Last Friday I set off for The Sustainability Centre, van loaded with the spoils of my beach scavenges and an abundance of our naturally dyed yarns, to run my first ever workshop there.
Image: Baskets of naturally dyed yarns, mostly linen, and some charity shop sparkle!
We first heard of The Sustainability Centre from our friend Rachel who does the most incredible job of managing the land there, and over the years it has become a place that is very close to my heart.
It was the final overnight stop on both our South Downs adventures, first in 2017 when we walked the full 100 miles from Eastbourne back to Winchester over five days carrying a nine month old Frank, and again at the end of last Summer when we cycled the same route over four days, this time with Frank on her e-bike. After travelling that distance (or not for that matter), the comfort of one of their yurts is quite a luxury.
A few years ago we buried my mother in law in their woodland, an experience that helped us find peace and beauty in dark times.
Image: Pyrography owl and John Muir quote, Woodland Hall and Rose yurt at The Sustainability Centre
So, when I was contacted by the lovely Wendy and asked to run the ‘Introduction to Off-Loom Weaving’ workshop, I didn’t have to think twice!
The workshop was fully booked with eight people in attendance, and after a brief welcome chat from Wendy we got stuck in. We started by weaving on pieces of card to gain a basic understanding of how to create a woven cloth with a brief introduction on how to record and weave patterns, before moving on to weaving on stones, driftwood and shells, and in the afternoon we moved on to branches.
Image: Some of the pieces created in the workshop
One of the beauties of this form of weaving is its simplicity. You can, of course, choose to make it more complex, but there is much satisfaction to be had from keeping it simple and immersing yourself in the rhythm and repetition of weaving in its most basic form, which is what many of the participants chose to do.
What a privilege to spend the day with these wonderful women in such a special place.
Image: The spacious Green Room at The Sustainability Centre
The Sustainability centre has a large number of courses available, from willow weaving and woodworking skills, to foraging and spoon carving. If I were to list all the courses I wanted to do there i'd simply be copying their courses diary, so do head over to their website to see the full line up.
- To see our full line up of in-person weaving and natural dyeing workshops click HERE
- For our self-paced online courses click HERE
- 'Weaving as Art Therapy for Beginners' - A Self-Care Workbook to Ease Anxiety, Stress, and Depression. Relax and Find Inner Peace Using Simple, Low-Cost Therapeutic Weaving Activities