WORKSHOPS & HOW TO BOOK
Your ticket includes your choice of one workshop from the list below - just add the workshop ticket before you check out!
Want to add an extra workshop?
Step 1 - select the 1 hour (£14) or 2 hour (£19) extra workshop ticket
Step 2 - select your choice of workshop to book your place
Brush Lettering Plates
By Jen Roffe
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Time: 10.30am-12.30pm
Something Old / Something New - Hand-lettered vintage plate workshop
Turn something old and beautiful into something new and unique!
Give a little hand-lettered love to a beautiful vintage side plate.
Using specialist ceramics pens, learn the techniques of faux calligraphy to letter your own upcycled statement plate and hang it proudly on your wall.
Calligraphy alphabets, hand-lettering inspiration and a variety of templates are all provided.
Once you’ve done one, you’ll be scouring vintage shops for more beauties you can add your own messages to!
Plant Terrarium
By House of Foliage *SOLD OUT*
Workshop duration: 1 hour
Time: 10.00-11.00am
Life's A Beach Air Plant Terrarium workshop
Let your creativity flow by joining Redcar-based House of Foliage and learn how to make their infamous ‘Life’s a Beach’ Air Plant Terrarium.
If you’re a fan of the unusual then this is the workshop for you.
Lovely Leah will take you through the process of creating your own piece of beachy heaven. From adding the sand to creating your very own air-plant jellyfish.
You’ll be hit with a wave of creativity!
Come away feeling calm and relaxed with a beautiful terrarium a stunning natural piece of art for any home. PLUS you will be armed with all the aftercare knowledge you need.
Sea you there!
Mokuhanga Printmaking
By Pui Lee *SOLD OUT*
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Time: 10am-12noon & 1.30-3.30pm
Introduction to Japanese Mokuhanga Printmaking:
During this exciting taster workshop, you will be introduced to the traditional Japanese art of Mokuhanga woodblock printmaking through demonstrations by professional artist Pui Lee. After transferring your feel-good design onto plywood, you will carve out two small colour-separation blocks in relief and use the traditional "kento" registration system for printing onto Japanese papers. Enjoy the mindful and meditative process that mokuhanga has to offer in this hands-on and fascinating workshop! Suitable for beginners. No experience is necessary.
Artist Pui Lee is a British-born Hakka Chinese artist and arts educator, working throughout the UK. Trained in a multitude of disciplines, her artistic practice is wide-ranging and she works using an interdisciplinary approach across both traditional and contemporary 2D & 3D artforms. She regularly leads creative workshops for the community and is a visiting artist for museums and galleries across the North of England. Pui Lee has exhibited and sold work both nationally and internationally.
Rainbow Brush Lettering
By Jen Roffe
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 2.30-4.30pm
Joyful Watercolour Brush Lettering
Join calligrapher Jen Roffe to create beautifully flowing brush-lettering using vibrant liquid watercolours.
Jen will guide you through the basics of brush control, colour blending and creating expressive lettering with ease.
As well as exploring the mindful nature of mark making and practicing alphabets, we will all produce a final piece of super-colourful blended brush-lettering onto cold-press watercolour card, either from a template or your own chosen words.
Join us for a creative, playful workshop and discover the joy of bringing words to life, and leave with a skill you can apply to cards, invitations and personal projects!
Macrame Coasters
By Nomad Macrame
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 11am-1pm
Guided by Ashley and Tegan participants will learn several knots, mastering the basics of macrame to create and take home a pair of beautiful spiral coasters made from natural cotton cord. This workshop is designed for all, whether new to macrame or looking to refine skills.
Nomad Macrame is a North East fibre arts business that strives to create individual, hand knotted pieces for the home and person. Bringing a modern twist to the traditional craft and always using sustainable materials, Nomad Macrame creates a wide range of products from tapestries to jewellery and accessories, often drawing inspiration from nature.
Macrame Fruit Hammock
By Nomad Macrame
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 2.30-4.30pm
Join the Macrame Produce Hammock Workshop where participants will learn the basic art of macrame with step-by-step guidance from Ashley and Tegan. Whether a beginner or an experienced crafter attendees will be supported to create their very own hammock to take home and display their fruit and vegetables in an eco friendly, boho, and stylish way.
