About

Seaweed + Sunlight + Irish Wool = Pure Magic. 

Handcrafted felted hats and accessories adorned with Cyanotype seaweed prints.
Where the Irish Sea meets the shore: FeltHappiness Hats and Accessories.

Warm, breathable Irish wool for everyday wear. 
Crafted sustainably from local wool and foraged botanicals.
Wearable art that starts conversations and tells your story.
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Visit FeltHappiness Testimonials
or read on to learn more.


 

Maker Juliane Gorman: Inspired by the land. Marked by the sea. 
Feltmaking Milliner Juliane Gorman is inspired by the rolling hills and the curving coasts of Ireland. She uses sustainably sourced materials, including local Irish wool and foraged seaweed, to create sculptural, cosy, and water-resistant hats that help bring the beauty of the Irish coast into everyday life. 

 

Backstory

I’m Juliane Gorman, and I first felted long ago as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. An extracurricular affair, this felting was a one-off that involved dance and snow. So different from the structured weaving that drew me to textiles, but soon proved too confining. Exploring other fibre arts, I created a series of mixed-media headdress sculptures for my senior project. Afterwards, I took millinery classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology (NY) and did some freelancing in costume shops.

However, the enchantment of creating went into dormancy while I pursued other day jobs and parenthood.

 

Felt Encountered

Serendipitously, in 2011, I saw a felted bracelet at a craft fair. This led to finding the BEST library book on how to make wet felted hats. It was my eureka moment: I found a craft which combines my love of colourful fibre with my passion for headwear.

 

Felt Transformed

Since moving to Ireland in 2021, my work has become deeply rooted in the landscape I now call home. I create primarily with Irish-raised wool—a beautiful, renewable fibre that is both sustainable and, sadly, often underutilised.

The inspiration doesn't stop on the hillsides. Drawn to Ireland's rugged coastline, I forage seaweed and use the traditional cyanotype process to create one-of-a-kind botanical sunprints on my felted hats and accessories. Every print captures a unique meeting of sunlight, sea, and fibre, making each piece truly individual.

As a lifelong lover of colour, cyanotype allows me to combine the rich warmth of natural Irish wool with the striking blues of the sea. It's where the rolling green fields meet the Atlantic shore and are transformed into wearable art.

I create hats that are beautiful, practical, comfortable, and flattering. They keep you warm, connect you to nature, and invite conversation wherever you go.

Making felt has always brought me enormous joy, and my hope is that every FeltHappiness hat shares a little of that joy with its wearer. Winter—and life—need not be grey.

Let's live life wearing hats.

 

Want to Learn More?

For more on feltmaking, click HERE.  Or read my BLOG, where I often describe what I’m making. 

 

Where am I located?

All of my newest handcrafted, felted hats are made in my Studio Shed in Dublin, Ireland, where I have lived since December 2021. 

Previously, I lived in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for seven years. And before that? I lived in picturesque Norwich, England for eleven years. Yes, I have had a few adventures!

 

Shipping

Naturally, Worldwide Shipping is available.

Currently, Shipping is FREE WORLDWIDE.

 



Press

Photographs of my hats are included in several publications: “Worldwide Colours of Felt,” “Felt Matters,” and also in the catalogue of “Wearable Expressions 7th Annual Juried Exhibition.”

A few years ago, my hats debuted at Style Week Pittsburgh's Fashion Show. My work garnered mentions in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette HERE and HERE.

Most recently, I was featured on the blog of Feltmakers Ireland.

 

If you have any questions, please email me at

hello@felthappiness.com