Tag: Sunday Sessions

Sunday Session: Needle Felted Toadstool with Nara Fritch – This Sunday

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Sunday Sessions Resume

This Sunday, the 8th of September, artist Nara Fritch will lead the guild in creating three-dimensional, needle felted toadstools.

All supplies are included, but if you have your own needle-felting tools (pads and needles), please bring them, as we think this may be a busy Sunday Session!

  • When: Sunday, the 8th of September, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
  • Where: CIE Hall/Inchicore Sports and Social Club, Library Square, C.I.E. Works, Inchicore, D08 PA07  https://maps.app.goo.gl/bajpGLbhpnbvQnY87
  • There is ample parking outside the Hall, and the G1, G2, and number 60 buses have a stop on nearby Sarsfield Road.

About Nara

Brief Biography of Nara Fritch by Feltmakers Ireland guild member Clodagh Mac Donagh-

I can’t think of anything Nara can’t do: She used to repair her old Morris Minor herself (as she couldn’t find anyone) and seemed to keep it going for years on string and duct tape. Multi-talented Nara blows glass and makes amazing torched glass beads. She also makes fantastical costumes and masks for theatrical performances, training with the world-renowned Mácnas Theatre company. Additionally, she combines her many talents to create one-of-a-kind art dolls. Nara adores animals and keeps alpacas, miniature goats, ducks, chickens, and dogs. Originally from Seattle, USA, Nara has lived in Ireland for over two decades.

Zoom Link

The Sunday Session will not be recorded, but a Zoom link will be emailed to all members for those who cannot attend in person.

Additional Information

A Sunday Session like this will require lots of tea/ coffee/cake and chat, so there’ll be an abundance of that. Of course, homebakes are always welcome!

There is the usual 5 euro fee.

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.

Recap - Sunday Session

Recap: June Sunday Session with Maria Mc Garry

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

By Breda Fay

Feltmakers Ireland member Maria Mc Garry facilitated a very exciting Sunday session.

Maria’s Artistic Background

Maria’s presentation began with a description of her artistic journey through a wide variety of
courses with various artists from Ireland and away. She began this journey in Brussels with
quilting, joining the Quilters Guild when she returned to Ireland. She proceeded to study free-motion embroidery with Ana Buzzalino. While studying art and psychology via the Vocational Training and Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), she explored the stained-glass effect and found the medium of FELT. Following a visit to the Feltmakers Ireland stand at the RDS Knitting and Stitching Show in 2010, Maria joined our guild. Then, she enrolled for the guild’s Basic and Beyond Course and was “completely hooked!”.

Maria’s feltmaking techniques grew while participating in courses with Gabriella Kovacs, Gabi McGrath, Nancy Ballesteros, Clodagh McDonagh, Nessa McCormack, Nicola Brown and Leiko Uchiyama. A summer course with Mel Bradley inspired Maria to enrol in NCAD for a Visual Arts Certificate, and then Cork’s Crawford College to study Textile Art.

Maria’s Exhibitions

Maria’s work has been displayed at Feltmakers Ireland Exhibitions, as well as in exhibitions by Laois Quilters, Mountamellick Library, Stradbally Art House, Electric Picnic, and the Tullamore Show.

She brought her work to a wide selection of markets in the early days of her felting, but would say that cheaper goods are now in greater demand.

After a coffee break, Maria demonstrated a ruffled scarf-making technique she learned from Lena Archbold’s online course.

Maria Demonstrating

Photo by Adrienne Dempsey
Photo by Adrienne Dempsey

Maria brought a wide range of samples of her work, which we examined and admired. She answered questions and explained techniques.

Two of Maria’s Felted Scarves

Maria brought several of her felted scarves in to share. Guild member Deirdre Crofts kindly modelled them to an appreciative audience.

Maria’s Scarf – Photo by Adrienne Dempsey
Maria’s Scarf – Photo by Adrienne Dempsey

Two of Maria’s Art Quilts

Art Quilt by Maria Mc Garry – Photo by Breda Fay
Art Quilt by Maria Mc Garry – Photo by Breda Fay

More of Maria’s Work

Suppliers

Maria often purchases silk scarf blanks from the Spanish supplier SodinTex. For Margilan silk, she purchases from suppliers in Eastern Europe via Etsy. She mentions that it is best to dye after nunofelting because the silk shrinks during dyeing.