Nomad Macrame is a North East fibre arts business that strives to create individual, hand knotted pieces for the home and person. Bringing a modern twist to the traditional craft and always using sustainable materials, Nomad Macrame creates a wide range of products from tapestries to jewellery and accessories, often drawing inspiration from nature.
Monoprint
By Cath Brooke
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 10.30-12.30 & 2-4pm
We will be making one off colourful monoprints using a range of stencils. The stencils will be placed on top of different coloured inks that are rolled onto a printing plate. By moving the stencils around and over printing with different colours we will produce some exciting and unique prints. We will be cutting out our own stencils in paper as well as using found materials such as leaves, feather, fabrics etc. As the name suggests monoprints are one offs and each print is unique. During the workshop you will produce a series of prints in a range of colours.
If you wish, please bring an A4 sized folder to take your prints home. Printmaking can get messy, please wear old clothes or bring an apron. Cath will provide gloves and all other materials.
Cath studied fine art at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. She has been facilitating community arts projects for many years, working at Skippko Arts Team in Leeds as programme manager alongside teaching a range of printmaking workshops in Yorkshire and the North East.
Find out more about Cath here!
Mosaic
By Lesley Atkinson *SOLD OUT*
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 11.30-1.30pm & 2.30-4.30pm *Sold Out*
Create a mixed media mosaiced square MDF tile with a beautiful floral design! In this workshop, Lesley will show you how to create a mosaic on MDF board. With a huge abundance of glorious materials for you to work with including glass tiles, ceramic tiles, vintage china and all sorts of other embellishments, you’ll create something to treasure!
Lesley is a mixed media mosaic artist working from her home studio in South Shields. Her work ranges from small decorative pieces to large panels including floral themes, birds, animals and portraits. Lesley enjoys working mainly with antique and vintage ceramic, stained glass, millefiore and beads.
Find out more about Lesley here!
Off Loom Weaving
By Lark & Bower *SOLD OUT*
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 10am-12noon
Have you always wanted to learn how to weave?
Join us for a 2 hour workshop with Sarah Ward of Lark & Bower and learn the art of Off-Loom Weaving!
'Off-Loom' weaving means weaving ‘without a loom’, with just needle and thread, using a found object as a base.
Sarah will teach us some basic woven structures such as ‘hopsack’ and ’twill’, before showing us how to use those to create patterns like Dogtooth, Zig Zag and colourful checks.
No prior experience is needed for this class, just bring yourself! All materials & equipment are provided.
Twills, herringbones, dogtooth, hopsack - typically part of a functional product, a garment or home furnishing - now shown in a different setting, as artworks, to be displayed and admired as a painting or a sculpture would be.
We’ll take our time to learn about the history of the fabrics we are weaving, and why it's important to challenge the mentality around fast fashion.
These little woven studies are magical to do, and using a needle and thread is a great exercise for getting to grips with the basics of weaving without the complexity of the loom.
Discover a new skill and enjoy the rewarding feeling of having made something beautiful from scratch, using yarns discarded from the textile industry.
Yarn Wrapping
By Lark & Bower
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 1.30-3.30pm
Learn how to make a fabulous decorative artwork using yarn wrapping techniques with Sarah Ward of Lark & Bower.
Suitable for all ages and levels - perfect for beginners, and they make great artworks framed for the wall - but also great for design development and fine tuning a colour palette for those already working in design.
This class has more of a 'make it up as you go' approach - it's super easy and fun, and there are no specific patterns or structures to follow. It's all about creative freedom and making use of your intuition.
These wrapping techniques are a perfect balance of relaxation and intrigue; the repetitive movements are calming, while the intuitive design process keeps things interesting.
You can use any yarn type for these; wool, cotton, linen, thick, thin, textured, smooth, novelty - anything goes!
Once you’ve got the technique, the possibilities are endless! Just think of all the colour combinations, and all the yarn textures you could mix together!
