Over the June Bank holiday, volunteers from Feltmakers Ireland spent two days at the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland’s Irish Craft Village within Bord Bia’s Bloom 2024 in Phonix Park. Our volunteers shared the wonders of transforming fluff into felt.
Irish Craft Village Sign – Photo by Sam Fagan
Most of all, Feltmakers Ireland wants to thank theDesign and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) for giving us such an excellent marquee and display opportunity in the Craft’s Demonstration Booth at Bloom. We especially want to thank Geraldine Gray (of the DCCI ) and her sister Catherine for their support, helpfulness, and friendship on-site over the two days.
The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland’s Irish Craft Village – Photo by Sam Fagan
Our Booth
The public enjoyed watching volunteers show how to wet felt and needle-felt.
The photo on the left is early in the day – Photo by Loli Cox. The one on the right shows how popular our booth was – Photo by Sam Fagan.
Annika with samples of Irish Wool Breeds – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Irish Wool Breed Felted Samples – Photo by Sam Fagan
Annika’s 3D fish and butterflies attracted much interest, as did other artworks on display.
Fishes and Butterfhly – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
3D Butterflies by Annika Berglund – Photo by Sam Fagan
Hélène Dooley’s spiral in the foregraound.
A busy booth – Photo by Hélène Dooley
Tamzen Lundy demonstrated wet feltmaking by creating a Mr Fantastic Fox. Her cute, wee-felted animals on display are terrific. You can find her work at Tamzen Lundy Designs.
Tamzen promoting wet feltmaking. (See below)
Tamzen demonstrating
Tamzen chatting with the public – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Marian Fagan demonstrated needle felting and how she makes puppets of the various characters in children’s books for her granddaughter as they share the joy of reading. (See photo below).
Marian demonstrating feltmaking – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Loli Cox, Marian, and Annika were busy demonstrating.
Loli, Marian, and Annika talking with the public – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
In the afternoon, Joanne Foley (in the yellow dress) demonstrated the process of creating her animal portraits. (See photograph below).
More sharing of feltmaking at Bloom – Joanne Foley, Lorna Cady, Margaret Ryan Collings, and Annika Berglund – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Guild member Caoimhe Tuthill of Boann Irish Felt exhibited her beautiful work in the main pavilion with MeathMade. (See below).
Caoimhe Tuthill at the MeathMade Booth – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Day 2
Saturday was busy, and Hélène Dooley started us off by demonstrating wet felting flowers and displaying her felted vessels. The red-coloured, hanging felted spiral is from an online class she teaches at the Felting and Fiber Studio. (See photo below).
Helene demonstrating – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Hélène demonstrated and answered curious questions.
Hélène, Lory Cotti Cottini, and Annika demonstrating, below. Annika promoted Feltmakers Ireland and encouraged the interested public to become members of the guild.
Helene, Lory, and Annika sharing the wonders of feltmaking – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Siobhan Ryan, Sam Fagan, Elaine Peden, and Annika at Bloom.
Siobhan, Sam, Elaine, and Annika demonstrating – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Elain Peden demonstrating – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Elaine and Annika share feltmaking with the public. (Below).
Elaine and Annika – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Siobhan demonstrates her unique artwork.
Siobhan demonstrating – Photo by Maria Mc Garry
Valerie Nowak O’Ceallaigh shared her needle-felted horse portrait.
Photo by Valerie
Conclusion
Many thanks to Maria Mc Garry and Annika Berglund for coordinating this year’s Feltmakers Ireland booth at Bloom! Also, thanks to all the members, who also volunteered their time during the busy bank holiday weekend.
Elaine, Annika, and Maria pictured – Photo by Sam Fagan
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‘Slow Time with a Butterfly’ refers to the slow, detailed practice of tapestry weaving. The technique uses “butterflies” or bobbins of coloured yarns woven through a cotton or linen warp to create the image of the artist’s design.
Contemporary Tapestry Artists Ireland (CTA) is a group of professional tapestry weavers working in studios all over the country who come together to collaborate and exhibit their work to give a platform to handwoven fine art tapestry and raise the profile of this textile medium. By its nature, a solitary occupation, CTA Ireland gives its members an opportunity to connect, network and collaborate. Woven tapestry and the influence of this textile medium informs each of their work, be it in fibre, paper or collage.
