Blog:

Recap: Feltmakers Ireland West – October Meetup – Processing Wool

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

By Karen Bowden

Feltmakers Ireland-West is a growing regional subset of Feltmakers Ireland dedicated to promoting the art and craft of felting across the western counties. We are predominantly based in County Galway and therefore meet up there. We enjoy a variety of activities, such as needle and wet-felting workshops and skill-sharing. Feltmakers Ireland-West aims to provide a supportive space for both beginners and experienced makers to develop their artistry, experiment with texture and colour, and celebrate the rich heritage of Irish textile traditions in a fun and inclusive environment.

Recent Meet Up

Most recently, we were delighted to attend a fleece scouring session in Tuam, with guild member Katarina Hruskova from Woolstore Ireland, where we learned to process beautiful Irish wool from raw fleece to fluffy clouds. 

The work is quite involved and begins with ‘skirting’ the fleece, which means removing any clumps of waste before moving on to scouring. Scouring is the washing process that can involve several soaks in soapy water for a very dirty fleece—the trick is not to felt the wool, so water temperature and touch must be carefully controlled. 

Once clean and dried, the wool is ‘picked’ to remove any vegetable matter such as hay and straw before the fibre is ‘carded’ with combs or a machine to produce the batts and roving we all love.

Photos from the Meet Up

More Information on Irish Wool Processing

If you are curious about processing your own fibre, Feltmakers Ireland’s book ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’ includes instructions for processing wool. https://feltmakersireland.com/exploring-irish-wool-for-feltmaking/

More Pics

Attendees from the Feltmakers Ireland West – October Meet Up. In the foreground, Karena. From left to right: Katarina Hruskova, Corina, Sandra, Belinda, and Patricia.

European Wool Book – in German

At the meeting, there was an interesting book about European wool. If you read German, there are copies available at this website – https://www.alice-im-wolleland.eu/products/buch-schafe-und-wolle-in-europa

Woolstore Ireland

Through her business, Woolstore Ireland, Katarina offers the following wool-processing services: skirting, washing, opening, and carding. To contact her, visit her website- https://www.woolstore.ie/

Next Meeting in Co Galway

The next meeting of Feltmakers Ireland-West will be on 23rd November in Gort, Co Galway.

For full details, please visit www.feltmakersireland-west.com. We would love to see you there.

If you have questions about Feltmakers Ireland West, you can contact committee member Belinda Reid at the following email: chasingdreamsfeltart@gmail.com


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 content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Of Interest: Vote for Sarah Dowling – uses Galway Co-op Wool- Arts Thread Competition

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Arts Thread — an international online platform that showcases emerging talent in art and design — is hosting its annual Global Creative Graduate Showcase. Among the featured designers is Ireland’s Sarah Dowling, whose innovative work highlights the potential of sustainable, homegrown materials.

Designer Sarah Dowling has created traceable, carbon-free, biodegradable garments made from felted and crocheted Galway Wool and deadstock Irish linen.

Dowling’s work emphasises slow production and the beauty of the craft within the textile history in Ireland. One standout piece, her crochet jumper (Báinín Geansaí), includes a stitch which mimics the knitted Blackberry Aran stitch. This traditional stitch is the only one which cannot be replicated by a machine. Fittingly, crochet can only be done by hand.

Support Irish wool and design by voting for Sarah Dowling’s project on the Arts Thread website – https://www.artsthread.com/events/globalcreativegraduateshowcase/vote/fashion#/project/binn1

Note: You may need to search for her name to find her page.

Her Instagram: @sarah.dowling.design

@artsthread

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 content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Event: Meetup of Feltmakers Ireland West – Co Galway – THIS Sunday

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Feltmakers Ireland West will hold a meeting for members in TUAM, Co Galway, THIS Sunday, where guild member Katarina Hruskova of WoolstoreIE will give a talk about processing Irish wool. If you are travelling to Co Galway during the three-day holiday weekend, you are most welcome to attend!

When: Sunday, the 26th of October at 11 AM.

Where: Brú Bríde, Tirboy, Tuam, Co Galway, H54 EY24

Contact committee member Belinda Reid for more information – chasingdreamsfeltart@gmail.com

WoolstoreIE’s Instagram @woolstoreireland

Note: If you join the guild at this time of year, your Membership will be rolled over to the coming year – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/


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 the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Event: Second Annual Woolly Celebration – Wise Wool Project – Co Kerry

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

The Wise Wool Project will have its 2nd Annual Woolly Celebration at Kate Kearny’s Cottage on Saturday, the 8th of November.

They invite the community to come together with local fibre artists, sheep farmers, and others interested in finding solutions to the current wool waste dilemma.