Another great Sunday Session – thank you, Maria, for sharing your journey with the guild!

Want to learn more about Maria? There is an interview with Maria from 2020 on the blog – https://feltmakersireland.com/2020/08/16/meet-the-maker-maria-mc-garry/

Thank you, Breda, for writing and photographing this blog post. We also want to express our appreciation to Adrienne Dempsey, who took some of the photographs at our June Sunday Session, held at the Fatima Community Centre.

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: This Sunday – Maria Mc Garry

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Sunday Session – 9th of June – Maria Mc Garry NEW LOCATION

Guild member Maria Mc Garry from Co Laois, will give a show-and-tell of her experiences with working with galleries and selling at markets. She will also demonstrate how to make a ruffle felted scarf.

When: the 9th of June, 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

There is a lovely ‘Meet the Maker’ interview from 2020 with Maria Mc Garry on the blog here – https://feltmakersireland.com/2020/08/16/meet-the-maker-maria-mc-garry/

Here is her Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/maria_mcgarry_textile_art_/

Temporary NEW Location

Where: We will meet for the June Sunday Session at a DIFFERENT location.

F2 -Fatima Community Centre.

Fatima Community Centre
Herberton Leisure
3 Reuben Plaza, Rialto, Dublin 8, D08 PV0H

Directions from the Red Line LUAS

Get off at Fatima Luas stop (Red Line) and walk to a set of traffic lights.

Google Maps directions from the Red Line LUAS Stop.

View from the LUAS

View of the LUAS Stop from across the street. Photos kindly provided by Adrienne Dempsey.

Cross at the traffic lights, walk straight ahead, and take the first right onto Reuben Plaza. You will then see the Herberton gym.

Cross at the traffic light.
Photo of the Herberton Gym and the Arch Cafe on the corner.

Walk by the Herberton Gym and the Arch Cafe, then turn left. F2 Centre is located beside the green space/kids’ play area.

Where You Enter the Building

The entrance of the F2 Fatima Community Centre.

Parking

There is free street parking along St Anthony’s Road, which leads up to the F2 building. Parking is also available on Reuben Walk and Reuben Street, which surround the building.

Two disabled parking spots are at the top of St Anthony’s Road, leading onto Reuben Plaza and the F2 Centre.

Photo of the two disabled parking spots on St Anthony’s Road.

Additional Information

A Sunday Session like this will require lots of tea/ coffee/cake and chat, so there’ll be an abundance of that. Of course, homebakes are always welcome! There is the usual 5 euro fee.

On Friday, the 7th of June, the Guild will email members a Zoom Link for virtual access and also include a phone number to call for those who need help finding the Centre on the day of the event.

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.

Reminder: Maria Mc Garry – Sunday Session on the 9th – NEW LOCATION

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Sunday Session – 9th of June – Maria Mc Garry NEW LOCATION

Guild member Maria Mc Garry from Co Laois will give a show-and-tell of her experiences with working with galleries and selling at markets. She will also demonstrate how to make a ruffle felted scarf.

When: the 9th of June, 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

There is a lovely ‘Meet the Maker’ interview from 2020 with Maria Mc Garry on the blog here – https://feltmakersireland.com/2020/08/16/meet-the-maker-maria-mc-garry/

Here is her Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/maria_mcgarry_textile_art_/

Temporary NEW Location

Where: We will meet for the June Sunday Session at a DIFFERENT location.

F2 -Fatima Community Centre.

Fatima Community Centre
Herberton Leisure
3 Reuben Plaza, Rialto, Dublin 8, D08 PV0H

Directions from the Red Line LUAS

Get off at Fatima Luas stop (Red Line) and walk to a set of traffic lights.

Google Maps directions from the Red Line LUAS Stop.

View from the LUAS

View of the LUAS Stop from across the street. Photos kindly provided by Adrienne Dempsey.

Cross at the traffic lights, walk straight ahead, and take the first right onto Reuben Plaza. You will then see the Herberton gym.

Cross at the traffic light.
Photo of the Herberton Gym and the Arch Cafe on the corner.

