Tag: Wool

Of Interest: Panel Discussion for Wool Month – London – This Friday

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

This is a bit late and not local; however, it’s still interesting: The Fashion and Textile Museum in London is having a panel discussion on Wool and Fashion tomorrow morning, Friday, the 18th.

October is Wool Month! – https://www.britishwool.org.uk/what-is-wool-month

“Panellists will share how they use wool in their collections and delve into the benefits and positive impacts of this historic versatile material. Discussions will share what it is like to work with British farms, and how the process of farm to fleece to finished garment works within the fashion industry.”

For more information and to book your ticket, visit their website – https://fashiontextilemuseum.org/museumevents/celebrating-british-wool/


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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.

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Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Of Interest: Wool in the News

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland

Although these articles aren’t specifically about feltmaking, the efforts of the following companies and organisations to promote locally-raised wool are exciting news.

Cushendale Woolen Mills

There’s an interesting article about the long history and recent activities of Cushendale Woollen Mills in Agriland.

To read the article and watch a video that shows Galway Irish wool being processed into yarn and then woven, visit the Agriland website – https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/from-kilkenny-to-ny-textiles-crafted-at-cushendale-woollen-mills/

Irish Sweater Article


As many felters in Ireland know, new Aran jumpers sold in shops rarely contain Irish-raised wool as the public expects the softness of Merino, which is not a sheep that can thrive in Ireland. It is helpful to see this information being shared with the public.

To read the article, visit the Irish Examiner’s website – https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/arid-41490926.html

Great British Wool Revival Website

The Great British Wool Revival has been set up as a central platform for sharing knowledge and resources to support the goal of elevating British wool. The website offers information on devising a supply chain, case studies of designers working with local fibre, downloadable worksheets to help users understand a product’s wool journey, and much more. There are many resources on the website! Note: Some Irish-based businesses are also included on the map.

For more information (and to play with their nifty interactive map), visit their website – https://www.greatbritishwoolrevival.co.uk/

Ériu Interviewed on RTE Countrywide

Ériu is an Irish company that produces Irish wool blankets. In a short program on Countrywide, co-founder Zoë Daly spoke of the importance and benefits of using local Irish wool in their knitted blankets.

To listen to the program, visit the RTE website – https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22428332/

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.

Events: Wonderful Wool Talk and Panel – Belfast

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Step into the world of Wonderful Wool, where we will delve into the potential of Irish-grown wool as a sustainable natural material. Attendees can look forward to a thought-provoking panel discussion featuring keynote speakers from the Irish Grown Wool Council (IGWC). There will be a presentation and interactive seminar featuring craftspeople from across Ireland who champion the benefits of wool in various ways.

The keynote speakers are members of the Irish Grown Wool Council, a dedicated body that promotes Irish-grown wool both locally and globally. Be inspired by their insights and learn about the innovative efforts to advance the standard and create markets for Irish-grown wool.

There will be a networking lunch after the talks for attendees to engage with the panel and peers on all things wool. There will also be a maker’s demonstration and exhibit celebrating all things wool!

When: Friday, the 16th of August 2024, from 10 AM – 1:30 PM.
Where: Conor Lecture Theatre, Ulster University

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

  • Panel Discussion: Dive into the world of wool with keynote speakers from the Irish Grown Wool Council (IGWC).
  • Interactive Seminar: Engage with talented craftspeople from across Ireland.
  • Networking Lunch: Connect with our panel and fellow wool enthusiasts.
  • Maker’s Demonstration & Exhibit: Celebrate the beauty and versatility of wool.

PANELISTS:

  • Chris Weiniger, General Manager, @donegalyarns
  • Jayne Harkness-Bones, Wool Collection, Grading & Trading, Ulster Wool
  • Laura Perrem, Artistic Director & Club Manager, @stolenstitches
  • Alison Gault, Senior Lecturer & Researcher, Belfast School of Art, @ulsteruni

Don’t miss this chance to celebrate wool’s beauty and sustainability!

This event is part of August Craft Month.

To book your free ticket, visit Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wonderful-wool-tickets-927179507867

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: Upcoming Screenings of ‘Notes from Sheepland’ Documentary

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‘Notes From Sheepland’ is a new documentary film that follows the life of artist and shepherd Orla Barry.

From the Light House Cinema website: “Orla Barry is a self-confessed ovine addict. She is a decade in sheep, she’s still wondering what possessed her to start, but yet she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Orla lived in Brussels for 16 years and now lives and works in South East Ireland, where she runs a flock of pedigree Lleyn sheep. Her work deals with the tensions of being an artist and an eco-farmer in rural Ireland. The Sheep have slowed her art career, but at the same, caring for them has hugely inspired it. She escapes the studio by going to the sheep, and escapes the sheep by hiding in her studio. NOTES FROM SHEEPLAND follows Orla, an outlier, as she floats between these worlds.”

