Make a Mosaic and Beginner Crochet

It was a busy weekend with two workshops running on Saturday.  Make a Mosaic ran during the morning and lots of lovely mosaics were made (see pictures below).  There's such a wide selection of tiles, stained glass and crockery to use that all the mosaics look completely different, even if they are the same shape.

In the afternoon it was beginner crochet, with both learners successfully making a granny square during the session.  Now they just need to go home and practice!

Willow Easter Baskets

This afternoon we ran the Willow Easter Baskets workshop, where we used a plaiting technique.  Everyone made a number of baskets and then went on to experiment with the plaiting technique to make more sculptural objects.  Some were abstract, others looked like chickens and dragonflies (see pictures below).

The group with all their creations at the end

A willow bird/chicken

A willow dragonfly

Beginner Knitting

For the first time in over a year, we had a Beginning Knitting workshop today.  We were learning to make knitted bunting as to do this you needed to learn to cast on, knit (plain) stitch, decrease and cast off.  For those who finished their first pendant, there was a more challenging design for their second pendant for them to try, which included purl stitch and changing colours.  Everyone finished one pendant and a couple of people (admittedly, the people who'd tried knitting at some point in the past) managed a second pendant as well.

Proudly showing the finished bunting pendants!

Rag Rug masterclass

The Rag Rug masterclass took place on Saturday with Elspeth Jackson of A Ragged Life as tutor.  She bought many of her beautiful creations along with her for inspiration - I particularly liked a purple checked shaggy rag rug (see picture below)!  The workshop covered all the techniques of shaggy and loopy rag rugs, and the participants had plenty of time to make their own designs and to get to work on them, with huge quantities of recycled clothing in all different shades and fabrics available to use.   Sadly I forgot to take a picture of everyone's work at the end of the day, but I did take an 'action' picture part way through!

Rag rug making in action!

My favourite rug

Willow Hearts

We had a lovely session on 30th January making willow hearts.  The tutor had brought dried willow and living willow along so we were able to make hearts that could be planted in the garden, as well as hearts to hang in the home.  

Some of the finished hearts!

Hearts designed to hang in a kitchen.

Sewing and Crochet

Today it was Get To Know Your Sewing Machine and Make a Piped Cushion in the morning (the two workshops run alongside each other).  The photo belows shows the lovely cushions that the participants made.

Cushions!

In the afternoon it was Beginner Crochet again, making granny squares.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a photograph, but everyone made a granny square by the end of the session, and several people were keen to attend an intermediate workshop to learn new stitches.

Beginner Crochet and Lampshade Making

The first workshops of 2016 were today: we started in the morning with Beginner Crochet, learning how to make granny squares, and spent the afternoon making lampshades.  

The trickiest part of the beginner crochet workshop is the beginning as the learners wrestle with making their chain ring and getting the square started.  Once we'd overcome that challenge everyone made a fantastic granny square and took their hooks home to carry on practising.

The granny square beginner crochet workshop in action!

In the lampshade making workshop, we had two participants with fabric of completely opposite qualities: one person had brought a heavy-weight upholstery fabric and the other had brought a light-weight (and very beautiful) silk.  Each fabric presented its own challenges but the finished lampshades looked really professional - see picture below.

The finished lamp shades

Willow Christmas Decorations

On 14th November we ran two sessions of Willow Christmas Decorations.  As well as the stars, reindeer and trees that we'd made last year, we also made Christmas angels.  This was the first time that Judith the tutor had taught angels and they were a little less straightforward for us to make than she'd anticipated!  Nonetheless we struggled through and everyone took home a very fine angel, which will look lovely with a (battery-powered!) tea light in its base.

My finished willow angel

A herd of willow reindeer

Angel making in action