This Thursday marks the start of Dublin Gallery Weekend, featuring 100 artists, 40 galleries, and 60 events in one city.
There are tours on both Saturday and Sunday. One can join a tour without needing to book in advance. Additionally, there are events, such as artist talks.
Feltmakers Ireland guild member Annika Berglund has a piece at the Olivier Cornet Gallery‘s ‘An Ode to Giants’, a group show featuring the gallery’s artists, who have been asked to respond to their favourite artworks from three Dublin museums: IMMA, The National Gallery of Ireland and The National Museum of Ireland. This exhibition launches on Friday at 6:30 PM..
When: Thursday, the 6th through Sunday, the 9th of November.
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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Every year, the Olivier Cornet Gallery invites an artist to reflect on one of their works in the context of the theme chosen by the National Heritage Week organisation. The theme this year is about “Exploring Our Foundations”, so they have asked David Fox to consider his painting ‘The Ridge of Capard’.
The discussion will take place on Thursday, the 21st of August 2025, at 6:30 PM.
David Fox will be joined by some of the artists whose work features in our current group show, ‘Out of Lines’. They will also say a few words about their work. The artists confirmed so far are Annika Berglund, Hugh Cummins, Colin Eaton, Nickie Hayden, Miriam McConnon, Yanny Petters and Vicky Smith.
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.
Guild member Annika Berglund has a solo art exhibition in Stockholm, Sweden.
It will be her first time showing work in Sweden, and she hopes to make connections with Swedish artists and feltmakers. She will be in the gallery throughout the exhibition and hopes to meet those who can attend.
When: the 26th of June to the 6th of July.
Where: Blick Galleri, Hornsgatan 32, Stockholm, Sweden
Several of her pieces are also on display at the Olivier Cornet Gallery’s group exhibition, ‘Out of Lines’, in Dublin, 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 content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
On Sunday, the 7th of June, 18 students gathered for this year’s Basic and Beyond Workshop, a Felted Bagmaking course taught by member, artist, and tutor Annika Berglund.
We had much to accomplish within one day—laying out fibre, rubbing, rolling, fulling, shaping, and transforming the wool roving into stylish, one-of-a-kind bags with a flap, strap, and pocket!
There are tons of photos from the day—here are some of them! (Next time, we will individually photograph each member with her completed project,as that would have been nice.)
Annika demonstrating how to shingle the wool onto the resist.The CIE Sports Hall was excitingly decorated by a Polish organisation that booked the hall for the evening.Annika is spraying the water on with a ball brush/water sprinkler.
So Many Choices
Students created their bags using DHG Merino wool in black or dark grey, plus brightly coloured Merino wool in green, navy, orange, red, or lilac from LeikoFelt. After laying out the fibres, the students could decorate the bags with pieces of prefelt in black, white, grey, and/or black roving. Annika brought many samples to show the variety that could be created. And if you scroll towards the bottom of this post, you will see that no two bags are the same!
Annika shared samples of other ways to create the bags, including using Bergshaf wool, the Cracked Mud technique, and additional methods.
In Process Pics
Loli and Margaret are laying out their bags.Mairead is working on her bag.
Each student decorated her layout uniquely. Here is a small selection to show.
After Laying Our Fibres….
After layering the black and coloured wool around a resist, the students began the feltmaking process: Rubbing, rolling, massaging, and throwing.
Alison rolling her felt.Suzette tossingChristine and Adrienne tossing
After Felting
After the students had shrunk their bags, they had the exciting adventure of creating the strap and pocket.
Lorna is cutting the strap of her bag.Healing cut edges.Working on the strap.Shaping the bags – Egle is shaping her dark blue bag.
Some Finished Bags
Below are some of the bags the students and class helpers created. There will be a few more photos to come! Email feltmakersIE@gmail.com to include your Felted Bag from the class.
Click on the images to see the bags better.
Mary’s bagLoli’s bagAlison’s bagLinda’s bagEgle’s bagFiona’s bagJuliane’s bagSuzette’s bagMargaret’s bagLorna’s bagSiobhan’s bagMary’s bagAdrienne’s bagBrid’s bag Áine‘s bag
More Information
After the course, students received written instructions via email.
For those interested in learning more, Annika mentioned that the method of creating the bag’s clever handle was adapted from Mandy Nash‘s book, ‘Making Felt Bags’, which, while out of print, is nonetheless available via Dubray Books’ website – https://www.dubraybooks.ie/product/making-felt-bags-9781785008627
Screenshot of the Dubray website.
