Do you use plastics such as thin kitchen flooring underlayment for resists and bubble wrap for ‘friction’ in wet felting? Are you interested in reducing your reliance on these fossil-fuel-based materials? Feltmaker and tutor Vanda Sousa of ‘Going the Dodo Way’ shared an interesting blog post in 2023, exploring alternatives to plastic in wet felting.
Her post includes several ideas originally shared in “Filzen ohne Plastik” by Corinna Nitschmann from an issue of the German-language felting magazine FiltzFun, n. 73.
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The Wise Wool Project will be at Discover Derrynane the weekend of the 7th through the 8th of June. Visit their table to learn about the current Irish wool dilemma and enjoy wet and needle felting with Irish wool.
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Neither of these articles is new, but it is interesting to see how scientists and students are researching ways to utilise and process Irish wool so that it does not continue to be a waste product.
Regenerative Value Systems for Irish Grown Wool in Ireland (REVEIRE) Funded
University College of Cork announced that researcher Dr Archishman Bose’s three-year project, Regenerative Value Systems for Irish Grown Wool in Ireland (REVEIRE), received funding of €657,403.
The project will conduct a comprehensive sustainability assessment of Irish-grown wool, including the value created by a scouring facility within Ireland.
“Irish wool, typically characterised as ‘strong wool’, can have wide applications in textiles, packaging, environmental, and high-value materials. This project, by undertaking a comprehensive sustainability assessment of Irish grown wool, will provide data and evidence to inform Government policies, initiatives and investments required for regenerating the Irish grown wool industry for a sustainable circular bioeconomy.”
In January, Transition Year students from Co Sligo were awarded for their research on how sheep wool can be used in the concrete industry as a strengthening material.
Typically, polypropylene is used to prevent cracks in concrete; however, the students discovered that concrete mixed with wool surpassed polypropylene in both durability and strength.
Their project was inspired by the students’ experiences of not being able to sell wool from their family farm. Aoife Fadian states, “It is selling at about 10c/kg, even if it’s selling at all. Farmers all around Ireland are really struggling with what to do with it.”
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The inaugural Fashion & Farming Weekend unites the two worlds of fashion and farming to explore what we farm, wear and the earth we share.
Clothing is part of the fabric of life, and fashion is one of our primary sources of self-expression. Once inextricably linked, the farm-to-food-and-fabric cycle has been broken. The Fashion & Farming weekend will bring together creative minds, change makers and entrepreneurs where fresh ideas take root.
Galway Wool Co-op member Blátnaid Gallagher will speak on the 10th of May.
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To mark 25 years of supporting creative Irish businesses, The Leitrim Design House has launched the National Design, Craft & Art Awards to celebrate excellence in craftsmanship. The award stems from the organisation’s resilience and sustainability as a business over the past two decades.
As a reflection of this longevity, The Leitrim Design House invites makers, artists, and designers from across the country to respond to the theme ofReused Sustainability.
The overall winner will receive €2,500 and a solo exhibition at The Leitrim Design House in 2026. A Special Commendation Prize of €1,000 will also be awarded to a runner-up.
Deadline for submission of applications: Friday, the 27th of June, 2025.
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Sandra Coote of Crafts of Ireland was recently featured in a video by Fibreshed Ireland and the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland.
On St Patrick’s Day, Fibreshed Ireland showcased their member Sandra Coote, founder of Crafts of Ireland. Sandra is also a member of our guild, Feltmakers Ireland!
Through her brand, Sandra is an avid promoter of Irish-grown fibre and works tirelessly to rekindle Ireland’s traditional crafts. She raises native Irish rare Roscommon sheep alongside Bluefaced Leicester sheep. She washes and processes their wool to produce needle felting kits. On her farm, she also grows and processes flax to spin into thread using traditional methods.
In the fall, she purchased a flatbed needle felting machine (the first imported into Ireland) to create prefelt using wool from her farm. There is a video of her unboxing the enormous machine on her Instagram account – https://www.instagram.com/p/DA1k_DYIOsn/
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‘Learning Old Tricks from Ancient Sheep’ is a one-day exhibition of two designers’ residencies with the Galway Wool Co-op.
Fabienne Rako and Annika Joachim invite you to their exhibition ‘Learning Old Tricks from Ancient Sheep’, which they are presenting in cooperation with the Galway Wool Co-Op. Together with Galway Wool, they aim to elaborate on the various applications in which all parts of the sheep’s wool can be properly utilised.
Within their two-week residency with the Co-op, they explored the potential of noil, a short fibre by-product of worsted spinning, to create unique, textured garments. Their work will showcase noil’s potential beyond waste, transforming it into high-quality, contemporary Irish textiles.
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European Wool Day is an event dedicated to celebrating wool’s versatile and sustainable benefits, a natural fibre with a rich heritage and an important role in our future. The event has a particular focus on wool’s therapeutic and health-related uses.
Applications are now open for wool producers, health professionals, and sustainability advocates to share their woollen stories contributing to our health and the planet’s health at the 5th European Wool Day.
There are three ways to participate:
-Presenting in person on 6th April from Rome, Italy -Presenting live joining online on 6th April -Contributing with a pre-recorded presentation.
The deadline for applications is the 16th of February, 2025.
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On Monday, the 20th of January, the Irish Grown Wool Council (IGWC) is hosting a panel discussion on how Donegal is taking its wool heritage into exciting new directions. From the quest for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for Donegal Tweed, to the growing demand for sustainable, innovative uses of Irish grown wool, discover how local businesses are blending tradition with forward-thinking ideas.
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Feltmaker Ireland’s guild member Sandra Coote’s business, Crafts of Ireland, is a finalist for the Sustainability Champion Award supported by the Local Enterprise Office of Cavan at Showcase 2025. The awards will take place on Monday, 20th of January, at Showcase in the RDS as part of the overall event. The shortlisted companies were selected from the 105 Local Enterprise clients who will exhibit to national and international buyers from the 19th – 21st of January.
The Awards
The awards are divided into three categories: Best Newcomer, which recognises the top craft and design business making its debut; One to Watch, which highlights a business with outstanding export and international potential; and Sustainability Champion, which celebrates the craft and design business leading the way in sustainability.
Crafts of Ireland
Rooted in a sixth-generation family farm in County Cavan, Crafts of Ireland is a business devoted to preserving and promoting traditional Irish crafts and skills. Serving as both a craft studio and a heritage hub, it offers an array of experiences, workshops, and handcrafted products that celebrate Ireland’s cultural heritage. Their Irish Wool Needle Felting Kits feature fibre from their own rare Irish Roscommon Sheep, along with wool sourced from local farmers.
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