The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) is hosting its annual Earth Rising festival, which features over 50 free events designed to inspire, connect, and activate. This year’s event invites visitors to explore climate action through place, memory, creativity, and care. Events include art installations, music, screenings, talks, tours, and workshops.
When: From Friday, the 12th, through Sunday, the 14th of September.
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.
Sunday Sessions will resume, with our next one on the following Sunday, the 14th of September, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
Guild member Jane Fox will lead us in creating our own Name Badges. Above is a photo of her badge, which she wore to demonstrate at this year’s Bloom. It is both beautiful AND sustainable!
Please bring the following items:
Your usual Wet Felting Kit, which includes a hand towel, soap, a small bowl, and a medium-sized piece of bubble plastic.
Felting needles and a sponge or felting mat. (We will have some extra felting needles on hand).
Sharp scissors.
Small bamboo mat – if you already have one. We have some for members to use during the session.
Optional: Bits and bobs such as beads, sequins and thread – if you would like to sew these in.
Optional: Embellishment fibres, if desired.
The Guild and Jane will provide the other materials needed.
Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at our Sunday Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel mug to replace disposable paper cups.
As this is the season of coughs and sneezes, we prefer you not to share these. Please do not attend if you may be unwell.
On Friday, we will email a Zoom link to all members for those who wish to attend virtually.
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.
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.
‘Warped and Wasted Exhibition’Textile TalksTextile Challenge
Seam Collective, a contemporary textile collective of textile practitioners based in the southwest of the UK, has three items of interest: an exhibition, a series of textile talks, and a textile challenge.
The Exhibition
Firstly, they have a group exhibition, ‘Warped and Wasted’, which focuses on textiles, sustainability, and collaboration.
Secondly, the Seam Collective will host a series of Textile Talks, both in-person and online, on Friday, the 3rd of October. The collective and invited peers in the fields of textiles, visual arts, and sustainability will discuss issues of textiles and sustainability, adding to the critical dialogue around sustainable arts practices locally, nationally, and internationally.
Finally, the Seam Collective is once again hosting their annual online challenge, #SeptTextileLove. (They have been doing this challenge for nine years!) You can visit Instagram to see the work they are sharing from the exhibition, re-share it with a 💛, or contribute your own posts that relate to the daily prompts. They request that you include the hashtags #SeptTextileLove and #SeptTextileLove25 in your caption, and tag @seam_collective. There are also new daily hashtags, such as #STL25Day1, #STL25Day2, and so on, making it easier to find posts.
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.
How will crafts shape the future of Europe’s economy? The European Crafts Alliance Annual Conference 2025: ‘Positioning Crafts in the Contemporary Economy’ will explore this question.
Date: Thursday, the 4th of September Time: 9:30 CET (online), {8:30 Irish Time} 9:00 (onsite) Location: Litteraturhuset, Oslo & Online
This hybrid conference, co-hosted by @eca.crafts & @norwegiancrafts, will explore the fundamental economic challenges and opportunities for craftspeople, offer practical strategies for collaboration from the Nordic Network, present new perspectives on the social and cultural value of craft, and examine how craftspeople are integrating technology with traditional skills to create innovative and economically viable work.
Featuring:
Rosa Muñoz, Brand and trends consultant @thisisohayo
The event will be livestreamed on the ECA YouTube Channel, with the broadcast starting at 9.30 CET. They recommend joining the stream a few minutes early. Online attendees are invited to participate actively in polls and the live Q&A session using the interactive tools provided.
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.
For feltmakers looking to work with more Irish-raised wool, there’s a special opportunity this week. Texel-cross wool, sourced from Margaret of Kilmullen Farm in Wicklow and carefully cleaned by Feltmakers Ireland guild member Katarina of WoolStoreIE, is on sale.
According to our book ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’, Texel-cross is particularly well-suited for needlefelting, so this is a great chance to try something new with local fibre.
This Friday, bundles will be available at €7 each (regularly €9) or 3 for €20.
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.
From Róisín de Buitléar’s Instagram @CEIRD_ The Irish word for craft is Crinniú na Ceirde – Gathering craft. These are words used to tie our cultural identity to our craft, as seen at an event at the RDS earlier in the year, when over 200 craftspeople gathered for Crinniú na Ceirde to begin unravelling an Identity for Irish Craft.
