Registration is open for the Felting and Fiber Studio‘s ‘Felted Hanging Spiral Course‘, taught by Feltmakers Ireland member Hélène Dooley. Adding movement to an art piece takes it to a new dimension. The shape becomes fluid, even mesmerising.
Have you been interested in learning more about sculptural felt? This is a great way to learn about laying out fibre for increased elasticity, using a book resist with multiple ‘leaves’, and Hélène’s ideas on how to further develop these concepts into future projects.
This is a four-week course, and it is delivered through the following media:
A series of short videos which take students step-by-step through the process. Each video forms a single unit in the process. The result is that students can easily pick up where they left off and do not need to devote huge chunks of time to making their spirals in one or two sessions.
A set of PDF files which tie into the videos.
Daily access to the classroom chatroom for the duration of the course.
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Discover the Japanese art of Shibori, a technique that creates patterns on fabrics using methods such as Kumo (tying and clamping), Arashi (using poles to resist dye), and Itajime (folding and clamping). Immerse your fabrics in an Indigo Dye bath and be amazed as the magic of dye turns to a vivid indigo blue.
The workshop is suitable for beginners and intermediate students.
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 Hélène Dooley is among the tutors for the International Feltmakers Association’s five online felting courses, which start on May 1st and end on June 30th.
If you are a member of Feltmakers Ireland and offer workshops, please get in touch with us at feltmakersIE@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 questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
We are excited to announce our upcoming technical feltmaking workshop, ‘Fine Felt’, which will be held on SATURDAY, the 26th of April, from 10:00 AM to 4 PM.
This ‘Fine Felt’ Technical Workshop is recommended before taking our more advanced ‘Basic and Beyond: Felted Bag with Handle’ workshop on the 8th of June.
This year, we are offering a Technique Improvement Workshop aimed at beginner and intermediate wet felters. The course aims to examine “Fine Felting,” which is traditionally desired in the craft of felting.
The class is a repeat of last year’s Fine Felt Technical Workshop, but students are welcome to retake it if they wish.
The Schedule
The class is made up of two parts: A Square 2D sample and a Small 3D Vessel.
In the morning, beginner wet feltmakers will learn how to lay out wool using a flat 10-inch template and how to felt, full, and shrink. We will look at the graduation of colour and shrinkage rates.
A team of helpers will be available to anybody needing support.
During the morning session, more experienced feltmakers can focus on creating a very light, even layout using 10 grams of wool for a 10-inch square. We will look at how to get the densest, finest felt possible while working on creating a perfect square sample with a shrinkage of 30%, 40%, 50% or possibly 60%, depending on our speed of felting.
This may not be how we would do felting on an everyday basis. But, this session spent truly concentrating on careful felting should improve our overall felting work.
We will break for lunch. Please bring something to eat as we will only have 30 minutes. Tea and coffee will be provided. Bring a ‘travel mug’ to cut down on paper cup waste.
In the afternoon, we will apply our learnings from the morning to make the finest little vessel possible. We will use a different layout (spokes and wheel), laying out 10 grams of black and white wool around a 20 cm circular resist. The goal will be to create a very thin, fine vessel, that is well-felted and sturdy.
SUPPLIES
We will supply ALL wool and materials needed for the workshop.
Please bring TWO towels.
We will have spares, but if you have the following items, please bring them with you:
A bowl
A water sprinkling brauser or similar (optional as we will have spares)
Small sharp scissors
Ruler with inches AND centimetres
When
We will start at 10:00 on the dot as we have much to cover. Please try to be there a few minutes early to get settled in.
Feltmakers Ireland is keen to promote Fine Felting, and for this reason, we are offering this all-day workshop at the low price of 30 euros for members.
If you have friends who have been wanting to join the Guild or will want to take the Basic and Beyond Workshop in June (The Felted Bag with a Handle), this Fine Felt Technical Workshop is the perfect opportunity to learn how to make Fine Felt.
The Members Only price will be in effect until Monday, the 14th of April.
There are only 27 spots available.