Attendees will be welcomed for an afternoon of workshops, storytelling, demonstrations, and a panel discussion exploring the future of wool.

Feltmakers Ireland guild member Sharon Wells will be teaching a needle felting workshop for adults.

Where: Kate Kearney’s Cottage, Gap of Dunloe, Dunloe Upper, Killarney, Co Kerry

For more information and to book a place on the workshops that require them, visit this website – https://curraghmorefarm.ie/wisewoolcelebration2025

Their Instagram @wise_wool_project

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 the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Recap: A Woolly Celebration: Feltmakers Ireland -Dublin Fibre Festival 2025

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

By Loli Cox, with additional reporting from Deirdre Carroll

On Saturday, the 18th of October 2025, Feltmakers Ireland took part in the Dublin Fibre Festival at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin.

Opening at 10 AM, a queue formed at the door as excited visitors waited to enter the hall. Throughout the day, a steady stream of attendees arrived eager to view the various crafts, textile materials, and fibre artists on display. According to the festival’s organiser, Mira Isan, over 750 people attended the event.

The hall at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham at IMMA provided a stunning and inspiring backdrop, brought to life by the festival’s vibrant creativity and the presence of Feltmakers Ireland at its centre. Our two tables welcomed visitors to discover the captivating art of felting.

Felting Demonstrated

Siobhan and Irina
Eva, Kelly, Adrienne, and Loli

At our first table, skilled volunteers wove magic with their hands, demonstrating the arts of wet and needle felting. Using wool blended with other natural fibres, they transformed fluffy tufts into sturdy, vibrant fabric through rhythmic kneading and precise needlework. The gentle splash of water and the earthy aroma of wool filled the air, drawing onlookers into the tactile alchemy that binds fibre to form.

Irish Wool Displayed

Panel with samples of wet and needle-felted Irish-raised wool

Our second table was a tribute to Ireland’s pastoral legacy, showcasing ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’, the guild’s cherished book born from a 2021–2023 community research and wool sampling endeavour, which was led by our former treasurer Annika Berglund.

This lovingly crafted volume explores forty of the island’s sheep breeds, from the silken Cladóir to the hardy Galway, and details the wool’s textures and felting potential. It offers practical wisdom on sourcing, cleaning, and dyeing wool, alongside heartfelt stories of the shepherds who tend these flocks.

A large panel, adorned with felted wool samples, invited touch, revealing each breed’s distinct character—coarse, fine, or delightfully springy.

The festival buzzed with curious visitors, their eyes wide as they watched wool transform and their fingers itching to explore the tactile samples. Many lingered, asking about our guild’s mission to champion sustainable felting and the diverse sheep breeds grazing Ireland’s green hills. The wool samples were a revelation, turning abstract knowledge into a sensory journey as hands traced the difference between a Donegal Horn’s rugged locks and a Wicklow Cheviot’s delicate strands. Conversations flowed, stitching connections between craft, culture, and land.

Artwork Displayed

Eva and Kelly
Adrienne and Loli
Kelly’s samples and amazing tools

Nearby, Feltmakers Ireland members’ artwork sparkled: elegant scarves, cosy gloves, soft slippers, and intricate jewellery like necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and earrings. Whimsical creations also abounded—lush landscapes evoking misty hills, and three-dimensional treasures like cheeky gnomes, plump pumpkins, playful puppets, pea pods, embellished vessels, and mischievous seasonal figures of ghosts, witches, and black cats.

In Summary

The day was a triumph: Several copies of ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’ found new homes, and a handful of inspired guests joined Feltmakers Ireland as members, eager to dive into this woolly world.

Members Exhibiting

In addition to the guild’s display at the Dublin Fibre Festival, four of our members were vendors at the event: Fiona Leech of @feltathome, Juliane Gorman of @felthappiness, Sandra Reynolds of @sandystitchedup, and Christine Jordan of @roughcirclestudio

  • Fiona
  • Juliane
  • Sandy
  • Christine’s display

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the Dublin Fibre Festival for including us in this year’s event. We greatly appreciate their efforts in making a fibre festival in Ireland a reality, as well as the help offered by their volunteers throughout the day.

Lastly, a heartfelt thanks to our volunteers—Eva, Kelly, and Siobhan —for their warm enthusiasm and skilful hands, and to committee members Adrienne, Deirdre, Irina, Loli, and Lorna, for their tireless work in sharing the beauty of felting. Together, they spun a day of learning and inspiration, celebrating the timeless craft born from Ireland’s woolly heart.

Join us next time at the Dublin Fibre Festival to explore felting’s endless possibilities!

