No payment will be necessary until our Secretary, Fiona, confirms your place. Then you’ll be asked for bank transfer or cheque. These details will be given later.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
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.
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The theme of this Gift of Lambs international feltmaking symposium is ‘Immersion in the World of Felt Sculpting’. Students choose a three-day and two-day course from the four instructors. In addition, there will be a variety of cultural activities to explore.
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.
Breda Fay’s felted purse was created in Aniko Boro’s/Baribon.HU’s online course.
Guest Post by Feltmakers Ireland member Breda Fay.
Pebble Shoulder Bag Workshop with Anikó (Baribon.hu)
Anikó’s Boros course, creating a felted Pebble Shoulder Bag, was designed to take place on the Zoom platform over two days (five hours daily). The learning goals were to make a small bag with a flap top and a closure with an enclosed pebble, to use organza as a surface decoration, and to dye the bag to create a gradient or ombre effect. The “enclosed pebble” is almost a trademark of the Baribon experience, and in this case, it would provide the weight for the bag flap to stay closed.
A list of materials and a clear and well-illustrated step-by-step PDF of the instructions were sent to all students in advance so that they had time to be prepared. There were also suggestions on colour choice, pebble size and weight, and dyeing. While my preferred option was to work alongside Anikó during the live Zoom meeting, there was also an option to receive the recorded material and work at your own time and pace.
Having previously done three courses with Aniko, I was well aware of the teaching competencies of the Baribon Community – Anikó, who is the tutor; Andrea, her wonderful humorous hostess/translator; and her hubby and son, who are in charge of the IT.
Day 1
After a short introduction, including technical info and a general description of the process, we started cutting out the template for the bag and the pebble closure from resist material, cutting the pattern for the embellishment, and then the fabric itself. Some participants could not find the needed embellishment fabric and instead substituted other fabric. Then, we proceeded to lay out the complex arrangement of fibres and wet them down, following along with Anikó’s instructions.
DAY 2
On the second day, we finished felting the bag and proceeded to fulling and shrinking. Anikó is a believer in being thorough and having no shortcuts. So hot water and vigorous rubbing were very much reserved only for the final shrinking process. Our bag was complete, rinsed and stuffed to dry before our coffee break.
The dyeing process began after the break. I used Leiko Uchiyama’s hand-dyed merino and silk for my outer layer of fibre and consequently did not want to dye. However, the dyeing provided a better gradient of colours in a much easier way than laying out fibres.
We then created the cord. I was delighted to achieve a wrinkle-free, strong cord – but it took well over an hour of felting, fulling and shrinking.
We all showed our work at the end and had a chat about what we had learned. There was also a raffle among the participants for a Baribon piece of jewellery.
What I Liked and Learned:
There was a second template of a small phone bag for those who wanted to work on a smaller scale.
Opportunity to ask questions and present your work during the course.
Loved the sheen and exciting surface of the embellishment fabric; it is similar to wood bark. But it did take work to get it incorporated – I can’t wait to try it again!
Opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation and chat with participants during the breaks.
An opportunity to join a Facebook page to see the work of all – and for any further queries.
Editor’s Note: We recommend signing up for the email newsletters of instructors that you are interested in. That way, you are informed of upcoming courses.
Editor: Thank you, Breda, for your interesting article about your experiences with the Pebble Bag Workshop. If you are a member of Feltmakers Ireland and want to share your educational experiences with our readers, please email feltmakersie@gmail.com
This September, Feltmakers Ireland guild member Jenni Kilgallon is teaching two needle-felting classes for teens and adults at Tales for Tadpoles in Bray. The first class is this Friday, the 8th at 11 AM.
During the last week of July, there are two feltmaking workshops with Elina Saari and Oona Jakku. The first class is focused on creating an unusual ‘button’ textured felt, while the second class is focused on felting hats. The classes are three days each and run consecutively.
Yesterday, our Guild Treasurer, Artist Annika Berglund, led the wonderful “Basic and Beyond” workshop. We made a versatile double-walled vessel.
An early start at 10am had us all rushing for coffee and tea, and the committee and some participants provided an array of lovely buns and cakes. Some participants had travelled from faraway places such as Galway, Kilbeggan and Slane.
Annika showed us samples of the finished piece, and asked us to choose 2 x10gr bags of tencel, a fibre which she had dyed in a variety of colours. Each participant was also given a kit bag of merino wool, with the resist already cut out in the shape needed for our vessels.
Annika then gave us a series of demonstrations to help create our vessels step by step.
