On Sunday, April 13th, long-time Feltmakers Ireland guild member Clodagh Mac Donagh shared her Textile Journey. Her colourful adventures in three locations—London, Paris, and Skerries, IRELAND —where she has lived, been educated, worked, and raised her family, enchanted us.

Like many guild members, Clodagh trained in fine art (in Ireland) and textiles (Goldsmiths in the UK). She worked in education. She taught textiles in multiple settings: to young people via schools, large-scale community projects funded by her local Fingal County Council, and even a textile education centre she opened in Balbriggan. Most recently, she taught a ten-week course on Wet Felting to adults at Castleknock College. Although now retired, she continues to teach Shibori Dyeing and other textile-related classes through Mel Bradley Silks Studio in Drogheda.

Teaching Felting

Besides working as an educator, Clodagh also worked as a dyer for high-end textile designer Sabina Fay Braxton.

She has also traveled extensively and shared some of her Japanese textile collection, which she collected during her visit there six years ago. When she was there, she visited Aramatsu – the town that creates famous Shibori!

Some Photographs of Felted and Shibori Dyed Textiles

On Shibori

Clodagh explained that the term ‘Shibori ‘ means in Japanese “to wring out or compress so that the dye does not reach”. The technique dates back to the 8th century in Japan. Traditionally, it was done on silk or hemp fabrics and was worn by the samurai and aristocracy. 

Clodagh generously shared six Shibori-dyeing resist techniques with the guild. She explained that what we do now is not traditional.

• Kamoko – a pattern with all-over circles or bullseyes on it.

• Arashi, which means ‘Driving Rain’ in Japanese, is an accordion fold (like a fan) tied around a pole or pipe. It looks sophisticated, but not difficult to produce.

• Itajame – an accordion fold with resists.

• Nui Shibori – stitched with pleats.

• Kumo – repeat in the fabric with a series of ties concentrically arranged.

• Muira—The example she showed was a long robe made of panels. It was created using a special stand with a hook that catches fabric and stitched with a continuous thread.

Example of Arashi

Video from Sunday

A huge thank you to Clodagh for sharing your Textile Journey with us! We appreciate all the work she put in to share with us.

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