Two of Feltmakers Ireland’s members have stands at the upcoming Showcase 2024 at the RDS. The show runs from Sunday, the 21st through Tuesday, the 23rd of January.
Karena Ryan will be at Stand C25, which is in the DCCI area. She has a lamp felted from Irish Galway wool, which has been selected to be displayed at the Edit Display and has been shortlisted for a Showcase award.
Caóilfíonn Murphy O’Hanlon – aka Cushla of Gullion, will be at Stand L63, which is in the LEO area. She is looking forward to meeting current and new stockists.
The DCCI Academy’s Growth Programme is aimed at design and craft companies that are beyond ideation, have been operating for some time, and wish to scale beyond their current position either in the Irish or international markets. A series of training workshops and mentoring that supports growth from start-up to scaling stage.
Application deadline: 31 January
The course runs from the 1st of February 2024 until the 7th of March 2024.
Online and in-person, location tailored to suit applicants.
Feltmakers Ireland is interested in sharing members’ news, whether this is about upcoming craft fairs, exhibitions, teaching, grants, awards, or other fibre-related information of interest to our community. We are also interested in hearing about felt and textile-related travels!
We will continue to share items of interest by organisations and individuals outside our Guild.
Please include the Who, What, and Where of your event, your contact details, and your location in Ireland. Instagram has a 2,200-character limit, so please also keep this in mind. If there is a website, include the link. Lastly, a square-shaped image would be most welcome!
The Design and Craft Council of Ireland (DCCI) have curated a week-long of activities for Irish Design Week, which runs from Monday, the 13th through Friday, the 17th of November.
Here are some of the events that have a focus on textiles: On Tuesday in Sligo, there is a presentation on historical costume narratives. – https://www.dcci.ie/events/costume-narratives/
On Wednesday and Thursday in Marlay Park, Dublin, Feltmakers Ireland member Niki Collier unveils a new body of work incorporating felt and discarded medical equipment. – https://www.dcci.ie/events/niki-collier-bodily-shelters/
The juried group exhibition, ‘Bountiful’, is in its final week of showing. Catch it at the Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre in Dublin, Ireland. See how the beauty and versatility of feltmaking. Pieces include sculptures, wall pieces, and wearables. There is artwork for sale, along with our recently launched book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’.
Hours: 10 AM until 4 PM.
The exhibition ends at 3:30 PM on Sunday, October 29th.
A series of training workshops and mentoring that supports growth from the start-up to the scaling stage. This programme is aimed at design and craft companies who are beyond ideation, have been operating for some time, and wish to scale beyond their current position either in the Irish Market or an international market.
This past Saturday, from 3 to 5 PM, Feltmakers Ireland warmly embraced our community of wool and felt enthusiasts at the grand opening of our exhibition, ‘Bountiful.’ During this momentous occasion, we had the honour of Minister Pippa Hackett’s official inauguration of our recently published book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking.’ If you missed her inspiring words, you can catch portions of her speech on our YouTube channel, @FeltmakersIreland.
Your presence and support made this event truly memorable, and we’re excited to continue sharing our passion for feltmaking with you all.
Exhibition organiser, Dee Crofts introducing Minister Pippa Hackett. The piece in the background is by Aisling Hassett.
The Committee
In every voluntary organization, there are individuals who play a crucial role in carefully coordinating the group’s various activities. Enclosed is a photograph capturing the dedicated committee members, standing proudly in front of our collaborative Floral Tapestry. This beautiful artwork commemorates the guild’s inception, marking two decades of passion and commitment since its founding by the remarkable Elizabeth Bonnar.
Minister Pippa Hackett and the committee members. The back row, from left to right: Deirdre Carroll, Pippa Hackett, Deirdre Crofts, Juliane Gorman. The front row, from left to right: Elizabeth Redding, Adrienne Dempsey, Lorna Cady, Annika Berglund, and Marian Fagan. Not pictured Fiona Leech.
Tapestry Revealed
Below is a photograph of our floral tapestry. Each of the flowers was handcrafted by our members during our September Sunday Session. Additional flowers were created, too. Then, several members got together to hand-stitch the over 180 flowers onto the backing, a very large piece of wool felt. {Invigilating members are welcome to sew on flowers during their volunteer shifts}.
The opening was quite exciting, with many members attending.
Feltmakers Ireland founder Elizabeth Bonnar and founding member Michelle Winters spoke with Minister Hackett.
Some of the artists and their pieces
Helene Dooley speaking with Minister HackettExhibition organiser Deirdre CroftsAisling Hassett and her piece. (She made her hat too!)Valerie O CeallaighAnnika BerglundAdrienne DempseyBreda FayCaitriona NolanHelena McGuinness
Each piece in our exhibition features a photograph of the artist along with the statement they provided, sharing their unique interpretation of ‘Bountiful’ when they submitted their work for jury consideration. You can spot these artist statements in some of the photographs above.
Below is the ‘Box of Chocolates’ by Clare Brophy that Minister Hackett points to in her speech.
Clare Brophy’s piece ‘Sharing the Bounty’.
In closing, we truly regret if we missed the opportunity to personally thank you at the opening event, which, as we’ve mentioned, was quite the bustling affair! With an impressive turnout of over fifty attendees, including cherished friends, beloved family members, and passionate supporters of the wool industry, it was a testament to the resilience and dedication of our community. Despite the tempestuous weather on that Saturday, your unwavering commitment to our cause warmed our hearts. We cannot express enough gratitude for your presence and your support for the art of feltmaking. Your enthusiasm fuels our creative journey, and we look forward to sharing more moments of inspiration and collaboration in the future. Thank you once again for making our opening event a truly memorable occasion.
Today, on the 30th of September, art enthusiasts and admirers of the exquisite craft of felting will gather at the Phoenix Park Visitors Centre in Dublin, Ireland. Feltmakers Ireland’s highly anticipated juried exhibition is set to open its doors to the public at 3 PM.
The exhibition showcases a stunning array of felted artworks that push the boundaries of this ancient textile art form.
As a sneak peek into what promises to be an awe-inspiring show, we bring you exclusive glimpses from four diverse pieces that will be featured in this remarkable exhibition.
Photo 1 – Breda Fay’s wall piece, ‘Torthuil’.
Photo 2 – Valerie OCeallaigh’s ‘Bountiful Love’.
Photo 3 – Adrienne Dempsey’s ‘Where the Wild Things Grow’.
Our exhibition will be opened by Pippa Hackett, Sheep Farmer and Irish Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity. She has kindly written the foreword to our ‘wool project book’, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’. Copies of the book will be available during the opening and throughout the exhibition.
In one day, Feltmakers Ireland’s juried exhibition, ‘Bountiful’, will open. The event will be introduced by Pippa Hackett, sheep farmer and Minister of State and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.
In addition to our members’ wet and needle-felted creations, copies of our recently published book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’will be available.
Lastly, as part of the celebration of our founding twenty years ago, we will unveil our collaborative Floral Tapestry.
In the meantime, here are snippets of two members’ pieces.
Photo 1 – Hélène Dooley’s ‘Visualising the Beauty of the Sunflower Field’.
Feltmakers Ireland 