1st: She showed us how we would lay out the tencel for our colour pop.
2nd: After another short demo and we then laid the white band and the black bands of our wool. (Layer one). This “inside-out” lay out was explained, and several committee members, Marian, Clare, Deirdre Crofts and Fiona helped the 18 participants.
Then, we had a lunch break on the premises with tea and coffee provided. This allowed a very warm-hearted social interaction between long standing Guild members and some new arrivals.
3rd: After lunch Annika again demonstrated the second layer of wool and how she wished us to rub and roll our pieces. Hard rollers were provided by the committee.
4th: The next demonstration was how to make slits or cuts with sharp scissors, after which we each designed how we wanted our final pieces to appear.
5th: This demo was how to “cure” our slit edges, and we continued to roll until the whole piece was well felted. This was a reminder to all of us how physically energetic actual felt-making is!
6th: This demonstration was how to style our pieces, showing us ways to strengthen the base and to give a stylish finish to the ‘frames’ of our window slits. Annika showed us further samples of the variety of ways to use this skill.
All of us were very satisfied indeed with our beautiful vessels when we finally saw the double wall with the inner pop of colour through the “Windows”. Each person’s piece was different to the next. Group photos were taken before we left for the journey home.
As a final bonus, Annika presented each of us with notes so we can make it again if we like!
A huge thank you to Annika and the committee for a wonderful day.
A big thanks, especially to Clare Brophy, who had a special treat in store for us for at this December’s Sunday Session, with Romanian felt artist Carmen Draghici, and her lovely daughter Corinna. You can find samples of her work online at FELT JOY. She has an Etsy shop. She was only able to bring 2 beautiful pieces with her, due to Ryanair’s weight restrictions.
Clare had discovered Carmen’s fabulous felt work online, purchased a piece, and was bowled over by the quality and design of the jacket that she had bought. She invited Carmen to come to Ireland from Constanza, southern Romania, to lead a Sunday Session with us.
Carmen, luckily, was very happy to come to Ireland to meet all of us. Although Hungary has a very rich Feltmaking tradition, its neighbour Romania does not, as yet anyway, and she was delighted to be in the company of other feltmakers. She envied us our regular opportunities to felt together, and is going to investigate if she can bring us to Romania next year!
Carmen had planned a project with us, wet-felting a small Christmas Cushion, using some special lace brought with her from Romania. However, as 4 of the group were new feltmakers, it proved too ambitious for the 2 hours. She suggested finishing it at home or turning it into a table runner instead. There was much to learn from Carmen, an engineer by profession, from laying viscose fibre down cleanly to achieve sharp shapes, to using different unfamiliar fibre layouts, like herringbone, and diagonal, depending on what you were making, and using, for the most part just one layer of fine merino tops. It was also new to some people to to have an upside-down layout, and use a resist.
Personally speaking, I would love to have her back again to learn more of her tips and knowledge as she seemed to be a mine of information as well as having a great personality and we did not have enough time with her. She herself was frustrated by the short time involved and the differing levels of experience within this group, and wanted especially to give the new people good standards of finish.
I arrived at the Sunday Session with my friend Nara Fritch, from Seattle, US, but now long time resident in Ireland, living near me in Skerries. Nara keeps Alpacas and was totally entranced by an invited guest of Committee member, Annike Berglund, leader of the Feltmakers Ireland Wool Project Her Guest, Grant Bartholomew had requested to be an observer at the Sunday Session. Grant is an Alpaca farmer, from South Africa and living in Ireland for 3 years. He arrived with his family. After our session with Carmen, he briefly explained the different types of Alpaca fibre he had brought with him.
by Clodagh McDonagh
The committee has decided to devote another Sunday session later to the picking and washing of a raw fleece and give everybody a chance to felt a small sample using one of a variety of Irish local wools.
Carmen Draghici, coming specially from Constanza in southern Romania for the weekend. Her work can be viewed online at FELT JOY and on Facebook & You Tube. She has an ETSY shop and she will bring some of her work to show us.
She will demonstrate some of her unique skills, making a small Christmas Cushion (as time is so limited )
It will be practical session. Some kits may be available to purchase (€4) for those who have materials (old towel, soap, bubble wrap etc) needed to felt with Carmen.
Materials needed: (exactly as last session)
Old towel, bubble wrap, resist, soap, and water bottle, needed.
70 grams red roving, embellishments (including, if you have any, old lace or finest crochet)
All members are welcome.
Tea coffee and Xmas goodies for all!