Thanks to All
Special thanks to our helpers, Dee, Fiona, Sam, Suzanne, and Juliane, who helped the students, filled up water containers, mopped the puddles, and served the cake. Also, special thanks to committee members (and Bag Making students) Adrienne, who helped sign in the attendees, and Lorna, who made the Burco work.
We didn’t manage to photograph all the helpers.
Fiona helping shape a bagSam: a blur of helpingSuzanne with water
Our BIGGEST thanks go to our tutor, Annika Berglund, who worked tirelessly to prepare for and teach this Basic and Beyond Felted Bagmaking Workshop! Thank you for another excellent course!!!
Unexpected Decor
A Wire and Wood Nymph Decoration from another organisation graced the adjacent CIE hall and received much appreciation. Seeing our ‘usual space’ transformed for festivities was fun!
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 Olivier Cornet Gallery is delighted to present Out of Lines: A Bloomsday group exhibition.
The exhibition features new work by Annika Berglund, Hugh Cummins, Mary A. Fitzgerald, David Fox, Nickie Hayden, Miriam McConnon, Sheila Naughton, Yanny Petters, Kelly Ratchford, Vicky Smith and Colin Eaton.
As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Paris Art Deco Expo, the Bloomsday exhibition at the Olivier Cornet Gallery will be an artists’ response to this period during which James Joyce’s Ulysses was published. The show will feature work by our gallery artists and invited artists who have explored exterior signs of art deco in Dublin, from architectural features in government buildings, cocktails and flappers, through bathing shelters, libraries, to hotels and cinemas. The show will also showcase personal interpretations of that period from family lore through shared stories to current events.
Official opening: Sunday, the 15th of June 2025, 3:00 PM.
This exhibition is part of the 2025 Bloomsday Festival’s official programme, organised by the James Joyce Centre Dublin.
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 results of the workshop captured by Hélène Dooley
On Saturday, the 26th of April, 20 students gathered around artist and Feltmakers Ireland guild member Annika Berglund to learn about Fine Feltmaking. In the morning, we concentrated on flat, two-dimensional wet felting, and during the afternoon, we focused on creating a three-dimensional vessel.
What is Fine Felt?
With this type of wet felting, the aim is to create dense, smooth felt. It is not a fast process. She shared that she came across the slow approach during her research for the guild’s Irish Wool Project. One of the wool tester’s felted samples were exceptionally smooth and tight. In querying this person, she deduced that our usual method, which involved a bit of rubbing and a lot of rolling, needed to be reexamined. By slowly compressing the fibres, the results are better!
Consequently, during the Fine Felt Technical Workshop, we didn’t toss or throw. Instead, we took it slow. Annika said we might never seek this patience-requiring method again, but we would know and have the option to use it in our future felting. Nevertheless, Annika reminded us that “Felt is Forgiving”.
Throughout the workshop, the students used only two colours: black and white. This simple limitation allowed us to experience how colours combine through the feltmaking process. Similarly, we learned about the differences between the wispy and the blunt ends of a wool shingle and how they can impact the final project. There was a lot to think about!
Annika demonstrating layout
Morning
In the morning, we worked on a flat square of felt. We learned how to carefully lay out Merino wool roving to a specific size and then gently transform the fluff into felt. Annika explained the hows and whys of why we might want to shrink our samples more or less. Interestingly, we worked in imperial measurements (inches) because the percentage shrinkage was more obvious. As we shrank down our pieces, she reminded us to remember the edges!
Annika is demonstrating compressing the fibres
Afternoon
In the afternoon session, the students concentrated on creating a three-dimensional sphere. We used a flat, circular-shaped resist to make this hollow form, a vessel. Interestingly, the afternoon vessel layout was a quicker process. However, similar to our morning education, this felting process needed a delicate touch. Annika reminded us that with rolling, it can get bumpy; the resist inside may bunch up, but you’re in control.
Annika is demonstrating how to lay out a three-dimensional sphere.
Busy Hands
Laying out the fibres.Compressing the fibres through the bubblewrap.Making a flat squareMicrofulling in pointy corners.Rolling in hands.Checking shrinkage.
If you are more experienced with three-dimensional felting, Vanda Sousa has an upcoming online course that may be of interest. It is for designing resists to make felted slippers, shoes and boots – https://www.vandafsousa.com/resists-made-easy-for-footwear
Appreciation Time
Many thanks to the volunteers who assisted in setting up the room and helping the students: Loli Cox, Adrienne Dempsey, Hélène Dooley, Marie Dunne, Sam Fagan, Juliane Gorman, Fiona Leech, Caitríona Nolan, and Suzanne Phelan.
Sam was invaluable, continually lending a hand behind the scenes.
Sam filling the Burco with more water.
A special thanks to Lorna Cady for taking care of the CIE Sports Hall and the tea, coffee, and sweet treats!
