Calendar - Weaving Magic 6th Aug to 2 Sept 2023

DATES & TIMES FOR WORKSHOPS AND TALKS

Book workshops on Eventbrite using the links below 

​

Week 1 - Tues 8th to Sat 12 August 

All about Looms. Designs and construction - make your own loom! 

For the first week Geraldine will be making her own looms, there are many different types, of all shapes and sizes from across the world. Access will be restricted for safety as she'll be working in wood with tools and nails etc. There is an evening talk about what she is doing and a family-friendly workshop for building your own mini-loom loom.

Wednesday 9 Aug 7 to 8pm: FREE Talk & Demo - All About Looms

Join Geraldine Kelly for a fascinating evening talk discussing her work designing and building a variety of looms to use for hand-weaving of hand-spun yarns. Geraldine is a hand-spinner with a stash of natural wool yarns to weave through. Please reserve your free spot HERE

​

Thursday 10 Aug 2:30 to 4:30pm: Workshop - Make your Own Mini Loom

A day of constructive playing with Geraldine. Make a mini-loom, make a weaving, a picture, or a mat, or a pouch, take it home. Well done!

We look at various ways to make square or round, two- and three-dimensional looms for weaving. Choose a design and create your own loom. Tools are provided. We will have a selection of coloured yarns for weaving but you can bring along anything you want to use. Make a mini-mat, a mini-pocket, a mini-landscape picture, a line of mini-bunting, mini flags, pennants, patches, bracelet, coasters. Put them together and make a bag or pouch. Have a go using your very own mini-loom.

Suitable for children and adults. Please book your workshop place (just £11.50) HERE

​

Week 2 - Mon 14th to Sat 19th August  

Basketry weaving and cordage  

For the second week Geraldine will be making her own string (cordage), doing basketry with an evening talk with a demonstration and running an afternoon family friendly workshop. There will be no work or demos on 17th, 18th, 19th August, but the shop should be open.

​

Mon 14 Aug 2:30 to 4:30pm: Workshop on CORDAGE (making string baskets)

Learn how to create simply beautiful and practical pieces of string using natural materials you can find outdoors. You will learn how to make a length of cordage - that's string! - using a variety of materials gathered from the garden or other local sources. Cordage is age-old and world-wide, it was used by people in palaeolithic times and ever since. We will use various materials to make cordage and weave them into a basket to take home. Suitable for all ages. Please book your workshop place (just £11.50) HERE

Tues 15 Aug 7pm to 10pm: FREE Talk & Demo about basketry weaving with plant fibres

Join Geraldine in this lively discussion about the art of basketry weaving using plant fibres. Chat about foraging and the plant materials that may be useful in making cordage and weaving basketry. Gardens, waysides, derelict plots, quiet green places, all of these can provide a range of plant materials that can be turned into useful and beautiful basketry works. Please reserve your FREE spot HERE

​

Week 3 - Tues 22nd to Sat 26th August 

Spinning wheels, hand-spinning, fancy yarns and wool

Geraldine will be joined by her friends from the Vauxhall Spinners, who will be at their spinning wheels, chatting and happy for anyone to pop in, ask questions and maybe have a go

​

Tues 22 Aug 2:30 to 4:30pm afternoon workshop - An Introduction to Hand Spinning

Join the fun of Hand Spinning in this event where you'll learn the art and craft of creating beautiful yarn from raw fleece. 'A spell of WEAVING magic' welcomes the return of this favourite workshop. We welcome new spinners and welcome back those who tried this heritage craft before. Our team of experts will guide you through the rhythms and intricacies of spinning wool yarns that you can use for your own knitting projects. From carding through to plying, with drop spindles and with spinning wheels, and maybe even using the niddy-noddy and lazy kate. Come and enjoy. Book your workshop place HERE

​

Tues 22 Aug 6:30 to 8:30pm evening workshop - An Introduction to Hand Spinning

Learn the art and craft of hand spinning in this evening event, where you'll discover the joy of creating your own yarn from raw fleece. 'A spell of WEAVING magic' welcomes the return of this favourite workshop. We welcome new spinners and welcome back those who tried this heritage craft before. Our team of experts will guide you through the rhythms and intricacies of spinning wool yarns that you can use for your own knitting projects. From carding through to plying, with drop spindles and with spinning wheels, and maybe even using the niddy-noddy and lazy kate. Come and enjoy. Book your £11.50 workshop place HERE