(Non-members also welcome €10)
Some Information on what you need to bring and what you will learn:
Also: A call out to people who were at the last Sunday session: If you have not unpacked your bags from this event yet, please check if you have ended up with an extra piece by mistake: It is a long brownish piece with an abstract design.
Sunday Session November 6th 2022 in the CIE Social Club Inchicore!
On Sunday 6th November Feltmakers Ireland Committee and 25 members took part in a `hands-on` practical Feltmaking session. There was great excitement, as a Nationwide film team was coming to film our efforts and interview some key members of our Feltmakers Ireland community.
The session was led by Tamzen Lundy, a former Committee member. She had designed a really charming Christmas project for us, a felted Nordic style Santa Claus in 3D. You can use the Santa Claus as a tree decoration, as a bottle topper, or as a stand alone ornament.
Feltmaking is a craft that allows you to easily produce items in 3D without any sewing at all. The committee had prepared a kit bag for each participant, containing all we required for this session.
Tamzen then took us all very clearly through the process, which involved laying merino wool in 3 alternate layers on a triangular shaped resist.
For Santa’s face, Tamzen showed us 2 ways of making and attaching a felt nose,(a felt bead, cut in two) by fluffing it up with a wire (or pet) brush, then had an ingenious method of using a small piece of prefelt (sometimes called Needlepunch) to create the face, and then cutting a teeny hole in the prefelt to reveal the nose. Later we would use needle felting to add eyes and beard.
The main learning points I took from Tamzen`s were:
To use no soap in your wetting down process, (and generally very little soap overall) a bit controversial for me as soap tends to be my `comfort blanket`.
No rolling, (not a roller in sight! ), use bubblewrap as a rubbing tool , and generally keep on rubbing, and massaging with your bare hands, or bubblewrap, on the surface of your piece until any sign of `cellulite` is gone! (Of course that meant that a big discussion on what cellulite was, ensued!)
At the end of the very happy and enjoyable session, it was really interesting how all the Santas looked very individual, taking on their own personalities!
While we participants were concentrating on our project, RTE`S Nationwide crew were filming a wonderful and varied display of members’ work at the end of the room. They interviewed Deirdre Crofts from our Committee, who spoke of the different pieces on display and explained the different felting skills.
Founding member of Feltmakers Ireland, Elizabeth Bonnar was interviewed about our Guild’s history in Ireland. Also interviewed was Astrid Tomrop-Hofman another important person who helped bring felt making to Ireland.
Our current research project on Irish breeds of sheep and their fleeces, was explained to Nationwide interviewer Zainab, by the leader of the research group, our Treasurer, Annika Berglund. The group hopes to publish a book in the near future with their findings.
Fiona Leech and Deirdre Croft told of our monthly Sunday Sessions, and of our Annual Art Felt Exhibition.
Zainab, interviewer, had her first go at Feltmaking!
For me, a member for many years, and formerly on committee, it was lovely to see old felting friends, like Helene Dooley, who has been working with the IFA , (the International Feltmakers Association, with which we are affiliated .)
Session leader, Tamzen, was interviewed, as she has turned her feltimaking into a successful business, and has an Etsy shop, Tamzenlundydesigns.
A very big thank you to Breda Fay, our Guild Chairperson, who was the person RTE contacted, and who made the film crew so welcome. Thanks to Lorna Cady, Committee member, who secured our venue, and to all our Committee members who baked tasty goodies, and made tea and coffee for us all, and made us all so welcome.
Clodagh Mac Donagh.
EXHIBITIONS
Our Feltmakers Ireland Annual Exhibition will open on Dec3rd in the Ashtown visitor Centre, in the Phoenix Park and will run for the whole of December
From 12th November until 23rd of December, Tamzen Lundy has an exhibition of her work at the Newbridge Arts Theatre Centre, Riverbank, Co. Kildare.
NEXT SUNDAY SESSION
venue: CIE sports hall, Inchicore
time : 10.15-12.30
Leader: Carmen Draghici, coming specially from Constanza in southern Romania for the weekend. Her work can be viewed online at FELT JOY and on Facebook & You Tube. She has an ETSY shop and she will bring some of her work to show us.
She will demonstrate some of her unique skills, making a small Christmas Cushion (as time is so limited )
It will be practical session. Some kits may be available to purchase (€4) for those who have materials (old towel, soap, bubble wrap etc) needed to felt with Carmen.
Materials needed: (exactly as last session)
Old towel, bubble wrap, resist, soap, and water bottle, needed.
70 grams red roving, embellishments (including, if you have any, old lace or finest crochet)
Feltmakers Ireland 