Written by Guild member Ramona Farrelly

To my great surprise and joy, I received a call a while back, to be told I had won a bursary voucher from Feltmakers Ireland to put towards any course I’d like to do in felting. (Editor’s note: Ramona won the Membership Renewal Draw, which took place at our AGM in May).

I chose Pam de Groot’s surface treatment course, ‘Surface, Form and Space’. This online course is great for learning various techniques for adding parts and creating form and texture in felt.

The course consists of 7 modules/weeks with activities from undulations, lumps and bumps, buttons and claws, as well as pimples, warts, connections and brains, all of which can be used to create new and interesting forms in your felt. I very much enjoyed the first two modules, particularly as I created four little characters that my daughter and her partner fell in love with and claimed as their own. (See image below).

Pam is ever present with helpful and encouraging comments.  Her instructions are clear and concise. The beauty of the online course is that the parts can always be revisited if you’re unsure. 

Students ask questions and receive feedback from the tutor for the duration of the course. During the last two weeks, the students create a felted project combining the learned techniques.

The Ruzuku platform also allows student interaction via posting images and commenting. This is very useful to everyone on the course. Reading each other’s comments and gaining more knowledge this way adds to the tutor’s teaching. (More information about Pam’s classes can be found on her website).

On the Feltmakers Ireland website, there is a Meet the Maker profile on Ramona and an article about her piece for Sculpture in Context 2022.

Additionally, check out Ramona Farrelly‘s amazing photographs, which can be seen on her website – https://ramonaf.exposure.co/