Registration
Please register BEFORE the 14th of April to reserve your spot at the lower price. After the 14th, the workshop will cost 40 euros per person (for non-members and members).
Note: Members have ALREADY received an email announcement with a Payment Link on Friday, the 21st of March, 2025.
If you have not received the email or have ~just~ joined Feltmakers Ireland and want to register, please email feltmakersie@gmail.com.
We will send you a link to pay online via credit or debit card.
This will be an in-person class, and, unfortunately, Zoom attendance will not be available.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us via the above email.
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.
Winner of Feltmarker’s Ireland’s Educational Bursary of 2024, Adrienne Dempsey, attended Lindsey Tyson’s online course, ‘Transfer Printing onto Felt and Other Fabrics’.
I would like to thank Feltmakers Ireland and guild member Doris Reinisch for the generous bursary prize of €250 award for 2024. Doris’s name was originally pulled from the draw at our annual AGM. However, due to her having previously won the bursary prize, Doris kindly permitted us to randomly select another name from the draw and give the prize to another member. {You can read about what Doris studied HERE on the blog.}
To my surprise and joy, I was informed I had won the bursary prize. I chose an online course, ‘Transfer Printing onto Felt and Other Fabrics’, with Lindsey Tyson. The bursary prize money contributed towards this course.
I first saw Lindsey’s printed felt products on Instagram and her website, Lindsey Tyson Art. Lindsey had a successful career in textiles, has been printing on felt for many years, and has developed her own techniques. I am amazed at her printed felt products and how she mastered such clear, precise and detailed images – especially onto felt. The course is not a felting course; it consists of How to Transfer Prints onto Felt and other Fabrics. Lindsey has produced a comprehensive pre-recorded course to share her expertise. Lindsey’s video tutorials provide hours of demonstration, which is backed up by documentation that can be printed out, which I found really useful.
I pondered for some time before signing up for this course, as I knew this printing method would involve a certain amount of equipment and software. I decided not to rush out and buy a laser printer or a heat press. I used local resources around me, as I had access to a laser printer that I could use. I had been a member of a print studio, and I arranged to use their textile heat press to get me started.
The course covers in great detail how to design and manipulate images. It includes tutorials on using free software as well as paid software like Photoshop. I had an old version of Photoshop on my desktop that I could use, and I had great fun at the start trying to remember how to use this software, as it’s been a few years since I used it. I found Lindsey’s Photoshop tutorials a great guide, and I hope to get more proficient using Photoshop.
I’ve enjoyed all the course content very much, especially the fabric design elements. I was delighted to find a way of combining my line drawings, paintings, and photographs. I learned how to design my own imagery and patterns so that I could transfer my designs onto felt. I also learnt about fabrics suitable for printing.
This course taught me the importance of choosing the right type of paper to transfer onto felt when using a laser or inkjet printer. I used Lindsey’s paper recommendations and purchased paper from her website.
I experimented a lot. I had several prints with which I was not pleased with the print quality. I discovered that the quality of your print can be down to not using the right temperature, pressure, and trimming on the heat press.
I felted large squares of felt in white 19-micron Merino wool, and I also bought prefelt Merino wool in preparation to print. To practice printing onto felt, I used free image resources recommended in the course, my photography, line drawings, and paintings.
The First One
For my first attempt at printing, I used free images printed on 19-micron Merino wool.
Floral Experiment
Next, I worked with a flower photograph that I edited in Photoshop, ready to print and transfer onto extra-fine prefelt. I wanted to see how clear I could get this image from a photograph printed onto paper and then transferred onto felt. I hoped this image would pick up the shadows and colours that I liked about the original picture. It was interesting to see the printed results when transferred onto felt.
Repeat Patterns
Experimenting with a repeat pattern, tree images were transferred onto a 19-micron Merino.
Three-Dimensional Work
I really enjoyed making the below nature-printed pebbles and brooches using core wool and 19-micron Merino wool. I am pleased with the finished printed results.
Line drawing flower printed onto a felt pebble.
A robin painting printed on three felted pebbles, with a free robin with a holly branch image transferred onto a felted brooch.