As part of ACM, visit Niki Collier is hosting an Open Studio in Marlay Park. Come and discover her womancave home to 50 scissors, 100kg of wool and 100 meters of silk. Saturday, the 5th of August, 10 AM – 4 PM. For more information, visit her website- https://www.nikicollier.com/
Con’s Creations Craft Shop has a creative workshop for needle felting a picture to create your own landscape in wool on the 5th of August. She also has a 3D felting, making toadstool, mice and little critters on Sunday, the 15th of August, in Castledermot, Co. Kildare. Call for information, 087 2870971
As part of ACM, visit Juliane Gorman’s Open Studio in Dundrum, Co. Dublin, and see the tiny shed where she creates her whimsical hats. We’re going to make some felted rocks with Irish wool, too! Sunday, the 6th of August, 11 AM – 4 PM. For more information, visit her website- https://felthappiness.com/blogs/news/open-studio-make-a-felted-stone-august-craft-month
Interested in learning needle felting? As part of ACM, Jenni Kilgallon has three classes for adults and teens on the 11th at 3pm, the 17th at 5pm, and the 23rd at 11am. Located in Bray, Co. Wicklow, the classes are held in the bookshop Tales for Tadpoles. For more information, visit her website – https://talesfortadpoles.ie/collections/needle-felting-workshops.
More ACM Fun: Tamzen Lundy is running a Beginners Feltmaking Taster Session on Sunday, the 20th of August, from 1-4 PM at Brookwood Pottery in Marino Mar, Fairview Dublin. Only 4 places are available, at €60 each, all materials provided. Secure your spot on her website – https://www.tamzenlundydesigns.ie/services-1
Lastly, there is an Open Studio for Feltmakers Ireland on the 20th of August from 11 AM – 3 PM at the CIE/Sports Hall, Inchicore. At this family-friendly event, we will share how to felt a flower with Merino wool and also instruct how to do some intrepid felting with Irish-raised wool. Don’t miss the chance to browse or purchase our recently published book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’.
More Felt-Related Events
If you select ‘Textile Felt’ within ‘Craft Type’ of the August Craft Month website, there are three pages of Felting-Related events happening all over Ireland!
If you’re a Feltmakers Ireland member, let us know if we have missed your August Craft Month event.
On Sunday, the 7th of May 2023, the founder and president of Feltmakers Ireland, Elizabeth Bonnar, gave an address at our AGM. Below is an excerpt of her speech. Underneath this, there is a selection of felted creations that Elizabeth shared during the meeting.
Elizabeth Bonnar at the AGM
It is a great pleasure for me to be with you all today to give this address to Feltmakers Ireland in the new venue here in Inchicore. This is an auspicious day for us. We are celebrating the upcoming launch of the book on our Guild’s Wool Project and the 20th anniversary of the founding of Feltmakers Ireland, which took place on the 3rd of May 2003, 20 years ago almost to the day.
I have been asked to talk about our Guild’s beginnings, but first, I will tell you a little bit about the history of feltmaking, how I became aware of this amazing craft, and how that set me on the path to setting up Feltmakers Ireland.
It would be good to start by precisely defining what felt is:
Felt is the world’s oldest textile structure. Felting converts fibre – usually wool – into fabric without spinning or weaving. When wool fibres are subjected to a combination of moisture and friction, with the addition of heat and a little alkali, the resulting fabric is felt. Wool fibres are covered with overlapping scales, which open up and interlock when rubbed together. The longer the rubbing, the more entangled and firmer the felt becomes. Shrinkage is involved, and this, of course, must be allowed for.
~~ Elizabeth Bonnar ~~
The history of feltmaking tells us that it is an ancient craft dating back over four thousand years, which had its cradle in central Asia. From the late 1960s, in the UK, a revival of feltmaking occurred mainly due to the British artist Mary Burkett. During a trip to Iran in 1962, she stopped her car for a closer look at a group of people rolling a bundle of something in a bed of leaves. It turned out to be felt. She recognised the antiquity of the designs and the unusual but simple nature of the process and wondered why such an ancient craft seemed to be close to extinction. She spent the next 16 years researching felt in the East, research which had far-reaching effects. Her exhibition “The Art of the Feltmaker” in Cumbria in 1979, followed by a book of the same name, was a revelation to the public. Artists and crafts persons alike were amazed and delighted. The book and the exhibition acted as catalysts for the rebirth of feltmaking and the setting up in 1984 of the International Feltmakers Association, based in the UK and covering the British Isles.