Silver Ring
By Lindsay Forbes
Workshop duration: 2 hours *SOLD OUT*
Times: 10am-12noon
Join Lindsay Forbes, jewellery designer and Goldsmith from Bench Box to learn how to make your own ring in Sterling Silver. Learn how to measure your finger correctly, before cutting your wire, forming and soldering into a ring. You can even add texture with a variety of hammers to create your own narrow silver band.
Silver Squiggle
Pendant/Earrings
By Lindsay Forbes
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 12.30-2.30pm *SOLD OUT*
Join Lindsay Forbes, jewellery designer and Goldsmith from Bench Box as she shows you how to craft your own squiggles to create your own pendant or earrings from Sterling Silver. In this workshop you'll learn traditional techniques to melt, solder and shape your wire. Once polished, arrange your design into a piece of jewellery of your choosing. Pendants will come with a cotton cord.
Wire Wrapped Rings
By Lindsay Forbes
Workshop duration: 1 hour
Times: 3.30-4.30pm
Join Lindsay Forbes, jewellery designer and Goldsmith from Bench Box to learn wireworking skills to create your own rings. You'll be taught how to measure your fingers before wrapping and forming wire to create rings in coloured, plated wires. You'll be taught three variations in this workshop, all resulting in a different style of ring, some incorporating beads for a pop of colour.
Fabric Basket Weaving
By Tabara N'Diaye
Workshop duration: 2 hour
Times: 10am-12noon
Join Tabara N’Diaye of La Basketry for a creative workshop where you’ll learn how to transform repurposed fabric scraps into a stunning, one-of-a-kind basket using the coiling technique. This mindful and sustainable craft not only reduces textile waste but also allows you to create a unique, functional piece for your home.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced crafter, this workshop is designed to be relaxing, inspiring, and rewarding. You’ll leave with new skills, a deeper appreciation for sustainable crafting, and a handmade fabric basket to cherish.
Mini Basket
By Tabara N'Diaye
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 1-3pm
Weave A Mini Basket
Taking inspiration from her native Senegal where basket-weaving is a craft passed down from generation to generation in rural villages, join Tabara N’Diaye of La Basketry on this where you will learn how to weave a beautiful mini-basket using the coiling technique achieved by wrapping raffia around a bundle of natural seagrass - the foundation of your mini basket.
Perfect as a pen pot, a holder for small treasures, or a home for a succulent, this mini basket will be a stylish and personal addition to your space. No prior experience needed—just bring your creativity!
Table Lamp
By Karen Kench *SOLD OUT*
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 2-4pm
This workshop is ideal for those of you who have made a lampshade before. Making a table lamp is much the same process but a bit more difficult at the rolling stage, due to the legs of the lamp.
You will be provided with all the materials you need for your lamp, including a bulb holder and switched cord with a plug.
There will be a wide variety of fabrics to choose from, including vintage pieces and some exclusive fabrics from Kettle of Fish Designs.
Your finished lamp will be 15cm in diameter and 35cm tall, with a 2m cable.
Find out more about Karen here!
Candle Lantern
By Karen Kench
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 11am-1pm
Join Karen from Kettle of Fish Designs to make a matching pair of candle lanterns from a wide selection of bespoke and vintage fabrics.
These candle lanterns are made in exactly the same way as a regular lampshade, just on a much smaller scale!
You will be carefully guided through selecting your fabric, applying a fire retardant backing and making up your lanterns for a professional finish.
Each lantern will be 10cm in diameter and 20cm tall, and comes with a natural cork base and battery powered tealight candle.
Raku
By Carol Newmarch
Workshop duration: 1 hour
Times: 10am, 11.15am, 12.30pm, 1.45pm & 3pm
In this workshop you will learn about, and experience first hand, the exciting process of raku firing. Originating in 16th century Japan, simple tea bowls were made as part of the spiritual zen ritual of the Tea Ceremony, as it is such an immediate process. Raku has been enthusiastically embraced by western potters and evolved into an art form which now has many admirers.
You will be provided with previously made and bisque fired clay object to design & decorate with coloured raku glazes, and then witness your work being transformed by the fire and smoke into finished ceramics.
Carol has been pit firing and raku firing for many years now, she never tires of the excitement that’s generated by this alchemic process of flame and smoke. It’s always a bit of a challenge to coax exciting results from the hot kiln, but the delight on people’s faces as they scrub off the muck and reveal the treasure underneath, is well worth it!
