my work

Who have I worked with / the main projects… and what I do as an artist…

selected projects

  • Funded by the Environmental Awareness Dept Wicklow Co Council

    • The Primary Stitch Project (SDG banner creation and St Patricks parade costume to reflect the SDG goals) 

    • Sustainable Christmas decor workshop

    • Intro to hand sewing to create a Bunting using upcycled clothes and fabrics while learning natural v man made synthetic materials and their impact on the planet.

  • Funded by the Environmental Awareness Dept Wicklow Co Council

    • The Primary Stitch Project - Re-imagining textiles 

    • Bunting making 

    • Sustainable Christmas decorations

    • Food themed textile art. (provenance and waste of our food chain).

  • Funded by the Environmental Awareness Dept Wicklow Co Council

    • The Primary Stitch Project 

    • Bunting making 

    • Christmas decor sustainable sewing workshop

  • Textile art workshops for intergenerational families. The workshops took place in the network of libraries around Co Wicklow (Greystones, Arklow, Tinahealy and Carnew) and Coastival Festival at Lexicon Library - Dun Laoghaire.

  • I was lucky a few years back to reply to a post on FB from this crowd, they were looking for facilitators with quirky ideas to deliver a few adult themed workshops in a new location they were opening in Temple Bar. 


    I have delivered my own sessions with them ad-hoc for years now and every time I do so it's fun filled and makes some wonderful connections along the way. I have run needle felting (Vulva Felting, Creatures & Monsters, Woodoo Dolls to name a few), funky sewing and jewelleries upcycling workshops with a different theme to suit a specific festivity need or the time of the year, each time making it a unique experience.

  • I’ve delivered a variety of textile workshops for children and adults at the Coastival Festival, Marine theme textile art celebrating our coastlines - Sustainable Sewing - Joyful Stitching (seasonal themes like harvest, halloween) - Sustainable Christmas decor - Needle Felting (frogs, creatures & monsters, dolls) - Jewellery upcycling - Textile upcycled Art - Funky dolls using rags, tote bag making using scraps of fabrics, Scrap buster crochet baskets & hats - Card making using textile art applique’ - Mouse pin cushion making using hand and machine sewing - Intro to use a sewing machine and hand sewing simple projects - Clothes mending.

  • I worked freelancing with Project Fashion delivering weekly lessons in Greystones and a few other ad-hoc locations nearby as well as delivering summer camps for two Summers. I had the pleasure to teach the youths how to sew and use sewing machines to create and sew garments/accessories.

  • Muddle Art Collective - through them I taught a variety of workshops online during the pandemic and in libraries afterwards. I had offered needle felting, sustainable sewing, dolls making, to name a few.

    It was a wonderful experience that allowed me to connect with creative people even when connecting wasn't allowed during those “funny years” when we were all locked up, at least via creativity we kept connected.

  • I started this crafting group once the world began opening up again, when people were finally allowed to meet in beer gardens but that wasn’t really for me, nor for the crafty people I wanted to gather with. The world felt like a strange place at the time (and, in many ways, still does), so we kept things simple: no politics, no drama, no religion chatter—good vibes only!

    It all started in a little square beside a mobile coffee truck as a crafty morning gathering: bring your camping chair, keep your distance, and come make something. We later moved to the park, and eventually I approached Greystones Library. All these years later, the group is still going strong, with some members who have been there since the very beginning.

    Open to all ages and all crafts, the idea is simple, to sit, chat, and share a love of making. We share skills, stories, and plenty of laughs, still reflecting the same ethos we had from day one. 

    Over the years, we have welcomed new faces of all ages and backgrounds; some stay, some drift in and out, and some were simply passing through at that particular moment in time but we all shared something meaningful together.

    It fills my heart to see people from different generations returning again and again, continuing to connect through a shared love of making by hand and gathering around a table.

  • During the challenging lockdown period, I was fortunate to be offered the use of an empty premises to create a pop-up shop in support of local artists. What followed was a truly special experience. It became a space not only to showcase and sell our work, but also to reconnect as a community of local creatives during a time of isolation and uncertainty.

    Together, we created a vibrant, welcoming space filled with handmade locally produced art and crafts, shared stories, and renewed creative energy. The pop-up was a real success, bringing makers and buyers together and offering a much-needed sense of connection, collaboration, and community spirit at a difficult time. 

    We had no electricity or running water in the space. Collectively, we invested in a portable solar-powered battery solution, which turned into an unexpected learning experience about electricity, energy use, and how to consume less. For basic facilities, we relied on the nearby Dunnes Stores. It truly showed that where there is a will, there is a way, especially when a group of creatives come together.

  • During the 2024–2025 & 2025/2026 school year, the Environmental Awareness Office of Wicklow County Council co-developed, funded and supported a pilot textile upcycling initiative for primary schools in partnership with myself as an artist educator. 

    The pilot programme took place at St Patrick’s School in Curtlestown during February–March 2025 and was very positively received by both students and teachers. 

    Following its success, the programme was rolled out to three additional schools between Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026, including schools in Redcross, Blessington, and Curtlestown once again.

    As part of its commitment to Ireland’s Waste Management for a Circular Economy plan, which places a strong focus on textile waste, Wicklow County Council is working to support people of all ages in reducing textile waste, taking climate action, and fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural resources we all depend on.

