Sharing FeltHappiness

In December 2021, my family and I moved to Dublin, Ireland and the shed was transformed into a Textile Studio.

CURRENT EVENTS:

RECENT EVENTS:

• In October, my Lotus Pod Hat was part of Feltmakers Ireland's 'Bountiful' exhibition at the Phoenix Park Visitors' Centre. 
• Two felted hats were part of a group exhibition, 'Wonderful WOOL' of Region 14 of the International Feltmakers Association, in the Larne Museum and Arts Centre, Larne, Northern Ireland from July 6 - 27th.
• A hat was part of a group exhibition at the Galway Wool Co-op's Meitheal, in Athenry, Galway on the 22nd of July.
• August Craft Month - I hosted an Open Studio, the 6th of August, 11 AM - 4 PM. Come and see the tiny shed where I create my whimsical hats! Plus, you can make your own felted mossy 'stone' using Irish-raised Jacob Wool.
• As part of August Craft Month, on August 20th Feltmakers Ireland had an Open Day, where we shared the magic of feltmaking. I was the lead organiser for the Guild.
• Participated at the Pop-Up Gallery's market at Against the Grain on July 15th, 1-6 PM.
• Hid a needle felted mushroom in Merrion Square Park as part of Game of Shrooms - June 10th.
• Helped coordinate volunteers for the Feltmakers Ireland guild at Bord Bia's Bloom, Friday and Saturday, the 2nd and 3rd of June, from 11 AM to 5 PM, located in area 26 of the DCCI's Irish Craft Village, in Phoenix Park, Dublin. Read the recap over at the Feltmakers Ireland blog.
• Became responsible for Marketing Communications for Feltmakers Ireland. It's a volunteer position, but I am keen!
• Celebrating Wool - the Legacy of Brigid. Includes fibre-related demonstrations, panel and exhibition space. I shared how a hat is wet-felted from Merino and Irish-raised Jacob wool in Newbridge. 
• Participated at Showcase Ireland, Stand C91, 22-24th January 2023 at RDS, Dublin.
• Member of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. Also part of the Made Local campaign.
• Joined the Irish Guild of Weavers, Knitters, and Spinners. 
• Member of RISDmade, an online source for goods from makers and designers who have graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design.
• Part of a juried group exhibition, Building Bridges with Feltmakers Ireland at the Phoenix Park Visitors Centre, 5th-22nd of December.
• Five fruit hats were part of an exhibition with Poppins Hats in Japan.
• Exhibited a series of pods at Sculpture in Context, Thursday, 1st of September to Friday, the 7th of October, in the Wisteria Tent of the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, Ireland.
• Held Open Studio every Sunday for August Craft Month 2022.
• Shared the wonders of felt at Dublin Maker Event, Saturday, 23rd of July 2022 in Merrion Square Park, Dublin, Ireland. 
• Demonstrated beret layout and shared my hats at the Sunday Session of the Feltmakers' Ireland Guild, March, 2022.

 

FURTHER BACK:

From my creatively fruitful time of living in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, (2014-2021) 

