Services
I also offer workshops in Embroidery skills and felt making. These can be tailored for both adults and children. I can travel to you, or I have a space I can hire locally.
Crewel Work Beginner
Make a crewel sampler using traditional stitches, wool threads, and patterns. A taster session to get you hooked.
Crewel Work Advanced (two day course)
On the first day create your own design, either traditional or contemporary and begin stitching, the second day gives you time to continue stitching your piece. Experiment with silk and wool threads to enhance your piece. I will provide threads and ideas, but you are welcome to bring your own threads and design ideas.
Dye Day
start with a plant safari, looking at what is around, and collecting some to bring back to create a dye pot. I would also have some dye material prepared. How to make a dye pot, how to mordant the fleece/thread. Do some dyeing. participants get to take home whatever they dyed, fabric, fleece, or thread.
Spinning Day
Quick history of spinning. Have a go at picking and carding fleece, spin on a drop spindle, spin with a spinning wheel. Plying thread.You can spin what you have carded, we have a mixture of fleeces to experiment with, knit a mug hug with your own spun wool. Demonstrate weaving on the Warp Weighted loom.
Felt Making, including Nuno and Shibori or Resist
Start by learning the basic skill to make a piece of felt, we then make a second piece blending colours and adding pebbles to shape the finished piece (simple Shibori). The third piece is your choice, either a small pot using a plastic resist, or a Nuno scarf.
Working with Organza
Use fine silk threads to make a stumpwork butterfly from organza, then create a simple background on organza. This is very fine work, but the results are beautiful.
Peg Loom
How to set up and use a peg loom, then experimenting with pattern and texture to create a scarf. Also have big peg looms set up and have a play with making fleece rugs and using lots of strands, Extreme peg looming! I also have big knitting needles we can have a play with.
From Fleece to Loom – a Woolly Weekend
This basically combines the three days. A morning carding and spinning, afternoon dyeing. Leave to dry overnight, next day use what they made to create ….. . Could be knitting, or peg loom, we also expand on the spinning and dyes from the day before.
Using Textiles
How to use fabric and thread to create a picture, looking at texture, colour and design skills. This can be adapted to suit any topic, the children can work in groups or as individuals.
Basic Stitching Skills
Create a small bag from hessian. Practise threading needles, starting and finishing, and stitching into fabric. This can be adapted to suit the ability and age of the children by using different thread and stitches.
Extreme Weaving
Decorate the school by using fabrics and plastics to create a colourful mosaic around your school. This can also be scaled down so that children can make small individual pieces, or scaled up to be a community project.
Felt Making
Start by learning the basic skill to make a piece of felt, we then make a second piece blending colours and adding pebbles to shape the finished piece. The afternoon can either be making up the first piece as a small purse, or make a felt pocket using a plastic ‘resist’.
Stone Age to Iron Age
Cover 6000 years of history in a day. We start in the Neolithic, working as archaeologists to explore a range of artefacts, and look at textiles. The children will make a piece of felt. In the afternoon we move into the Iron Age and explore the difference metal made. Again, lots of hands on artefacts (we suggest the children dress as archaeologists, jeans and t-shirt/jumper).
Greeks
We begin the day in the year 490BC, using drama and debate to show the differences between Athens and Sparta, and preparing for the Persian wars. Then we move onto something more relaxing and play Greek games, then look at Education, the alphabet and number system. The children get to use quills and wax tablets. To end the day we all join the army and do drill practice as Hoplites (we provide costumes for this workshop).
Saxons
We start the day with a Law Court, using drama to show how law and order worked 1000 years ago. Then we move onto Saxon games, art and textiles. Lots of hands on sessions, including how plants were used as cures and dyes. The day ends in preparing to face the Vikings, practicing in the shield wall (we provide costumes for this workshop).
Vikings
We turn the school hall into a Viking Longhouse, through drama we look at how they lived, food, farming, and how the families worked. This is followed by a hands on session using everyday Viking tools and artefacts. In the afternoon we look at spinning and weaving, all the children get to make a lucet cord. We finish the afternoon by preparing to meet the Saxons. Practicing in the shield wall (we provide costumes for this workshop).
Romans and Celts
We start by looking at the world of the Celt, how two tribes have to overcome their differences to face a common enemy. Then we meet a Roman. In the afternoon we look at what the Romans have to offer, how they differ from the Celts, and finally make the decision, Stay Celt or join Rome? Lots of Drama and hands activities (we provide costumes for this workshop).
Tudors
We begin with a Lawcourt, the children play different characters to look at how Law and order operated 500 years ago. After this there are games sessions and felt making. Looking at elements of everyday life. We finish with pike drill, to prepare for the Armada (we do not provide costumes for this workshop).