FELTMAKERS IRELAND

Just to let you know there will be no Drop In session this Wednesday in Blanchardstown. The next Drop In will be in Bray on Monday 28th June. Keep an eye on this site for activities during the Summer.

Happy felting

Tread Softly Continue Reading »

Our last three Drop In days before the summer break will explore fine cobweb felt – perfect for a summer wrap, soft and warm but very light.

The dates are:

Lucan – Sunday 13th June 12.00-1500

Blanchardstown – 16th June 10.00 – 13.00

Bray – Monday 28th June 10.00-13.00 (cancelled!)

I was looking at some examples of beautiful cobweb felt on the internet and came across the work of Russian feltmaker Marina Shkolnik. Marina lives in Moscow and has been felt making for only three years. The photos on her work on flickr and etsy are just beautiful. http://www.flickr.com/photos/feltedpleasure/page5/.  I discovered Marina’s work while looking at the photos of recent work from one of our own members Kate Ramsey (there is a link to her on the Blogroll to the right of this post)

Marina Shkolnik's Cobweb Scarf

This year was a mix of sunshine and rain but there was a huge interest in the craft demonstrations.

At the invitation of the Crafts Council we are once again hosting a stand at Bloom in the Phoenix Park from Thursday to Monday 3-7th June.  Last year thousands of people visited our stand every day and the sun was splitting the stones.  This year we are located in the “Engaging Spaces” area (see map -  http://bloominthepark.com/pdfs/floorplan2010.pdf). Any members of Feltmakers Ireland who would like to help out on the stand can email Suzanne at -  phelansuz@eircom.net

Bloom 2009

The Guilds Demonstrating include:
Irish Basketmakers Association (No Website Available)
Irish Patchwork Society
Irish Woodturners Guild
Irish Guild of Embroiderers (No Website Available)
Ceramics Ireland
Irish Artists Blacksmiths Association
Feltmakers Ireland
Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers

Feltrosa - Prato, Italy

The International Feltmakers Association held their AGM in Prato, Itlay on May 8th during a Felt Symposium hosted by the Italian feltmakers group – Feltrosa. Nine Irish feltmakers attended and joined in all of the activities -workshops, demonstrations and the opening of the felt exhibition The Climate is Changing.

A group of 18 Irish feltmakers attended the Felt in Focus symposium in Denmark in 2009. It was a fantastic event with a wide range of international tutors, shops, fashion show, exhibitions – a real treat for anyone interested in feltmaking.  The organisers are holding another symposium in 2011 with a very impressive line up of tutors. There’s plenty of time to start saving and planning ahead.

Group from Hat Making workshop at Felt in Focus 2009

For details of the symposium in 2011 see www.feltinfocus.com

We had the best fun ever at our AGM last Sunday – about sixty people turned up and we had stalls from the Yarn Room in Ashford, the Fabric Gallery in Bray, Craftspun Yarns and the Wool Initiative. Thanks to all the stall holders who made the journey to join us. We had our first ever fashion show which displayed a wide range of skills and beautiful felt items. Here is a short video.

Fab Felt Fashion Show

We also had the beautiful Cristina and Eleanor on the catwalk!

Cristina & Eleanor

.

We were very sorry to loose three fantastic people from our committee – Eleanor Roche, Susan Walsh and Kathrina Hughes who over the years have contributed so much time, energy and creativity to the organisation.

Work by Sheila Jordan

“Uncommon Threads” is an exhibition by Filament  a group of very talented fibre artists – most of who are also members of Feltmakers Ireland.

This show features work by all eight members of the Filament group. The work is inspired by the natural world and responds to elements such as the figure, rural landscape and plant life, through a variety of media including felt stitch and found objects.
The show runs from Sat 1st of May to Sunday the 16th of May in The Graffon Gallery, Castle Espie, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. For anyone who can make it to Castle Espie ( a beautiful heritage wildlife site on Strangford lough) it is well worth a trip.

Jeanette at an exhibition "The Festival of Learning" in Drummond in Scotland

We are absolutely delighted that Jeanette Sendler will be visiting Ireland to give a two day workshop to members of Feltmakers Ireland. The workshop will take place over the week end of 26/27th June in the National Museum in Collins Barracks in Dublin.  We will be exploring the ideas of Felt & Nostalgia, this is how Jeanette describes her approach:

‘Fibres, Felt & Nostalgia’

The re-cycling of nostalgic items has a special significance in my textile work, in that it maintains a link with the past through using fragments from the lives we have lived. Everyone collects and hangs on to things from the ‘olden days’. We keep these things as a key to the past, linking it to the present. These fragments authenticate and bear witness to our lives. They evoke a sense of time and place. The longer we keep these things the more sentimental our thoughts and memories become. The good memories become even better, colours we remembered are brighter or matt things turn shiny in our moments of remembering. In my work I like to pick up on our memories and use felt making as a medium to frame, soften up and illustrate our thoughts, experiences and collected pieces from days gone by. Doing so, I am hoping to evoke memories and stories which will enrich our present lives. I use things such as kitchen utensils, domestic appliances, old textile fragments, letters and photographs to work into my hand rolled felt.

Jeanette Sendler

Our working title is ‘Felt & Nostalgia’. This incorporates to work with Felt and found/collected objects. The theme fo Nostalgia serves us as a personal narrative. Participants will be asked to being along personal items of nostalgia. The week-end will be full with :

• Introduction to the theme ‘Felt & Nostalgia’ with examples of Jeanette’s own felt wok.
• Introduction to Felt in a Fine Art context.
• Brainstorming of how to put a working concept together.
  • Discussion over working methods and what we want to achieve in regards to a message, story, narrative or a sequence of work.
  • Group discussion of students’ nostalgic pieces. We will look at the potential of each piece and how to take the story further.
• Establish a narrative
• Experimentations in Felt. Sampling and sculpting.
  • Discussion about the feel/atmosphere of designed work in relation to the fibres we have chosen to work with.
• Looking into more flat and 3D design options.

By the end of the two days patyicipants will have an exhibition piece which presents a narrative you have developed inspired by some items from your past. Participants will have a short description of their work which could  be the beginning of an artistic statement. They will also have been given some advice on how to present a proposal/work i.e. how to photograph  work to show it off to its best advantage.

You should look at some of Jeanette’s beautiful work:

www.sendler.co.uk