Lastly, a huge thanks to Annika Berglund for taking on this workshop for the Guild. She has a marvellous way of getting the students’ attention and also making us laugh!
A Video of the Day!
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.
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.
Member Annika Berglund brings you today’s post from her visit last year. In the following days, we will have two additional posts from members. Naturally, the exhibitions and vendors may be different this year! For more information about the event, visit the Show’s website – https://www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/harrogate/
By Annika Berglund
Knit and Stitch in Harrogate
Harrogate is a lovely little town with friendly people and an astonishing array of second-hand and vintage shops to browse in when you are not at the Knit and Stitch show.
At the Knit and Stitch, there are lovely exhibitions of textile work, endless shopping opportunities and a range of workshops.
A vintage shop in Harrogate, UK.
Fun with Favourite Feet
I did one sewing workshop. It was about different presser feet for the sewing machine and how they can help improve your sewing.
Samples of sewing machine presser feet.
These feet have little inbuilt guides that help you sew at a precise distance from an edge or support the edge of the fabric to make zigzagging the edge of the fabric neater. During the workshop, we got to play around with the different presser feet and see how useful they can be. After returning from the show, I have used a wider selection of feet in my sewing, and I can see the difference.
Barking Mad
This mixed media and embroidery workshop, Barking Mad, was taught by Alysn Midgelow Marsden and inspired by the tree bark.
Mixed media textile sample made during the workshop.
We cut bits of fabric and dyed paper, adding them to a fabric background. We also used scraps of light metal from Nespresso coffee pods and cat food packets, where we scored patterns into the metal and dyed it with alcohol inks. Then, we made beads from the metal scraps or sewed the scraps directly onto the piece we were working on. I found this workshop very interesting, giving me ideas to incorporate more mixed media into my work going forward.
Thank you, Annika, for sharing your experiences at The Knitting and Stitching Show 2023 in Harrogate.
If you are a Feltmakers Ireland Guild member and have recently participated in or attended an interesting textile-related event or exhibition that may be of interest to our readers, please contact the blog – 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 will make a wet-felted Holiday Star for window decoration – perfect for Christmas or year-round!
There will be a choice of three finished models using wool yarn, Merino wool, and, for one version, Wensleydale locks.
What to bring:
One large and one small towel
Sewing pins
Small sharp scissors
Bubble wrap – approximately sized at 25 by 50cm
Soap and water bowl
Ball brause or sprinkler
A plastic bag
All other materials will be provided.
Additional Information
A Sunday Session like this will require lots of tea/ coffee/cake and chat, so there’ll be an abundance of that. Of course, homebakes are always welcome! Please bring a ‘keep cup’ or mug from home if possible. That will lessen the amount of paper cups thrown away.
There is the usual 5 euro fee.
Note: Since this is the season of colds and coughs, let’s not share them. However, we welcome you to join via Zoom Link, which we email to all members on Friday afternoon.
Annika Berglund Exhibition
Portrait of Annika Berglund
Annika Berglund, a graduate of NCAD, has shown work in solo and group exhibitions nationally and abroad and has won several awards, including the Crafts Council’s price for Best Craft in the Garden 2008 and the NUI Art and Design Prize 2010.
Moving from ceramics, glass, and bronze to felt in 2020, one of her earliest felt pieces depicting the COVID-19 virus was acquired by the National Museum of Ireland. Having had one solo show and many group shows featuring Felt, Annika was a primary contributor to Feltmakers Ireland’s research project around Irish wool and the resulting book,Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking. She is currently Treasurer of Feltmakers Ireland.
Annika’s upcoming solo exhibition, Tapestry, opens on Sunday, the 17th of November at 15:00 in the Olivier Cornet Gallery (after the Sunday session). She welcomes you all to attend. The show runs until the 15th 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.
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 guild member Annika Berglund is one of the participants at an artists’ talk that is part of the Dublin Gallery Weekend. The talk, ‘Craft in Contemporary Art Practices’, will take place at 6:30 PM on Friday, 8 November, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery artists, who will be in conversation with the art historian Jean Ryan.
Jean Ryan will present on the ‘materiality, function, and crafts’ relationship with the body’, and the panel will discuss materiality in their practice.
This talk is part of Dublin Gallery Weekend 2024, presented by the Contemporary Art Gallery Association.
Attendees will be able to see Yanny Petters’s current show ‘Fieldwork with Mainie and Albrecht’, which ends on the 10th of November 2024.
For more information on this and other events scheduled during Dublin Gallery Weekend , visit the Contemporary Art Gallery Association‘s website – https://caga.ie/dublingalleryweekend/
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 