Tag: Textile Education

Education: Indigo Dying Workshop with Malú Colorín

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

By Feltmakers Ireland Committee Member and Chairperson, Elizabeth Redding

I set off early on Saturday morning, 13th June, for a two-day Indigo Dyeing Workshop with Malú Colorín in Wicklow. It was a lovely scenic drive through The Curragh and over the Wicklow mountains. On arrival, there was a very welcome cup of tea and cake waiting for us.

The first task was to scour the samples we brought. Malú explained the importance of scouring and the different ways for plant as opposed to protein fibres. Later, we saw for ourselves, as the water turned brown, even though everything had already been washed.

Next, she explained the difference between dye and pigment. Indigo is a pigment; therefore, it is not water-soluble. To make it soluble, it has to be starved of oxygen and be alkaline. We were told about the different plants that produce indigo. Some of which can be grown in Ireland.

Next was to start making up vats. Four in total. First was a fructose vat. When we had that made, we broke for lunch. After lunch, we made the other three vats: iron, banana and madder. We were told how to mind the vats and keep them alive. Then, it was time to finish for the day.

The second day was spent dying. First, we prepared some material by tying beads into it, and another piece by folding and clamping with pegs and lollipop sticks. There was a great variety of samples to dye. The materials were cotton, silk, and linen. The yarns were wool, cotton, flax, alpaca, tencel, and nettle.

It was very interesting how the different materials took up the dye. Some came out darker than others. I was so busy that I was forgetting to take photos of the process.

The Indigo Dyeing Workshop was very interesting, and Malú was so helpful. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

To learn more about Malú Colorín’s workshops, please visit her website – https://talu.earth/upcoming-workshops/

Her Instagram: @malu_colorin @talu.earth

Have you recently taken part in an interesting textile workshop? If you’re a member of Feltmakers Ireland, we’d love to hear about it and share your experience with the wider guild. No need to give away the tutor’s “secret sauce,” of course! And your article need not be long either.

Photographs are always welcome. For best online display, please send images, ideally sized at 1080 × 1350 pixels at 96 dpi.

Please email your workshop report and photos to feltmakersie@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 questions about the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

News: Bursary Awarded to Hilary Delaney – Botanical Printing with Gabrielle Bishop at Mulranny Arts

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland1 Comment

At our 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM), guild member Hilary Delaney‘s name was pulled from the hat for the annual bursary to study a textile course of her choice.

As part of the award, bursary recipients share their experiences with the guild via our blog. In the past, those who have shared articles about their educational experiences include: Adrienne Dempsey in 2024, Ramona Farrelly in 2023, and Doris Reinisch in 2021. Editor’s Note: There wasn’t a bursary award in 2022.

Below, Hilary shares her wonderful experience with the three-Day botanical printing workshop, ‘Nature’s Palette’ with Gabrielle Bishop at Mulranny Arts in County Mayo.

Poster for 'Nature's Palette' Contact/Eco Print Workshop with Gabrielle Bishop, May 1st, 2nd & 3rd 2026, featuring images of eco-printed fabric and various plant materials.
Poster advertising the workshop

By Hilary Delaney

I chose the botanical printing course because I was captivated by the colours, textures, and creation of possibilities that leaves and seaweed can bring to cloth and paper. Plants contain their own pigments and structures, and the process of transferring their colours and shapes using mordants and natural dyes really interests me.

Various green leaves arranged on a piece of paper for printing purposes.

As a horticulturist and hobby felter, I find this feels like a natural extension of my practice. Both felting and botanical printing rely on water, pressure, and time to transform raw material. I’m excited by the opportunities to combine them: printing onto silks and fine wools before nuno felting, embedding seaweed silhouettes into vessel forms, or using the subtle leaf shapes on bowls.

The course has opened up new ways for me to capture a sense of place and season in my work — not just through form, but through the actual pigments and patterns of the landscape.

Artistic print created using seaweed collected from local beaches, featuring abstract designs and natural textures.

Tutor Gabrielle Bishop’s ability to facilitate learning was excellent; she created a space where curiosity was encouraged. Her deep knowledge of plants, process, and colour was always present; she gave room for each student to find their own dialogue with the materials.

What stood out most was how she encouraged us to slow down and really see — the vein of a leaf, the way seaweed releases pigment, the shift in tone from steam to cloth. Her guidance was practical, with stories about foraging and folklore, which added interest to the learning process. 

A close-up of printed paper displaying various leaf patterns in natural earthy tones.

This weekend has given me the confidence to carry these techniques into my felting, with a sense of play, exploring different textures and colours.

Future projects I hope to explore based on what I learned in this course. This will include seaweed prints on silk and botanical printing at various times of the year, paired with Nunofelting.

Thank you to Feltmakers Ireland for the bursary.

Close-up of printed fabrics showing botanical patterns in earthy tones.