Walk by the Herberton Gym and the Arch Cafe, then turn left. F2 Centre is located beside the green space/kids’ play area.

Where You Enter the Building

The entrance of the F2 Fatima Community Centre.

Parking

There is free street parking along St Anthony’s Road, which leads up to the F2 building. Parking is also available on Reuben Walk and Reuben Street, which surround the building.

Two disabled parking spots are at the top of St Anthony’s Road, leading onto Reuben Plaza and the F2 Centre.

Photo of the two disabled parking spots on St Anthony’s Road.

Additional Information


A Sunday Session like this will require lots of tea/ coffee/cake and chat, so there’ll be an abundance of that. Of course, homebakes are always welcome! There is the usual 5 euro fee.

On Friday, the 7th of June, the Guild will email members a Zoom Link for virtual access, and we will also include a phone number to call if they need help finding the Centre on the event day.

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.

June Sunday Session: Maria Mc Garry

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Sunday Session – 9th of June – Maria Mc Garry NEW LOCATION

Feltmakers Ireland’s June Sunday Session features guild member Maria Mc Garry from Co Laois. Maria will give a show-and-tell of her experiences with working with galleries and selling at markets. She will also demonstrate how to make a ruffle felted scarf.

When: the 9th of June, 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

There is a lovely ‘Meet the Maker’ interview from 2020 with Maria Mc Garry on the blog here – https://feltmakersireland.com/2020/08/16/meet-the-maker-maria-mc-garry/

Here is her Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/maria_mcgarry_textile_art_/

Temporary NEW Location

Where: We will meet at a DIFFERENT location for the June Sunday Session.

F2 -Fatima Community Centre.

Fatima Community Centre
Herberton Leisure
3 Reuben Plaza, Rialto, Dublin 8, D08 PV0H

Directions from the Red Line LUAS

Get off at Fatima Luas stop (Red Line) and walk to a set of traffic lights.

Google Maps directions from the Red Line LUAS Stop.

View from the LUAS

View of the LUAS Stop from across the street. Photos kindly provided by Adrienne Dempsey.

Cross at the traffic lights, walk straight ahead, and take the first right onto Reuben Plaza. You will then see the Herberton gym.

Cross at the traffic light.
Photo of the Herberton Gym and the Arch Cafe on the corner.

Walk by the Herberton Gym and the Arch Cafe, then turn left. F2 Centre is located beside the green space/kids’ play area.

Where You Enter the Building

The entrance of the F2 Fatima Community Centre.

Parking

There is free street parking along St Anthony’s Road, which leads up to the F2 building. Parking is also available on Reuben Walk and Reuben Street, which surround the building.

Two disabled parking spots are at the top of St Anthony’s Road, leading onto Reuben Plaza and the F2 Centre.

Photo of the two disabled parking spots on St Anthony’s Road.

On Friday, the 7th of June, the Guild will email members a Zoom Link for virtual access and also include a phone number to call if they need help finding the Centre on the day of the event.

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.

Recap - Sunday Session

Recap: Mind Mapping from the Sunday Session

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland1 Comment

Guild member Breda Fay kindly stepped in to help his past Sunday when our scheduled speaker became ill. Breda spoke to the audience about how we could generate ideas and inspiration to create artwork, whether for our upcoming exhibition, ‘Opposites Attract’ or other shows.

By Breda Fay

Great meeting you all on Sunday, and thanks for your participation. Here’s a short summary of what we did and also the bits I ran out of time to suggest. Unfortunately, I missed Deirdre Crofts’s last presentation on Mind Mapping in 2023, but I have done it with her as part of a Design Course as part of adult education for teachers.

Brainstorming = more random ideas, whereas Mind Mapping = (for me) is a way of growing ideas and relationships, giving new and broader insights, connecting surprising links, AND keeping some order in my thoughts.

It’s great to use with kids – they love the spider web effect.

