On Sunday, the 12th of October, guild member Sandra Coote of Crafts of Ireland will teach members how to create a three-dimensional, needle-felted wren.
Sandra will provide materials, which include her own Irish-raised wool and the wires for the legs/ feet.
Members, please bring your felting needles and pads. The guild will have a few extra sets for those who do not have these tools.
This session is limited to 25 participants and costs 15 euros.
We will email an online payment link to members on the afternoon of Friday, October 3rd – at 2 PM, Irish Time. If you are not already a member, you can join us via our website – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/
Sandra will also bring her popular needle felting kits, which will be available for purchase.
The Details
When: Sunday, the 12th of October.
The Sunday Session’s Hours are the following: 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Jane Fox wore her name tag and lots of felted flowers while helping the Guild at Bloom 2025
Feltmakers Ireland’s 2025 Season Opener: Name Tag Wet Felting Workshop
What an incredible start to the 2025 season for Feltmakers Ireland! Our recent wet felting workshop, led by the wonderfully talented Jane Fox, was a resounding success, bringing together over 30 enthusiastic participants for a day of creativity, connection, and craft. On behalf of Feltmakers Ireland, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to Jane for making this event truly unforgettable.
Jane’s worktable with the supplies used to make Name TagsSuch glowing colours of the prefelt from Jane!Prefelt now chopped up to make letters for namesSome sample names on Jane’s worktable
The Name Tag Making Workshop was a perfect blend of skill-building and community spirit, with participants ranging from seasoned felters to those just dipping their toes into the craft. Jane’s expertise, patience, and warm, relatable approach created an inviting atmosphere that resonated with everyone. Her ability to guide each participant, regardless of experience level, ensured that everyone left the session not only with newfound skills but also with a sense of accomplishment and joy.
One of the highlights of the day was the creation of personal name tags, each a unique piece of artwork crafted by the participants themselves.
In the workshop, Jane began by explaining and demonstrating how the name tags would be made using two pieces of prefelt. Each student started with a rectangular piece of white prefelt to act as the base. They then chose from colourful pre-felted wool that Jane had kindly prepared beforehand using her drum carder. On top of this, students could add embellishments such as silk, viscose, or even tiny chopped pieces of prefelt to create a confetti-like effect.
Once the decorative layers were arranged, the pieces were wetted down and lightly felted so the fibres began to intermingle and bond.
Cutting Out Letters
After this stage, the colourful prefelt was gently patted dry, ready for the next step. Students then cut out the letters of their names and arranged them either on the white prefelt or on the coloured felt. These layers were felted together and patted dry once more. Jane brought cut-out paper letters for the students to use, while Elizabeth brought silver-coloured, metal ones from a Meccano set.
The Stained Glass Felting Method
Jane shows the back of an image that has the stained glass felting technique, which outlines the various sections.
To make the letters stand out more clearly, students used the “stained glass felting” technique developed by Niki Collier during COVID-19, which culminated in an international exhibition that was shown at the Pearse Museum in Dublin and Gallery Kabllo, Vienna, in Austria – https://making.ie/stories/felt-stained-glass.
The stained glass method involved needle-felting a narrow black border of Merino roving around each coloured field or letter, which gave the shapes a crisp outline and improved legibility. By the end of the process, each participant had created a unique felted name tag, decorated with colour, texture, and clear lettering.
Jane Shows How to Make Narrow Lines with Wool
Members Using the Stained Glass Technique
These beautiful creations will be used at future Feltmakers Ireland events, serving as both a practical tool and a meaningful memento.
Some of the Almost Done Name Tags
A Couple of Longer Names
Jane had a clever solution to those members who had longer names: On a colourful felted ground, one could ‘write’ one’s name using a needle felting tool and black Merino wool. No cutting out of letters is needed!
A Nifty Needle Felting Kit
A couple of members brought along portable needle felting kits that we admired! A rainbow of wool, tools and even finger guards were included.
Biscuits with History
Each Sunday Session, Lorna creates interesting baked goods that have been eaten in the past. This month, she brought Aberffaw Biscuits. We wonder what she will bake next month?
