Applications are now open for the second year of the Design and Craft Council of Ireland’s (DCCI) Design & Craft Accelerator Programme, in partnership with Portal at Trinity College Dublin. This programme is designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises with strong international export potential. It offers expert guidance in growth, development, international market expansion, customer engagement, acquisition, and sales and marketing.
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‘The Way We Wore: Representations of Social Change through Clothing Guided Tour’ – Join Museum Guides for a tour focusing on the history of clothing in Ireland and, in particular, how clothing can represent social change for women in Ireland.
This tour explores how clothing could be used to show status in communities and how their clothing could symbolise personal freedom and activism. This tour features such objects as mourning gowns, day dresses, and Celtic Revival clothing.
When: Saturday, the 1st of February, at 1 PM. Free, No booking is required.
It is part of Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women, which returns from Friday, 31st January to Monday, 3rd February 2025, with its most extensive programme to date. Over 80 thematic events will take place across the city, offering an exciting and diverse celebration of women’s contributions to culture, society, and history.
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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Feltmakers Ireland’s members include several who teach felting. Some teach wet felting, while others teach needle felting. We even have members who use and teach both techniques!
Below is a sampling organised by A-Z by county of upcoming felting courses taught by members in their local communities.
Co Dublin
Guild member Clodagh Mac Donagh will teach a 10-week Wet Felting evening course at Castleknock College, Dublin 15. The class starts on Monday, January 27th, 2025, and runs from 7 to 9 PM.
“Feltmaking is a therapeutic but slow craft; it takes time to obtain the skills needed to make successful Felt pieces. Weeks 1 to 5 The first weeks will introduce students to wool and its properties and qualities; each class will build on the preceding one. Students will learn a little about some of the different wool breeds and the characteristics of their particular fleeces. They will produce small jewellery elements, creating felt beads, cords or ropes and felt flowers. Week 5 will combine these elements to make a neckpiece, brooch or bracelet. Weeks 6 to 10 will see students working on a small personal project of their choice, based on the skills they have learnt.”
Guild member Belinda Reid will teach a felting workshop at her studio in Kinvara on Sunday, February 9th.
“Join us for a creative and engaging Felt Painting Workshop where you can create stunning felt art using high-quality wool. This 3-hour workshop is perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike!”
Guild member Tamzen Lundy is part of the Gather Collective at Southwells, Market Square, Kildare Town. She is hosting a Wet Felted Jewellery Workshop on Sunday, February 16th, from 2 to 4 PM.
Learn how to make a wool and silk necklace, suitable for beginners, fun and full of creativity!
It would be lovely to share an ongoing monthly series about opportunities to learn feltmaking in Ireland. If you are a member who teaches felting (wet, needle or a combination, please let us know 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.
The Textile Artist Org website has a free taster workshop for creating expressive, hand-stitched portraits using a quick, free-style method of embroidery. The workshop is online and taught by artist Susie Vickery. Lessons start next week, on Monday, the 13th and run through Friday, the 17th of January.
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 International Feltmakers Association’s online Colour Course is now open for enrollment. Coursework access begins on January 2nd and ends on February 28th, 2025. In addition, four other classes are available that run during the same time: Basics, Surface & Edge, 3D Forms, and Nuno Felting.
“DF2 | Colour gives you the skills to blend your own hues, tints and shades of wool. Learn essential colour theory through hand carding and make felt shade swatches for future reference. Explore soft and firm prefelt effects by creating inlay and mosaic design samples. A truly practical course on understanding colour, DF2 is highly recommended for beginners and professionals.”
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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We realise we shared an education course yesterday. However, many tutors are announcing their upcoming class schedules for the new year. This class from Felting School Online focuses on creating ‘Magical Hats’. It is a prerecorded, downloadable ‘video’ with English subtitles and an English voiceover.
There is an early bird price for the class until the 16th of December.
