By Deirdre Carroll
On a bright sunny day in Dublin, Feltmakers Ireland members held an ‘Introduction to Wet Felting Workshop’ at the CIE Sports and Social Hall in Inchicore on Sunday, the 17th of August. Our event was part of August Craft Month, and also part of National Heritage Week, which runs from August 16th to 24th.
The aim of our event was to introduce participants to the art of wet felting and provide hands-on experience in creating a felted vessel. The skills gained included an understanding of the felting process, tactile engagement, creative confidence, and the joy of having fun.
Two sessions were held, with 12 participants attending the first session from 11 AM to 1 PM and 8 participants attending the second session from 1 PM to 3 PM. All participants were provided with wool and the equipment needed to felt a vessel using a choice of colours. Guild member Annika Berglund gave a demonstration on starting the process before the participants went to their positions, where they were assisted in completing the process by members of Feltmakers Ireland.
Photos of the students felting away.
In addition to the hands-on wet felting workshop, guild member Margaret Ryan Collins shared about Irish wool. She demonstrated how to card wool from Irish sheep’s fleece, showing that the wool could be used for felting or knitting. A few years ago, Feltmakers Ireland successfully self-published a book on felting with Irish wool, titled ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking.’ This book is available for purchase on our website – https://feltmakersireland.com/exploring-irish-wool-for-feltmaking/
As part of our Open Day, we showcased the sample board from our research on Irish Wool. It shows how specific breeds of sheep’s wool can be needle-felted and wet-felted.
Guild member Eva Salamon demonstrated how to needle-felt her fantasy figures. Hilary shared some of her works-in-progress.
Several members displayed their felted creations.
Annika, Irina, Marie, and Elizabeth demonstrated and helped participants to create wet-felted vessels. The verbal feedback from the participants was very positive, and each person left with a completed vessel.
Isha from the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland and photographer Sasko arrived to view the workshop. They were very interested in the various pieces on display and the processes demonstrated by the members.
In conclusion, Feltmakers Ireland’s Open Day successfully engaged participants in the creative process of wet felting, enabling them to express their artistic side. It was a great day and a great success.
Thanks to the members of Feltmakers Ireland who helped on the day. Thank you to Sam Fagan and Margaret for the photographs. Additional appreciation to Sam, Annika, and Lorna, who organised a very successful event. Feltmakers Ireland is grateful for the support received from the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland.
On Sunday, the 24th of August, committee member Elizabeth Redding will lead a similar Open Day in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath. https://augustcraftmonth.org/acm-event/feltmakers-ireland-open-day-discover-the-magic-of-wet-felting-westmeath/ Note: This event is fully booked up. If you would like to volunteer to help, please email feltmakersIE@gmail.com
Good luck to Elizabeth and the volunteers helping her.
UPDATE: There’s a fantastic blog post by Douglas of the CIE Sports Hall in Inchicore that features even more photos and tons of interesting information. – https://inchicoresportsandsocialclub.com/2025/08/19/feltmakers-ireland-open-day-sunday-17-august/ 🌿🐏🌿
There is a fantastic article with TONS of photos about our Open Day on the CIE Sports Hall’s website – https://inchicoresportsandsocialclub.com/2025/08/19/feltmakers-ireland-open-day-sunday-17-august/
Additionally, we had a second Open Day in Kilbeggan on Sunday, the 24th of August. There is an article (with a paywall), here on Topic – https://topic.ie/from-wool-to-wonder-feltmakers-open-day-draws-all-ages/
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