Feltmaking Origins & Soft Sculpture

By Rebecca Hillman

I am a Leitrim based textile artist whose passion lies in feltmaking. The origins of felt trace back to ancient nomadic Asia. The oldest fragments found in Turkey date back to 6,500 BC. Felt was an integral part of culture, being used to make hard wearing clothes and shelters such as yurts. Felt is incredibly durable and tough, so much so, it was even used as shields and armour in battle.

It's a material that is very warm when dry, and so its use was (and still is) popular either in hot dry regions where nights were chilly, or further north where precipitation was mainly in the form of snow rather than rain.

I love to work with felt in both two (wall hangings) and three dimensional forms. It can lend itself beautifully to three dimensional soft sculpture ... the image above is an example of some of my work inspired by the environs of 'lovely Leitrim', where I see wading birds such as Curlew on the lake shores, and Oystercatcher which are often spied on the sea coast. Yes, Leitrim has a coastline, even if it is only two miles long!

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