Education: CANCELLLED -Reversible Felted Vest Workshop – Jacki Sleator – Co Kildare near Dublin

Promotional poster for Jacki Sleator's cancelled Reversible Felted Vest Workshop, featuring images of short and long style vests.

UPDATE: 14th of May. Unfortunately, this workshop has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances with the tutor.


Feltmakers Ireland is pleased to announce a hands-on, 3-Day Workshop to create a Reversible Nuno-Felted Vest with international tutor Jacki Sleator

In this immersive course, students will use silk fabrics and Merino wool to create rich, textural effects. By layering wool, silk, and other fibres, they will experience how the materials transform and contort as the wool shrinks during the felting process. Guided step by step, students will develop both technique and creative confidence to leave the workshop with their own unique reversible vest.

There is the option to make a short or long-styled vest. 

When: Friday-Sunday, the 5th-7th of June. 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Where:  Kilteel Community Hall, Kilteel Lower, Kilteel, Naas Co. Kildare W91 TK6A

Additional Information

  • The price is 200 euros per member and does not include supplies.
  • The price for non-members is 240 euros and does not include supplies.
  • This course is suitable for intermediate felters.
  • Note: The supply list will be sent upon enrollment.

If you have any questions about the workshop, please contact us at 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 the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Exhibition: element15 – Threads of Memory – The Heirloom Project – Naas, Co Kildare

Poster for 'Threads of Memory: The Heirloom Project' exhibition, featuring a decorative spoon and floral background. Includes details about the event, location, opening hours, and guest speaker.

The members of the element15 Textile Art Collective and the Board of McAuley Place, Naas, invite all to the opening of the exhibition, Threads of Memory – The Heirloom Project.

This community art project explores the idea of heirloom and its varied meanings for each of us.

When: The opening is on Tuesday, the 5th of May, at 7 PM.

The exhibition runs through the 28th of May.

Where: Luisne Centre and Garden, McAuley Place, Sallins Rd, Naas West, Naas, Co. Kildare, W91 D62E

For more information about the project and element15, visit their website – https://element15.ie/threads-of-memory-heirloom-project/

Feltmakers Ireland guild members Elaine Peden and Marie Dunne are part of the collective.

Instagram – @elainepeden @element15textile

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.

Of Interest: Open Studio Day – Element15 Textile Artists – Naas

The Element15 Textile Artists are hosting an Open Studio Day tomorrow, Wednesday, the 12th of November, from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM.

Where: McAuley Place, Sallins Rd, Naas West, Naas, Co. Kildare, W91 D62E.

Elaine Peden, a member of Feltmakers Ireland, is also a member of this organisation.

For more information about this Kildare-based group, visit their website – https://element15.ie/about-element15-textile-artists/

Their Instagram: @element15textile


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.

Of Interest: Bioeconomy Week Ireland – REVEIRE Irish Wool Research – Friday at Maynooth University

BioEconomy Ireland Week - Friday, the 17th of October

REVEIRE University College Cork (UCC), the three-year wool research project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, joins Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2025, for “The Circular Shift: Transforming Waste into a Bio-based Economy”.

The event will explore how research is transforming waste into bio-based value across Ireland, featuring EPA-funded projects tackling textile, wool, agri-food, and urban bio-waste.

REVEIRE will showcase their work on regenerative value systems for Irish-grown wool, contributing to a more circular and sustainable bioeconomy.

  • When: Friday, 17th October 2025
  • Time: 09:45 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Where: Maynooth University, Co Kildare.

The event is organised by Maynooth University and University College Cork, with support from the Circular Bioeconomy Cluster at Munster Technological University.

Free, but booking is required. Register for the event here: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/school-business/events/bioeconomy-ireland-week-2025-event

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: Mary Quant Retrospective – MOSI – Newbridge

‘Mary Quant and the 1960s Mini Revolution’ has opened at the Museum of Style Icons (MOSI) at Newbridge Silverware, in Co Kildare. 21 pieces of the collection were previously exhibited at the V&A in London in 2020.

Admission is free, and the exhibition will run until the end of 2025.

