Weave The Wild Woods

£95.00

Weave the Wild Woods

Creative weaving and textile design inspired by the autumn woodland

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 richly 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.

Held in the Bothy at Brandon Country Park, surrounded by autumn woods, this is a day to immerse yourself in beautiful materials, expand your weaving skills and enjoy developing something entirely your own.

From woodland to woven cloth

Coppery leaves against dark earth. Cushions of moss nestled between roots. The fine branching lines of lichen, the papery folds of seed heads and the deep grooves of weathered bark.

The woods are full of textile possibilities. We’ll begin with a gentle walk, looking closely and recording the details that catch our attention through photographs, sketches or a few words in a notebook. You don’t need to be able to draw or arrive with a design already in mind. I’ll help you find a starting point in whatever captures your curiosity.

Back at our looms, we’ll explore how those observations can inform the cloth we make.

A soft looped surface might suggest moss; a raised line of soumak could trace a wandering root. Fine threads beside generous lengths of roving might echo the contrast between delicate twigs and a sturdy trunk. A glimpse of shimmering yarn could catch the light between earthy, densely woven areas.

Together, we’ll consider colour, proportion, rhythm and texture—learning how to select and combine materials so that each choice contributes to your design.

What we’ll explore

We’ll build a vocabulary of weaving techniques that you can draw on throughout the day and return to in future projects:

Plain weave and weft-faced weaving, exploring how beat, sett and yarn scale influence the surface of the cloth.
Variable beat and differential packing, moving between open, balanced and densely packed areas.
Clasped weft, creating striking colour changes and irregular divisions.
Discontinuous weft, building separate areas of colour and texture.
Supplementary-weft techniques, adding decorative yarns and pattern alongside a ground weave.
Soumak wrapping, creating raised, braided lines and defined shapes.
Rya knots, producing areas of pile, fringe and woodland-like texture.
Boutonné and loop pile, bringing loops to the surface for soft, dimensional effects.
Leno and manipulated-warp techniques, crossing and grouping warp threads to create decorative open areas.
Changes in scale, combining fine yarns, handspun, slubs, locks, roving and fabric strips.
Textural inclusions and surface embellishment, incorporating ribbons, fibres, curls, sequins and treasured personal materials.

Demonstrations will alternate with time at your loom, so you can try techniques, explore combinations and develop your own response. You won’t be expected to incorporate everything: part of textile design is discovering what to emphasise, what to simplify and where to let a beautiful material speak for itself.

I’ll offer individual guidance as your weaving develops, helping you connect technical possibilities with the ideas you want to express.

An eco-conscious approach to creative weaving

Working thoughtfully with existing materials is part of the spirit of this workshop. I’ll bring a generous selection of mill-end yarns from my own stash—leftover yarns from textile production that we can put to beautiful use.

By drawing on these existing supplies, we make fuller use of materials already produced and reduce the need to buy newly manufactured yarn for our experiments. Small quantities and unexpected combinations become creative opportunities: a few metres of shimmering thread, a soft wool remnant or the last length of a beautiful colour can become a distinctive detail in your cloth.

Yarn cake winders will be available so you can combine multiple strands into your own blends, exploring how fine mill-end yarns can become substantial, richly coloured weaving yarns.

Bring your own saved yarns, fabric scraps and ribbons too. This is an invitation to value what we already have, use it imaginatively and discover how resourceful making can lead to wonderfully individual textiles.

Everyone will have access to the shared mill-end yarn collection throughout the day, included in the £95 ticket.

Optional woodland yarn collections

If you’d enjoy starting with a specially selected palette, choose an optional woodland yarn pack prepared by me. Each collection brings together complementary colours, contrasting textures and some of my own designer handspun.

150g collection: £30 extra — £125 including your workshop.
300g collection: £55 extra — £150 including your workshop.

These packs are especially lovely if you don’t spin yourself and would like to weave with expressive handmade yarn—or simply fancy working with a selection of my designer yarns. The larger collection gives you more material to continue developing your ideas at home.

Both packs are optional. You can combine your pack with the shared mill-end yarns and your own treasured materials throughout the day. Please bring your loom already warped; preparation guidance will be sent before the workshop.

Space for your own creativity

There is no prescribed design to follow. Your weaving might become a quiet study in soft greys and greens, a richly layered woodland floor or a joyful gathering of colour and texture.

You’ll work towards a personal woven panel or design sampler, with the emphasis on exploration and thoughtful composition rather than completing a particular object. You can continue developing it afterwards, or keep it as a tactile record of techniques, materials and ideas.

Most importantly, this is time to trust your eye, take pleasure in your materials and discover what you want to make.

Who is it for?

Weavers with basic rigid-heddle experience who would like to explore textural techniques and become more confident designing their own cloth.

You should be comfortable weaving plain weave independently, but you don’t need previous experience of the techniques listed above. This is not a complete beginners’ learn-to-weave workshop.

What to bring

Your rigid-heddle loom, already dressed with a simple warp
Shuttles, scissors and your usual weaving tools
Any personal yarns, fibres or embellishments you’d enjoy incorporating
A phone, camera, notebook or sketchbook for recording inspiration
Suitable footwear and a warm layer for our woodland walk

Detailed warping guidance will be sent before the workshop. Please contact me before booking if you would like to enquire about a loan loom; availability will be very limited.

Your day includes

A full day of creative-weaving and textile-design tuition, a woodland inspiration walk, access to the shared mill-end yarn collection and yarn cake winders, tea, coffee and refreshments—all in a friendly, small-group setting.

Optional catering is being arranged with the park; lunch options and prices will follow separately.

You’ll leave with a weaving of your own design in progress, new technical knowledge and a collection of ideas to carry into your next projects.

£95 for the day, or £180 for the complete Spin the Wild Woods weekend. Optional yarn collections cost £30 for 150g or £55 for 300g in addition to your ticket.

Join me for Saturday’s creative-spinning workshop too, and bring some of your woodland-inspired yarn into Sunday’s cloth. The weaving day is equally welcoming if you’re joining us for Sunday alone.

Bring your loom, your curiosity and those lovely materials you’ve been saving. Let’s weave something that could only have come from you.

Book your place

There are just 12 places on this workshop. The £95 ticket reserves your place; optional materials packs are purchased separately.

Add a woodland yarn pack: 150g £30 or 300g £55. Packs are collected at the workshop.

For the £180 weekend, add one ticket for each day to your basket and enter WILDWEEKEND at checkout for £10 off. Book the other workshop here. One weekend discount per order; cannot be combined with other discounts. Optional packs are extra.