It highlights that craftspeople form a vibrant community, creating a unique micro-industry comprised of skilled and passionate individuals who are eager to connect. We make significant contributions to education and tourism, and are an integral part of Ireland’s cultural identity. Yet, many traditional crafts practised today are not financially viable and therefore fall outside the scope of government enterprise-based craft schemes, leaving them without adequate support. This lack of recognition poses a threat to their sustainability, with many crafts at risk of disappearing altogether. Despite this, their cultural and social contributions to the economy are substantial—though currently unmeasured and undervalued.
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.
The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) is now accepting registrations for this year’s Design Week, which takes place from November 17th to 21st.
The DCCI invites designers, makers, educators, and creatives across Ireland to apply for funding to run events that reflect this year’s theme: “The ties that tie, and the links that link”
Your event can be a talk, exhibition, open studio, workshop or other activity.
The deadline for applications is the 12th of September, 2025.
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.
On a bright sunny day in Dublin, Feltmakers Ireland members held an ‘Introduction to Wet Felting Workshop’ at the CIE Sports and Social Hall in Inchicore on Sunday, the 17th of August. Our event was part of August Craft Month, and also part of National Heritage Week, which runs from August 16th to 24th.
The aim of our event was to introduce participants to the art of wet felting and provide hands-on experience in creating a felted vessel. The skills gained included an understanding of the felting process, tactile engagement, creative confidence, and the joy of having fun.
Selecting fibreLaying out the woolStudent felting
Two sessions were held, with 12 participants attending the first session from 11 AM to 1 PM and 8 participants attending the second session from 1 PM to 3 PM. All participants were provided with wool and the equipment needed to felt a vessel using a choice of colours. Guild member Annika Berglund gave a demonstration on starting the process before the participants went to their positions, where they were assisted in completing the process by members of Feltmakers Ireland.
Annika demonstratingAnnika wetting the fibreAnnika rolling the felt
Photos of the students felting away.
In addition to the hands-on wet felting workshop, guild member Margaret Ryan Collins shared about Irish wool. She demonstrated how to card wool from Irish sheep’s fleece, showing that the wool could be used for felting or knitting. A few years ago, Feltmakers Ireland successfully self-published a book on felting with Irish wool, titled ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking.’ This book is available for purchase on our website – https://feltmakersireland.com/exploring-irish-wool-for-feltmaking/
As part of our Open Day, we showcased the sample board from our research on Irish Wool. It shows how specific breeds of sheep’s wool can be needle-felted and wet-felted.
Samples wet felted and needle felted from the sheep breeds tested for our book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’.
Guild member Eva Salamon demonstrated how to needle-felt her fantasy figures. Hilary shared some of her works-in-progress.
Hillary and EvaEva
Several members displayed their felted creations.
Annika, Irina, Marie, and Elizabeth demonstrated and helped participants to create wet-felted vessels. The verbal feedback from the participants was very positive, and each person left with a completed vessel.
Annika and some of the students share their felted vessels.
Isha from the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland and photographer Sasko arrived to view the workshop. They were very interested in the various pieces on display and the processes demonstrated by the members.
In conclusion, Feltmakers Ireland’s Open Day successfully engaged participants in the creative process of wet felting, enabling them to express their artistic side. It was a great day and a great success.
Adrienne and Deirdre welcoming students
Thanks to the members of Feltmakers Ireland who helped on the day. Thank you to Sam Fagan and Margaret for the photographs. Additional appreciation to Sam, Annika, and Lorna, who organised a very successful event. Feltmakers Ireland is grateful for the support received from the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland.
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.
This was our third year exhibiting and demonstrating at the Tullamore Show. The day started off misty, but soon cleared to a warm sunny day. As before, we were in the Craft tent. We got a large area, so we were able to set up a nice display of our five members’ work. We also had room for a needle felting demonstration and a wet felting demonstration, which we took turns in doing.
We had a great interest in both types of felting. Both young and old were fascinated by the magic of wool turning into felt with just soap and water. Many questions were asked about Feltmakers Ireland, what we do, where and when we meet.
As Tullamore Show hosts the All-Ireland finals in many categories, we had people from all over Ireland and further afield. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day, and the organiser of the Craft tent expressed a wish that we return next year!
Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Elizabeth Redding for coordinating Feltmakers Ireland’s event at the Tullamore Show. Additional thanks to the members who donated their time and shared their skills at the show: Belinda, Karen, Mary, and Caitríona.We truly appreciate your help!
Feltmakers Ireland 