How I discovered feltmaking In 1996, planning to retire a few years early and exploring new horizons, I joined the Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers. Having been an inveterate knitter all my life, I thought I knew everything about wool, but at one of their workshops, I discovered to my amazement, that apart from knitted and woven articles and carpets, it was possible to make fabric from unspun wool, using water, friction, and soap, giving myriads of possibilities in colour, texture, shape and design. I was immediately hooked. Having learned about the International Feltmakers Association, known as the IFA for short, I enrolled as a member. I was allocated to Region 15, the Republic of Ireland, which had six other members at that time, one of them being the area coordinator.
Just after I retired, I was able to attend a five-day international conference held by the IFA at a college in Manchester. The top feltmakers worldwide were teaching there, with spectacular exhibitions of their work on display. A large hall filled with stands showed felting supplies from the UK and abroad. It was like an Aladdin’s cave of colour and texture, like nothing I had ever seen. I was fortunate to see the world’s best at the beginning of my felting journey. In addition, I was able to attend some of the workshops, one of them being Nuno feltmaking, felting into the fabric, taught by Sheila Smith. Nuno is the Japanese word for cloth. Nuno later became my favourite felting technique. Sheila and I formed an immediate and lasting friendship. As fellow Scots, we had both been trained in Glasgow. I came away from the conference realising that there existed a very active worldwide network of felting organisations which anyone could tap into – or contribute to. This international element we used to the full, later in our Guild.
At the annual Knit and Stitch Show in the RDS in Dublin in November 1996, I had my first experience of helping to handle a stand for the IFA. It was up on the balcony, in the crafts gallery between the Lacemakers Guild and the Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers. Our stand was staffed by two members from the UK and our team from Ireland. The UK members were Pamela Dunbar from Lisburn and Joan Braganza from Surrey. They became great mentors to me, not only in feltmaking and running the stand but also in how to organise meetings and workshops, sourcing and ordering supplies, record keeping, networking and financial matters. Later, I became the coordinator for Area 15 and took over the running of our stand at the Knit and Stitch Show.
At The Knit and Stitch At the show, we feltmakers were the relatively new kids on the block, as the craft of feltmaking was virtually unheard of. There was huge interest in our stand. Three of us would stand in a row demonstrating how to make samples. We used coloured and natural wool tops, adding in yarns, silk fibre, fragments of materials and lace, showing how pieces of fabric could be produced like magic within minutes using wisps of wool. We hung them up along the edge of our table to be touched and admired. The effect was electrifying to the public, and throngs surrounded our table. Naturally, water was involved in the process, and much plastic sheeting had to be manipulated to keep the table and floor dry. One of my most challenging experiences occurred when clearing up after the show ended. I was carrying a heavy bucket of water away when the handle came off, and the water cascaded down through the gaps in the decking onto the floor below. It caused great laughter upstairs but not so underneath. Somehow it got blamed on Joan Braganza, who, luckily for me, had already left the country for home.
In the beginning Under the auspices of IFA Region 15, we started running feltmaking courses in Castleknock in the lovely new parish centre of Our Lady Mother of the Church, with its beautiful facilities. We began with the Basic and Beyond, a one-day course held in January, which we advertised at the Knit and Stitch in November. This worked very well as people booked places in advance for themselves and as Christmas gifts. The Basic and Beyond was a great success over the years. We often had 36 participants, filling the hall with three sets of pupils, teachers, and much-needed helpers. After that, we held regular workshops, often with international tutors, including hat making, Nuno felting, silk papermaking, and sampling fibre from different sheep breeds. Our workshop in February 2003, entitled “Felt Fragmented”, was given by Sheila Smith, now immediate past chairperson of the IFA and a superb teacher.
The Birth of Feltmakers Ireland Our membership grew to 40, and in February of 2003, because of the surging interest in feltmaking, we realised it was time to set up an autonomous group in Ireland to be known as Feltmakers Ireland. A steering committee was set up, and with advice from the Crafts Council, who provided a facilitator, we organised an Open Day in our hall in Castleknock. At this event, the Guild would be formally established and inaugurated. From the beginning, at the Knit and Stitch, we had noted down the names and contact details of everyone interested in felting who visited our stand. Over the years, we ended up with about 240 names. We circulated these names and those of all other guilds, notifying them of our intention to set up a feltmaking guild at the Open Day, held on the 3rd of May 2003, in Castleknock. We invited them to attend. On the day, there was a great turnout. We had set up an exhibition of work, feltmaking demonstrations, and stands selling materials used in feltmaking, fibre from different sheep, silk fibre, yarns and fabrics. Afterwards, there were refreshments.
