For March’s Sunday Session, Loli Cox and Sam Fagan will lead us in Upcycling old garments with Needle-Felted decorations.
Please bring an old wool jumper, scarf, hat or pair of jeans that you can ‘renovate’ with needle felt. If you have a set of metal cookie cutters, please bring them along!
You will also need to bring your Needle Felting Kit, although we will try to have some extra felting needles on hand. We will also have our first aid kit on hand – just in case!
In addition to decorating, we will demonstrate how to mend holes using needle felting = Practical Crafting Fun!
Samples from Loli and Sam
The Details:
When: Sunday, the 8th of March, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
If you can, please bring a home-baked good to share and a travel mug (to reduce our use of disposable cups).
And, as this is the season of coughs and sneezes, please refrain from coming if you feel unwell. We do have the benefit of technology – there will be access via Zoom. See below.
Zoom Access to the Sunday Session:
We will email a Zoom link to all members for those who wish to attend virtually. Please check your email on Friday afternoon.
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 content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.
For this month’s Feltmakers Ireland activity, we will be Upcycling old garments with Needle Felted decorations.
Please bring an old wool jumper, scarf or hat that you can ‘renovate’ with needle felt. In addition to decorating, we will demonstrate how to mend holes using needle felting.
You will also need to bring your Needle Felting Kit, although we will try to have some extra felting needles on hand. We will also have our first aid kit on hand – just in case!
The Details:
When: Sunday, the 8th of March, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
If you can, please bring a home-baked good to share and a travel mug (to reduce our use of disposable cups).
And, as this is the season of coughs and sneezes, please refrain from coming if you feel unwell. We do have the benefit of technology – there will be access via Zoom. See below.
Zoom Access to the Sunday Session:
We will email a Zoom link to all members for those who wish to attend virtually. Please check your email on Friday afternoon.
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 content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.
Helena Mc Guinness helping a studentHelena demonstrating
On Sunday, the 8th of February, members of Feltmakers Ireland were delighted to have the multitalented artist, storyteller and committee member Helena Mc Guinness show us how to create felted hearts using a combination of wet and needle felting.
Helena’s samples that use the combined technique
Helena shared many interesting tidbits about how one can approach felting. Here are some of our favourites:
Thanking the Sheep for their wool
Allowing oneself not to think one needs a huge towel or a big setup
Using small sponges to wet the felt instead of more expensive tools, such as ball brausers
Adding the olive oil soap after wetting allows more control
Rubbing more reduces the need to roll
Adding a small metal ring by using needle felting instead of stitching
Scroll to the bottom to watch the video of our session.
Students at the Session
Completed Hearts
Heart Photos kindly taken by Adrienne Dempsey
If your heart was not included, or you were working alongside at home via Zoom, please email us a photo of your completed heart. feltmakersIE@gmail.com
A Group Photo
A photo of some of the students – taken at the very end of the session. Sorry if we missed everyone.
Biscuits with History
‘Biscuits with History’ is an ongoing series of baked goods created by committee member Lorna Cady. They are always so fun!
Appreciation
Many thanks to Helena Mc Guinness for leading us in an educational and enjoyable Sunday Session. Thank you to the members who helped set up the room and who assisted in guiding some of our newer felters.
Video
Sunday Session Video
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 8th of February, we will have our second Sunday Session of 2026.
Committee member Helena Mc Guinness will lead us in creating small hearts, using both wet and needle felting techniques. The Theme is ‘Heart on Your Sleeve’.
Please bring your wet and needle felting kits. The committee will have extra felting needles for those who do not have them, along with ball brauses (sprinklers).
We will also provide Merino wool. But if you have specific colours you prefer to use, it would be helpful to bring them along.
Your Wet Felting Kit should include:
an old towel to catch water, plus a smaller one to dry your hands
bubble wrap
bowl for water
felting soap of your choice
sprinkler or ball brause
Your Needle Felting Kit should include:
felting needles
sponge or brush or needle felting pad to felt into
The Details:
When: Sunday, the 8th of February, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
If you can, please bring a home-baked treat to share and a travel mug (to reduce our use of disposable cups).
And, as this is the season of coughs and sneezes, please refrain from coming if you feel unwell. We do have the benefit of technology – there will be access via Zoom, although it is not quite as lovely as being with us in person.
Zoom Access to the Sunday Session:
We will email the Zoom link to all members on this afternoon
Membership Renewal:
If you have already renewed your annual membership, we thank you for your support!
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 8th of February, we will have our second Sunday Session of 2026.
Committee member Helena Mc Guinness will lead us in creating small hearts, using both wet and needle felting techniques. The Theme is ‘Heart on Your Sleeve’.
Please bring your wet and needle felting kits. The committee will have extra felting needles for those who do not have them, along with ball brauses (sprinklers).
We will also provide Merino wool. But if you have specific colours you prefer to use, it would be helpful to bring them along.