• Vended at ArtRider's Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst, in Tarrytown, NY in October 17-19, 2021.
• Vended at A Fair in the Park in Pittsburgh, PA, September 10th-12th, 2021. 
• Vended DoorsOpenPittsburgh's Homestead Neighborhood Event, at 309 E 8th Ave, on June 26, 2021.
• Vended Handmade Arcade Virtual Market, November 28- December 6th, 2020. 
• Hat exhibited London Hat Week Exhibition, London, UK. Oct 8-11, 2020.
• Sold felted hats and purses at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Shop.
• Vended at Handmade Arcade's Winter Market at Market Square, PGH,  Dec 28-31st, 2019.
• Vended hats at I Made it! Market @ The Block Northway, PGH, Dec 14th 2019.
• Vended hats at Handmade Arcade in PGH,  Dec 7th, 2019.
• Vended hats at Bazaart at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD, Nov 29th & 30th, 2019.
• Vended hats at RISD Craft, Providence, RI, Oct 12th, 2019.
• Vended hats at A Fair in the Park, PGH, PA, Sept 6-8th, 2019.
• Runway Designer at StyleWeekPittsburgh Fashion Show, Aug 17th, 2019.
• Part of the MarketPlace at StyleWeekPittsburgh, Aug 17th, 2019.
• Art hat exhibited at BeanieFest, Alice Springs, Australia in 2019.
• Vended hats at Crafts Alliance, Chautauqua, NY, July 12-14th, 2019.
• Vended hats at Mid Ohio Fiber Fair, June 1-2nd.
• Vended hats at Three Rivers Arts Festival, June 15-16th, 2019.
• Vegas Creamsicle Hat was part of a group show at XTerrace's World Garden Exhibition during London Hat Week, April 3rd -12th, 2019.
• Contributed one felted hat to Contemporary Craft's annual, Out of Hand fundraising auction on March 30th, 2019.
• Vended hats at the PGH Creative Arts Festival's Pop-Up Makers' Night Market on Saturday evening, March 16th, 2019.
• Vended at Indie Knit & Spin @ Ace Hotel, February 23rd, 11-5PM.
• Vended at Handmade Arcade, December 8th, 11-7pm, 2018.
• Vended at The Center of Harmony’s Christmas Festival, November 10th, 9-6pm. and November 11th, 2018.
• Shared the Magic of Wool at the Cleveland Mini Maker Faire, November 3rd, 2018l
• Hat Evening at Etc. Wheeling, West Virginia, November 1st, 2018.
• Exhibited one of my hats, ‘Fragile Earth,’ in the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh’s juried exhibition, Inspired, September 23rd-October 18th, 2018.
• Vended at the Wearable Art Market, at Eton Chagrin Blvd, October 14th, 2018.
• Taught a one-on-one Felted Vessel Workshop to the winning bidder of AssemblePGH MakerDate October 9th, 2018.
• Vended at EuroFest 2018, Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh, September 15th, 2018.
• Participated in MakerDate2018 to benefit AssemblePGH at the Ace Hotel Pittsburgh, September 14th, 2018.
• Vended at A Fair in the Park, Mellon Park, September 7th, 2018.
• Taught a Felted Vessel Class to the Butler Spinners & Weavers Guild in July, 2018.
• Vended at Three Rivers Arts Festival, Point State Park, Pittsburgh, Booth #207, June 8-10th, 2018.
• Vended at Neighborhood Flea, in the Strip District, 26th & Smallman, May 13th – Mother’s Day, 2018
• Taught how to make a Felted Earth Day Vessel at PGH Knit and Crochet Festival, April 8th, 2018.
• Taught a Felted Treasure Nest class at Creative Harmony Books & Arts, Harmony, PA, March 31, 2018.
• Taught how to make a Wet Felted Hat at Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA, February 24, 2018.
• Sold felted hats at Steel City Con in Monroeville, PA, December 8 – 10th, 2017.
• Sold felted hats at Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh, PA, December 2nd, 2017.
• Demonstrated feltmaking at Maker Faire Pittsburgh, October 14 – 15th, 2017.
• One of my hats was included in the exhibit, Blue at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Aug-Oct 2017.
• Participated at A Fair in the Park, in Pittsburgh, PA, September 8 – 10th, 2017.
• Demonstrated and sold hats at Art in the Wilds in Kane, PA, June 24-25, 2017 in Evergreen Park.
• Had a booth at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, downtown Pittsburgh. June 9-11th, 2017.
• Three hats were exhibited at Wearable Expressions 7th International Juried Exhibition, Palos Verdes, CA, February 10 – April 16, 2017. They were also included in the catalog.
• Demonstrated carding wool and sold hats at FutureFest2017, in front of Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, April 29th.
• A table full of hats at EuroFest 2017 at University of Pittsburgh, Posvar Hall, Saturday, April 4, 2017.
• Felted Nest Workshop at Creative Harmony Arts & Books, April 1, 2017. See http://www.harmonyartsbooks.com/
• 4th Annual Gift Gallery at Spinning Plate, 5821 Baum Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA. December 7th- 12th. Fri 7-9pm; Sat 10am-5pm & Sun 12-5 pm.
• Felted Treasure Container Workshop at Creative Harmony Arts & Books, December 3rd, Sat 1-3pm. See http://www.harmonyartsbooks.com/
• 2nd Annual Maker Faire Pittsburgh demonstrating wet felting. October 15-16, 2017.
• Participated in A Fair in the Park, Mellon Park, Pittsburgh, PA, (USA), September 9-11, 2016. Won the prize for ‘Outstanding Originality.’
• Three hats included in the book ‘Worldwide Colours of Felt.’
• Accepted into the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh, February 2016.
• Became a member of Surface Design Association. January 2016.
• Popup shop in front of Penn Ave. Pottery, 1905 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, (USA), December 12-13, 2015.
• Meet the Maker at Barnes & Noble’s Mini Maker Faire, in Pittsburgh, PA, near the airport. I demonstrated the mysteries of wet felting on Saturday, Nov 7th. The event ran from Nov 6 – Nov 8, 2015. For more details go here.
• Finalist for the Seagull Hat at The Crafty’s in the category of Felt Crafts.
• FeltHappiness hats and accessories had a showing at Hat Box in Austin, TX “Helping keep Austin weird.”
• Nine hats were part of ArtWear Fashion Week in Fort Collins, CO on October 23rd, 2016.
• Demonstrated feltmaking at Pittsburgh Maker Faire, October 10th & 11th, 2015, Children’s Museum.
• Became a member of the prestigious art group TAFA, Textile and Fiber Arts list. See profile here. January 2015.
• Six hats in “Hat or a Crown?” a group exhibition at Ausrine’s Arts Room in Evanston, IL, (USA). February – March 2015.
• After living almost a dozen years in Norwich UK, moved back to the USA on September 12th, 2014.

Before that. I lived in Norwich, UK  (2003-2014)  - see link

 

Arts Organization Memberships:

• Joined Feltmakers Ireland  in January 2022.
• Joined International Feltmakers Association in February 2021.
• Joined Northeast Feltmakers Guild in November 2020.
• Joined Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh in 2015.

Continuing Education:

• In Spring 2022, I took Fiona Duthie's Colour Studies in Feltmaking.
• In May 2022, I took Judit Poc's Bud Hat Class.
• In April 2022, I took Zsofia Marx's Brimmed Hat Class.
• In June 2022, I took Judit Poc's Reversible Bohemian Hat Class. 

 

• During to the Coronavirus quarantine, I took the opportunity to expand my feltmaking skills. I attended several stimulating, online felting classes. These include Zsofia Marx's Stunning Hats, Fiona Duthie's Fibre + Paper, Lena Archbold's Loop de Loop Infinity Scarf, and Judit Poc's Form within a Form Class, via the Northeast Feltmakers Guild.

 

• Additionally, I have watched, via Zoom, many fascinating textile artists' presentations organized by the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh and the Northeast Feltmakers Guild.

 

Formal Education:

• Graduated from San Jose State University, MLIS in Library and Information Science.
• Graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, BFA in Textiles.