Twenty-eight of the many attendees stayed on for the formal setting up of the Guild. Then the facilitator from the Crafts Council took us through the whole process, which entailed telling our story so far, group discussions to decide our aims and objectives, and question time. After consensus was reached, officers and committee members were elected. All went smoothly, and by 3 pm on the 3rd of May 2003, Feltmakers Ireland had come into being.
Then the hard work began, registering with the Crafts Council, setting up bank accounts, getting insurance, organising workshops, and so much more. Over the years, Feltmakers Ireland has thrived despite some ups and downs, the sort any guild would have. The worst was Covid, but the committee saw us through this with great stamina and perseverance. The good news is that there has been renewed interest in feltmaking since Covid and that a second felt renaissance may well be on the way. Our committee is ready for it!
In conclusion I want to finish by thanking all those who helped set up our organisation, all previous members and all those who have followed in our footsteps. Long may Feltmakers Ireland continue to give us creative joy, enriching fellowship, and fun!
A Selection of Elizabeth Bonnar’s felted creations
This exciting opportunity is still available for the next week. Carmen Garcia has kindly offered to share her experience in just such a collaboration to give us an idea on how it may work. Her report can be found below.
This scheme will run from the end of March to August.
It has come to our notice that the form to apply for this collaboration has to be filled out by our GANS representative, so if you want to apply, please send an email to Annika Berglund, one of our two reps, and she will facilitate the application. Her email is annika@annikaberglund.com.
This is Carmen’s report and a photo of the beautiful result of their cooperation:
In 2019 I took part in a cooperation project between The Council of Irish Fashion Designers and The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland.
The idea of these cooperation projects is to randomly pair a designer and a craft maker to produce a design working together. I was paired with the talented designer Charlotte Lucas.
We designed a wedding dress with hat inspired by Balenciaga. We mixed the fluidity of Charlotte’s style with the rigidity of the felt.
We found our common ground, what we shared in our approach to design, and we both moved towards the other. It was a very interesting experience.
We felt stretched in our approach to the design, and found the limitations in the process were stimulating for the creative process and both were very happy with the result.
I totally recommend the experience to any Feltmaker that might be considering it.
The guild of Feltmakers Ireland was invited to take part in SHOWCASE IRELAND 2022 to demonstrate the craft of feltmaking.
Showcase Ireland, Ireland’s Creative Expo ® is one of the country’s largest international trade shows. Over 4,000 buyers visit the event from across the world,
This year we were asked to participate with only a week’s notice, which was pretty tight but we managed to rise to the challenge of showing what felting is about over the 4 days of this event.
It was a great opportunity to tell people about the guild of Feltmakers Ireland and we hope that we have opened the door to future opportunities for those in our guild who sell their work in larger quantities to participate in this event in the future.
There were many interested people who stopped and enquired about our guild, about the felt making process and the felt pieces that were on display. Each day our stand changed what pieces were shown depending on what maker was demonstrating.
Our contact in DCCI was very happy that we managed to pull this off with so very little preparation. Given the positive feedback our stand generated she was hopeful that we can do this again in future years, hopefully with more advance notice.
Feltmakers Ireland would welcome the opportunity to do this again. With more notice we would be able to have time to advertise beforehand on social media and on our blog.
We would also open the space, and the manning of the stand, to all our members, hoping that as many as possible of our members who sell their work could take part and be able to share their creations with the retail sector.
We think this could be a great showcase of the talents of our members and the possibilities of making quality products using felt.
GANS (Guilds, Associations, Networks and societies) welcomed four new members to the board. Annika and Deirdre new reps from Feltmakers Ireland.
Brian Mc Gee said they are organising, Showcase for the RDS 27th Feb 2022 for 4 days.
Sarah Daly gave a presentation on” Creative Spark”, Dundalk, Co. Louth. A facility for artists of all skills facilitating 40 businesses. If anyone is interested in a two or three month residency, they have facilities for print, ceramics and glass fusing.
Frances Crowe from Roscommon was explaining about the International Fibre Festival going ahead 28th April – May 2022.
Maeve Murphy was talking about an international project linked with Turkey. euproject@turkiyetasarimvakfi.org Open call for designers of all disciplines 24/01/2022 deadline.
