This Sunday, the 8th of October, from 10:30-12:30, Feltmakers Ireland member Annika Berglund will share her experiences at the Hungarian Felting retreat and other online felting classes that she has taken.

By Annika Berglund

The Joy of Learning

When I was asked to do a Sunday session about my recent Felting Retreat adventure, I was a little worried that it might not be enough for the two hours available. I had a little think and decided to do a talk about online felting courses in general and the Hungarian retreat in more detail.

I used to work in ceramics, glass, and bronze but was looking to change to some form of textiles in late 2019 and early 2020, mainly to find less energy-hungry means of expression. I started with a number of short workshops at the 2019 Dublin Knit and Stitch, of which the felting one was probably my favourite. Luckily, the 2020 Basic and Beyond happened soon after, which further whetted my appetite.

Online Education

Then came Covid, and I discovered a wealth of Felting courses available online. These courses give access to some of the best teachers in the world, and open the door to a wealth of new techniques and ideas, no matter your experience and level of felting. Having this window onto a bigger world of the craft and global community of felting has meant a lot to me, especially during the lockdown, but also since then, and I am hoping to share some of my best experiences and answer any questions in relation to online learning.

Felting in Hungary

The seven-day Felting Retreat I attended in September featured five excellent teachers, my absolute favourite being Anikó Boros (Baribon), teaching her fabulous finely felted fuschia necklace. {https://baribon.hu/ }

The other 4 courses were:

Making a large rug together and then cutting it up to make individual pillows with Bea Németh. { https://www.facebook.com/beanemez }

Making a bag with prefelts by Gabriella Kovács. { https://kovacs-gabriella.hu/about/ }

A Doorway Guardian with Márti Csille. { https://www.instagram.com/marticsille/ }

And a scarf with hand-dyed silk with Nadia Szabó. { https://www.etsy.com/shop/lunavifelt/ }

So, come along to the CIE Hall/Inchicore Sports and Social Club, for this Sunday Session of Feltmakers Ireland and learn about Annika’s experiences with feltmaking in Hungary and online.