Visit our website for –

Volunteers Lorna, Loli, Siobhan, Deirdre, and Irina

Event: Festival of Botanical Colours – Co Kerry

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

The Festival of Botanical Colours is a textile event which includes workshops and demonstrations, including the following: indigo dyeing, land art, ink making, Fair Isle knitting, spinning, storytelling, block printing, solar dyeing, pigments, peg loom weaving and more

When: From Friday, the 24th, through Sunday, the 26th of October.

Where: Tech Amergin (arts centre), Spunkane, Waterville, Co Kerry.

Guild member Sharon Wells is teaching two workshops at the festival. The one on ink making is fully booked, but as of today, her workshop this Sunday on Peg Loom Weaving has spots – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/festival-of-botanical-colours-peg-looming-tickets-1680692940829

For more information and to register – https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/festival-of-botanical-colours-4629633

Their Instagram @festival_wool_cloth

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 the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Event: Dutch Design Week – Wool (RE)Discovered

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

A bit late, as it is happening NOW, but still of interest: Dutch Design Week has the theme of Wool (RE)Discovered!

The week-long event in Eindhoven, Netherlands, showcases wool’s regenerative potential and reimagines it as a dynamic, living material. From raw fleece in the hands of designers to workshops, demos, and mending sessions, and a variety of talks are scheduled throughout the week.

Dutch milliner and feltmaker Saar Snoek has a workshop on Thursday afternoon on how to felt a whimsical moustache: https://www.neworderoffashion.com/ddw-2025-program/workshop-make-your-own-moustache-using-alpaca-hair

There is a LIVESTREAM with discussions about wool here – https://www.neworderoffashion.com/wool-rediscovered-livestream

For more information about the week, visit the New Order of Fashion’s website – https://www.neworderoffashion.com/ddw-2025-program

Their Instagram @new_order_of_fashion

If you cannot attend in person, there’s an exciting video of the exhibition from visitor Elaine Markoutsas here – https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQBJUu5DXjE/?igsh=MXV1aDQ4cHB3bjQ5bw%3D%3D

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 the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Of Interest: Upcoming ReStyle Cork Event

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Via our textile friends, Fibreshed Ireland: ReStyle Cork is looking for designers, craftspeople, traditional skills instructors, social entrepreneurs, and artists based in Cork who would like to be part of animating their flagship awareness-raising event for European Waste Reduction Week.

The event will include the following:

  • Workshops
  • Demonstrations
  • Exhibitions
  • Clothes Swapping
  • Stalls/Vendors
  • Repair Cafe
  • Panel Discussions
  • Fashion Show

For more information about getting involved, please contact Theo: 0838110769, theo@environmentalforum.ie


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 the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Event: Dublin Fibre Festival 2025 – This Saturday

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Poster for Dublin FIbre Festival 2025

Feltmakers Ireland and 40 other local textile exhibitors will be at the Dublin Fibre Festival THIS Saturday, the 18th of October. This is THE opportunity to touch yarn and fibres in person, attend textile workshops, and watch spinning, felting, and other fibre arts demonstrations! To see a taste of last year’s event, there’s this blog post – https://feltmakersireland.com/2024/10/29/recap-fantastic-day-at-the-dublin-fibre-festival/

The Map and Vendor List

We will be there!

Have you wanted to purchase a copy of Feltmakers Ireland’s book ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’ but have not had the opportunity? Come to the Dublin fibre event of the year: The Dublin Fibre Festival. In addition, we will have several guild members demonstrating needle and wet felting. These include felting artists such as Eva Salamon @feltedvision and Irina Lampadova @irinalampadova1

  • When: 10 AM to 6 PM.

Feltmakers Ireland Members Exhibiting

Four guild members will be sharing their work –

Admission

Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

For more information, visit the Festival’s website – https://www.dublinfibrefestival.com/

Their Instagram – @dublinfibrefestival

Of Interest: Bioeconomy Week Ireland – REVEIRE Irish Wool Research – Friday at Maynooth University

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
BioEconomy Ireland Week - Friday, the 17th of October

REVEIRE University College Cork (UCC), the three-year wool research project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, joins Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2025, for “The Circular Shift: Transforming Waste into a Bio-based Economy”.

The event will explore how research is transforming waste into bio-based value across Ireland, featuring EPA-funded projects tackling textile, wool, agri-food, and urban bio-waste.

REVEIRE will showcase their work on regenerative value systems for Irish-grown wool, contributing to a more circular and sustainable bioeconomy.

  • When: Friday, 17th October 2025
  • Time: 09:45 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Where: Maynooth University, Co Kildare.

The event is organised by Maynooth University and University College Cork, with support from the Circular Bioeconomy Cluster at Munster Technological University.

Free, but booking is required. Register for the event here: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/school-business/events/bioeconomy-ireland-week-2025-event

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 the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.