Education: Registration Open for two in-person Wet Felting Workshops – Marjolein Dallinga and Pam de Groot – ONLY Pam’s Workshop is still open

NOTE: MARJOLEIN’S CLASS IS NOW FULL – as of 28th of April.

Feltmakers Ireland is thrilled to announce that we will be hosting TWO exclusive, wet felting workshops this year with renowned international tutors! We haven’t hosted an international workshop in a long time and are super excited!

Each workshop runs for three days and is limited to twelve students.

Registration is now open to non-members of Feltmakers Ireland. (Guild members have already received emails announcing the workshops.)

  • The workshop with Marjolein Dallinga is appropriate for intermediate to advanced feltmakers.
  • The workshop with Pam de Groot is appropriate for most feltmakers.

Marjolein Dallinga – Beyond resist – Sculptural felting workshop

Poster for Marjolein Dallinga 3 Day workshop - 16th-18th of May - 25 euros non-members.

Workshop Description from Marjoelin:

It is from the dance of often conflicting emotions that creativity and art are born. Though sculpture is usually perceived as static I see it more as movement, and in this workshop the movement of wool fibers into felt.

And as long as there is movement there is life and possibilities.

This 3-day workshop will deepen the consciousness about experiences learned from sculpting with wool and other fibres. We will explore different techniques for sculptural form ideas, with themes like: folding and unfolding, building relief clamping, binding, etc. All to become more aware of how and why we want to use this medium. This workshop is inspired by different ideas to make three-dimensional sculptures with conceptional, intuitive and sensual sources to create from.  We will play with the processes of shortening, thickening, tightening, shrinking, and other transformations of the felted surfaces.

All out of the experience of discovery and surprise when working with this surprising wool medium.

WHEN: Friday, the 16th through Sunday, the 18th of May, 2025, 9 AM to 5 PM

WHERE: Kilteel Hall, Kilteel Lower, Co Kildare

COST: 255 euros per person.

Pam de Groot – Fibre Jewellery

Workshop Description from Pam:

“In the workshop, we will learn several skills useful for fibre jewellery making. We will make one or more pieces of felted jewellery depending on the complexity of the individual design. We will look at how to design the piece for wearing, and how to construct various closures and attachments. You can also learn how to incorporate foreign objects if necessary.”

WHEN: Friday, the 18th through Sunday, the 20th of July 2025, 10 AM to 5 PM

WHERE: Bayside Community Centre, Bayside Square N, Sutton, Dublin, D13 X8H4

COST: 250 euros for members / 265 euros for non-members

More Information about the Tutors

Marjolein Dallinga’s website – https://www.bloomfelt.com/?lang=en

There is an interview from 2020 with Marjolein Dallinga on our blog – https://feltmakersireland.com/2020/01/30/interview-with-marjolein-darllinga/

Pam de Groot’s website – https://pamdegroot.com/

There is an interview from 2019 with Pam de Groot on our blog – https://feltmakersireland.com/2019/07/03/interview-pam-de-groot/

HOW TO REGISTER

NOTE: As of 28th of April, Marjolein’s workshop is NOW FULL.

To apply for PAM de GROOT’s workshop, please email committee member Annika Berglund at annika@annikaberglund.com

Please include the tutor’s name in the ‘Subject Line’ of your email.

All participants will be notified via email and provided with a payment link for secure payment using a credit or debit card. 

Additional Information

Supplies are not included in the workshop price. Once registered, we will email students the supply list provided by each tutor.

Cancellation & Refund Policy for Workshops

If you need to cancel your place in a workshop, please notify the Guild by email at least 7 days before the start of the class. A €10 handling fee will be deducted from your refund.

Cancellations made less than 7 days before the workshop are not eligible for a refund. However, if you are able to find a replacement student to take your place and inform the Guild within this period, you will receive a refund (minus the €10 handling fee).

Please note: In exceptional or unforeseen circumstances, the committee may consider refund requests at its discretion.

Feltmakers Ireland is very grateful to have received grant money from the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland to partially cover the costs of these two workshops.


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.

Exhibition: Weaving the Threads of Heritage – Ardgillan Castle, Fingal – Includes Talks and Workshop

Weaving the Threads of Heritage - exhibition in Ardgillan Castle

‘​Weaving the Threads of Heritage’ is a contemporary art exhibition inspired by
Fingal’s textile heritage and manufacturing legacy. Presented by Petra Skyvova, with the support of Creative Fingal, this exhibition showcases original artefacts and memorabilia from the once world-famous local textile and hosiery manufacturing factories alongside contemporary artworks.

