This year, the Textile Culture Haslach‘s summer symposium is centred around the theme “Rethinking Textile Waste.” It explores current issues surrounding overproduction and recycling, questions our approach to fast fashion and production waste, and highlights ideas that view waste as a valuable resource. Several exhibitions and evening events will shed light on different aspects of this broad topic.
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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.
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A new peatland restoration trial at Slievenanee Mountain in the Antrim Hills is exploring whether locally sourced wool can help restore damaged blanket bog.
The initiative, led by Ulster Wildlife and Ulster Farmers’ Union, working alongside Sustainable Rope Ltd, Ulster Wool and Ulster University, is the largest trial of its kind in Northern Ireland to date. There are 60 ‘logs’ made from scoured local wool.
The project involves installing 60 “wool logs” in areas of exposed and eroded blanket bog. Made from scoured fleece compacted into wool textile sacks, the logs are designed to slow water flow, trap sediment, and support the re-establishment of peat-forming vegetation such as sphagnum moss.
Wool, as a material, has already shown promising results in peatland trials elsewhere in the UK, particularly at upland sites in Scotland and northern England, where it has been used to stabilise eroding peat and retain moisture.
UFU Peatlands officer Stephanie Clokey said, “Wool is a natural, biodegradable material and is a logical solution for peatland management. Here we’re helping to rebuild damaged areas by using materials that work with the landscape, while supporting local farmers and adding value to something that has recently often been treated as a waste product rather than a resource, while creating new opportunities for what is often an underused by-product of farming.”
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ReStyle Dublin will take place across Dún Laoghaire this Saturday, the 4th of July, bringing together a full day of creativity, sustainability, fashion, and community.
Guild member Sandra Reynolds is one of the Makers and will be offering two embroidery workshops to upcycle wearables.
Throughout the day there are:
Workshops
Live demonstrations
A repair café
Swap shops
A fashion show
Talks, stalls, exhibitions, and much more!
The organisers ask that attendees bring clothes in need of repair, clothes to upcycle or alter, and clothes to swap or donate.
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The Colour Field Open Studio Workshop is an opportunity for practising artists to gain new skills in natural dyeing and working with plants and natural colours. Now in its second year, the four-day workshop is a collaborative learning event.
Six artists will be selected to participate in the Open Studio Workshop, which will take place in the context of developing the colour garden and outdoor dye kitchen at Workhouse Union.
The workshop is led by curator and natural dyer Hollie Kearns, with guest tutor Ashleigh Ellis, and is supported by Michelle McMahon and Fiona May.
Deadline for applying: 17th of July, 2026
When: Workshop dates: 20, 21, 22, 23 of August 2026
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Artwork by Feltmakers Ireland member Karena Ryan is to be included in an international exhibition opening at Pulchri Studio in The Hague, Netherlands, this weekend.
Her two textile artworks are inspired by Moya Cannon’s poem ‘Carrying the Songs’.
Each piece is hand-embroidered on vintage Irish wool blankets and explores memory, migration, and the stories held within inherited cloth.
The opening takes place on Saturday, the 4th of July at 15.00, with speakers including the Ambassador of Ireland, Ann Derwin; Pulchri Studio chairman, Ed van der Kooy; Hamilton Gallery owner, Martina Hamilton; and the poet, Moya Cannon.
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Feltmakers Ireland guild members Mel Bradley and Clodagh Mac Donagh will be teaching a Shibori Indigo Dye Workshop in July.
Learn the Japanese art of Shibori to create patterns on fabrics. Using techniques such as Kumo (tying and clamping), Arashi (using poles and string to resist the dye), and ITAJIEME (folding and clamping).
Students will immerse their prepared fabrics in the Indigo dye bath and be amazed as the magic of the dye turns from green to a vivid blue.
Workshop suitable for beginners and intermediate students.
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Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office invites applications from professional artists for a project which responds to the rivers and coastal areas of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (DLR). This temporary opportunity will take place between November 2026 and September 2027. It is not open to permanent artworks or to fixed installations in the landscape.
There is a strong emphasis on sustained collaboration and engagement; artists should be interested in working with scientific or environmental experts connected to the area or the project’s themes.
Deadline: Wednesday, the 5th of August 2026 at 5 PM
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.
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Guild member Caoilfionn Murphy O’Hanlon (aka Cushla of Gullion) has artwork in the Bridge Street Studios group show, The Things that Matter Most are the Things That Can’t Be Seen, which features the works of eight artists. The show celebrates 30 years of the Bridge Street Studios existence.
Guild member Maggie Mac has a piece in the ‘Members and Friends Exhibition 2026’. Running annually for more than 40 years, this exhibition showcases work by artists from across West Cork and beyond, at all stages of their careers.
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By Feltmakers Ireland Committee Member and Chairperson, Elizabeth Redding
I set off early on Saturday morning, 13th June, for a two-day Indigo Dyeing Workshop with Malú Colorín in Wicklow. It was a lovely scenic drive through The Curragh and over the Wicklow mountains. On arrival, there was a very welcome cup of tea and cake waiting for us.
The first task was to scour the samples we brought. Malú explained the importance of scouring and the different ways for plant as opposed to protein fibres. Later, we saw for ourselves, as the water turned brown, even though everything had already been washed.
Next, she explained the difference between dye and pigment. Indigo is a pigment; therefore, it is not water-soluble. To make it soluble, it has to be starved of oxygen and be alkaline. We were told about the different plants that produce indigo. Some of which can be grown in Ireland.
Next was to start making up vats. Four in total. First was a fructose vat. When we had that made, we broke for lunch. After lunch, we made the other three vats: iron, banana and madder. We were told how to mind the vats and keep them alive. Then, it was time to finish for the day.
The second day was spent dying. First, we prepared some material by tying beads into it, and another piece by folding and clamping with pegs and lollipop sticks. There was a great variety of samples to dye. The materials were cotton, silk, and linen. The yarns were wool, cotton, flax, alpaca, tencel, and nettle.
It was very interesting how the different materials took up the dye. Some came out darker than others. I was so busy that I was forgetting to take photos of the process.
The Indigo Dyeing Workshop was very interesting, and Malú was so helpful. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Have you recently taken part in an interesting textile workshop? If you’re a member of Feltmakers Ireland, we’d love to hear about it and share your experience with the wider guild. No need to give away the tutor’s “secret sauce,” of course!And your article need not be long either.
Photographs are always welcome. For best online display, please send images, ideally sized at 1080 × 1350 pixels at 96 dpi.
Please email your workshop report and photos to feltmakersie@gmail.com.
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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.
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