Hilary studied at Mulranny Arts, The Old Convent, Mallaranny, Co. Mayo, F28 F8N8

For information on Botanical Printing and other creative arts classes on offer, visit the Mulranny Arts website – https://www.mulrannyarts.com/classesworkshops

Their Instagram: @mulrannyarts @gabriellemarybishop

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: Textile Academy Bootcamp – Dundalk

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Promotional poster for the Textile Academy Bootcamp 2026 featuring a model in a unique textile outfit. Details include dates from May 25th to 30th in Ireland, highlighting activities like lectures, workshops, and networking. Features a QR code for booking.

Fabricademy, Textile and Technology Academy is a multidisciplinary, intensive training program at the intersection of Textiles, Digital Fabrication, and Biology, delivered in equipped laboratories worldwide, providing distributed education with hands-on technical learning.

This year’s 5-day Fabricademy Bootcamp is hosted by Creative Spark Dundalk, and is open to students, designers, teachers, professionals, and curious makers interested in sustainable practices.

Discover laser-cut zero-waste fashion, 3D printing on textiles, biomaterials, electronic textiles, silk screen printing with lake pigments, seaweed harvesting, tufting, and more.

When: the 25th – 30th of May, 2026

Where: Creative Spark, Clontygora Ct, Muirhevnamore, Dundalk, Co. Louth, A91 HF77, Ireland and other locations in Dundalk.

For more information and to register, visit their website – https://bootcamp.textile-academy.org/

Instagram: @fabricademy @creativesparkdundalk

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: Online Talk about Cyanotype and Year-long Natural Dyeing Course 2025

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Cyanotype – Natural Dyeing Talk

Ashleigh Ellis will give a free online talk and Q&A to preview her 2025 three-module workshop on ‘Cyanotypes using Natural Dyes’, which is part of the Natural Dyers & Growers Academy.

When: Wednesday, the 20th of November at 6:30 PM.

For more information and to register, visit this website – https://the-natural-dyers-academy.mn.co/events/cyanotypes-a-talk-by-ashleigh-ellis

Year-long Natural Dyeing Course 2025

National Organic Training Skills (NOTS) is partnering with The Natural Dyers and Growers Academy and AppleOak FibreWorks to offer all Irish residents a 40% discount on the Natural Dyeying Course 2025 fees and a further 10% reduction on the dye and fabric boxes for the year.

The course is fully online and consists of 12 modules, scheduled over 12 months, starting mid-January 2025. Each module will open on the first of the month, giving access to written and illustrated material to guide through its topic. Each module also contains a quiz and a project, which will result in recipes and samples for students’ portfolios on that topic.

The booking gate for the one-year Natural Dyeing Course 2025 will officially close on Saturday, the 30th of November.

For more information and to register for the course, visit the NOTS’ website – https://nots.ie/events/professional-natural-dyeing-2025/

For students outside of Ireland, visit the AppleOak FibreWorks website to sign up for the course – https://appleoakfibreworks.com/collections/1-year-professional-natural-dyers-course/products/the-natural-dye-academy-1-year-course

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.

Education: Embroidery on Soluble Fabric Course – Co Wicklow

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Two-part class on using Soluble Fabric to create embroidery designs for all types of textile art and creations, including feltmaking, quilting, and other textile art. The instructor, Anne Jeffares, is a former fashion design tutor at Bray Institute for Further Education, the former owner of The Fabric Gallery in Bray, and a textile artist. You can see some of her work on the Element15 website. https://element15.ie/anne-jeffares-textile-artist/

This class will take place on October 9th and 16th, from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM, at Jacksmill, the repurposed old sawmill near Newcastle and Newtownmountkennedy in County Wicklow.

For more information and to register, visit the following website – https://www.sharonwellsart.com/product-page/embroidery-on-soluble-fabrics-with-anne-jeffares-oct-9th-16th-10-30am-3-30pm

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.

Education: Liberties College – Textiles Course – Heritage, Craft, Revival and Renewal

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Trip to Liz Christy’s Swallow Studios in Annayalla, Co. Monaghan, with Textiles, Heritage and Craft students – from February 2024

Liberties College has an exciting upcoming course: ‘Textiles – Heritage, Craft, Revival and Renewal,’ which aims to explore the art of making traditional crafts by providing participants with the opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge of various crafts and to use them in a way that is relevant to the 21st century. Traditional crafts, such as weaving, felting, lace making, patchwork, quilting, and embroidery, will be studied from a historical and contemporary perspective.

Participants can design, make, and use crafts in a way relevant to their creative direction.

The opportunity to explore colour, texture, design, fabric manipulation, fabric decorating, and stitching, in conjunction with developing mood boards and sample boards to include hand-rendered and digital pieces, will underpin the core content of this course.

The course is full-time, starting in the autumn and runs through the academic year. It is very reasonably priced.

For more information, visit the College’s website – https://libertiescollege.ie/courses/textiles-heritage-craft-revival-and-renewal/

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.