Opposites Attract Mind Map


What I Do

  1. Write down the title.
    For each of the following, draw a line (I put each group in a box – it helps to keep my ideas somewhat organized!)
  2. Write down anything that the title brings to your mind.
  3. If nothing comes to mind, look up synonyms and antonyms in the dictionary.
  4. Google some categories –
    Literature. I find Emily Dickinson and Rumi to be quite good. – Google their quotes and poems – “Rumi attraction”.
  • The Bible, especially the Book of Wisdom and the Book of Proverbs.
  • Kids’ poems and stories.
  • Famous quotes can also inspire.
  • I’m a bit of a Gaeilgeoir (Irish speaker), so I might do some of this in Irish.
  • Artists
  • TV, Films
  • Songs
  • Common Phrases
  1. Some words or ideas will spark your own memory – write them down.
  2. Sometimes, a browse through IMAGES on Google or in magazines
    Cut them out and add them to my mind map – this is kind of veering into Mood Boards.

Some Rumi Quotes – https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/875661.Rumi_Jalal_ad_Din_Muhammad_ar_Rumi_

  1. “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. …”
  2. “The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. …”
  3. “Everything that is made beautiful and fair and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees. …”
  4. “Grief can be the garden of compassion.”

Some Emily Dickenson Quotes – https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7440.Emily_Dickinson

  1. “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all.”
  2. “I dwell in possibility.”
  3. “Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.”
  4. “That it will never come again is what makes life sweet.”
  5. “They might not need me; but they might. I’ll let my head be just in sight; a smile as small as mine might be precisely their necessity.”
  6. “To love is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.”
  7. “If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.”
  8. “The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.”
  9. “To make a prairie, it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And reverie. The reverie alone will do, If bees are few.”
  10. “Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.”
  11. “A wounded deer leaps the highest.”
  12. “The brain is wider than the sky.”
  13. “Forever is composed of nows.”
  14. “Finite to fail, but infinite to venture.”

Editor’s notes: Thank you Breda for so kindly helping Feltmakers Ireland with your presentation on Mind Mapping! Keep up with Breda via her blog – https://bredafay.com/ or her Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/fay.breda/

In addition to doing Mind Mapping on paper (or underflooring resist – apologies to Breda for that last-minute substrate), several free desktop and phone apps are available online. Miro.com seems to have an easy-to-use interface!

Remember, your submission for ‘Opposites Attract’ is due by the 19th of April. For more information, visit our website – https://feltmakersireland.com/annual-guild-exhibition-submission/

Sunday Session: Applying to Exhibitions

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Feltmakers Ireland’s next Sunday Session is THIS SUNDAY, March 3rd. Please note that it’s NOT on the SECOND Sunday as usual because that is Mother’s Day. Meanwhile, the THIRD Sunday of March is St Patrick’s Day. March is a busy month!

Exhibiting

The topics of our March Sunday Session will be the following: inspiration brainstorming, framing artwork, photographing art, and filling out your application for our upcoming exhibition, which has the theme of ‘Opposites Attract’.

Find more about this year’s exhibition on our website – https://feltmakersireland.com/2024/01/26/news-guild-exhibition-application/

The deadline for submissions to the exhibition is April 19th.

Note: the information shared in this Sunday Session will be helpful for other exhibition applications.

Session Details

Date: the 3rd of March.

Time: 10:30 AM until 12:30 PM.

Location: CIE Hall/Inchicore Sports and Social Club,

Library Square, C.I.E. Works,
Inchicore, Dublin 8, D08 PA07

A Sunday Session like this will require lots of tea/ coffee/cake and chat, so there’ll be an abundance of that. Of course, homebakes are always welcome! There is the usual 5 euro fee.

A Zoom link will be emailed a day or so before for members who cannot make it in person. This session will NOT be recorded.

Sunday Session: the 3rd of March – Preparing Your Work for Exhibition

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Our next Sunday Session is on March 3rd. Please note that it’s NOT on the SECOND Sunday as usual because that is Mother’s Day. Meanwhile, the THIRD Sunday of March is St Patrick’s Day. So there is a change this month.

Exhibiting

The topics of our March Sunday Session will be inspiration brainstorming, framing artwork, photographing art, and filling out your application for our upcoming exhibition, which has the theme of ‘Opposites Attract’.

Find more about this year’s exhibition on our website – https://feltmakersireland.com/2024/01/26/news-guild-exhibition-application/

The deadline for submissions is April 19th, so it is not far away.

The Details

Date: the 3rd of March.

Time: 10:30 AM until 12:30 PM.