Willow Bird Feeder
By Jane Chapman
Workshop duration: 2 hour
Times: 10am-12noon
In this workshop we will use traditional techniques to create baskets which can be used as either fat ball feeders or for storing garlic.
The willow is grown locally by Jane, a great sustainable material with so many practical uses.
These are ideal for the garden or the home!
Leather Craft
By Diamond Awl
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: Sunglasses Slip 11am-1pm
Cardholder 2-4pm
Try your hand at working with leather and take home your very own small leather item. During this two hour taster workshop you will be introduced to some basics of this wonderful heritage craft including edge finishing and burnishing, traditional saddle stitch and embossing. You will use high quality vegetable tanned leather and can personalise your item with your choice of thread colour. Walk away with a new skill and see if this is your future calling.
Diamond Awl Leather Workshop practice and teach traditional leatherwork applied to contemporary products. It is founded by Jason Stocks-Young who has featured on the recent Saved and Remade Workshop on Discovery and Made in Great Britain on BBC2. He is a member of The Guild of Master Craftsmen and also sits on the Equity Council at the Crafts Council advising on a wider representation of diversity within the craft sector. Jason has been making leather goods for twelve years and learnt from traditional leatherworkers who share the ethos and passion for using traditional techniques and the finest leathers.
Willow Heart
By Jane Chapman
Workshop duration: 1 hour
Times: 3.30pm-4.30pm
This workshop is a fun introduction to weaving with willow . We will use a technique called random weave to create a rustic heart decoration for your home or garden.
It can be displayed as it is or you may like to add decorations or fairy lights at a later date.
The willow is grown locally by Jane, a great sustainable material with so many practical uses.
Willow Scandi Star
By Jane Chapman
Workshop duration: 1 hour
Times: 1.30pm-2.30pm
In this workshop we will use different coloured willow sticks to create a beautiful Scandinavian inspired star.
It can be displayed as it is or you may like to add decorations or fairy lights at a later date.
The willow is grown locally by Jane, a great sustainable material with so many practical uses.
Ceramic Mug
By Amy Rutherford *SOLD OUT*
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 10am-12noon & 2-4pm
Participants would make the mugs from scratch using the slab building technique. There is the opportunity to decorate the surface of the mug using a wide selection of stamps or by drawing into the surface of the clay by hand. The mugs can be personalised with names, dates or phrases to make the perfect gift. The workshop is perfect for beginners or those who have worked with clay before. There is a choice of 6 glazes, from traditional white to inky cobalt blue there's something to suit all styles.
The mugs come back with me to the studio after the session,for bisque and glaze firing and are ready to post out to their creators around 4 weeks later, in 100% biodegradable packaging. They are food, microwave and dishwasher safe too!
Embroidered Bag
By Natalie Gaynor Designs
Workshop duration: 1 hour
Times: 2-3pm & 3.30-4.30pm
During the one hour ‘String Bag Workshop’, participants are invited to explore the delicate art of stitching with a focus on creating a charming string bag adorned with hand embroidered daisies.
Throughout the workshop, Natalie will take attendees through each step, starting from threading the needle to mastering the lazy daisy stitch and French knots. Learning these two stitches will give attendees the confidence to elaborate the design on their own string bag: making their final piece truly unique.
Natalie Gaynor Designs is a Manchester based hand embroidery artist who is known for intricate and contemporary embroidery patterns, custom embroidery art and teaching others the art of embroidery in workshops.
Find out more about Natalie here!
Textural Embroidery
By Ruth Hughes (Wild Floss)
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 10.30-12.30 & 1.30-3.30pm
During this workshop we will explore ways to create textured embroideries using basic stitches in a modern, abstract style. We will experiment with layering stitches and create 3D elements using an exciting variety of threads and yarns.
This workshop focuses on a relaxed, free-flowing approach to design and is suitable for all abilities.
There will be a choice of fabrics to work on as well as a large variety of threads and yarns to use, so you can create your own personal piece of embroidery art unique to you.
