Textile workshops - African Textiles

Bogolanfini

A variation on a traditional discharge dyeing technique used for patterning cloth in Mali.
Suitable for all ages and abilities, using painted and printed paste to discharge and pattern brown, pre-dyed silk

Adire Eleko
A variation of a traditional technique from Nigeria using painted and printed paste to pattern calico in combination with thickened blue dye
 

Indigo Dyeing
A synthetic variation, arguably more reliable and effective. Traditional vat dyeing requiring complete immersion of the cloth: can be combined with other techniques such as Batik (see below) or with the sgraffito technique dyeing scratched designs into waxed calico

Textile workshops - Batik

Conventional light to dark in successive wax resist and dye applications on silk, paper and calico
 

Discharge dyeing - working in reverse from dark to light using successive applications of wax resists and bleach on fine black discharge cotton
 

Tjap printing - ornate and beautiful copper printing blocks made in Indonesia, used to pattern textiles with wax resists before dyeing
 

Paper - using a combination of conventional Batik with discharge-dyeing and collage techniques with coloured tissue papers

Textile workshops - Silk painting

creative and accessible approaches ranging from simple but effective techniques using fabric transfer crayons and dyes, suitable for all ages and abilities and a reliable quick and easy method when time is short.

Advanced techniques can include alternative dye applications, print, resist and discharge combinations 

Murals

Transform Interior and exterior walls to present your image to the world.

Good preparation time is essential, followed by small groups, using quick drying acrylics.

Painted murals can also be combined with mosaic features, to give your work that extra dimension. 

Textile workshops - Shibori

 Japanese manipulated and patterned cloth ranging from simple but effective pole dyeing or Arashi (嵐^?, literally Storm) techniques to complex heat treated folded silks and polyesters

Textile workshops - Devoré

From the French verb 'dévorer'meaning literally 'to devour'
A heat reactive chemical paste is painted, printed or applied with an applicator bottle to burn out one fibre type from mixed fibre fabrics (ie: silk/polyester.) 
The resultant 'sculpted' fibre can then be washed and coloured using cold water fibre reactive dyes, giving an exceptional two tone effect with subtle tones to the silk backing and full vibrant tones to the polyester pile

Textile workshops - Textile Printing

Relief printing with found, constructed materials and Indian woodblocks, mono-printing and collographs.

Fun, simple and expressive techniques which can be adapted to suit all ages and abilities, used alone as an artform in their own right, or combined with other techniques
 

Mosaic workshops
 

• Gaudi Style - celebrating the exuberance and creativity of Antoni Gaudi using simple but effective techniques with ceramic, mirror, glass and found objects
   
• 3D sculptural mosaic for the garden - using a cut and shaped thermailite base and constructed using ceramic and glass with cement
   
• Mirror mosaics - Bold and dramatic mosaics which change as they reflect their surroundings. Using Japanese glass cutters for precise cutting in combination with randomly shaped mirror pieces
   
• Mosaics From Found and Recycled Materials - A very individual approach giving participants the opportunity to include their old keepsakes, or found objects that have been put away and forgotten, to be incorporated into a mosaic of their own design
   
• Pebble mosaics - For dramatic garden features and pathways. Constructed on site or in the classroom, using the indirect method in frames.