Co. Cavan-based enterprise, Crafts of Ireland, is proving that Irish wool goes the distance, as it launches five new Lumra wool kits at Milled and Made, a Celtic crafts fair in Dobbs Ferry, New York, this weekend.
“With a renewed focus on Irish wool and sustainability, it seemed like the perfect timing to reintroduce the old Irish craft of Lumra to a wider audience,” said Sandra Coote, founder of Crafts of Ireland which is based on the family beef farm in Virginia, ran by her husband, Alan.
“This wonderful craft can trace its beginning back almost 100 years to when it first started in Co. Wexford. The craft used carded natural coloured Irish wool to create cushions, rugs and other household pieces.
“Similar to locker hooking, a special needle with a hook and eye is used to lift fibre through a canvas base and lock it in place with thread. The name of the craft is most likely a take on the Irish word for fleece ‘Lumra’,” she added.
“Milled and Made brings together the best of craft from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We are so excited to have the opportunity to bring our Lumra kits to an international audience and to launch them at such a prestigious event,” Sandra said.
After Milled and Made, Crafts of Ireland will be attending the Knitting and Stitching Show in Belfast which will take place from November 7-10 at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast.
“We will be taking along approximately 1,000 kits, all containing our own wool and natural coloured fibre sourced from local farmers,” said Sandra.
Crafts of Ireland has always focused on offering its customers an authentic Irish crafting experience, using wool from its own small flock of Irish rare breed Roscommon sheep, she said.
“After using this wool, workshop participants enquired where they could source additional Irish wool crafting material. Sadly, with all the sheep we have in Ireland, the amount of Irish wool available to crafts was very limited.
“When we commenced making needle felting kits, there were no other Irish made kits available on the market, a strange statistic for a country with three million sheep.
“Another discovery that Crafts of Ireland made was that we didn’t have didn’t have anyone manufacturing wool felt in this country,” the Co. Cavan based entrepreneur said.
Sandra, who creates needle felted pictures for exhibitions and commissions, wanted her pieces to be made entirely from Irish wool.
“Our only option was to source a machine and make our own felt. We found a fantastic small company in the U.S. that was able to build us a machine.
“It arrived in September and initial trials have proved very successful. When we are fully up and running we hope to be able to supply other crafters with Irish felt,” she said.
Sandra expressed thanks to Cavan Enterprise Office for its assistance in helping Crafts of Ireland capitalise on opportunities.