Conclusion
I highly recommend this course if you want to learn to print onto felt and other fabrics. The beauty of the pre-recorded online course is that you can access it indefinitely, always revisit parts if you are unsure, and can take it at your own pace.
Ongoing course support is great. There is a private Facebook group where you can share your ideas, questions and any problems you may have, and Lindsey is always on hand to answer your questions and ensure you have all the information you need to succeed via email and Facebook.
Lindsey Tyson is having a Moving-On course sale on ‘Transfer Printing onto Felt and Other Fabrics’. She is moving away from feltmaking and printing to focus solely on her painting practice. NOTE: Registration for the class closes on the 30th of April. But once you purchase this course, you will have unlimited access.
Feltmakers Ireland would like to thank Adrienne Dempsey for her lovely report and congratulate her on these brilliant course results.
We will hold a raffle for another Educational Bursary at our AGM in May. If you have not done so already, please renew your membership for a chance to win!
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.
The Leitrim Design House Creative Conference: A day of inspiration, industry insights, and creative connection.
This event, chaired by Eddie Shanahan, promises a full day of engaging activities, including motivational presentations, breakout workshops led by industry experts, and thought-provoking discussions with guest panellists:
Karena Ryan – Textile Artist & Member of Feltmakers Ireland 🎉
Richard West – Woodturner & Sculptor
Aileen Stein – Trainer in Mindful Self-Awareness
Plus, the launch of this year’s The Leitrim Design House National Awards.
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.
Pictured: Feltmatters co-Host Heather Potten as she interviews Vivienne Morpeth and Alun Kirby about their collaboration with Cyanotype and Nunofelting.
The International Feltmakers Association (IFA) has just released the first podcast of its third season: The Blueprint of Art: Cyanotype Meets Felt. In this episode, Heather Potten interviews her co-host, Vivienne Morpeth, and artist Alun Kirby about their collaboration with Cyanotype and Nunofelting.
As always, the FeltMatters podcast is fascinating, as they discuss the trial-and-error process, artistic exploration, and the interplay between established techniques and modern art forms.
Pictured: Poster for upcoming online course – ‘The Magid of Natural Dyes & Cyanotype Printing’ with Ashleigh Ellis.
Unrelated to the IFA’s podcast, there is a timely opportunity to study cyanotype printing on paper, fabric, and other substrates with Irish artist and instructor Ashleigh Ellis. The course, ‘The Magic of Natural Dyes & Cyanotype Printing,‘ combines Cyanotype with Natural Dyeing to create further colourways.
The Welcome Module opens on the 19th of March, and the Live Zoom is on the 26th of March, at 4 PM. There are five live Zoom sessions, all of which are recorded and sent to students.
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.
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.
Since 2020, many felting tutors now teach online. However, there are still in-person workshops. Below are two tempting wet felting workshops: One in the UK with Liz Clay and the other in Hungary with Judit Pocs.
Fine Felt Making with British Wools with Liz Clay – West Sussex, UK
The UK has more than 60 sheep breeds ranging from hill and mountain to fine and lustre wool types.
In Liz Clay’s workshop, students will work with a variety of processed native wools in natural colours, gaining insight into their suitability and potential for different feltmaking projects. They will explore techniques and processes to develop two- and three-dimensional designs through guided sampling exercises. Beginners are welcome!
Judit Poc’s Playing with Shapes – 3 Day Workshop in Hungary
Join Judit Pocs for a three-day, in-person 3D wet felting workshop in Hungary. Students will create small sculptures using a variety of exciting techniques. A key feature of these sculptures is that they will be hollow and filled with plastic granules before being felted together.
Students will explore how to design a sculpture in a flattened form using an internal template. Additionally, participants will experiment with creating double and triple-layered shapes.
When: Workshop Days: the 4th through the 6th of July, daily, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 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.
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.
On Friday, the 4th of April, Eddie Shanahan will facilitate the Leitrim Design House Creative Conference. The day will include a motivational presentation for artists, crafters, and designers, a breakout clinic with guest speakers, a panel discussion, the Leitrim Design House National Awards launch, and a light lunch.
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.
Feltmakers Ireland 