Special 100th issue.

• Melanie Bermingham discusses how the development of Felt Matters from its early days as a photocopied newsletter to today’s full-colour journal has mirrored a growing sophistication within the felt making community

• Elis Vermeulen explains how she created her striking installation of a felt boat in an abbey in the Netherlands

• Ellie Langley puts the focus on sheep farming and felt making in Finland, and questions the relevance of the forthcoming Wool Week in the UK

• savour the work made at international felt making conferences and workshops in Sweden, Hungary and Australia

• find out how UK felt makers have contributed to the international textile project, Afghan Inspiration

• read in-depth features about the opening of the IFA’s latest and perhaps most significant international exhibition, The Climate is Changing!
• enjoy photographs of Feltrosa 2010 and the fabulous felt creations made at the workshops
• discover how young designers are using felt in bridal wear and to create stunning jewellery items
• in other sections, one felt maker reveals how she overcame serious handicaps to continue felting, and a complete felting novice shows how thick felt pads are helping to protect donkeys’ backs in rural Ethiopia

• read reports of Felters’ Fling 2009
• find out what’s going on in your part of the world, from workshops to exhibitions
• discover how IFA member Ann Dingsdale creates wonderful portraits with felt and stitch
• find out how local groups came together to complete the large-scale Medina Yurt project on the Isle of Wight
• learn how tradition is kept alive in Western Mongolia and Turkey

• read reviews of the Cooper-Hewitt’s ‘Fashioning Felt’ exhibition in New York as well as the Feltrosa event in Italy and Felletin in France

• find out how members can share resources to set up regional workshops

• discover how one maker created a piece of handmade felt 6 metres in length!

• enjoy our new regular feature on sheep breeds, which this issue focuses on the Wensleydale

• find out how you can submit work for the forthcoming international exhibition, 'The Climate is Changing!'

• read Mary Burkett's article on the IFA’s 25th Anniversary

• find out how to get involved in our international exhibition on the theme of climate change

• enjoy reviews of events from Japan to Switzerland

• learn about feltmaking in early modern Europe

• discover how moths inspired one felt maker to create quirky and original 3-D designs

A DVD was sent to all IFA members with this issue of Felt Matters; that DVD is now available for separate purchase (see below).

With the March issue of our journal Felt Matters a DVD was sent to all IFA members. In this video, Miss Mary Burkett OBE, co-founder and President of the International Feltmakers Association talks about her life with felt and shares some colourful memories of felt and feltmaking.

There are only a few DVDs remaining. Buy your copy now to gain a delightful insite into the IFA's origins and Mary's thoughts on its future.