Are you Dying To Craft?
Join us at The Alnwick Garden as Northumbria University will be running insightful and fun workshops with crafts at the heart of the weekend!
Friday 10th May, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May
FREE with Garden Entry, activities include:
Friday 10th May – Demonstrations by the North Northumberland spinners.
Saturday 11th May – Demonstrations by the Tynedale Guild of Weavers.
See how wool has been traditionally spun and dyed over the centuries to create some of the most beautiful garments and accessories. Learn about the local sheep varieties that have contributed to this craft.
Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May - Free Wet Felting Sessions
Come along and get hands on with wet felting. This process uses a combination of friction and agitation with soap and water to make felt out of wool fibres. The hot water and soap changes the acidity of the wool and allows the scales on the fibres to open up. The soap also helps provide a lubricant and allows your hands to move around the fibres easily creating wonderfully colourful crafts of your own design.
Sunday 12th May
See the incredible creations produced over the last 8 weeks by students at Barndale House School, Swansfield Park Primary School, and Duchess Community High School. All pupils have learned how to grow the plants, extract the dyes and use them to make new from old, learning about recycling processes along the way. Meet some of the pupils on Sunday as they talk about the pieces they have created.
Other activities include:
Cardboard weaving kits
Painting with cabbages
Textile fibres under the microscope
Calligraphy using gall ink
Self-printed wrapping paper using dye printing blocks
Colour and spectroscopy
Plant Dye Garden
*The bookable wet felting sessions are 10:30 and 13:30 on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May. All of the other sessions are running constantly throughout the 3 days.
