Weave the Wild Woods

A day of creative weaving and textile design, inspired by the autumn woods

Sunday 15 November 2026 · Brandon Country Park, Suffolk
10am–4.30pm · Arrive from 9.30am · £95

Join me for a full-day creative-weaving workshop exploring how to translate woodland inspiration into textured, individually designed cloth. Through a gentle woodland walk, technical demonstrations and supported experimentation, we’ll explore colour, pattern and surface—and discover how much creative possibility lies within a simple warp.

We’ll begin with a gentle woodland wander, gathering inspiration to bring back to our looms. Then we’ll spend the day exploring weaving techniques, trying different materials and working out how to turn the things that catch our eye into something we can weave.

immerse yourself in beautiful materials, expand your weaving skills and enjoy developing something entirely your own.

A little woodland inspiration…

There’s so much to notice when you start looking closely. The velvety green of moss, a curl of peeling bark, tiny patches of lichen, or the unexpected purple of a mushroom against the leaves.

We’ll take those little discoveries back to our looms. You might want to try making a mossy surface with loops and soft wool, follow the line of a root with soumak, or put together a colour combination you’d never have thought of at home.

Take photographs, make a few notes or have a little sketch as we walk. You don’t need to be able to draw, and you certainly don’t need to arrive with a design worked out.

At our looms

We’ll explore a selection of techniques, with demonstrations followed by time to try them in your own weaving:

• Plain weave and weft-faced weaving, looking at how beat, sett and yarn scale change the cloth.

• Variable beat and differential packing, moving between airy, open sections and densely packed areas.

• Clasped weft, for bold colour changes, interlocking colours and irregular divisions.

• Discontinuous weft, working with separate areas of colour and texture.

• Supplementary weft, adding decorative yarns and pattern alongside the ground weave.

• Soumak wrapping, for raised, braided lines and defined shapes.

• Rya knots, adding pile, fringe and shaggy texture.

• Boutonné and loop pile, bringing soft loops up to the surface.

• Leno and manipulated-warp techniques, crossing and grouping warp threads to make open areas.

• Changes in scale, playing with fine threads, handspun, slubs, locks, roving and fabric strips.

• Textural inclusions and surface embellishment, finding ways to use ribbons, curls, fibres, sequins and other little treasures.

You’ll work on your own woven panel or sampler, which you can carry on with at home. It will be something to refer back to, full of ideas and experiments for future weaving.

Come and rummage through my yarn stash

I’ll bring a generous selection of mill-end yarns, and you’re very welcome to use them throughout the day. These are leftover yarns from textile production, with all sorts of possibilities tucked away on their cones.

This is part of the eco-conscious approach I want to bring to the workshops: making good use of yarn that already exists, including the small quantities that are so useful for experimental weaving. 

Please bring things from your own stash as well. A favourite handspun, an odd length of ribbon, fabric scraps or something you’ve been keeping for just the right project. I’d love to help you find a use for it.

The shared mill-end yarns and use of the winders are included in your ticket.

Fancy a woodland yarn pack?

If you’d enjoy having a palette put together for you, I’m also preparing optional woodland yarn collections, including some of my own designer handspun, with colours and textures chosen to work together.

• 150g yarn collection: £30 — £125 with your workshop ticket.

• 300g yarn collection: £55 — £150 with your workshop ticket.

These are a lovely option if you don’t spin yourself and would like some handspun to weave with, or if you simply fancy using my yarns. The larger pack gives you more to take home and carry on exploring.

You can mix your pack with the shared yarns and anything you bring along.

Add a woodland yarn pack. Packs are purchased separately and will be ready to collect at the workshop.

Is this workshop for you?

If you can weave plain weave independently on a rigid-heddle loom and would like to get more adventurous with texture, materials and your own designs, come along!

You don’t need to have tried the techniques above. I’ll demonstrate them, and there will be time for questions and individual help as you work.

You’re very welcome to book Sunday on its own. If you’re coming to Saturday’s spinning workshop too, you can bring some of your newly spun yarn into your weaving.

What to bring

• Your rigid-heddle loom, already warped. I’ll send detailed warping guidance before the day.

• Shuttles, scissors and your usual weaving tools.

• Any yarns, fibres, ribbons or embellishments you’d like to try.

• A phone, camera, notebook or sketchbook for recording inspiration.

• Suitable footwear and something warm for our woodland walk.

If you’d like to enquire about borrowing a loom, please contact me before booking. Loan looms will be very limited.

Booking and the practical bits

Your £95 ticket includes the full day’s teaching, our woodland inspiration walk, use of the shared mill-end yarns and yarn winders, plus tea, coffee and refreshments.

Lunch is separate. I’m talking to the park about catering and will share the options and prices once they’re confirmed.

We’ll start at 10am, with arrivals from 9.30am so you have time to settle in and set up your loom. We’ll finish at 4.30pm.

There are 12 places available.

If you’d like to make a weekend of it, book both workshops for £180. Add one ticket for each day to your basket and enter WILDWEEKEND at checkout for £10 off.

Book Saturday’s Spin the Wild Woods workshop.

One weekend discount per order; cannot be combined with other discounts. Optional materials packs are extra.

I’m so looking forward to a room full of looms, lovely yarns and seeing what everyone makes. I hope you’ll join me!

Louise x