Wed 23 Aug 2:30-3:30:pm: FREE Talk & Demo on yarns and fancy plying

Join us on August 23 at 2.30 pm, when we'll dive into the fascinating world of yarns and enjoy an exciting and skilful spinning demo with Geraldine and the Vauxhall Spinners. Whether you managed to achieve the art of handspinning or are persisting with a woolly struggle, this afternoon's discussion and demonstration will inspire you to do more. 'A spell of WEAVING magic' brings you more from the world of hand textile manufacture. Please reserve your FREE spot HERE

Sat 26 Aug 2:30-3:30pm: FREE Talk & Demo on WOOL AND SPINNING YARNS

Join us for a cosy afternoon of chatting about wool and the art of spinning yarns, where we'll share tips, stories, and techniques. Further discussion and demonstration from 'A spell of WEAVING magic'. The Vauxhall Spinners group has been in existence continuously since the late 1970s. Come and hear some of our old stories. We'll also be chatting about the use of wool through history, how it was spun and used in the past, and the domestic use of other fibres. Our spinners will be around to demonstrate and talk about the preparation processes from raw fleece to carding and spinning with a spindle and a wheel. Please reserve your FREE spot HERE

Week 4 - Tues 29th Aug to Sat 2nd Sept

Handweaving, crochet, dyes and tapestry

Geraldine and the Vauxhall spinners will continue working all this week. Geraldine will be giving a special talk and demo about Natural Dyes and there will be a workshops on weaving tapestries and crochet. On the last day everyone is invited to display their work and there will be a celebration party.

​

Tues 29 Aug 2:30-4:30pm: Workshop on CROCHET AND CORD WINDING 

This time it's crochet - join our crochet project - you can learn how to crochet here, if you're not sure already - and help create something lovely! Join Jane Robinson, textile artist and teacher, and other Vauxhall Spinners in our crochet project to make large and colourful shapes. If you're not sure already or need some practice to know how to crochet, help is at hand. Meanwhile, you can also use the amazing cordwinder machine and create some fabulous pieces of cord.The workshop is open to complete beginners and to those with some knowledge already. Suitable for all ages. Book your £11.50 workshop place HERE

Wed 30 Aug 7-8pm: FREE Talk - Foraging for Natural Dyes

Join us for an awesome evening of exploring the wonders of nature as we learn the art of foraging for natural dyes.

'A spell of WEAVING magic' looks at colour. Ailien from the Vauxhall Spinners is an experienced forager of natural dye materials near her home in south London. Come and see her collection of samples and hear about the process of extracting colours and dyes from plant materials. Ailien uses natural wools for all her samples and in an expert drop spinner and knitter. Please reserve your FREE spot HERE

Thurs 31 Aug 11am - 1pm Morning Workshop - Weave A Landscape

Get ready to dive into the world of creativity and art as we gather to weave a breathtaking landscape together at TAPESTRY - an immersive event with Aruna Reddy, an experienced textile artist and tapestry worker, who will guide you through the techniques of how to get started weaving a tapestry. You will learn techniques of tapestry weaving, adding texture, mixing colours, how to create blocks and lines, how to create curves in your work, and generally playing with texture. Suitable for children and adults. Book your £11.50 workshop place HERE

​

Thurs 31 Aug 2:30- 4:30pm Afternoon Workshop - Weave A Landscape

Get ready to immerse yourself in the art of weaving a vibrant landscape at TAPESTRY - weave a landscape, where creativity and community matter. Join the afternoon session or continue on from your morning's tapestry work. This session allows a longer period to work at your landscape and see the effects of your newly learned tapestry techniques. Aruna Reddy, experience textile artist, tapestry worker and teacher, will guide you through the use of colours and textures as you build up blocks, lines, curves, colours and textures, to create your own landscape picture. Book your £11.50 workshop place HERE

Sat 2 Sept 11am-5pm: Celebration

Join Geraldine and friends from the Vauxhall Spinners to view a display of works created at during this summer’s residency and enjoy a Show-Down party

​

Book today

Numbers are restricted so you must book in advance, if you have any questions or have a problem with booking on Eventbrite please email sproutcommunityarts@gmail.com. 

​

​

​