Biscuits by Lorna – always a tasty and educational feature at our Sunday Sessions. Each session, she makes a different type.
The early feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising Jane’s ability to make the workshop both educational and fun. Her passion for wet felting shone through, inspiring everyone to explore their creativity and connect with one another in a warm, supportive environment.
Felting Away
We couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off our Autumn 2025 season!
Our Gratitude
Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped our Sunday Session run so smoothly: Lorna for opening the hall and taking care of all of our caffeine needs, Adrienne for greeting the members, Sam for making sure that the hall was left in excellent condition, and the rest of the committee for ensuring that the day ran so well. Stay tuned for more exciting workshops and events with Feltmakers Ireland, as we continue to celebrate the art of felting and the connections it fosters.
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.
Guild member Jane Fox will lead us in creating our own Name Badges. The photo shows her badge, which she wore to demonstrate at this year’s Bloom. It is both beautiful and sustainable, and combines wet felting with needle felting!
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 and sponges on hand).
Sharp scissors.
Small bamboo mat – if you already have one. We have some extras for members to use during the session.
Optional: Bits and bobs such as beads, sequins, thread, and a needle – if you would like to sew these in.
Optional: Embellishment fibres, if desired.
The Guild and Jane will provide the other materials needed.
Additional Information:
If you can, please bring a home-baked good to share and a travel mug (so we can reduce our use of disposable cups).
And as this is the season of coughs and sneezes, please do not come if you feel that you are ill.
Zoom Access to the Sunday Session:
A Zoom link to members will be emailed at 9 AM on Friday, the 12th of September. Please check your email.
Meetup in Co Galway:
Can’t make it to Dublin AND want to chat with folks in personabout everyone’s favourite thing – feltmaking?
Feltmakers Ireland will have a meeting in Gort, Co Galway THIS Sunday, the 14th at 11 AM.
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 Sunday, the 11th of May, Feltmakers Ireland marked a significant milestone, celebrating its 22nd year as an organisation. Twenty-nine members attended this AGM in person, and six joined via Zoom link. Our founder, President Elizabeth Bonnar, was also in attendance.
Address by Acting Chair
First, committee member Suzanne Phelan, acting on behalf of our Chairperson Deirdre Carroll, went over the Guild’s many accomplishments for the past year, which included the following activities and events:
Sharing our love of feltmaking at public events such as Bloom, the Tullamore Show and Dublin Fibre Festival.
Hosting Open Days in Dublin and Killbeggan, Co Westmeath as part of August Craft Month/Heritage Week Ireland.
First Lady Sabina Higgins opened our month-long exhibition of ‘Symbols of Ireland’ at the Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre Gallery in March. 400 people attended the opening, and over a thousand people viewed the show.
Several hands-on events were held, including a revisit of the Fine Felt Workshop with Annika Berglund, the Pine Needle technique with Leiko Uchiyama, Needle-Felted Mushrooms with Nara Fritch, and Felt Christmas Stars with Annika Berglund.
In the past year, our Sunday Sessions also included learning about the creative journeys of members Maria McGarry, Deirdre Crofts, and Clodagh Mac Donagh.
Our hybrid Zoom class in October with Hungarian tutor Judith Pocs, where we made felted eyeglass cases.
Volunteers travelled to Belfast in November to demonstrate felting at the Knitting and Stitching Show, sharing a booth with the International Feltmakers Association and Feltmakers North.
Address by the Secretary
For the next part of the AGM, our secretary, Lorna Cady, discussed our upcoming activities for the coming year. Amongst the exciting events mentioned were the following –
Two international workshops: One in May with Marjolein Dallinga and one in July with Pam de Groot.
The Basic and Beyond Bag Making Workshop with Annika Berglund in June.
In August, the guild will again demonstrate felting at the Tullamore Show,and participate in August Craft Month / Heritage Week at the CIE Sports Hall in Inchicore, and Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath.
In October, we will demonstrate at the Dublin Fibre Festival
In November, we will hopefully again participate in the Knitting and Stitching Show, in Lisburn, with the IFA and Feltmakers North.