Your Wet Felting Kit should include:
an old towel to catch water, plus a smaller one to dry your hands
bubble wrap
bowl for water
felting soap of your choice
sprinkler or ball brause
Your Needle Felting Kit should include:
felting needles
sponge or brush of needle felting pad to felt into
The Details:
When: Sunday, the 8th of February, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
If you can, please bring a home-baked treat to share and a travel mug (to reduce our use of disposable cups).
And, as this is the season of coughs and sneezes, please refrain from coming if you feel unwell. We do have the benefit of technology – there will be access via Zoom, although it is not quite as lovely as being with us in person.
Zoom Access to the Sunday Session:
We will email the Zoom link to all members on the afternoon of Friday, the 6th of February.
Membership Renewal:
If you have already renewed your annual membership, we thank you for your support!
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 11th of January, committee member Karen Bowden of Fabulous Fibres kindly stepped in at the last moment to present to the guild, as the scheduled speaker was ill.
By Karen Bowden
Taking Photographs with your Smartphone
Good photographs are essential for sharing your artwork – whether it’s for exhibitions, social media, grant applications, or simply documenting your creative journey. The good news is that you don’t need an expensive camera or studio setup. Most modern smartphones are more than capable of producing clear, professional-looking images.
1. LIGHTING
Light is the single most important factor in photography – USE NATURAL LIGHT WHEREVER POSSIBLE.
Photograph near a window or open door where soft daylight is available.
Avoid direct sunlight, which creates harsh shadows and can distort colour.
An overcast day is ideal, as clouds act like a natural diffuser.
Turn off indoor lights as they can add a yellow tinge to your image.
Turn off the camera flash.
If you need extra light, use a lamp placed to the side rather than pointing directly at the artwork or invest in a light ring, which has different settings and can be placed directly overhead.
Use the Portrait setting on your camera if the feature is available, and choose the natural light option.
The ‘Portrait’ option on the iPhone.
To lighten or darken the exposure, tap the screen and move the asterisk beside the box up or down.
Changing the exposure before photographing.
If you are photographing a framed piece, glare and reflection can be an issue. If possible, remove the glass to photograph your work.
2. BACKGROUND
Your work should be the star of the photograph.
Use plain backgrounds such as white, grey, black, or natural wood and avoid busy patterns or colours that compete with your work.
For small items, a large sheet of paper, fabric, or card works well.
For wearables, photograph against a plain (preferably white or pale) wall and use a simple mannequin.
Make sure the background is clean and wrinkle-free – your camera will pick up every speck!
3. KEEP YOUR PHONE STEADY!
The slightest movement can blur an image.
A small tripod or selfie-stick can be a worthwhile investment, but it’s not essential – instead, you can rest your elbows on a table or use a stack of books as a support, which can help to keep the phone still.
4. STAY IN THE FRAME
Centre your piece within the frame. The grid lines setting on your phone can help with this:
Open your phone settings
Scroll down to CAMERA and select.
Locate the GRID setting and turn the toggle to on.
How to stay in the frame.
Photograph flat work straight on; avoid tilting the camera.
Take both full views and close-up detail shots to show texture in your work – detailed images are especially useful for juried exhibitions and online listings.
5. EDITING YOUR IMAGE
While editing can be helpful, don’t go mad; your photograph must be representative of your work.
Use basic adjustments such as brightness, contrast, and cropping and avoid strong filters that alter colour or mood.
To use the editing features on your phone, open your image and click the ‘edit’ button. Along the bottom, you will see available features – to use these tap the feature you want and use the slider below from left to right.
If you make a mistake, don’t panic, just tap ‘revert’ to remove your edits.
6.SAVING AND SENDING YOUR IMAGE
To save your image, tap the share button and scroll down to ‘Save to Files’. Click the save to files option, and at the bottom of the image, the camera-assigned image number will appear. Delete the number and name the image. Tap SAVE.
To send your saved photo, go to your files and locate the named image. Tap the SHARE icon, and your available apps (email, messages, social media, etc.) will appear.
Click on the app you want to send the image to and attach.
7. BE CONSISTENT
If you’re building a portfolio or posting regularly online, consistency matters.
Create a professional, cohesive look across your work.
Use the same background and lighting setup when possible.
Photograph work at a similar scale and angle.
8. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!
Like feltmaking itself, photography improves with practice.
Take photos at different times of day. Try different backgrounds and light directions. Notice what works best for your particular style of work.
Don’t be afraid to take lots of photos – you can always delete the ones that don’t work!
Video Recording of Karen Bowden’s Talk
Photos from the Session
Karen shows how the Ring Light can be made tallerKaren shows how the Ring Light can be angledKaren shows a member how to access the necessary information on her phone.Throughout the talk, members followed along with their phones so they could experience photographing, editing, and saving photos.
Many thanks to Karen Bowden and Deirdre Crofts for helping share their expertise and knowledge with the guild. Their clear, practical guidance has been invaluable.
We hope that Karen’s excellent step-by-step instructions and recordings from the session will help our members feel more confident about applying to our upcoming exhibition, ‘Water and Flow’.