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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Editor’s Note: Fiona’s classes are popular. To find out earlier, you may want to sign up for her email newsletter.
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.
Some students share their still-in-process, wet-felted eyeglass cases created during a hybrid workshop with Judit Pocs. From left to right: Clodagh, Siobhan, Breda, Dee, Adrienne, Elizabeth, and Hélène.
Hybrid Workshop with International Tutor
On October 6, 2024, eighteen members of Feltmakers Ireland came together at the CIE Sports Hall in Inchicore, Dublin, for an innovative hybrid workshop. Taught remotely by renowned Hungarian artist and tutor Judit Pócs via Zoom, this innovative course blended the advantages of group learning with international expertise. The project, a wet-felted eyeglass case with intricate embellishment options, challenged participants to develop their advanced felting skills.
Students introduce themselves to tutor Judit Pocs – via Zoom
Getting acquainted. Grateful for committee member Suzanne’s expertise with Zoom and projectors! She is wearing a black jumper with a red stripe down the sleeve.
For the workshop, students could use deliciously coloured Merino wool kits from Feltmakers Ireland and Design and Crafts Council (DCCI) member Leiko Uchiyama (https://www.leikofelt.com/shop/) or fibre from their own stashes.
Wool Kit from Leiko Felt
Students working away at the CIE Sport Hall and Social Club
As the projects were small, we shared tables.
Everyone could see the projector where the Zoom was cast.
Some students opted to wear gloves.
Fulling a section of the project.
We organised the CIE Sports Hall’s tables in three rows, with a ‘U’- shape of tables surrounding it. We wanted to ensure all the students could see the projector screen AND be able to get up and walk around the room.
Students show their work to Judit via the Zoom connection
Adrienne shows her case.Hélène shows her case.Clodagh shows her case.Helen shows her case.Elizabeth shows her case.
With the class structured as a hybrid—our teacher, Judit, in Hungary, and the students gathered together in Dublin, Ireland—we had to adapt creatively. If we had been taking the class individually, each of us would have worked in front of our own computers and shared our work directly. With our hybrid session, we interacted differently since we used only one laptop to communicate with our teacher. Consequently, we took turns lining up to share our progress with Judit. Special thanks to committee member (and fellow student) Suzanne Phelan for her excellent expertise in using Zoom and for kindly loaning us her hardware – her laptop, projector, and screen. THANK YOU!!!
Some of the finished eyeglass cases
Felted Eyeglass Case by Hélène Dooley.
Felted Eyeglass Case by Maria McGarry.
Felted Eyeglass Case by Breda Fay.
Felted Eyeglass Case by Siobhan Ryan
Felted Eyeglass Case by Sam Fagan.
Felted eyeglass case by Zivile Zeniauskaite.
Finished case by Elizabeth Redding.
Finished case by Clodagh Mac Donagh.
Felted Eyeglass Case by Helen Kiersey.
Each student used creative decision-making to ornament the outside of her case, and each one came out uniquely!
We sincerely apologise if you attended our class in October and we missed the photo of your felted eyeglasses case. Please email your photo to us, and we’ll happily add it to the slideshow above.
Conclusion
Our class with Judit Pocs was a rewarding experience. Students enjoyed the process and significantly advanced their feltmaking skills. Completing intricate eyeglass cases showcased their ability to master advanced techniques such as shaping three-dimensional felt, attaching gradient cords, using prefelt for patterning, and devising sturdy closures.
We can’t wait to see how they bring these newly acquired skills into their future creations, pushing the boundaries of their artistry even further!
Judit has several pre-recorded classes available to purchase from her website, along with live ones. For more information, visit her website – https://pocsjuditstudio.hu/workshop/
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.
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.
Registration is now open for the 2025 International Felt Symposium, Gift of the Lambs, by the picturesque Orfű Lakes in Southern Hungary. Five instructors will lead workshops across two sessions, sharing the magical synergy of felt-making and creative collaboration.
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.
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