Another of our popular ‘play days’, which are a great opportunity to get to know other members while working on your UFOs, and current projects. Kathryn can demonstrate how to make a simple coiled basket, or you can try our embellisher - great fun for machine felting - share your skills, get advice and just see what everyone else is up to.

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In her presentation Iranian born artist Batool Showghi will show how she transforms materials into artists books and mixed media wall pieces. Using different techniques and processes to narrate stories, explore issues of identity, struggle and rise of women and displacement.

Bridget will talk about her creative journey, her background in textiles and millinery and how these have influenced her current work, which is inspired by encounters with plants and insects on her allotment. From textiles to fly-tying, and cat whiskers to millinery, Bridget will talk about how techniques and materials transform when they combine and cross-pollinate.

This is our first workshop in the textile room at St Anne's Catholic School for Girls. You can use the sewing machines for free machine embroidery, linen presses for heat transfer dyes and Justine will demonstrate other equipment that can be used for more innovative textile techniques.

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Bring your sewing kits, plain fabric and scrap fabric. Directions and more information will be provided when you sign up.

Clare is a traditional wet felt maker with over 20 years' experience in the textile arts. She is passionate about the art of felt, especially nuno felting which combines wool and a loose weave fabric, making a stronger cloth that is suitable for clothing. In this talk Clare will talk about her creative journey and inspiration.

Join Jill Kipnis, member and owner of Inspirational Embroidery, for an illustrated talk about her bespoke textile tour of India in February. Travelling through Gujarat and Rajasthan ending in Mumbai, Jill visited artisan's workshops, museums, markets and palaces gathering inspiration from the exquisite textiles and traditional techniques like block printing.

Now is your chance to make a goldwork bug with Georgina using classic stumpwork techniques and hand embroidery. Don’t be put off if you have never tried goldwork before, as the class is suitable for embroiderers of all levels, with more advanced students catered for as well. You should be able to complete the piece in a day.

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Bring your sewing kits. Georgina will provide complete bug kits at a small additional charge.

Kantha is a hand stitching technique originating in India, with a running stitch used to create representational pictures and abstract patterns. Angela will talk about the history of Kantha and you will learn how Angela stitches, and the tools and threads she loves to use. She will talk about the many beautiful variations of running stitch that can be used in a Kantha design.
Angela has provided a simple tulip design so we can do some Kantha stitching while she talks. If you would like to do this, please trace out the tulip design onto plain cotton fabric. This needs to be tacked onto backing fabric, and Angela recommends two layers of cotton muslin, giving three layers in total. Whatever you choose, it has to be something soft and easy to stitch through. Bring perle 12 thread, or you can use 2-3 strands of embroidery floss if you prefer - green threads for the stems, and then a colour for the tulips. Bring your sewing kits.

Our annual summer get together for tea and cake. Give work from past workshops, competitions and exhibitions another chance and/or show us what you have been working on since last year, including Travelling Books. Bring your pieces along on the day for our informal Something Old: Something New display.

An opportunity to pass on our stitching skills to members of the public who sign up for one of the two half-day sessions in this beautiful venue. The project will be a simple hand stitched felt strawberry that can be made into a brooch or key ring for people to take away.

Emily Jo Gibbs has established an international reputation for her hand stitched textiles, observing the quiet beauty of the overlooked. She specialises in layered appliqué, creating portraits and still-lives with a pared back aesthetic. This talk is about her career in making, from high-end handbags to portraits. With lots of illustrations and descriptions and stories of how her work has evolved.

An opportunity to find out about the textile art produced by four members of the group, where they find their inspiration, and what materials and processes they use in their creative practice.

Passementerie is defined as ‘the art of making elaborate trimmings such as tassels, braids, gold or silver cord, fringing or edgings for clothing or furnishings’, by the Heritage Crafts Association. Elizabeth Ashdown is one of only a few hand passementerie artists working in the UK today. Elizabeth combines traditional and endangered craft skills with a contemporary aesthetic in order to create brilliantly colourful and innovative passementerie as artworks. She will tell us about her creative journey and the craft itself.
Elizabeth will bring lots of samples and materials, and we can try our hand at cord winding after the talk.

Chris will give a brief introduction to the tradition of Sashiko, the types of patterns, grids, and templates used. She will demonstrate how to mark out a grid, marking stitches, order of working and stitching a pattern. Then using templates and grid patterns, we will draw our own design and fill in with different Sashiko stitch patterns. Chris will give us ideas for using finished Sashiko pieces.

The requirements list will be provided later!

Quiz, Christmas ‘make’ and card swap

Rachel Midgley will delve into Gawthorpe’s collection of bags, purses, reticules and even pockets, covering four centuries of stylish accessories. Using high-resolution photographs we can take a close-up look at the design and decoration of each item, the techniques and skills involved in creating them and how the fashions of the day influenced these accessories.