The artworks created for this project draw inspiration from these objects, the area’s historical industry, and the lives of the workers. They capture the essence of a bygone era while infusing it with contemporary artistic vision. Each piece reflects the past’s textures, patterns, and stories, brought to life through the diverse artistic expressions.

Opening on Saturday 12th April 2025 at 2 PM, followed by a talk: Balbriggan Stockings on the Global Stage, by historian Dr Cora McDonagh

This exhibition runs until Sunday, 11th May, 2025.

The Ardgillan Castle Gallery is open: Wednesday to Sunday – 10 AM to 4 PM.

The exhibition will be accompanied by the following free public events.

EVENTS:
From Fleece to Yarn and Beyond: Traditional spinning demonstration and exhibition tours with curator Petra Skyvova:

  • Wednesday 16th April, 12-4
  • Wednesday 30th April, 12-4
  • Wednesday 7th May, 12-4

Hand-stitched History: Embroidery workshop with artist Uisce Jakubczyk:

  • Thursday 24th April, 2-4

Stockings for the Queen: Talk and slideshow presented by Dr David Sorensen

  • Thursday 1st May, 7 PM

For more information and to book for the workshop and talk, visit their website – https://www.fingal.ie/events/weaving-threads-heritage-contemporary-art-exhibition-inspired-fingals-textile-heritage-and

Their Instagram – @ardgillancastle

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.

Open Call: Dublin Fibre Festival Seeking Vendors, Exhibitors and Instructors

Dublin Fibre Festival poster - 18th October, 2025. Open Call for Vendors, Workshops, Exhibitors.

The second year of the Dublin Fibre Festival will be held on the 18th of October, 2025 at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA).

Applications for vendors, exhibitors and workshop instructors are open until the 30th of April for vendors and exhibitors.


Vendors and Exhibitors

All fibre artists are welcome to vend or exhibit in the following categories:

  • Wool, knitting and crocheting, felting, embroidery, macrame, textiles and fabrics, weaving, and wool-related technology.

Workshop Tutors

For workshop instructors, eligible categories include the following:

  • Teaching fibre-related techniques, crafts, products, technology, software, small businesses, and entrepreneurship subjects.
  • Talking about a technique, craft, product, history, culture, technology, small businesses, entrepreneurship or anything related to the fibre industry and having a small business in the fibre/craft industries.

For more information, visit their website – https://www.dublinfibrefestival.com/

Dublin Fibre Festival’s Instagram @dublinfibrefestival

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.

Education: Fine Felt Technical Workshop with Annika Berglund – Saturday, the 26th April

FIne Felt - Wet Felting Workshop - shows black to white gradiations of flat and 3 D felting.

Fine Felting Technical Workshop

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.

Where

CIE SPORTS HALL is in Inchicore, Dublin 08, where we usually meet.

Cost

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.

Become a member of Feltmakers Ireland – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/

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.

Sunday Session: This Sunday – Your Creative Journey – ‘Symbols of Ireland’

March Sunday Session - The Creative Journey behind the artwork - Symbols of Ireland.
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

Where: CIE Sports Hall and Social Club.

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.

Sunday Session: The Creative Journey Behind the Art in ‘Symbols of Ireland’

The previously scheduled topic for this Sunday’s Session has been changed.

Our session with Clodagh Mac Donagh will now take place in April. Instead, we will dedicate this Sunday’s Session to our members’ behind-the-scenes experience creating the pieces for our exhibition, Symbols of Ireland.

Behind the Scenes

First Lady Sabina Higgins opened our exhibition to the public on Sunday, March 2nd, drawing admiration and enthusiasm from approximately 375 visitors. While the finished pieces showcased our members’ remarkable talents and creativity, we know each artist had their own ‘Creative Journey’ to make their piece.

This Sunday, we invite members to bring their samples, sketches or resists that helped them make their 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: Sunday, the 9th of March, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Where: CIE Sports Hall and Social Club.

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 Session, which will be emailed to members on 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.

News: Applications Now Closed – Symbols of Ireland

WOW!