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 Sunday, the 11th of January, guild member Deirdre Crofts led us in Mind Mapping on the subject of ‘Water and Flow’, the theme of our upcoming annual exhibition in April. (For information on submitting your piece, visit HERE – https://feltmakersireland.com/exhibition-application-2026-water-and-flow/ )
During the talk, Dee mentioned photographer Tina Claffey’s work on close-ups of bog environments – https://www.tinaclaffey.com/
Video Recording of her talk
During this session, we had over 25 members at the CIE Sports Hall, with an additional 16 guild members joining us via Zoom. The video below is from the Zoom recording. Apologies for the blurry camera work.
Always finding areas of improvement in technology and all aspects of life!
Dee sharing her piece from the ‘Endangered’ exhibition in 2020Dee shares her automata sculpture of seagullsDee showing Ramona Farrelly’s pieceDee sharing a piece by Fiona Leech
In a few days, we will share the recording of committee member Karen Bowden presenting on photographing artwork with a phone.
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 11th of January, we will host our first Feltmakers Ireland Sunday Session of 2026.
This month’s session is designed to inspire members as they begin creating felted artwork for our upcoming Annual Exhibition. The 2026 exhibition theme is “Water & Flow”, and the month-long show will take place in April at the Phoenix Park Visitors Centre.
Guild member Deirdre Crofts will guide participants through a mind-mapping exercise to help generate ideas and develop concepts related to the exhibition theme.
Photographing Felted Art with Your Phone
Member and photographer Ramona Farrelly will share practical tips for photographing felted artwork effectively with a mobile phone.
The Details:
When: Sunday, the 11th of January, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
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 refrain from coming if you feel unwell. We do have the benefit of technology – there will be access via Zoom, although it is not quite as lovely as being with us in person.
We look forward to welcoming members for a creative and inspiring start to the year.
We will email a Zoom link to all members who wish to attend virtually. Please check your email on Friday afternoon.
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 Sunday, the 11th of January, we will host our first Feltmakers Ireland Sunday Session of 2026.
This month’s session is designed to inspire members as they begin creating felted artwork for our upcoming Annual Exhibition. The 2026 exhibition theme is “Water & Flow”, and the month-long show will take place in April at the Phoenix Park Visitors Centre.
Guild member Deirdre Crofts will guide participants through a mind-mapping exercise to help generate ideas and develop concepts related to the exhibition theme.
Photographing Felted Art with Your Phone
Member and photographer Ramona Farrelly will share practical tips for photographing felted artwork effectively with a mobile phone.
The Details:
When: Sunday, the 11th of January, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
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 refrain from coming if you feel unwell. We do have the benefit of technology – there will be access via Zoom, although it is not quite as lovely as being with us in person.
We look forward to welcoming members for a creative and inspiring start to the year.
We will email a Zoom link to all members who wish to attend virtually. Please check your email on Friday afternoon.
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.
Treasurer, Sam Fagan, on the far left, ringing up sales.
On Sunday, the 7th of December, an excited group of felters gathered at our Sunday Session in the CIE Hall to purchase felting fibres and materials from our founder, Elizabeth Bonnar, and former guild secretary, Clare Brophy.
Elizabeth Bonnar, in blue sweater, chatting with Anne-Marie about NunofeltingClare Brophy, with blue scarf, chatting with Mairead
Although many of our members were unable to attend because they were vending at craft fairs or participating in other events, we still had an excellent turnout, as evidenced by the long line of shoppers. Elizabeth and Clare had hardly anything to bring home! HUGE thanks to our new treasurer, Sam Fagan, for taking the credit card payments.
Sam Fagan, on the far right, helping members
Happy Shoppers
Clodagh, wearing amazing felted accessories, and carrying her purchasesElaine and Marie, holding their purchases
Members stocked up on fibres, novelty yarns, and fabrics to use in future projects!
Crafting Together
Annika needle feltingHélène’s beading projectHillary sewing the pocket on to her felted bagIrina sewing on a felted bagKelly stitching felted pieces together
In addition to purchasing gorgeous wool and silks, members gathered to work on their unfinished projects. One member stitched pockets onto the purse she created in our Basic and Beyond Bagmaking Workshop. Another continued working on her Christmas Angel, the subject of our November Sunday Session. One member sewed the tiniest beads onto her needle-felted name tag, which was the theme of our September Sunday Session. Others simply enjoyed the warm atmosphere of being amongst feltmaking friends!
Dessert of the Session
Lorna’s ‘Pan Thirties’, a twist on the traditional Italian Panforte.
Our secretary, Lorna Cady, always makes the time to bring a vegan baked good. For this session, she made a version of panforte.
Appreciation
Thank you, Elizabeth and Clare, for sharing the treasures from your textile stashes—your contributions were truly appreciated by all our members. A big thank-you as well to our treasurer, Sam, for efficiently managing all the credit card payments. Lastly, thanks to all the feltmakers who attended the session and contributed to the warm, creative atmosphere. The event offered so many delights that we will certainly host another de-stashing sale in the future!
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas holiday.
See you in the new year—on Sunday, the 11th of January. We will be mind-mapping on the theme for our 2026 Exhibition.
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.
