Recap - Sunday Session

RECAP: June Sunday Session – Image Transfer for Needle Felting – with Adrienne Dempsey

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
A woman in a pink top holds up a piece of felt artwork depicting a landscape with a sheep, while a group of interested observers, mostly women, look on attentively. Various crafting materials are spread out on the table in front of them.
Adrienne shares how one can needle felt the transfer printed motif and the background

On Sunday, the 14th of June, committee member Adrienne Dempsey led a well-attended session in which we learned how to transfer printed images onto our felt.

Adrienne shared how to print the work onto water-soluble stabiliser paper and then transfer it onto our felt. We learned about the various substrates and materials we could use. She also demonstrated how one could needle-felt onto the printed image, or even all around it, to create a landscape.

A woman in a pink patterned top holds up a piece of fabric with a design while reading from a booklet about sticky water soluble paper stabiliser in a craft setting.
Adrienne shows the Water Soluble Paper Stabiliser
A woman in a pink patterned shirt demonstrates a craft technique to a group of attentive onlookers in a workshop setting. Various materials and tools, including an iron and craft supplies, are spread out on the table.
Here, she demonstrates Iron-on-Transfer Paper
A woman wearing a pink patterned top is holding up two pieces of fabric while standing at a table covered with various art materials and documents.
Here, she shows the different materials one can use a base – linen, silk, and calico (not pictured)

Adrienne’s Work

Adrienne brought a selection of her work to share. That kitten is especially adorable!

A display of six small framed artworks featuring a flower, an owl, a squirrel, and a cat, arranged on a textured surface.
Adrienne’s Work that has Transfer Printing
A close-up image of a cat's face displayed in a white picture frame.
So cute!
A collection of handmade jewellery displayed on white cards, featuring various earrings and a necklace. The pieces include felted beads in vibrant colours, gold and silver components, and unique designs.
Needle Felted Earrings

The Supplies

An assortment of crafting materials including fabric pieces, printed patterns, and colourful felt scraps arranged on a table.
A clear plastic container filled with spools of thread in various colours, including shades of pink, blue, green, and purple.
A variety of crafting materials spread out on a table, including fabric pieces, wool, printed images of animals, and organised containers with craft supplies.

Adrienne brought all the supplies needed, plus a bevvy of inspiring items.

She also gave the attendees several printed Help Sheets, including a glossary, information on where to find free clip art, two sheets of cute clip art, and information on where to purchase supplies in Ireland and online.

Where to Purchase Supplies

Recommended Needles

For the needle felting, Adrienne recommended the following types of felting needles:

  • 40 triangular needle for finer work
  • 36 triangular needle for initial shaping
  • 38 triangular is a versatile all-a-rounder
  • 38 star is her go-to medium gauge for all-purpose felting

The higher the number, the finer the needle.

Editor’s Note: There is an informative series of articles about felting needles by Jan on the Felting and Fiber Studio website – https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2025/03/27/why-do-felting-needles-break-do-you-blame-your-tools-or-is-it-operator-error/

Where to Purchase Felting Needles

During the class, there were also questions about where to purchase felting needles.

Adrienne recommends the following:

Another member recommended Heidi Feathers needles because they liked how they are colour-coded.

Members at Work

Completed Pieces

While many more pieces were created, we didn’t manage to photograph them during the excitement of the session! Students have the option to wet felt them afterwards. If you would like us to add your piece, email a photo to feltmakersie@gmail.com

An elderly woman with long blonde hair smiles broadly while holding up a handmade felt piece featuring a sheep design. She is seated at a table with various crafting materials laid out, including yarn and wool.
Lorna
Two women smile and showcase their felted artwork featuring sheep during a craft workshop. Various crafting materials are scattered across the table.
Brid and Mary Ivell
Four women holding handmade felt artworks featuring sheep, displaying their creations in a craft workshop setting.
Anna, Marie, and Lauren
A playful felted sheep with colourful spots on a white background, alongside a cartoon sheep wearing sunglasses and a red vest, promoting a fun activity.
Eva via her Instagram @feltedvision

The June Sunday Session was well attended, with several members tuning in via Zoom.

A group of people participating in a crafting workshop, gathered around a table displaying various art supplies and materials, set in a community hall.
A group of people gathered around a table displaying various crafts and materials in a spacious community hall.

Thank yous

Thank you to Adrienne and her assistants, Sam and Loli, who helped make samples and kits for the Session. Thanks to Loli for some of the photos. Appreciation to all the members who attended in person or via Zoom!

Three women standing in a community space, each holding a piece of felt art. The first woman, with long hair and glasses, holds a black piece. The second woman, wearing a light-coloured top, displays a landscape design. The third woman, in a patterned pink shirt, shows a bird design on her felt piece.
Sam, Loli, and Adrienne holding some of the samples that they created for the Session.

Lastly, thank you to Lorna for her ever-informative and amusing ‘Biscuits with History’!

A person holding a homemade biscuit covered in icing sugar, with a handwritten note about the history and characteristics of Italian Ricciarelli biscuits. The note mentions that the biscuits are vegan and describes them as 'ugly but good'.

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.