Tag: Natural Dyeing

Exhibition: Claudy Jongstra – Retrospective Solo Show – Netherlands

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Claudy Jongstra is renowned for her large-scale textile artworks and architectural installations that draw on her approach to working with locally raised fibres and dye plants.⁠ A retrospective solo exhibition, ‘Presence in Process – 30 Years of Art and Craft at Studio Claudy Jongstra’, will soon open.

The exhibition runs from the 18th of December 2025 to the 30th of August 2026.

Where: Cuypershuis Roermond, Pierre Cuypersstraat 1, 6041 XG Roermond, Netherlands

For more information about the exhibition, visit the museum’s website – https://cuypershuis.nl/te-zien/presence-in-process

To learn more about Claudy’s work, there is also a beautiful film here by the Louisiana Channel, a site that features videos about architects, artists, designers, musicians, and writers – https://channel.louisiana.dk/video/claudy-jongstra-weaving-the-world-together

Guild member Christine Jordan visited her studio earlier in the year – https://feltmakersireland.com/2025/11/04/of-interest-felting-adventures-in-the-netherlands-rough-circle-studio/

The artist’s Instagram: @claudyjongstra

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.

Event: Festival of Botanical Colours – Co Kerry

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

The Festival of Botanical Colours is a textile event which includes workshops and demonstrations, including the following: indigo dyeing, land art, ink making, Fair Isle knitting, spinning, storytelling, block printing, solar dyeing, pigments, peg loom weaving and more

When: From Friday, the 24th, through Sunday, the 26th of October.

Where: Tech Amergin (arts centre), Spunkane, Waterville, Co Kerry.

Guild member Sharon Wells is teaching two workshops at the festival. The one on ink making is fully booked, but as of today, her workshop this Sunday on Peg Loom Weaving has spots – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/festival-of-botanical-colours-peg-looming-tickets-1680692940829

For more information and to register – https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/festival-of-botanical-colours-4629633

Their Instagram @festival_wool_cloth

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: “What Colour Does that Plant Make?” – Free Online Natural Dye Chat – Talu Earth

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

On Monday, the 15th of September, Malú Colorín of Talu Earth will share her best tips to identify dye plants in the wild, so that you can gain insights into the colours we see, and learn how to predict the results in the dye pot.

She will discuss the following:

  • Is that a dye plant?
  • What colour does it make?
  • Will this brightly-coloured flower dye my shirt that colour?
  • Why is it so hard to get green?

When: Monday, 15th September at 6:30 PM (Irish time), via a FREE Zoom call.

To receive the Zoom link, visit her website – https://guides.talu.earth/what-colour

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.

Of Interest: Free Talk about Wet Cyanotype Printing on Paper by Ashleigh Ellis

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Join tutor and artist Ashleigh Ellis for a free course preview on Wet Cyanotype Printing on Paper.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned creative, this is your chance to meet Ashleigh, see her process, and find out how you can explore the magic of botanicals, sunlight, and natural colour.

When: This Wednesday, the 13th, at 6.30 PM for a live preview talk via Zoom.

Note: The course starts on Thursday, the 28th of August, via the Appleoak Fibreworks online education platform.

For more information and to get the Zoom link for this Wednesday, visit this page – https://mailchi.mp/2064977a88df/explore-natural-colour-this-autumn-courses-now-open

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: 4 Articles from the Felting and Fiber Studio

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Four recent blog posts from the Felting and Fiber Studio may be of interest to readers:

The first one is by Feltmakers Ireland member Hélène Dooley, who has written an article about her experiments with natural dyeing, using tea, pine cones, and the roots and bark of a plum tree. Of special interest is her experiment with felting WITHOUT soap! Instead, she used vinegar.

To learn more, visit her blog post at the Felting and Fiber Studio – https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2025/06/19/experimenting-with-household-garden-stuff-and-fibre/

As it is sunny outside in Ireland (today), it may be a good time for wool washing. Or not. If you are wondering how to wash MORE wool, TWO blog posts from the Felting and Fiber Studio may be of interest. Canadian feltmaker, Jan, explores creative ways to use agricultural equipment for washing larger volumes of wool fleece.

To learn more, visit these posts – https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2025/07/05/72651/ and this one https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2025/06/25/upgrading-my-fiber-prep-system/

The fourth article, also by Jan, is relatively recent, dated August 4. It is about demonstrating needle felting and includes invaluable tips on how to engage in conversations with the public. She even describes how, when working on 2D pictures, the application of wool can be similar to using traditional art supplies such as pastel, watercolour, or acrylic paint. You will also have a laugh, as she writes in a humorous style.

To read this post, visit here – https://feltingandfiberstudio.com/2025/08/04/demoing-felting-question-how-dose-that-work/

Note: You can ‘subscribe’ to the Felting and Fiber Studio’s blog in order not to miss any posts. Just like our website, there is a sidebar with a box to enter your email address.

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: Archipelago of Colour Festival – Co Antrim

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

The Archipelago of Colour is a festival of natural colours which features workshops, talks, and activities for artists, crafters, and families. It will include deep ecology work, a colour safari, and workshops with experts on natural dyeing, ink making, eco printing, and using mineral pigments. Sunday is a family-focused day.

When: Saturday, the 26th – Sunday, the 27th of July.

Where: Willow and Lore, 15A Craigdunloof Road, Newtowncrommelin, BT436RQ Co Antrim, Northern Ireland.

For more information, visit the website – https://www.festivalofcolour.co

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.

Of Interest: Threads of Nature: Weaving Sustainability into Style – includes Talu Earth Natural Dyeing Workshop – Belfast

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Summer Solstice from the Brink! is a 10-day festival of culture, conversation, and workshops centred on the climate crisis. ‘Threads of Nature: Weaving Sustainability into Style’ on Tuesday, June 17th, has several events which may interest members and readers.