The Treasurer’s Report and Wool Project
Treasurer, Annika Berglund, reported on our finances, which were approved by the auditor, and the Wool Project, our book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’, which is also doing well and has been purchased by wool enthusiasts in Ireland and beyond, including the USA and Europe. She also introduced our new treasurer, Samantha Fagan, to the group.
The Bursary Draw
This year, Hilary Delaney was the fortunate member to win the 250 euro Bursary, which will be used for a felting workshop of her choice. We look forward to seeing what she learns through her short recap and photographs.
Committee News
The membership voted to approve Belinda Reid’s official joining of the committee. Two guild members, Irina Lampadova and Helena Mc Guinness, have offered to help the committee. We are so very appreciative of these members for putting themselves forward. We will have confirmations at the next committee session in June.
Guest Speaker
Our guest speaker, Leiko Uchiyama, shared her life and travels and how they influenced her sculptural artworks and functional felted objects, which range from playful to elegant. She spoke of the inherent Diversity of Feltmaking and how she enjoyed the play of textures and colour. It was a fascinating talk, and so interesting to learn more about her.
Leiko also filled the stage with her gloriously beautiful wool from her fibre dyeing business LeikoFelt, which proved very popular with the members!
Thank you, Leiko, for being part of our 2025 AGM!
Spoiled for choices of Merino, Corriedale and Silk/Merino roving from LeikoFelt.
Felt Displayed
In addition to the Committee proceedings and Leiko’s Textile Journey, several of our members displayed their artwork, and a few had pieces for sale. These members included Loli Cox, Irina Lampadova, Fiona Leech, and Evija Mezaka. Apologies if we have missed anyone.
Video of the Day
A medley of our day at AGM 2025.
Many thanks to all those who attended Feltmakers Ireland’s 2025 AGM, whether in person or via Zoom! And we understand if you could not make it – the weather was so lovely outside!
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.
By starting promptly at 10:30 AM, we aim to complete the meeting’s formalities promptly, allowing us to listen to the Textile Journey of our Guest Speaker, Leiko Uchiyama, an artist, educator, and master dyer, who lives in Co Carlow.
Additionally, we will feature a Sellers’ Area and a Display Area this year.
Leiko brought a selection of her gorgeous hand-dyed fibres during the Pine Needle Felting Workshop in January. She will have similar supplies available to purchase this Sunday. Other guild members will be bringing felted artwork and supplies too. IF you want to be included in this Vending Opportunity, please RESERVE a spot by emailing feltmakersIE@gmail.com
Thereis no cost for members to sell at the AGM.
Agenda
1. Address by the Chair, opening the AGM (Suzanne Phelan will act on behalf of chairperson Deirdre Carroll, who is away)
2. Address by Secretary (Lorna Cady)
3.Treasurer’s Report (Annika Berglund)
4.Wool Project Wool Report (Annika Berglund)
5. Motions for AGM
6.Election of Chair and Committee 2025/26. Election of other Officers will be held at the June Committee Meeting. We always welcome new faces on the Committee—if you’re interested in helping to keep our Guild active and thriving, your support would be greatly appreciated!
7.Guest Speaker is Leiko Uchiyama, a feltmaking artist originally from Japan and now living in Borris, Co Carlow. Her journey has taken her from Japan to New Zealand, Indonesia, and France, where she developed her feltmaking techniques. Leiko creates wearable pieces made of wool and silks, which she dyes using her own colour recipes. She also makes functional pieces for the home. She teaches Felting workshops throughout Europe, America, Australia, and Japan, and has exhibited her work in many countries.
Leiko will also have her dyed wool roving for sale at the AGM. She will bring Merino, Corriedale and a Silk/Merino mix of roving, which is ideal for the craft of felting.
8.A Bursary Draw for €250 is open to all paid-up members and will take place at the AGM. The winner can participate in a Felting course and then provide a short recap article with photographs. (In 2024, guild member Adrienne Dempsey won the award. You can read about her experience in this blog post.)
