Nine of the Sow’s Ear Collective will have their work exhibited at the dlr Mill Theatre in Dundrum, South Dublin. Included in the show are Feltmakers Ireland members Fiona Leech and Sandra Reynolds. The collective’s work encompasses a range of media, including art, ceramics, felt, embroidery, and more.
When: The show runs from the 2nd of November to the 10th of January, 2026.
The opening is this Sunday, the 2nd, from 4 to 6 PM. All are welcome to attend.
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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Feltmakers Ireland and 40 other local textile exhibitors will be at the Dublin Fibre Festival THIS Saturday, the 18th of October. This is THE opportunity to touch yarn and fibres in person, attend textile workshops, and watch spinning, felting, and other fibre arts demonstrations! To see a taste of last year’s event, there’s this blog post – https://feltmakersireland.com/2024/10/29/recap-fantastic-day-at-the-dublin-fibre-festival/
The Map and Vendor List
We will be there!
Have you wanted to purchase a copy of Feltmakers Ireland’s book ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’but have not had the opportunity? Come to the Dublin fibre event of the year: The Dublin Fibre Festival. In addition, we will have several guild members demonstrating needle and wet felting. These include felting artists such as Eva Salamon @feltedvision and Irina Lampadova @irinalampadova1
Several of Feltmakers Ireland members are participating in this year’s Culture Night – Friday, the 19th of September.
Art Exhibition – Sutton, Co Dublin
Guild members Sandra Reynolds and Fiona Leech are amongst the artists who are exhibiting as part of Sow’s Ear Collective at the Bayside Community Centre. “Taking Shape” is the second group exhibition from the Sow’s Ear Collective, a gathering of multidisciplinary artists working across painting, sculpture, textiles, and more.
When: 7 PM – 10 PM, on Friday, the 19th of September.
Tamzen Lundy and her colleagues at GATHER Kildare will be hosting an open night. Watch live demonstrations of traditional and contemporary skills, including feltmaking, wood carving, and glassmaking.
When: 4:30 PM – 6 PM, on Friday, the 19th of September.
If you are a guild member who is participating in a Culture Night event, please let us know – 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.
Pam de Groot demonstrating fibre weight layout during the workshop.
This past weekend, a dozen passionate felters gathered for an unforgettable three-day workshop led by internationally renowned artist Pam de Groot, who travelled from Australia to share her expertise. Hosted by Feltmakers Ireland, the workshop welcomed participants primarily from Ireland, with one dedicated felter joining us from Germany. The event, held at the Bayside Community Centre, was a vibrant exploration of felting techniques, creativity, and community, leaving everyone inspired and equipped with new skills to craft unique, wearable art.
Necklaces, earrings, and brooches created by Pam to show the various techniques the students would learn.
Pam de Groot is an Australian textile artist celebrated for her innovative approach to three-dimensional felting. With a deep passion for transforming raw fibres into intricate, wearable sculptures, Pam’s work blends traditional techniques with contemporary flair. Her creations often feature bold textures, vibrant colours, and unexpected materials, pushing the boundaries of what felt can achieve. During the workshop, her warm and engaging teaching style shone through, making complex techniques accessible and exciting for all skill levels.
Pam demonstrating. In the foreground are sample pieces of felted jewellery that she has created.
Over the three days, Pam guided participants through a variety of felting techniques, each opening new possibilities for artistic expression.
Techniques included –
Shaping with Resists: Creating diverse forms, from small round resists to complex structures, using simple tools.
Crafting Pea Pods: Using plastic moulds to shape delicate, nature-inspired, pea pod designs.
Dyeing Flower Stamens: In an imaginative twist, special fishing line became a medium for vibrant, lifelike stamens to enhance floral designs.
Designing Closures: Participants explored decorative and functional options, experimenting with various ways to finish their pieces with intention and flair.
Pam’s teaching approach was a perfect balance of demonstration and individualised support. She began with group instruction, clearly explaining each technique, then devoted one-on-one time to help participants bring their unique visions to life. Her patience and encouragement fostered a collaborative, creative atmosphere where everyone felt empowered to experiment.
From Technique to Creation: Wearable Art Emerges
After mastering the techniques, participants delved into designing their own wearable pieces, incorporating a rich array of materials, including soft Merino wool, shimmering silk fibres, textured silk cloth, hearty Irish wool, delicate silk pods, stones, and other textiles. The diversity of materials sparked endless creativity, resulting in an inspiring collection of necklaces, brooches, and other adornments, each piece as unique as its creator.
Samples of some of the pieces created by the students during the workshop.
