Two further weekends are offered at Missenden Abbey in the Taking Textiles Further series.

Taking Textiles Further is a course aimed at textile artists who have completed certificated courses or others to come and further develop their design  skills within their own textile specialism. This may be anything from embroidery to patchwork, or knitting, felting, weaving or lace making. Students are encouraged to explore ideas and methods of design that may be outside their usual range and to critique their own and others within this supportive environment where peer support is part of the workshop time. Drawing is a key activity and is practised in its widest forms giving learners a very individual and original starting point. There is an expectation that learners will also take a keen interest in contextural issues and the wider sphere of textile practice.

Weekends are designed around broad topics with attention given to design elements and principals and contextural concerns. This year’s theme is ‘connections’ which may be made in many different ways; physical, digital, writings, through historical, geographical and community sources. There is a rich seam of inspiration to be found wherever one looks. Connections may be made through practical means or may be unseen and merely sensed or felt. They may be personal, local, cultural, lasting or ephemeral. This subject provides a feast of exciting but challenging starting points for textile design.

Weekend two 28/29th March 2020

This course considers the design ideas found through investigating connections between people past and present. These may be family trees or historical registers such as lists of people travelling by boat or train, the written word through letters or diaries between family or others or any other written evidence. This is an opportunity to design a unique textile that illustrates personal connections with people, places, or an historical event.

Using the texts we will design with print, transfer methods and Thermofax prints to engage with the connections they present, combining paper, cloth and writing. We will create surfaces that suggest the passing of time and evoke memories using maps and family tree forms and embedded text.

Weekend three 13/14th June 2020

Connect with recycling and repurpose unwanted objects with reclaimed materials to create a modern icon or container to hold a precious item. Consider using an old garment, a book, an object or piece of jewelery that is past its best and transform it into something else to give new meaning and fresh appeal. Using wrapping and stitching together with old used cloth we will create a new object imbued with special memories and significance.

For further information check out the Missenden Abbey website: Missendenschoolofcreativearts.co.uk