9.Sellers’ Area: Members can sell their work, fibres or supplies at the AGM. Methods of receiving payment, whether by cash, credit card, Revolut, or PayPal transactions, are the seller’s responsibility. The guild will provide tables, but NOT coverings or other displays. Please RSVP to participate in the Sellers’ Area. feltmakersIE@gmail.com
10.Display Area: Members can also take the opportunity to display and discuss a small selection of their work with other members. Members will need to bring props to display their items. Make sure that your name is on your piece. The guild will provide two table coverings. There is no need to RSVP for the Display Area.
11. Refreshments and chat. Refreshments will follow. If you could bring a little something, home-baked or not, we’d be delighted. We always appreciate goodies with our cuppa. If you have a travel cup, please bring it so we can reduce the waste of single-use paper cups. As always, we will provide the coffee and tea!
*We kindly ask non-members to become members in order to attend the AGM.
Zoom Access
Members who cannot attend in person can use the Zoom link, which will be emailed to members today. This session will not be recorded.
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 Sunday, April 13th, long-time Feltmakers Ireland guild member Clodagh Mac Donagh shared her Textile Journey. Her colourful adventures in three locations—London, Paris, and Skerries, IRELAND —where she has lived, been educated, worked, and raised her family, enchanted us.
Like many guild members, Clodagh trained in fine art (in Ireland) and textiles (Goldsmiths in the UK). She worked in education. She taught textiles in multiple settings: to young people via schools, large-scale community projects funded by her local Fingal County Council, and even a textile education centre she opened in Balbriggan. Most recently, she taught a ten-week course on Wet Felting to adults at Castleknock College. Although now retired, she continues to teach Shibori Dyeing and other textile-related classes through Mel Bradley Silks Studio in Drogheda.
Teaching Felting
Besides working as an educator, Clodagh also worked as a dyer for high-end textile designer Sabina Fay Braxton.
She has also traveled extensively and shared some of her Japanese textile collection, which she collected during her visit there six years ago. When she was there, she visited Aramatsu – the town that creates famous Shibori!
Some Photographs of Felted and Shibori Dyed Textiles
On Shibori
Clodagh explained that the term ‘Shibori ‘ means in Japanese “to wring out or compress so that the dye does not reach”. The technique dates back to the 8th century in Japan. Traditionally, it was done on silk or hemp fabrics and was worn by the samurai and aristocracy.
Clodagh generously shared six Shibori-dyeing resist techniques with the guild. She explained that what we do now is not traditional.
Kamoko – a pattern with all-over circles or bullseyes on it.
Arashi, which means ‘Driving Rain’ in Japanese, is an accordion fold (like a fan) tied around a pole or pipe. It looks sophisticated, but not difficult to produce.
Itajame – an accordion fold with resists.
Nui Shibori – stitched with pleats.
Kumo – repeat in the fabric with a series of ties concentrically arranged.
Muira—The example she showed was a long robe made of panels. It was created using a special stand with a hook that catches fabric and stitched with a continuous thread.
Example of Arashi
Video from Sunday
A huge thank you to Clodagh for sharing your Textile Journey with us! We appreciate all the work she put in to share with us.
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.
This Sunday, the 13th of April, longtime Feltmakers Ireland member, artist and educator, Clodagh Mac Donagh will share her travel and textile experiences with feltmaking and indigo dyeing for our Sunday Session. She has traveled to Japan to study dyeing and will bring her fantastic collection of textiles. Additionally, she will demonstrate various techniques of achieving patterns through Shibori methods.
Due to health and safety, our Sunday Session will ~not~ be a hands-on Indigo Dyeing demonstration or workshop, but Clodagh will demonstrate shibori techniques.
Please bring the following items:
10 baby wipes
10 A4 sheets of paper, preferably white/plain (These will be used for demonstration purposes)
some small rubber bands
a few short lengths of strings (different thicknesses)
a few beads or glass pebbles
a ruler
pen or pencil, and a small bag to bring items home.
Note: These items are for demonstrating purposes only, not for dyeing.
Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at this Sunday’s Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel mug to replace disposable paper cups.
As a member perk for 2025, we no longer charge 5 euros per session. (If you still need to renew your Annual Membership for 2025, you can now pay online here – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/ )
This Sunday’s Session will ~not~ have a Zoom link. We apologise for this, but we will use a projector to share some of Clodagh’s photographs of her projects and travels. There is only so much technology we can juggle during a single session.
