Weaverbird Workshops, starting in May at St Mary's College on Midanbury Lane, aim to create a social group that gets local people involved in and inspired by crafts, writes Madeleine O’Beirne.
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Why not come along to a community Craft Social Evening at St Mary’s College, Midanbury Lane, on Thursday, May 5. Claire Weaver, the owner of Weaverbird Workshops, will be running this social evening as part of her project to get local people involved in and inspired by crafts, and everyone is welcome.
She says: “The idea behind the craft evening is to start a social group with a common theme of crafting in mind. The College have very kindly allowed me to rent one of the rooms and turn it into a workshop."
Claire, a teacher at St Mary’s College, pursues a variety of crafts in her free time. She enjoys motion embroidery and quilting, makes purses and handbags and also leads workshops on bookbinding, a craft that she says she would particularly like to develop.
Be inspired
Claire says that the first workshop will be “very much a relaxed event with no formal structure”, and will provide a taster of the sessions to follow.
“People are welcome to come and have a look round and see if it's something that might interest them, if they can use the space to be sociable and continue with a project they are working on, or maybe try their hand at something new.”
Claire has considered the workshop space carefully to create a productive but, at the same time, restful atmosphere. Facilities will include sewing machines and a die cutting machine that will perform the cutting and embossing for card making and picture design. She has included a large table in the centre of the room for paperwork and some of the other crafts that she hopes to develop, along with comfortable chairs “for knitters who wish to natter”, and she has upcycled the furniture for the sewing machines from pieces that she has sourced from the College.
Share skills and knowledge
Claire plans to provide packs containing materials and instructions for those who need a little help with getting started on a project, for example a small purse or a cushion cover, and there will be a nominal charge for these, but she is equally keen to encourage people to come along with their own materials and projects. “I would love people to share their expertise and knowledge”, she says.
There is no charge for the first craft evening. For subsequent sessions, running every Thursday evening, the charge will be just £3.00, enough to help Claire to cover the cost of the room and a few essential materials. Tea, coffee, homemade cake and biscuits will also be available for a small charge.
Claire wants to develop the workshops at St Mary’s as a community project, to share her enthusiasm and help others to find enjoyment in crafting. As well as her workshops on bookbinding, Claire runs specialised sessions on paper craft, ceramics and textiles, and hopes to run more of these alongside her community craft project.
Find out more
For further information about the Craft Social Evening and future Weaverbird workshops, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit her website or take a look at her Facebook page.
Madeleine O’Beirne
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