Location: CIE Hall/Inchicore Sports and Social Club,

Library Square, C.I.E. Works,
Inchicore, Dublin 8, D08 PA07

A Sunday Session like this will require lots of tea/ coffee/cake and chat, so there’ll be an abundance of that. Of course, homebakes are always welcome! There is the usual 5 euro fee.

A Zoom link will be emailed out to members a couple of days before the event.

Recap - Sunday Session

Recap: Fine Felt February Workshop with Annika Berglund

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

On Sunday, the 11th of February, 22 students gathered around artist and Feltmakers Ireland guild member Annika Berglund to learn about Fine Feltmaking.

Annika demonstrates how to make clean edges on flat felt.

What is Fine Felt?

With this type of wet felting, the aim is to create dense, smooth felt. It is not a fast process; we didn’t toss or throw but took it slow. Annika said we might never seek this patience-requiring method again, but we would know and have the option to use it in our future felting.

Throughout the workshop, the students used only two colours: black and white. This simple limitation allowed us to experience how colours combine through the feltmaking process.

Everyone gathered around to watch the steps of the process.

Morning

In the morning, we worked two-dimensionally. We learned how to carefully lay out Merino wool roving to a specific size and then gently transform the fluff into felt. Annika explained the hows and whys of why we might want to shrink our samples more or less.

Annika shows how to adjust the corners.

Afternoon

In the afternoon session, the students concentrated on creating a three-dimensional vessel – a sphere. We used a flat resist to create this hollow form. Similar to our morning education, this felting process needed a delicate touch.

Annika shares how to remove the resist.

Students concentrate on their work.

Feedback

Many of the students were fairly new to wet felting and appreciated learning the mysteries of the process. Several enthusiastically reported they would continue felting at home with Annika’s suggestions on how to create new samples with different shrinkage rates.

Students’ Work

Top row: Margaret Ryan, Loli Cox.

Second row: Valerie O’Ceallaigh, Sandra Reynolds.

Third row: Caitriona Nolan, Suzette French.

Fourth row: Samantha Fagan.

Fifth row: Ruth Dawson, Claire Wallace.

Sixth row: Ramona Farrelly.

Appreciation Time

Many thanks to the volunteers who assisted the students. Lorna Cady, Deirdre Crofts, Marian Fagan, Juliane Gorman, Fiona Leech, and Clodagh McDonagh.

Special thanks to Clodagh McDonagh and Adrienne Dempsey, who refreshed everyone’s water containers with the needed water temperatures – at times lukewarm and other times hot!

Clodagh with the kettles of boiling water.

Additional appreciation to Elizabeth Redding and Valerie Nowak Oceallaigh, who helped with the morning registration process and the selling of our book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’.

Elizabeth at the entry table.

As always, special thanks to Fiona Leech for taking care of the tea, coffee, and sweet treats!

Lastly, a huge thanks to Annika Berglund for taking on this workshop for the Guild. She has a marvellous way of getting the students’ attention and also making us laugh!

Editor’s note: as more students email photos, we will add them to this blog post.

February Sunday Session: Fine Felt Workshop FULL – But Members Welcome

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

The Fine Felt Technical Workshop

This upcoming Sunday Session Workshop, ‘Fine Felt in Wet Felting‘, is fully booked.

However, all members are welcome to come and enjoy the felting atmosphere!

  • Where: CIE Sports Hall
  • Date: 11th of February
  • Time: 10:30 AM – 4 PM

As it is a full day, please bring your lunch. (The CIE Sports Hall is in a residential neighbourhood, without nearby cafes).

While the heating will be turned on, please bring a jumper or cardigan as sometimes the Hall is chilly.

Other Details

If you can, please bring a home-baked treat to share.

For those not registered for the workshop or helping as volunteers, there is a member contribution of 5 euros.

This session will ~not~ be Zoomed or recorded.

Membership Renewals

Feltmakers Ireland has an annual membership fee of 25 euros. Your membership is valid for a calendar year – from January to December of each year.

At the Sunday Session, we will have printed membership forms available for 2024. {If you renew in person, can you also please fill out our online survey of members’ interests?}

Additionally, we offer membership renewals online – https://feltmakersireland.com/membership-application/

Hope to see you on Sunday – The Committee.