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.We will have a photo-filled recap on the blog in the coming week!
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.
On April 13th, longtime Feltmakers Ireland member, artist and educator, Clodagh Mac Donagh, will share her travel and textile experiences with Indigo Dyeing for our Sunday Session. She has traveled to Japan to study this subject and will bring her fantastic collection of textiles. She will also demonstrate various techniques of achieving patterns through Shibori methods.
Due to health and safety, our Sunday Session will ~not~ be a hands-on Indigo Dyeing demonstration or workshop, but Clodagh will demonstrate shibori techniques.
Please bring the following items:
10 baby wipes
10 A4 sheets of paper, preferably white/plain (These will be used for demonstration purposes)
some small rubber bands
a few short lengths of strings (different thicknesses)
a few beads or glass pebbles
a ruler
pen or pencil, and a small bag to bring them home again.
Note: these items are for demonstrating purposes only, not for dyeing.
From an Indigo / Shibori Dyeing Workshop in 2024
The photos above are from a workshop taught by Clodagh and Mel Bradley, which was held at Mel Bradley Silks, in the Millmount Craft Quarter, Drogheda, in the Spring of 2024.
Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at this Sunday’s Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel mug to replace disposable paper cups.
As a member perk for 2025, we will no longer charge 5 euros per session. (If you still need to renew your Annual Membership for 2025, you can now pay online here – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/ )
This Sunday’s Session will ~not~ have a Zoom link. We apologise for this, but we will use a projector to share some of Clodagh’s photographs of her travels. There is only so much technology we can juggle during a single session.
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.
Here is a fun video from the workshop in Drogheda!
Students are airing the indigo-dyed fabric and having a little dance, too!
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 Sunday, the 9th of March, a dedicated group of twenty Feltmakers Ireland members attended our Sunday Session. Five members joined the rest of us via Zoom. We enjoyed learning about the processes and challenges of creating artwork for our exhibition, ‘Symbols of Ireland’.
The nine artists discussed techniques such as wet felting, needle felting, free-motion stitching, hand embroidery, stiffeners, and mixed media and shared their challenges.
In order of appearance –
Marie Hopkins
Marie Hopkins ‘An Tigín’ – detail image.
Guild member Marie Hopkins shared about creating her detailed cottage scene, ‘An Tigín’, which contains wet and needle felting techniques and even a bit of woodworking! She has a background in architectural model-making, which is clearly demonstrated in all the tiny details.
Marie Hopkins – March Sunday Session
Marie Hopkins- showing the wool collected from the Curragh plains in Co Kildare, and processed by friends.
Elizabeth Redding
Elizabeth Redding’s ‘Seaside Cottage’
Committee member Elizabeth Redding used Romney wool from her neighbour, Minister Pippa Hackett. Initially, she wanted to use the ‘cracked mud technique’, but then her design evolved, and she used a combination of wet felting for the base and needle felting for the details. She dyed her wool using instructions from the guild’s book ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’ instructions.
Photo of Elizabeth’s piece with a rough sketch and a version of her needlefelted cottage in the foreground.Another sketch showing how she how she initially arranged her design. She later transformed the elements into a Shamrock arrangement.Elizabeth holding up a needle felted cottage which is the focal point of her piece.
Annika Berglund
Annika Berglund’s piece – ‘Baile’ – Home.
In October, committee member Annika Berglund attended an in-person workshop with tutor Gladys Paulus. The students focussed on perfecting the wet-felting technique of their choice; Annika chose the ‘Cracked Mud Technique’. She said that previously, the “Edges {of her samples} were not nice”. Using knowledge gained in the workshop, she created a segment of pieces for her solo show, ‘Tapestry‘, at the Olivier Cornet Gallery, which was exhibited in November 2024.
In addition to showing us squares with the cracked mud technique, she shared a very finished-looking circular sample. She did not submit the completed version of this piece because it was slightly larger (by 2 centimetres) than the maximum width requirement for submissions.
Annika shares some earlier samples.More ‘Cracked Mud Samples’The sample for the piece she did not submit.
