Thursday 11th and Friday 12th September 2008

CATALAN MARKET BASKET

Tutor: Hilary Burns

*two places remaining*

Two days of basketry inspiration using a selection of naturally coloured willows from the tutor’s collection and the Somerset levels. Weave a Catalan market basket featuring the lovely roped border and handle. Learn an unusual technique that is particular to this small area of Spain and used to make baskets for a huge range of uses, everything from taking rabbits to market to baskets for potato peeling. You will also cleave, split and shave willow to create interesting textures. Beginners have the option to make an easier round basket with the same roped border.

£75 (plus materials £8)

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Friday 26th September 2008

EXPLORING NUNO FELTING

*waiting list only*

Tutor: Tina Clark
Experimenting with Nuno felt constructed from Turban Cotton to Silk Chiffon, using decorative techniques with glorius colours and luxurious fibres such as Silk and Mohair, Merino and culminating in an exciting Silk Chiffon Scarf. You can enhance your panel with beading or embroidery at a later date if you wish!

£35 plus materials (approximately £8-10)

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Tuesday 30th September, Wednesday 1st, Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd October 2008

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Monday 6th October 2008
‘HOOKED’
An introduction to CROCHET

*waiting list only*

Tutor: Lynn Horniblow

This is a one day introduction to crochet. Students will take home a series of samples showing the use of basic stitches, to form fabrics, and to create exciting trimmings.

£35 (plus materials as/if required)

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Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th October 2008

GLASS BEAD MAKING

(beginners class)

*four places remaining*



Tutor: Barbara Mason (Website)

This course is limited to just five places
This two-day course for those completely new to ‘lamp or flame working’ will cover all you need to know to work with knowledge and safety whilst learning to make beautiful glass beads. There will be a chance to try many decoration techniques and as control improves, different bead shapes, use of frit, silver and gold leaf, using stringers for decoration and as tools. The course also includes health and safety issues and necessary technical information such as annealing and expansion coefficients.

£220 for two days including all glass and gas.

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7th, 8th and 9th November 2008

OAK SWILL
(basket of woven oak strips)

*six places remaining*

Tutor: Owen Jones

A very special opportunity to learn the secrets of hand crafting a traditional lakeland oak swill. Cleaving, boiling and riving the oak into strips, you will then steam and bend hazel rods into the oval rim, dressing and
shaping the ribs and weavers to complete your swill. No previous experience is required!

£175 for three days plus £25 materials cost

Photos of previous course>>

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Thursday 13th and Friday 14th November 2008

ILLUMINATION

Tutor; Neil Bromley, calligraphy and heraldry (website)

A relaxing two day workshop, produce your own medieval illuminated letter, initial or Christmas card for reproduction. Using traditional techniques, materials and fonts, taught by a specialist in calligraphy and heraldry.

£75 for two days (plus £15 materials)

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Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th November 2008

Working with Silver

*one place remaining*

Tutor: Julian Livingstone

This two day class with a professional silver
smith is aimed at complete beginners. With expert guidance you will make small items of Jewellery, a sugar spoon or other trinket to your own design.

£75 for two days. Plus £75 for two days
Plus materials by weight (approx. 55p/gm inc. solder etc.).

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Thursday 27th November 2008

WAX SEAL or ARTISTS ‘CHOP’

Tutor: Merlyn Chesterman

Create a printing device prized by Western and Eastern cultures that symbolises personal identity. Students will enjoy the challenge of using fine tools to cut small-scale design in reverse into Soapstone, which can be used either with sealing wax, or with ink as an artists’ chop or such applications as initialling your books, hand thrown pottery, cards or headed paper.

£35 (plus £15 materials to include stone, waxes and paper).

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Friday 28th November 2008

BEACH PEBBLE CARVING

Tutor: Merlyn Chesterman
Bring a simple design or take inspiration from ancient Tibetan scripts, or African or Asian motifs to inscribe an ornamental design in relief onto a tactile beach pebble. It should be noted that all pebbles used are sourced by special arrangement from a private landowner.