‘Notes from Sheepland’ will open in the following cinemas:

• Irish Film Institute (IFI) in Dublin (Friday 26 July 6:30 PM) There will be a Q&A with director Cara Holmes and Orla Barry, hosted by Selina Guinness, after the 6:30 PM screening. –https://ifi.ie/film/notes-from-sheepland-2024/

• Light House Cinema in Dublin (26 July-1 August) –https://www.lighthousecinema.ie/film/notes-from-sheepland

• Pálás Cinema in Galway (27-28 July) – https://www.palas.ie/film/notes-from-sheepland

• QFT in Belfast (3-7 August) – https://queensfilmtheatre.com/Whats-On/Notes-from-Sheepland

•Triskel in Cork (from 28 – 31 July) – https://triskelartscentre.ie/events/notes-from-sheepland/

• Arc in Wexford one night only (Wednesday 31 July, 8:15 PM). Screening & Q&A with Orla Barry and director Cara Holmes, hosted by Wexford Arts Officer, Liz Burns. – https://wexford.arccinema.ie/event/90024

To watch the film’s official trailer, visit YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=GbTa5_8M-Vg&feature=youtu.be

There is an interview with Orla Barry on RTE Radio 1 with Brendan O’Connor. Listen to it here – https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22416993/

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: Arena – Swedish Wool Organisation

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Just as Irish wool growers face challenges, farmers in other parts of Europe face similar challenges in finding markets for their fibre. The Arena Swedish Wool Economic Association was formed in September 2022.

They aim to promote the members’ interests, contribute to strengthening cooperation for Swedish wool, and work to increase its use.

They have information about standardising wool sorting by quality versus breed.

“This means that wool from different farms and breeds, but with similar properties and uses, can be combined into larger quantities. The hope is that more Swedish sheep owners will receive a provision for all wool and increase their income.”

Arena Swedish Wool Economic Association

For more information, visit their website – https://www.arenasvenskull.se/

If you use Google Chrome as a browser, there should be an option to translate it into English.

Of Interest: the Work of Christien Meindertsma

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Via the stimulating Material Matters podcast, we learned about Christien Meindertsma‘s work with wool. She is a Dutch artist/designer who explores creative applications with two local materials: wool and flax. Amazingly, using ‘waste’ wool from sheep raised in the city of Rotterdam, she manages to print three-dimensional forms using cutting-edge technology.

Currently, she has an exhibition, ‘Re-forming Waste,’ at the V&A in London, which runs through Saturday, the 19th of October, 2024.

For more information about her show and to watch a video of some of her fascinating projects, visit this page on the V&A’s website – https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-life/christien-meindertsma-re-forming-waste

Meindertsma’s website catalogues her many thought-provoking explorations of wool. One of her research projects, Fibre Market, used a Fibersort machine to scan 1000 wool sweaters. The machine revealed differences between the information indicated on the material tags and the actual fibre content. Not unsurprisingly, the actual wool content was less.

Visit her website to see more of her intriguing work – https://christienmeindertsma.com/

Lastly, here’s a link to the interview with her on the Material Matters Podcast – https://materialmatters.design/Christien-Meindertsma


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.

News: Fourth Annual European Wool Day

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The Fourth Annual European Wool Day will be held in Greece on April 9th, from 2:30 to 7:30 Central European Time. This year’s theme is ‘New Routes of Wool towards a Sustainable Future’.

WoolinSchool will present as part of the Wool in Education section at approximately 18:30 CEST.

You can watch the presentations live on EWE Foundation’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ewefoundation-europeanwool255

Local programs will run from 6th to 7th April 2024 as part of the Celebrating Wool Weekend, so you are more than welcome to attend in person and enjoy the series of workshops, exhibitions, lectures, and roundtable discussions taking place locally in Metsovo, Greece.

For more information, visit their website – https://www.ewe.network/european-wool-day-2024

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.

News: Wool in Ireland Updates

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Irish wool has been the subject of two news articles in recent weeks.

The Dáil recently deliberated on the potential of Ireland’s wool industry, recognizing the need to explore new markets for the product. Pippa Hackett, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), said: “In one sense, the world is our oyster when it comes to wool”.

To read the article, visit Agriland: https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/hackett-the-world-is-our-oyster-when-it-comes-to-wool/

Ten months following its establishment, the Irish Grown Wool Council convened its inaugural Annual General Meeting at the Athlone Springs Hotel on Friday, February 16th, 2024.

To see the re-elected and newly elected members and their working groups, visit the Irish Grown Wool Council’s website – https://irishgrownwoolcouncil.com/irish-grown-wool-council-agm-2024/

Event: Sustainable Fibre Arts Conference 2024 – Canada

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The Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, through the provincial Year of the Arts initiative, has the pleasure to announce the Made in Canada: Sustainable Fibre Arts Conference 2024. This conference will feature workshops by fibre artists from around Canada and offer panels and workshops on sustainable harvesting and crafting practices.

There are several wool-related events. Among the sessions are working towards a regenerated wool fibre industry and heritage-based circular economies within the province, along with a hands-on event on processing raw wool, flax and nettle into useable fibre for spinning or other fibre craft.

Among the workshops offered will be foraged plant fibre weaving, animal hide tanning,
papermaking with recycled textiles and flax fibre, and block printing with natural dye
mordants.

Where: Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When: 19th – 23rd of September, 2024.

For more information, visit their website – https://www.fibrearts2024.ca/

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.

Your Opinion: Kilmainham Mill Master Plan

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Today, the 3rd of November, is the last day for the public to have their say on the future of the Kilmainham Mill, which is the last remaining, largely unaltered, early 19th century flour mill in Dublin. It is probably the last remaining fulling (cloth shrinking) mill in Ireland. It is a protected structure on the Record of Protected Structures, and it is now in the ownership of Dublin City Council.

The Council wants to develop a vision to underpin the medium and long-term use of the Mill. Please contribute your opinion. It is not a long survey and is easy to fill out. The survey will ask for your name and email, but your response will be anonymous. Please participate.

https://consultation.dublincity.ie/planning/kilmainham-mill-mastervision/

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.