The National Museum was looking for artists of all disciplines to show an interest in an interactive
News of a collar project : Think it sounds really exciting and I LOVE projects that don’t need more space than my kitchen table.
Link to Application Form below where all the details are explained as well as lovely stories about 2 crafters from the past! Just reading it inspired me to root out a collar my grandmother made in 1925 … probably by oil lamp/candleI also like the suggestion that you can collaborate with another crafter!!!!
As part of the Government’s “Keep Well” campaign, DCCI has developed an online exhibition. Switch off Be creative. Design a Collar, Ruff or Cuffs. Collars, ruffs, cuffs, lunula & torcs are universal forms of adornment that have been worn for generations.
Your entry must be wearable, creative, innovative & contemporary in design, it can be made in any material i.e. silk, wool, linen, paper, wire, metal etc. or combined materials and can be created in any discipline utilising any techniques, be handcrafted or created using digital technologies. Collaborations will be accepted i.e. a glass artist working with a lace maker; a basket maker with a milliner; a metalsmith with a feltmaker… the possibilities are endless. All entries will feature in an online exhibition, on DCCI’s social channels and on www.dcci.ie/learners/keep-well. Collars must be photographed on a plain black background and submitted with the completed application form. Apply here https://www.cognitoforms.com/DesignCraftsCouncilOfIreland1/DesignACollarRuffOrCuffs #KeepWell. gov.ie/healthyireland
Breda Fay here reporting on February GANS Meeting ( Wednesday 17th Feb, via Zoom). I’ve decided that I will do a short report rather than linking you to DCCI page. You can always follow DCCI web page for more info.
Meeting started with condolences being offered on death of David Shaw Smith – not sure how many of you are as old as I am … but I remember his series of programmes on Telly about crafts in Ireland and actually bought the book HANDS which was published about the series. His work was certainly a catalyst in protecting as well encouraging the native crafts of Ireland. If any of you have memories of it, Hillary @making.ie would love you to pen a few lines.
Congratulations to all the guilds who are participating in “Getting Creative during Covid” Mental Health projects – Feltmakers Ireland are one of the guilds who have received funding for a project “Keep Well and Felt with Us” being organized by Niki Collier (in conjunction with Caoilfionn Murphy O’Hanlon and Liadain de Buitleir). You’ve probably seen it advertised and interest has been amazing …. So much so that instead of a session with each of the feltmakers … there will now be three with each. Good luck Niki. I got my pack today!
There were a number of presentations which all emphasized that despite all the difficulties of isolation, it is really important for each guild to maintain our presence. Many are doing projects which encourage members to work at home with a particular focus…. maybe putting all the pieces together to form one collaborative piece, some are organizing online exhibitions….. Presentations this morning:
Showcase Ireland’s first virtual event
The Glass Society of Ireland on it newly published book (only 5 left)
The Irish Guild of Embroiderers on their recently published (and still available) book “Twenty Twenty”. The cover design is by Colleen Prenderville (known to many of us)
Borris Lace Group’s partnership with South Armagh Lace Collective in “Laces Across the Borders”
Some things you might be interested in:
The Quilters Guild of Ireland are looking for 10 inch submissions from members/non-members on the theme HOME for quilts (they’re planning 10) which will be sold/auctioned to support women’s shelters (quiltersguildireland.com)
DCCI are going to make a callout for COLLARS for an online exhibition – watch this space!
Society of Cork Potters are calling out for items themed “ON HOME GROUND” for an exhibition which will be run in conjunctions with A Taste of West Cork in September (www.corkpotters.com)
Any members down around the Cork area, watch out for Bench Space, an organisation that is making an equipped workshop available for crafts people. Currently it has mainly woodworking tools but hope soon to have equipment for textile, iron, glass work
SO JUST TO SIGN OFF FOR NOW FOLKS
I think it is really important that there be a FELTMAKING presence in the August Craft Month Project. Let’s use it as a way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of DCCI AND we might be in the park again by then! Think small but maybe collaboratively??? Get back to me with ideas and offers of help!!!
I’m really missing our Sunday Sessions. Have done a few online courses – see previous blog of recommendations by Annika. It was great to see so many participating in Feltmakers Ireland first online course with Gabi McGrath – hugely successful, nationally and internationally. I’m not sure if there are spaces on Niki’s course. You might have some ideas for online activities or courses????? Let us know hellofeltmakersireland@gmail.com
Also keep in mind our draw for paid up members which will take place beginning of March.
Feltmakers Ireland 