£35 (no materials charge, and tools will be supplied for use, however a stone carving mallet and chisel set can be purchased from the tutor at a cost
of £25 if required).

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Thursday 4 th December 2008

WILLOW WONDERLAND

Tutor: Hilary Burns

Christmas decorations for inside and out! Twist and twirl lengths of willow and rush to make eye-catching stars, woven tree decorations, wreaths and globes. No experience necessary - all you need is a little imagination. Everything is provided, including tools to borrow.

£35 including spiced apple juice or mulled wine with lunch (plus £4 Materials).

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Friday 5th December 2008

SEASONAL HERBAL HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS

Tutor; Victoria Wright, Healing Herbs

Make your home smell of Christmas by having a fun and creative day making natural household products. Learn to make Cinnamon & Orange Washing-up Liquid, Oranges & Lemons Air Freshener, Frankincense & Myrrh Hand Conditioner and Clove & Sweet Orange Multi-purpose Surface Cleaner. No experience necessary. A detailed hand-out will be yours to take home containing all the recipes and information about the raw materials used.

£35 including spiced apple juice or mulled wine with lunch (plus materials approx. £20 dependant on quantities made).

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SAturday 6th December 2008

'DECK THE HALLS'
Festive Hearth and Mantle



Tutor: Carol Kerr

We will create traditional festive mantel and hearth decorations using fresh foliage, berries and fruits of the season. We begin by making a large-scale, long and low arrangement for the mantelpiece and then a fresh foliage topiary tree for the hearth. By combining berries and fruits with the textures and smells of winter foliage you will create a stunning centre-piece for your festivities. We will use simple designs and techniques and by adding your choice of ribbons and trim your finished pieces will be truly unique!

£35 including spiced apple juice or mulled wine with lunch
plus materials (approx. £4)

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This project has been supported by the Blackdown Hills Leader+ funded Local Products Strategy

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January 2009

Kumihimo using Takadai
(Japanese Braiding)



Tutor; Jennie Parry (web)

The Takadai, the largest & most ingenious of the Japanese Kumihimo equipment, is used to make oblique interlaced braids. These can be single or two layered, of plain, twill or repp structure or a combination. This four day course gives students the opportunity to follow a structured programme & become familiar with the therapeutic working rhythms, textures, shapes & future potential for belts, jewellery, soft furnishing trims etc. For those with some experience, a personal tailor-made scheme can be arranged.

Limited equipment available for loan.

This course is limited to just five places

£260 for four days
including loan of Takadai if required
please call to book

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Thursday 29th & Friday 30th January,
Saturday 31st January & Sunday 1st February 2009

GLASS BEAD MAKING

Fuming in silver, sand blasting and engraving

Tutor: Julie Anne Denton (web)

We are going to make soft glass beads that vary in shape and size. We will cover these beads in powders and/or we’ll fume them using pure silver. Once the beads have been annealed and cooled, we will mask them and cut out relief designs onto them (simple and intricate) and sandblast and engrave the beads, then we will bring them up to temperature in the kiln and we will fire polish them. I will teach you how a sandblaster works so as you are able to go home and set one up, or at least hire one and happily use it knowing you’re following the correct procedure. You will learn how to create sublime beads with careful powder application. Beginners and intermediates welcome. By the end of this class you will have some truly amazing one off beads.

£220 for two days or £400 for all four days
including all glass and gas

Limited to Just five places
please call to book

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Tutor; Penny Laird web

Batik is colourful and fun, this is a wonderfully exciting technique for anyone who enjoys colour, no experience is necessary—just come and experiment!

Using wax and dyes you will produce pieces of cotton fabric in wonderful colours with quite dramatic effects on the theme of your choice.

Penny has taken workshops at the Eden project and is known for her painted batik work based on flower heads, particularly alliums and poppies, she sells in many galleries, is a member of the appledore crafts company and exhibited in
Rome last summer.