    This project was designed to raise awareness of textile waste among primary school students while introducing them to the principles of the circular economy in a creative, hands-on way. 

    Through discussion, exploration and practical making, students learned about the environmental impact of clothing waste, meaningful ways to repurpose textiles, and the important role charity shops play in extending the life of garments while supporting the Sustainable Development Goals. 

    Guided throughout the process, students developed simple sewing skills and increased their textile literacy by transforming unwanted fabrics into colourful collaborative bunting, discovering first-hand how creativity, repair and reuse can help reduce waste.

    During the delivery of the project in the different schools, I had to tailor the content to suit their own curriculum, here is what we covered overall:

    • Introduction to sewing and provenance of materials, natural v man made and the overall impact on the planet

    • Christmas pop up sustainable sewing workshops 

    • SDG banner creation and St Patricks parade costume to reflect the SDG goals only using upcycled materials

    • Bunting making reusing clothes and upcycled materials to expand their knowledge 

    • Food themed textile art, exploring natural v ultra processed food and their impact on their health and the planet

  • What a fantastic event! We had set up a large area in the library main floor and welcomed over 150 people throughout a few workshops were all ages to sit together and created a small piece of textile art. 

    The workshops were aimed at celebrating our beautiful coastline and its inhabitants. Families sat together and stitched many wonderful creatures and landscapes sharing their sewing knowledge across generations.

  • The Environmental Awareness Office of Wicklow County Council funded a series of mini summer-camps sessions held in the libraries across the region, with the aim to bring children and their guardians to sit together and stitch wonderful textile art inspired by sea and woodland creatures depending on the library location. 

    The participants of all ages learned how to re-use upcycled fabric and materials, as well as hand sewing/embroidery to create their very unique piece of textile art while creating lasting memories with their loved one and made new friends too by sitting around a table sharing stories as well as their skills.

Tamara The Artist & The Maker of all things…

Sewing started in childhood with both of my great-grandmothers. One was an incredible tailor who made uniforms for high-ranking army generals. She never liked making ladies’ clothes, as she said they were far too fiddly, but she still made me the most beautiful little dresses, which I cherish to this day. I also spent much of my childhood helping my mother with small projects when she had her gorgeous shop selling her handmade creations. I used to turn toys and funny little creatures inside out, stuff them, and help make dolls with her—now I can clearly see where I get it from! All these years later, I feel deeply grateful to every ancestor who nurtured my creativity from such a young age. I now truly appreciate the range of skills in my toolbox, many of which were lovingly passed down to me. I also take on interesting sewing commissions to create beautiful one-off textile art and accessories, but clothing? I’ll happily leave that to the dressmakers!

Below you will find more information on my art, along side images of my work.

sewing

needle felting

One day I realised my old life was no longer fulfilling me. I had somehow fallen into a career that didn’t feel aligned with who I was. As soon as I left the job I had done for so many years, I made a promise to myself: I would finally try all the things I had always wanted to do but never had the time or headspace for. I met a wonderful woman at a fair, and she mentioned she was starting a 10-week felting course. That was it. In January 2017, I started the course and never looked back. What a gift she gave me—teaching me what she knew and generously sharing all her woolly, woolly wisdom. After all these years, I’m lucky to call her both a friend and my woolly muse. The skills I learned and developed into my own style are now something I’m privileged to share with others through my workshops, as well as through the unique commissions I create for people—work that brings me immense joy.

knitting

I learned to knit as a child from Nonna Angela, my absolute favourite nana. She wasn’t particularly creative and couldn’t knit a jumper, but she taught me the simple art of knitting scarves—knit and purl. During my recovery from two major surgeries since the pandemic, I had to spend a lot of time sitting down, so I picked up the needles again. To my surprise, it all came back instantly. I began creating gorgeous one-off garments and accessories using funky colours and wild yarns, pieces that I now sell through commissions and at the occasional market or fair I still enjoy doing from time to time.

crochet

I picked up crochet during the pandemic by watching a lovely guy from New York on YouTube. I had always wanted to learn how to make colourful dread hats, so once I found his channel, I started with hats and then moved on to baskets. In many ways, it came at exactly the right time. I had just spent months sewing thousands of masks for charity and needed something new to challenge and inspire me. When we went into lockdown again, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to fully immerse myself in learning. For months, I spent countless hours with a crochet hook in my hand, creating colourful pieces to keep my hands busy and my mind grounded.

spinning wool

I think spinning was simply a natural evolution of everything else I do with wool. As a material, wool is probably my favourite to work with, both from a sensory and visual perspective. I love its texture, warmth, and endless colour possibilities. One Christmas, Santa brought me a voucher for a spinning lesson with my gorgeous friend—the very same friend who first taught me felting. Many wildly experimental yarns later, I can say I’ve almost mastered spinning… although once you start spinning crazy art yarn, you never quite know what will emerge.

I eventually bought a one-of-a-kind electric spinner from an older lady—it was cleverly made using a sewing machine motor and pedal. Perfect for my brain, as operating a sewing machine feels like second nature to me. Now I can spin my own yarn and incorporate it into my unique creations, whether through knitting, crochet, or felting. They all work beautifully together—a medley of fibres, textures and colours that feels like the purest expression of my creativity.