The workshop was a testament to the versatility of felting as an art form. From bold, sculptural designs to delicate, intricate pieces, every participant left with a creation that reflected their personal style and newfound skills.
More Samples of Students’ Work
Here are some photos of some of the students’ pieces from the workshop. If we missed your work, please email feltmakersIE@gmail.com so we can add it to the display.
The workshop wasn’t just about learning techniques—it was about connection. The group of felters, including members of Feltmakers Ireland and our international guest from Germany, bonded over their shared passion for textiles. The collaborative spirit, combined with Pam’s inspiring guidance, made the experience truly transformative.
A huge thank you to Pam de Groot for sharing her expertise and inspiring us to push the boundaries of felting. Her ability to connect with each participant and guide them through their creative journey was truly remarkable. We’re also deeply grateful to Sam Fagan for coordinating the workshop and to helpers Juliane Gorman, Hélène Dooley, and Annika Berglund for each volunteering their invaluable assistance for a day.
Conclusion
This workshop was a celebration of creativity, community, and the endless possibilities of felt. We can’t wait to see how the skills and inspiration from this experience continue to shape the work of these talented felters!
All of the students and Pam de Groot assembled on the final day. Photo by Annika Berglund.
Lastly, here’s a video of the images –
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.
The Fine Art of Textile in the Coach House Gallery, Dublin Castle, is an international exhibition of contemporary textiles that cross artistic genres—painting, sculpture, drawing, and sewing. It is curated by Irish artist Nuala Goodman, with the assistance of Italian journalist Maria Luisa Caffarelli.
The exhibition’s core is the Milan-based collective ‘Fringe’, founded in 2022 by four female artists from different countries. Fringe is a vibrant, creative force exploring the expressive potential of textiles. There is Sanchita Ajjampur, who re-interprets the ancient skills of raffia weave and embroidery creating sustainable handcrafted works; Lisa Farmer, whose art pieces lie somewhere in between basketry and tapestry; Nuala Goodman whose ‘Wild Tapestries’ uses preloved and precious textiles to create works of art, and Colomba Leddi whose synthetic, linear forms create spatial redefinition.
Curated by Irish artist Nuala Goodman, ‘The Wild Donegal Tweed Project’ is a collaboration between five Donegal tweed companies and art and design students from NABA(Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) in Rome.
Through the Irish Times fashion journalist Deirdre McQuillan, the five Donegal companies (McNutt of Donegal, Magee 1866, Molloy & Sons, Triona Design and Studio Donegal) have donated their fabrics to the NABA textile workshop. The woven, natural and sustainable quality of Donegal tweed appealed to the students as an alternative to cheap synthetic materials. Tweed cushions (45 x 45 cm) were chosen as the ideal form for re-imagining techniques such as smocking, embroidery, felting, patchwork, layering and more.
– Text from the OPW.
Where: The Coach House Gallery, Dublin Castle, near the Chester Beatty. When: 6th of June, 2025 – 24th of August, 2025 Opening hours: 10 AM – 5 PM Free admission
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 Tuesday, the 24th of June, Laoise Carey will hold a one-day fashion and textiles pop-up exhibition and research project as part of her Masters in Circular by Design.
Drop into the gallery at National College of Art and Design (NCAD) Dublin between 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM to experience textiles with your 7 senses:
touch
taste
smell
hearing
sight
vestibular
proprioception
Interact with the exhibits and share your thoughts, responses, and inspirations to help determine whether immersive experiences of fashion and textiles promote a deeper sense of empathy between us, our textiles, and the people and places that make them.
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.
As of the 9th of July, the workshop is FULLY BOOKED. If you want to be put on the waiting list, please email Sam – see below for her details.
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
To apply for PAM de GROOT’s workshop, please email committee member Sam Fagan at samantha.d.fagan@gmail.com
Please include Pam de Groot’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. The cost is 250 euros for members / 265 euros for non-members.
Additional Information
Supplies are not included in the workshop price. Once registered, we will email students the supply list provided by Pam.
Cancellation & Refund Policy for Workshops
If you need to cancel your place in a Feltmakers Ireland 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 can 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 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 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 Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) has launched an open call for the second year of ‘Dwell Here’, its Residency Programme supporting creative practices in visual arts, design, architecture, curation, and related humanities.
Selected residents will engage in independent research aligned with suggested thematic areas and participate in a series of research assemblies held throughout the year.
Dwell Here is comprised of three different residency opportunities:
One-Year Residency
One-Year Studio Residency
One Month Residency
Closing Date for applications: Tuesday, 22 July 2025.
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.