£38 (including materials)

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(date TBC)March 2009

MILLINERY

Tutor; Kate Dyson

On this two day course you will work with a professional milliner to make a brimmed hat on wooden blocks. You will have opportunity to use sinamay, silk, velvet, feathers and veiling amongst other things. Alternatively you may wish to make a small hat and retrim an existing brimmed hat. Materials and trims available from the tutor. Special orders or requirements should be discussed in advance with the tutor. Approximate cost of materials for a brimmed hat £15.

£85 for two days (plus materials approximately £15)

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(date TBC) March 2008

CHINESE BRAIDING



Tutor ; Jacqui Carey, Carey Company (website)

You will spend two days making Chinese braids and incorporating them into a hand stitched sample piece. This sumptuous braided appliqué often associated with the Chinese Miao minority will captivate your imagination, with its rich colours and infinite possibilities.

£TBC for two days
(plus any materials as/if required from tutor)

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(date TBC) April 2008

SUSSEX TRUG

Tutor; John Carnell, 1066 Country trugs, Hastings

Learn the secrets of hand-crafting traditional steamed Sussex Garden trugs made of ‘cricket bat’ Willow and Sweet Chestnut under the instruction of a traditional Sussex trug maker. You will cleave the timber, shape panels, frame and handle with a drawknife, then steam the Chestnut and soak the Willow before assembling your trugs with copper nails. This very special and rarely seen course which employs only hand tools and where you will construct your trugs from tree to finish. All tools are provided and no experience is necessary.

£165 for three days plus £20 materials

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(date TBC) April 2008

BODY BEAUTIFUL
Natural herbal skincare

Tutor; Victoria Wright, Healing Herbs

Come and enjoy a day making your own skin care products using natural, plant based ingredients such as cocoa butter, shea butter, herbal extracts, and essential oils. Learn how to make Bath Melts, Massage Bars, Body Scrub & Herbal Shampoo Bars. There is a choice of ingredients to suit your own requirements. No experience necessary. A detailed hand-out will be yours to take home containing all the recipes and information about the raw materials used.

£38 (plus materials approx. £20 dependant on quantities made).

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(date TBC) 2008

Glass Bead Making - (Lampwork)
and
Jewellery Sterling Silver Wire Working

(intermediate class)



Tutor : Kate Drew-Wilkinson web

Kate will take just five students for a four day master class (three days of torch work and one day of silver wire work) with focus on cane making, latticcino, vessels, acid etching, use of stained glass scrap, colour mixing and silver wire working.
For intermediate lamp workers who are keen to progress



£600 for four days including gas,
glass and basic silver materials

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Tutor: Sara Dutton website

Introduction to Precious Metal Clay
Day 1 will include how to make a pendant and earrings making bails, stone setting, drilling, torch firing and finishing a piece

Focal Beads and elements
Day 2 will learn how to make focal beads that can be used with jewellery or fabrics you will use PMC (Fine Silver 99.9) in lump clay form, syringe, paste and sheet over the two days

Precious Metal Clay has been made By Mitsubishi Materials since the early 1990s. Precious Metal Clay or PMC as known, is fine silver or gold particles mixed with an organic binder forming a clay texture,this can be molded ,textured and carved and when dried it is fired and the binder burns away leaving fine silver 99.9 % pure. It is a fantastic product that is very exciting as it can be shaped with very simple tools and can be used with lots of different mediums. PMC comes in clay form,paste,syringe and sheet form

£85 for two days. Plus materials (initial pack and sundries supplied at a cost of £60 plus further materials available to purchase as/if required).

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Dates TBA 2008

CANE SEATING

Tutor: Brenda Burt

Restore a cane chair or stool, using rattan cane in the traditional six way Victoria pattern. A two day course for beginners or improvers. Just bring along your chair cleaned and ready to go. Brenda is a professional chair seater with over 23 years experience and will help you choose the right method for your chair dependant on the shape and style.

£75 (plus materials as required approx. £12 per seat or back)

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