Stained Glass
By Samantha Yates *SOLD OUT*
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 10.30am-12.30 & 2.30-4.30pm *Sold Out*
Participants will learn how to use glass tools to cut and shape glass, they will foil and solder using the Tiffany method. Learn how to foil with copper and solder your own stained glass scrappy birds.
Samantha Yates is the glass artist behind Lil'Rabbitfoot and she believes acts of kindness, love and care are of great value in our lives and creates beautiful glass flowers and foliage to share the emotions of love and joy and show appreciation.
Working with copperfoil techniques she playfully explores the limitations of her materials and techniques, presenting glass to the light through exploration of different botanical forms, patterns and structures.
Thread Painting
By Natalie Gaynor Designs
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 11am-1pm
During the two-hour thread painting, hand embroidery workshop, each attendee will learn thread painting techniques to create their very own beautiful cone flower, using needle and thread. Natalie will guide you through the process of blending colours to create depth and texture, much like painting on a canvas but with the added dimension and tactile quality that embroidery offers.
Natalie’s expert guidance and supportive teaching style will ensure that each participant gains the knowledge and skills needed to create a piece of thread painted art and the confidence to continue exploring embroidery on their own.
Natalie Gaynor Designs is a Manchester based hand embroidery artist who is known for intricate and contemporary embroidery patterns, custom embroidery art and teaching others the art of embroidery in workshops.
Fairy Lights
By Origami Est
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 2-4pm
Create your own fabulous fairy lights! Est will provide plenty of papers for you to choose from, so the lights fit perfectly in your chosen room. The workshop is perfect for beginners, and Est will be on hand to teach and guide you through the process one step at a time.
Join Est for one for her hugely popular & award winning origami workshops. Est has been running workshops across the UK for the past 7 years. She is an experienced origami artist and used to teach small people for a living, so is the PERFECT tutor
Paper Peonies
By Origami Est
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 10.30-12.30
Fold your own stunning peonies. They are really satisfying to fold and will look fabulous in your home during spring but also are totally acceptable for all year round use! There will be enough for you to make 3 peonies but there might not be time to finish all 3 during the workshop itself. You will definitely be well on your way to completing them though & with Est's great teaching AND a free copy of Est's peony instructions you will be sure of all you need to do to complete your peonies at home.
Join Est for one for her hugely popular & award winning origami workshops. Est has been running workshops across the UK for the past 7 years. She is an experienced origami artist and used to teach small people for a living, so is the PERFECT tutor
Hand Knit Cushion
By Michelle of Craftisan
Workshop duration: 1 hour
Times: 10am-11am & 1-2pm
Chunky Knit Cushion
You can never have too many cushions - well that’s our motto anyhow!
You will be taught how to chain stitch, create the stitches for your cushion and of course cast-off, for a seamless finish. No knitting needles are used, and you will be taught how to create your cushions using a finger-crochet method.
The Workshop is suitable for total beginners with no knitting/crochet experience needed.
To create your cushion you will be using an unpsun acrylic Mammoth Wool, for that chunky feel, with a number of colours to choose from.
Hand Knit Mini Blanket
By Michelle of Craftisan
Workshop duration: 1 hour
Times: 11.30-12.30 & 3-4pm
You will be taught how to cast on, create the stitches for your chunky blanket and cast off - using the only equipment you will need, your hands and arms of course!.
The Workshop is therefore suitable for total beginners with no knitting experience needed.
To create your blanket you will be using a 1kg unspun acrylic Mammoth Wool, with a number of colours to choose from.
(Please note the photograph represent a blanket made from 2kg of wool).
Watercolours
By Inky Print Designs
Workshop duration: 2 hours
Times: 10am-12noon & 1-3pm
A watercolour painting workshop that gives you an insight into how to create an accurate, observational drawing of a strawberry and develop the medium of watercolour, manipulating and blending colours to develop a realistic painting. You can take these drawing and painting skills away with you to apply to any art you wish to create.
Sarah is a qualified art teacher and will be there along the way to guide you through the drawing process, breaking it down into simple steps and supporting you to achieve your own realistic painting of a strawberry. This workshop is great for beginners and more experienced watercolour painters alike as you will be guided through all the steps.
You will take home your painting of strawberry in a wood effect frame ready to be displayed in your home.