SAVE THE DATE for International Feltmakers Association’s AGM 2026
Theme: Time
Date: Saturday, 28th of March 2026
This year’s International Feltmakers Association AGM will be held via Zoom. Details will be posted here and announced in the Chair’s communication.
Photo Credit:
Galina Blazejewska, from Poland. Inspired by Salvador Dali’s work “The Persistence of Memory”.
The theme, Time, was suggested by member and Vice-Chair, Heather Potten, and the committee loved it – we hope you will too. Heather’s thoughtful reflection captures the essence of this universal concept:
“Time shapes our existence and orders our daily life. It can appear to speed up or slow down. We are often preoccupied with it – being on time, having time, making up for lost time, keeping time. Time, past, present and future, is understood differently across global contexts. Some think of time as flowing in one direction, others as reflecting the cycles of the natural world: the seasons, the tides, day and night, and the changing appearance of the moon. “
Heather reminds us that feltmaking, too, has a deep connection with time:
“Becoming a feltmaker takes time: learning the skills, researching traditional methods, understanding the materials, appreciating its potential and exploring new applications. Feltmaking itself is a slow process in a fast world – from the moment an idea is born, through sampling, experimentation and documentation, to the point of creation. This can take many hours, days or weeks to complete.”
Online Exhibition
We are delighted to announce that the International Feltmakers Association’s 7th Online Exhibition will open during our Annual General Meeting on 28 March 2026.
We’re also pleased to welcome our new Exhibitions Officer, Lynn Ramsbottom, who will be coordinating this year’s exhibition and supporting members throughout the submission process.
- The exhibition invites members to interpret Time in their own way-through memory, rhythm, process or transformation and to share how time weaves through their creative practice.
- Submission closed on 28 February 2026.
- The exhibition will take the form of an online gallery on our website of images of submitted works. It will be all inclusive with no jury. As usual good quality images are required.
- Online exhibition launches during the online AGM: Saturday 28 March 2026.
We are pleased to finally announce our lineup of information and inspiration for our AGM on March 28 2026.
We have two live talks with lots of photos, and two recorded videos to watch on our YouTube channel after the AGM.
The theme of Time is interpreted in many ways by these four outstanding felt artists.
Lisa Klakulak
Live Talk: Strongfelt
Within life, a studio practice and the transformation of matter at the hand of the maker, time materializes as shifts and cycles of space that mirror larger planetary movements and concepts of geologic time. Join Lisa Klakulak as she presents this thread of thought in the making of several pieces of recent STRONGFELT work for a discussion of technical approaches that inspired ideas and ideas that inspired technical approaches. This will be a live slide presentation, followed by Q & A.
Charity vd Meer Musoma
Video Recording: Garment Felting / Textile Designer
“Designing and felting my daughter’s wedding dress made me deeply aware of the time invested in the craft: the experiments, the adjustments, the countless moments spent searching for the perfect shape and texture. Felt has its own rhythm, and throughout the process I simply followed its guidance until the piece began to come alive. After forming the base, I dedicated many hours to hand-stitching tiny beads, one by one, to create a subtle shimmer and refined elegance. This experience reminded me how time, patience, and intention transform wool into something meaningful and unforgettable. Inspired by this, I would like to share my knowledge of garment felting with fellow feltmakers across the globe. I will create a step-by-step clear video series on felting that shows the entire process of felting a tunic or short dress”.
Mandy Nash
Live Talk: Time Well Spent
“Experimenting with wool is never a waste of time, even if the result isn’t quite what you expected, you will have gained a better understanding of the felting process. My talk will explain my passion for making samples, how one experiment leads to the next, exploring the endless possibilities of the medium. My talk will show my constantly growing collection of samples and include a project to set you on the path of playing with wool to create a portfolio as a reference to develop your ideas. The talk will be in the form of a Powerpoint presentation with plenty of images to inspire.”
Aizhan Bekkulova, founder and chairperson of Crafts council of Kazakhstan.
Video Recording: Sun-Headed: Felt Headwear as a Symbol of Time, Light, and Cultural Memory
This video masterclass focuses on creating a felted headpiece inspired by the ancient sun-headed figures found in the petroglyphs of Kazakhstan. The project explores felt not only as a textile technique, but as a material expression of time, light, and continuity.
All videos and talks will be posted after March 28 2026 in the Videos for IFA Members section.