For more information, visit https://visitnewbridgesilverware.com/museum-of-style-icons/

Related: An interesting article by Ruth O’Connor in IMAGE features an interview with Jannette Flood, the steward of the collection. – https://www.image.ie/style/mary-quant-inside-the-irish-exhibition-celebrating-one-of-the-20th-centurys-most-influential-designers-963461

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.

Education: Pam de Groot – Fibre Jewellery Workshop – A Few Spots Available – FULLY BOOKED

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.”

More Information about the Tutor:

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

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

HOW TO REGISTER

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.

More Photos of pieces by Pam de Groot

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

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.

Recap: Fantastic 3 Day Workshop with Marjolein Dallinga

Marjolein Dallinga demonstrating

On Friday, the 16th of May, twelve members of Feltmakers Ireland enthusiastically came together for our first in-person workshop with an international tutor since the COVID pandemic. Our teacher was the esteemed Canadian artist and teacher, Marjolein Dallinga, who has a wonderful hands-on teaching style, where students experienced the sculptural possibilities of wool.

We learned how to create three unique felted sculptures, each incorporating many stages of the complex techniques Marjolein uses in her artwork. As specific processes needed to be followed when the projects were dry, it was a choreographed dance!

Here is a lovely photo of some students gazing with adoration on their damp, in-progress work.

Students Watching

Throughout the three days, there were step-by-step demonstrations of techniques.

Everyone is hard at work.

Students Felting

Exhibition

At the end of the course, we had a mini-exhibition in the sunshine. It was wonderful to see how each student’s work came out!

Thanks to the Many

Many thanks to Suzanne Phelan for taking care of so many details and keeping everyone caffeinated. A tip of the hat to Elaine Peden for recommending Kilteel Hall – isn’t it beautiful? Also, thanks to Elizabeth Redding and Breda Fay, guild members who came by to lend a hand. ENORMOUS thanks to Elizabeth for bringing the tubes that we used to raise the tables—it was such a treat to have those! Of course, thanks to all the students who helped create such a focused learning community and knew how to laugh!

The warmest thanks go to Marjoelein for sharing her warmth, wisdom, and talents. We look forward to her return to Ireland!

Marjoelin Dallinga in Kilteel, Co Kildare.

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: 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.

News: Makers Pop-Up Opens in Kildare Town – O Lamha

Via Feltmakers Ireland guild member Tamzen Lundy:

We invite you to the evening launch of the new pop-up store. A collective of Eleven Kildare-based Artists, Makers, Designers, and Businesses under the name “Ó Lámha” (from the hand) has taken on the unit for the summer season.

Kindly supported by @leokildare and @kildarecountycouncil

We are opening as part of the Kildare town’s Derby Festival, reviving this unit with the aim of making this space a permanent feature that supports the work of locally based makers, with a specific focus on the creative community.

Ó Lámha” is a collective of local makers and designers, offering a variety of beautiful handmade products, including cards, prints, silk scarves, woodwork, and jewellery.

WHERE: The old Southwells grocery store, on Kildare Town Market Square, right beside Hartes’ gastropub and a 10-minute walk from Kildare village.

WHEN: Grand Opening Thursday, 27th, 5PM—light refreshments and an evening shopping experience, plus a chance to meet the makers themselves.

GENERAL OPENING TIMES: Thursday- Sunday, 10 AM-5 PM.

We’d love to have you, please help us spread the word about this new venture. 

They say it “takes a village… actually, we think it takes a town- Kildare town!”

Come, support local, shop local, made local.

For more information, see their Instagram page – https://www.instagram.com/olamhakildare


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 and Talk: Tamzen Lundy – Maynooth Library

Sorry for the double-posting today, but this art exhibition may be of interest.

Art Exhibition and Artist’s Talk

Feltmakers Ireland guild member Tamzen Lundy has a solo art exhibition at Maynooth Community Library.

Tamzen will talk and demonstrate the art of wet felting at the library on Saturday, the 10th of February, at noon.

For more information about the exhibition, visit her Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/tamzenlundytextiles/

Feltmaking Kits

Additionally, Tamzen now has Wet Felting Kits for sale on her website. To learn more, visit her website – https://www.tamzenlundydesigns.ie/product-page/wet-feltmaking-kit