the lodge. Equipment rental is available at other Trail locations, or bring your own!
Stargazing: Stargaze in our International Dark Sky zone on your own or with help from the Lodge’s Celestron StarSense Explorer LT telescope.
Outdoor activities are optional and depend on weather, trail conditions, and availability.
register
registration + private cabin or lodge room
registration + private bedroom in the shared cabin
registration only
important notes
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Lodging rates for a total of 3 nights, not including 12.375% sales and lodging tax.
Pets are permitted in private cabins only.
Lodge rooms are child-free and pet-free.
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Winter travel on the Gunflint Trail requires preparation. A four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive vehicle is required during snowy months. Guests without a suitable vehicle are encouraged to borrow or rent one.
Borderland Lodge has a steeper driveway section that can become slippery in winter conditions, particularly for smaller vehicles. Please plan your travel accordingly and check road and weather conditions before departure.
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