Claire's Merry Go Round of Amazing Felt!

What a wonderful treat we had today when renowned Irish felt artist Claire Merry joined us as our special guest at the 7th AGM of Feltmakers North.  Claire had brought a dizzying array of pieces to share with us.

Eat your heart out Pippa!

Simply Stunning!

The resist for the wedding dress

Claire explained about the resist she had created for the wedding dress.  It covered two tables and on to the floor as you can see!  And she had to lay out all the fibres on the floor as it was so huge but my goodness what a fabulous result.

Felted silk roses at the neck and carried through to the train

Claire chatted about her work and explained lots of the techniques she has experimented with - I imagine everyone will be trying out the technique for her roses.  The garments wowed us all with the attention to shape and surface detail and her use of colour was inspirational. 

Claire often felts in natural colours and then dyes her pieces which gives her great control over the final outcome.

Fine cobweb

She clearly loves her poppies as they featured in a number of her pieces both painted and felted.  Claire answered everyone's questions and very generously explained about particular processes that she used for individual pieces.  Before she created the wedding dress she had worked on another piece incorporating fabrics which she had salvaged from a family member - old lace, dollies and silk.

Garment using recycled fabrics

Everyone was pretty much bowled over by the extent of Claire's talents particularly when she talked about some of her hangings.

This piece was inspired by a tale by Hans Christian Andersen 'The Wild Swans'

This piece incorporates the most intricate of stitching and is so evocative.

Oscar Wilde's story about the nightingale and the rose

Claire clearly draws her inspiration from many things and her interpretation is utterly unique.  She exhibits in many galleries and is a regular at the RDS.  Her work is featured in the book 'Worldwide Colours of Felt'  by Ellen Bakker and in lots of magazines.

Of course it was our AGM and we had to get down to a bit of business before we gave the floor to Claire, but even before that some members had brought along their blouses from the Dagmar Binder workshop.

Mandy happily models Deirdre's blouse

Leah's blouse from the inside out!

Beautiful colours and intricate design

Helen's lovely blouse

Our 7th AGM went very smoothly as all the committee are remaining for another year and members were very happy to vote  Mandy Jackson and Helen O'Grady Browne on to the committee.  Other news to note is that Jayne our treasurer has stepped down from that role and Ann as Chair for the past two years has also stepped down.   Tribute was paid to both ladies for their hard work and dedication to Feltmakers North. 

Just before we got started

Claire's carrot backpack!

I think this a great way to say that we had enjoyed some very good grub provided by the members, but what an amazingly clever way to design a little bag.  You can see some of the publications that Claire has featured in in the background.

I think this picture says it all!  Happy munching faces.

We thoroughly enjoyed Claire's talk and her very generous sharing of ideas and techniques and ending with all these gorgeous cakes.  Great Day!!

I'm going to finish with sharing some more photos of Claire's work and don't forget there's another Felt-in in June and August Craft Month to look forward to.  Check out the Events Section above for all the details.

Thanks to everyone who made the 7th AGM a really good day and I'm looking forward to another great year and lots more new faces.  Don't forget if you haven't come to one of our sessions yet, you would be very welcome, just come along and enjoy the craic and friendship, never mind the felting!

This was possibly my favourite of all Claire's masterpieces (although it's hard to choose).  It's called 'Footsteps in the Sand' and this photo really doesn't do it any justice.  The images of feet and shoes and even the sea have been carved into the felt - fantastic!!

Bye and Happy felting!

Nothing Boring About Shibori!!

Ann sharing one of her samples

Our April Felt-In was led by Feltmakers North Chair Ann McCullough and she introduced us to shibori techniques in feltmaking.  Ann had made lots of samples and shared some interesting ideas on dyeing to achieve traditional shibori effects.

Tying techniques

Some of Ann's lovely samples

Of course before we got down to trying this fabulous technique we had our usual Show n Tell and that was a treat!  Below are some of the amazing garments which the girls made at the recent Dagmar Binder Workshop.

Lovely designs

Pattern wraps round from front (clever girls!)

Wonderful to see all the creativity at play and how each garment is so very different.  Hopefully all the girls will sport their final pieces at our AGM next month.

This beautiful scarf was made by Tina who had interpreted Dagmar's technique and created a lovely diaphanous summer scarf.

Karen proudly shows her samples

Helen finally finished her bag - only took her six months!!

Maria's velvet scarf which she had constructed and then dyed

It was very pleasing to see so many lovely things on display at our Show n Tell.  Well done to everyone.

And then it was Ann's turn!  She demonstrated the basic tecnhiques to get everyone started and then did the rounds encouraging us to work even harder to get our samples completed in time. 

Our two latest recruits Elaine and Ida got stuck in!

Sarah tries to distract Jane!

Well as the photos show everyone got going and worked pretty hard - well some did, poor Sarah was suffering today and opted to encourage from the sidelines!

The versatility of the shibori technique in feltmaking is wonderful - from creating pattern through the careful application of the resist material, to adding raised surfaces and texture, to creating 3d stones for a hanging and lots more.  It's a great skill to master for the feltmaker.

Lots of lovely samples which will look even better when the felt dries and the resists can be removed.   Everyone  thanked  Ann for her inspiration and help today and I know we'll all be looking forward to creating our own masterpiece soon!

Dympna decided she wanted to begin her masterpiece today and as you can see from the above photos, she has almost finished - well done to her.

Finally a little tip for everyone - Jane brought along a roll of wire which had been covered in wool, a product which florists use, but which could have all sorts of interesting applications for felters, so watch this space!