Eva Salamon
Closeup of Eva Salamon’s ‘Fairy and hare’.
Guild member Eva Salamon generously brought many sketches, partial samples, armatures, a completed sculpture, and photographs to show her process. Her piece is needle felted, with the fairy’s cloak being wet felted. It is genuinely a mixed-media artwork, which fascinated us.
She explained how she no longer needs to plan as much as did when she was still learning.More sketches.The ‘Shaman’ has some of the same techniques as her piece in the exhibition.Some of her previous projects – Trolls.Eva holding up a wire armature and a photo of her piece.Brian and Wendy Froud’s ‘Trolls’ which has been an inspiration to Eva.
Lorna Cady
Committee member Lorna Cady had us laughing at what she didn’t finish in time to submit to the exhibition. Many of us can relate to her ‘Mislaid Plans’ for the past three years. Her current project, ‘Soft Border,’ is a piece she started while invigilating at the exhibition.
Lorna’s WIP ‘ Soft Border’Simmel Cake Facts
Amanda Robinson Kelly
Amanda Robinson Kelly’s ‘Felted Roots’.
Guild member Amanda Robinson Kelly explained that she has previously created many pieces using free-motion stitching. For this technique, she uses dissolvable backing, fabric, and thread. For her exhibition piece, she included felting and used the wool roving on hand, fortuitously in the colours of the Irish flag.
Amanda shared about her process.
Fiona Leech
Fiona Leech’s ‘Tears of Hope’.
Guild memberFiona Leech amazed us with the scale of her resist, which was made from thin underfloor laminate. Her fibres encased it for her most ambitious project yet. Fiona’s vessel features six layers of wet-felted Galway carded wool from Cushendale Woollen Mills. The piece was so large that she had to rinse out the soap in the bathtub, and it took a whole week to dry!
Committee memberJuliane Gorman shared how sometimes it is necessary to change one’s design. Because she included lots of thick felt in the bottom half of her double brim, she was unable to shrink it down. So, she had to chop it off and hand-sew in millinery wire to make it work.
Juliane shows us the resist she used is the same as the one for the hat she is wearing.
Helena Mc Guinness
Helena Mc Guinness’s ‘Round Tower’.
Guild member Helena Mc Guinness shared how she combined raw wool from Carlow with other types of wool to create her piece. She worked on her needlefelted project while she was travelling and received many curious questions!
Apologies: The photographer forgot to take photos while Helena presented her work.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Sunday Session was a celebration of creativity and a rich exchange of knowledge and inspiration. From discovering new materials and techniques to learning about hidden resources like free creative spaces in local libraries, everyone left with fresh ideas and valuable connections. Special thanks to Helena McGuinness for sharing her experience creating art in the reservable rooms of Ballyfermot Library—proof that feltmaking can flourish in the most unexpected places.
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.
Photo of in-process eco printing for fabric to be Nunofelted.
The previously scheduled topic for this Sunday’s Session has been changed.
Our session with Clodagh Mac Donagh will now occur during our April Sunday Session. The March Sunday Session will be devoted to our members’ behind-the-scenes experience creating artwork for the ‘Symbols of Ireland’ exhibition.
Behind the Scenes
We invite members to bring the samples, sketches or resists that led up to the creation of the exhibited pieces. We would love to hear about the creative challenges you encountered—whether it was perfecting a technique, sourcing materials, or reworking an idea.
We also warmly welcome members who could not submit a piece for the exhibition—whether due to time constraints or works that did not fit within the exhibition guidelines. Your creative journey is equally valuable, and we’d love to hear about your experiences.
To ensure everyone has the opportunity to share, each member will have a limited time to present their work and reflections.
Additional Details
When: THIS Sunday, the 9th of March, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at this Sunday’s Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel cup or mug to decrease our use of one-time cups.
As a member perk for 2025, we no longer charge 5 euros per session.
As this is the season of coughs and sneezes, we would prefer if you do not share these. Please do not attend if you may be unwell.
We will have Zoom access to this Sunday’s Session, which will be emailed to members today, Friday, the 7th of March.
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 