Get Creative

Create a wire Reindeer Head as your festive showpiece in this full day workshop where you'll learn to sculpt the head using steel and aluminium wire. 

Learn various wire forming techniques and create a wonderful reindeer head for your garden or as indoor decor for your home. On the day you’ll be able to choose between a realistic head or perhaps you'd rather go with a Rudolph twist. 

The workshop is suitable for anyone and is a nice way to learn basic metalwork and jewellery making skills. Please note though, this is an intensive workshop and wirework can be tiring on your hands, so do bear this in mind if you have any issues with hand strength. 

You’ll get a handout to remind you of how to do the basics as well as suggestions for suppliers so you can make more at home.

About Anna:

The workshop is with Anna Roebuck, who began to develop wire flowers in response to a Remembrance Day commission and has since gone on to explore making many different types of flowers and sculptures out of wire.

Sometimes having a spark of an idea is the easy part! How can we produce a piece of writing ( prose, poetry or script ) that blazes with originality and life? How can a writer avoid being cliched or just plain ordinary? Through a series of exercises and prompts, this workshop will be exploring answers to the above questions and looking at how established writers respond to these challenges. 

Led by local writer Sue Wilsea, participants will be encouraged and supported in a friendly and informal atmosphere.

Two Creative Writing workshops for £65; Friends and Patrons £30, please book at the Craft Gallery

Learn to make your own chicken or pheasant to roost at home or in your garden. These characterful random weave sculptures are a good introduction to working with willow. Suitable for beginners.

Please wear clothes that you are happy getting a bit grubby and full shoes that cover your toes.

This creative writing workshop explores and celebrates creativity and the therapeutic benefits of writing, all done in a safe and supportive environment. Through a series of prompts and exercises participants will be helped to consider to what extent all writing is therapeutic and whether writing for a wider audience, rather than just yourself, imposes restrictions and barriers to self-expression. Suitable for all levels of experience.

Writers end up writing about their obsessions. Things that hurt them; things they can’t forget, stories they carry in their bodies wanting to be released.

( Natalie Goldberg Writing Down the Bones)

Two Creative Writing workshops for £65; Friends and Patrons £30, please book at the Craft Gallery

Do you have an old stool, chair or ottoman that needs some new life breathing into? Here you will learn how to upholster an item of your choice. Lesley will be on hand to help at every stage and will have a full range of upholstery tools and materials for you to use. All you will need to bring is a piece of furniture and the top fabric.

Learn the traditional bookbinding techniques of folding, sewing, pasting, creating a case and finally casing in to create your own bespoke hardback A5 notebook.

You will choose from a range of beautiful endpapers and book coverings.

There is no prior experience needed.

Select from treasured vintage china to create your own unique mosaic in a variety of shapes including hares, birds, butterflies, bees and hearts. Glass and porcelain are also provided along with inspirational examples.

If you’d like to include your own special piece of ceramic or glass, bring it along!

Full instruction and guidance provided including colour combination, tile cutting, tile layout and grouting. 

Friendly, fun and informal.

Do you have an old stool, chair or ottoman that needs some new life breathing into? Here you will learn how to upholster an item of your choice. Lesley will be on hand to help at every stage and will have a full range of upholstery tools and materials for you to use. All you will need to bring is a piece of furniture and the top fabric.

Learn how to create beautiful floral images with fabrics and a sewing machine - no experience required!

In this exciting workshop, textile artist and tutor Holly Capstick will guide you in making your own textile floral artwork. You will learn how to layer fabrics to create simple but effective backgrounds using a loose applique and fabric collage technique. 

There are lots of fabrics to choose from and you will be guided at every stage. You will then explore floral images to create a plan for your design and experiment with free-motion machine embroidery to create stunning floral embroidery designs using a sewing machine. Holly will have lots of images to choose from, or bring some photos, drawings or sketches of your favourite flowers (seven inch diameter max, or smaller). Even if you haven't done any free-motion embroidery before, or you have not used a sewing machine for a while (or even at all), Holly will show you how. 

You will also be shown how to mount and present your work in a fabric panel or hoop to proudly display your work. There will be opportunity to add some optional bead embellishment and hand-embroidery too. All materials and equipment (including display panels or hoops) are provided. 

This day school will look at how to make your writing accessible to a wider audience. This might mean publication (exploring both DIY and traditional publishing routes ) so the submission process and current markets will be some of the areas covered. However, the session is also aimed at those people who are simply interested in learning about ways of redrafting and editing so that the final version of their piece – whether that is prose, poetry or script – is as polished as it can be. Suitable for all levels of experience.

Two Creative Writing workshops for £65; Friends and Patrons £30, please book at the Craft Gallery

Learn to make this very useful round basket with a handle, perfect for eggs or fruit. Using traditional techniques and a variety of willows this little basket is a great introduction to further willow work.

Please remember to wear sensible closed toe shoes.

Butterflies, bees, dragonflies & flowers- be inspired by the colours & shapes of nature to create your own original stained glass hangings.

You will learn all the techniques needed to create your own original stained glass works including cutting, foiling & soldering. Follow a design provided or be supported to achieve your own designs. At the end of the workshop you will have at least 2 original works to gift or keep. Suitable for beginners or those with previous experience.

Do you have an old stool, small dining room/bedroom chair or ottoman that needs some new life breathing into? Here you will learn how to upholster an item of your choice. Lesley will be on hand to help at every stage and will have a full range of upholstery tools for you to use and materials to purchase. All you will need to bring is a piece of furniture and the top fabric.

Please note we advise you have previous upholstery experience as it can be difficult to complete a project in one day.

During the course of the morning, you will learn this useful weaving technique to create a large Garden Obelisk. These add instant height to any garden and are perfect for your climbing tender annuals such as Sweet Peas. This course is suitable for beginners.

These willow sheep or pigs are full of character and a great extension to random weaving with willow. Alison will guide you to make a large scale 4-legged animal in willow. Some experience preferred.

Please wear clothes that you are happy getting a bit grubby and full shoes that cover your toes.