Dear Members,

Thank you for all of your excellent submissions! We are overjoyed to receive such an outpouring from you. There will be almost 50 pieces in our group show, ‘Symbols of Ireland’.

This Open Call is now shut – the deadline was extended a week to the 21st of February.

Email Confirmations Sent

Each artist should have received an email informing them where to drop off or mail their artwork. If you are NOT dropping it off at the gallery on the MORNING, 10:30 – 11:30 AM of the installation on the 1st of March, you should ensure your piece has been received by Thursday, the 27th of February.

{If you are dropping off your piece on the morning of the installation at the gallery, please let us know beforehand}.

If you have NOT received an Email Confirmation, please email ASAPfeltmakersIE@gmail.com

More Information

Answers to the myriad of details about the exhibition are still available on the Exhibition Submission Page on the website – https://feltmakersireland.com/exhibition-application-symbols-of-ireland-2025/

With warm appreciation,

The Committee of Feltmakers Ireland

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.

Of Interest: Dublin Book Launch of “Textiles of Ireland: Archaeology, craft, art” – Hodges Figgis Bookshop

Cove of Elizabeth Wincott Heckett's "Textiles of Ireland: Archaeology, craft, art"

The Dublin launch of “Textiles of Ireland: Archaeology, Craft, Art” will be held at Hodges Figgis bookshop on Dawson Street on Thursday, the 20th of February, at 6 PM.

Edited by Mary Ann Williams, the book compiles archaeologist Elizabeth Wincott Heckett‘s research, reports, and lectures into a single volume, exploring Ireland’s ancient textiles.

Art historian and textile conservator Rachel Phelan will introduce the book and discuss the contributions of Wincott Heckett.

 “Spanning the life’s work of archaeologist Elizabeth Wincott Heckett, “Textiles of Ireland: Archaeology, craft, art” is the first wide-ranging book on the archaeological textiles of Ireland published since 1989. The volume includes studies of cloth found in bogs, burials, hoards, sacked castles, docklands and fallen city walls. These include a mysterious weaving of horsehair, dating from before 800 BC; imprints of cloth wrappings on the weapons of a buried Viking warrior, and the exquisite liturgical textiles, inspired by the Book of Kells, embroidered in 1916 for the Honan Chapel at University College Cork. Including an overview of best practice used by archaeologists encountering textiles in the field, accompanying illustrations and imagery, glossary and charts, this book is essential reading for archaeologists, historians and anyone intrigued by the threads that bind Ireland’s past to its present.” – the publisher, Cork University Press.

To contact Hodges Figgis bookshop, where the launch is scheduled, visit their website – https://www.hodgesfiggis.ie/

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.

Exhibition: Helena Mc Guinness – The Journey – Solo Show – Ballyfermot Library – Dublin

Feltmakers Ireland guild member Helena Mc Guinness is presenting a solo exhibition of her multidisciplinary work at the Ballyfermot Library Gallery in Dublin. The exhibition, titled ‘The Journey,’ reflects her creative path, which began at the age of nine when she sold her first three knitted garments. Over the years, Mc Guinness has explored a variety of artistic media, now coming full circle as she returns to working with wool.

When: The exhibition runs from the 4th to the 28th of February, with the official opening on Saturday, the 8th, from 2 to 4 PM. Feltmakers are warmly invited to attend!

Where: Ballyfermot Library, Art Space 1 – Ballyfermot Rd, Kylemore, Dublin, D10 WV02.

For more information on the venue’s hours, visit the website – https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/libraries/find-library/leabharlann-bhaile-formaid

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.

Of Interest: Guided Tour on History of Irish Clothing – Collins Barracks Museum – 1st of February

‘The Way We Wore: Representations of Social Change through Clothing Guided Tour’ – Join Museum Guides for a tour focusing on the history of clothing in Ireland and, in particular, how clothing can represent social change for women in Ireland.

This tour explores how clothing could be used to show status in communities and how their clothing could symbolise personal freedom and activism. This tour features such objects as mourning gowns, day dresses, and Celtic Revival clothing.

When: Saturday, the 1st of February, at 1 PM.
Free, No booking is required.

It is part of Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women, which returns from Friday, 31st January to Monday, 3rd February 2025, with its most extensive programme to date. Over 80 thematic events will take place across the city, offering an exciting and diverse celebration of women’s contributions to culture, society, and history.

Where: National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks.

For more information, please visit https://dublin.ie/brigit

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.