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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Note: Feltmakers Ireland-West meets on the THIRD Sunday of the month.
To learn more about Feltmakers Ireland-West and our members who are part of it, please visit the Feltmakers Ireland-West website – https://feltmakersireland-west.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.
Cecilia Vicuña‘s solo exhibition, ‘Reverse Migration: A Poetic Journey’, is the first show in Ireland by the renowned artist, poet and activist. For this exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Vicuña delves into themes of ancestry, ecological urgency, and the interconnectedness of humanity, inspired by the discovery of her ancient ties to Ireland.
Feltmakers Ireland guild member Katarina Hruskova, of WoolStore Ireland, assisted the artist in preparing the wool used in the creation of the installation, titled ‘Aran Quipu’.
Placard from the gallery wall.
Photos of the Piece, ‘Aran Quipu’
In her Co Galway workshop, Katarina washed and carded 50 kilograms of wool, which she purchased from the Galway Wool Co-op at their annual Meitheal. Then she needle-felted the clean fibre by hand into 50 strips, each 5.5 metres long. As Cecilia Vicuña wanted the strips to be very fluffy, hand needle felting was the method. Altogether, it came to 275 metres of Galway wool. The entire process from start (washing) to finish took Katarina 6-7 weeks to complete.
The Galway Wool, after being cleaned and carded
Needle Felting
The wool fibres were then needle felted.Further along, with more fibres added in.Loading the trailer with the felted wool.More wool.Unloading at IMMA
At IMMA, the long strips were then mounted, with assistance from other Irish artists, in a large hall.
Katarina Hruskova and artist Cecilia Vicuña at the openingKatarina and her partner Keith
Katarina said that at the opening, visitors were encouraged to walk between the strips. Editor’s Note: On a recent visit, a museum attendant encouraged attendees to touch a sample of needle-felted Galway Wool.
In addition to the installation incorporating Irish wool, the exhibition includes other installations featuring natural materials such as plants and shells, along with paintings, drawings, and sound art by Vicuña.
Feltmakers Ireland-West is a growing regional subset of Feltmakers Ireland dedicated to promoting the art and craft of felting across the western counties. We are predominantly based in County Galway and therefore meet up there. We enjoy a variety of activities, such as needle and wet-felting workshops and skill-sharing. Feltmakers Ireland-West aims to provide a supportive space for both beginners and experienced makers to develop their artistry, experiment with texture and colour, and celebrate the rich heritage of Irish textile traditions in a fun and inclusive environment.
Recent Meet Up
Most recently, we were delighted to attend a fleece scouring session in Tuam, with guild member Katarina Hruskova from Woolstore Ireland, where we learned to process beautiful Irish wool from raw fleece to fluffy clouds.
The work is quite involved and begins with ‘skirting’ the fleece, which means removing any clumps of waste before moving on to scouring. Scouring is the washing process that can involve several soaks in soapy water for a very dirty fleece—the trick is not to felt the wool, so water temperature and touch must be carefully controlled.
Once clean and dried, the wool is ‘picked’ to remove any vegetable matter such as hay and straw before the fibre is ‘carded’ with combs or a machine to produce the batts and roving we all love.
Attendees from the Feltmakers Ireland West – October Meet Up. In the foreground, Karena. From left to right: Katarina Hruskova, Corina, Sandra, Belinda, and Patricia.
Through her business, Woolstore Ireland, Katarina offers the following wool-processing services: skirting, washing, opening, and carding. To contact her, visit her website- https://www.woolstore.ie/
Next Meeting in Co Galway
The next meeting of Feltmakers Ireland-West will be on 23rd November in Gort, Co Galway.
If you have questions about Feltmakers Ireland West, you can contact committee member Belinda Reid at the following email: chasingdreamsfeltart@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 content-related questions, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.
Feltmakers Ireland West will hold a meeting for members in TUAM, Co Galway, THIS Sunday, where guild member Katarina Hruskova of WoolstoreIE will give a talk about processing Irish wool. If you are travelling to Co Galway during the three-day holiday weekend, you are most 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.
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.