In the morning, there will be a panel talk on ‘Educating for a Regenerative Future for Textiles and Fashion’.

Natural dyer and Fibreshed Ireland founder Malú Colorín from Talú Earth is holding a workshop on transforming plants into textile colours. She will also give a talk in the afternoon.

Additionally, two other panels will be held in the afternoon to discuss regenerative farming for textiles and sustainable textile systems.

Where: Brink, Belfast Stories, Union St, Belfast BT1 2JG, United Kingdom

For more information, visit their website – https://www.playthinkbrink.com/tuesday-17th

Instagram @playthinkbrink

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.

Sunday Session

Reminder: Clodagh Mac Donagh’s Textile Journey -This Sunday Session

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Sunday Session - the 13th - Clodagh Mac Donagh - Adventures in Indigo

This Sunday, the 13th of April, longtime Feltmakers Ireland member, artist and educator, Clodagh Mac Donagh will share her travel and textile experiences with feltmaking and indigo dyeing for our Sunday Session. She has traveled to Japan to study dyeing and will bring her fantastic collection of textiles. Additionally, she will demonstrate various techniques of achieving patterns through Shibori methods.

Due to health and safety, our Sunday Session will ~not~ be a hands-on Indigo Dyeing demonstration or workshop, but Clodagh will demonstrate shibori techniques.

Please bring the following items:

  • 10 baby wipes
  • 10 A4 sheets of paper, preferably white/plain (These will be used for demonstration purposes)
  • some small rubber bands
  • a few short lengths of strings (different thicknesses)
  • a few beads or glass pebbles
  • a ruler
  • pen or pencil, and a small bag to bring items home.

Note: These items are for demonstrating purposes only, not for dyeing.


Additional Details

Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at this Sunday’s Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel mug to replace disposable paper cups.

As a member perk for 2025, we no longer charge 5 euros per session. (If you still need to renew your Annual Membership for 2025, you can now pay online here – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/ )

This Sunday’s Session will ~not~ have a Zoom link. We apologise for this, but we will use a projector to share some of Clodagh’s photographs of her projects and travels. There is only so much technology we can juggle during a single session.

As this is the season of coughs and sneezes, we prefer you not to share these. Please do not attend if you may be unwell. We will have a photo-filled recap on the blog in the coming week!

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.

Of Interest: Dye Garden Workshops, Artists’ Residencies and Community Meitheal Days – Callan, Co Kilkenny

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Colour Field - Dye Garden Workshops,, a Residency, and Community Meitheal Days

Colour Field is a newly developed garden at the Workhouse Union, in Callan, Co Kilkenny. It is dedicated to cultivating colour-giving plants. The project hosts workshops, talks, artists’ residencies, and a community celebration.

Different plants and the colours they create will be studied in the upcoming months.

The workshop programme begins with GREEN on Thursday, the 10th of April, 10:45 – 16:00. A full day working with fresh spring Nettle tops, this workshop will introduce natural dyeing, botanical drawing and embroidery.

Residencies

The Making Colour Studio Residency Programme invites artists to explore their practice through the creation of natural colour from plants. Selected through invitation and open call, participating artists will engage in a shared residency at Workhouse Union in the summer of 2025.

Artists will have access to the Colour Field dye garden, PrintBlock Callan print studio, outdoor dye kitchen, and the Workhouse Union library, which offer resources for research and experimentation.

Where: The Workhouse, Prologue, Callan, Co. Kilkenny, R95 KC95.

For more information, visit their website – https://workhouseunion.com/colour-field

Their Instagram @workhouseunion

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.

Sunday Session

Sunday Session: Clodagh Mac Donagh’s Textile Journey – Adventures in Indigo – 13th of April

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

On April 13th, longtime Feltmakers Ireland member, artist and educator, Clodagh Mac Donagh, will share her travel and textile experiences with Indigo Dyeing for our Sunday Session. She has traveled to Japan to study this subject and will bring her fantastic collection of textiles. She will also demonstrate various techniques of achieving patterns through Shibori methods.

Due to health and safety, our Sunday Session will ~not~ be a hands-on Indigo Dyeing demonstration or workshop, but Clodagh will demonstrate shibori techniques.

Please bring the following items:

  • 10 baby wipes
  • 10 A4 sheets of paper, preferably white/plain (These will be used for demonstration purposes)
  • some small rubber bands
  • a few short lengths of strings (different thicknesses)
  • a few beads or glass pebbles
  • a ruler
  • pen or pencil, and a small bag to bring them home again.

Note: these items are for demonstrating purposes only, not for dyeing.

From an Indigo / Shibori Dyeing Workshop in 2024

The photos above are from a workshop taught by Clodagh and Mel Bradley, which was held at Mel Bradley Silks, in the Millmount Craft Quarter, Drogheda, in the Spring of 2024.

Additional Details

Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at this Sunday’s Session. Home-baked goods to share are always welcome! If you can, please bring a travel mug to replace disposable paper cups.

As a member perk for 2025, we will no longer charge 5 euros per session. (If you still need to renew your Annual Membership for 2025, you can now pay online here – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/ )

This Sunday’s Session will ~not~ have a Zoom link. We apologise for this, but we will use a projector to share some of Clodagh’s photographs of her travels. There is only so much technology we can juggle during a single session.

As this is the season of coughs and sneezes, we prefer you not to share these. Please do not attend if you may be unwell.

Here is a fun video from the workshop in Drogheda!

Students are airing the indigo-dyed fabric and having a little dance, too!

The recap of this Sunday Session is HERE – https://feltmakersireland.com/2025/04/15/recap-clodagh-mac-donagh-april-sunday-session/

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.