Please check with the venue before making a special journey. Note: only regions that currently have live events appear in the drop-down menu.
The Eskdale and Liddesdale branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild present their passion for textiles in a variety of stitching styles.
Venue: Textile Towerhouse, 1 Tower Knowe, Hawick TD9 9EN
Website: http://www.liveborders.org.uk
An exhibition of recent work by Margaret Kenny who makes rag rugs and wall hangings using traditional techniques with an innovative twist.
Venue: Coldstream Museum, 12 Market Square, Coldstream TD12 4BD
Website: http://www.liveborders.org.uk
A showcase of the work of the Royal School of Needlework.
Venue: R-Space Gallery, The Linen Rooms, 32 Castle Street, Lisburn, Northern Ireland BT27 4XE
Website: https://www.rspacelisburn.com
Artist and basketmaker Tim Johnson makes contemporary baskets rooted in world traditions. Based on the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia he uses a wide variety of plant materials harvested in the countryside and along the urban margins of his home town. The specific properties of these plant materials combined with diverse techniques gleaned from researches and experimentation give endless possibilities for creativity and expression.
Venue: Crafts Study Centre, Falkner Rd, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7DS
Website: http://www.csc.uca.ac.uk/
This ‘maximalist’ exhibition shows a wide range of pattern in a variety of media, including dyed silk, wool, paper, jewellery and glass. Found everywhere we look, at its simplest a pattern in art may be a geometric or other repeating shape, as in wallpaper. Devon Guild of Craftsmen challenged their many multi-disciplined Members to interpret the theme as tightly or loosely as they liked in order to extend their design and making skills. The result is an exhibition containing a riotous mix of pattern, including textiles by Isabella Whitworth and Liz Clay.
Venue: Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9AF
Website: http://www.crafts.org.uk
An exhibtion of Indian textiles with examples of blockprinting, embroidery and appliqué.
Venue: 46a Raeburn Place Edinburgh, EH4 1HL
Website: https://galeriemirages.com
Weavers of the Clouds brings the captivating designs of Peru to the UK, showcasing some of the world’s oldest and most colourful art and textiles. Peru has a world-renowned heritage of fibre arts and costumes, from a lineage that dates back thousands of years.
Weavers of the Clouds explores the processes and practices of both historic and contemporary Peruvian costume via garments, textiles, photographs, tools, illustrations and paintings, dating from pre-Hispanic to present day.
Venue: Fashion & Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF
Website: http://www.ftmlondon.org/ftm-exhibitions/weavers-of-the-clouds-textile-arts-of-peru/
This is a rare opportunity to see ancient Andean textiles of this quality and size exhibited in the UK. Through a major loan from the collector Paul Hughes, alongside pieces from the Whitworth, textiles from c300BC to c1400AD. As well as celebrating breath-taking achievements in textile technique and design, this show explores the complexities of their transition from local ritual to a wider international stage.
Venue: Whitworth Art Gallery,Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER
Sheep to Seat, Fleece to Floor follows the journey of wool from the sheep which graze the historic landscape of the Sculpture Park, from shearing to scouring, spinning to weaving and design to product development. The result is a display of beautiful bespoke furniture, furnishings and photographic prints.
Venue: Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG
Website: http://www.ysp.org.uk
This summer, the 62 Group of Textile Artists will be showcasing a brand new exhibition on the theme ‘CONSTRUCT which offers a rich seam to mine for inspiration. Works built using a range of textile construction techniques, diverse materials and structural forms, will surely have a focus, alongside pieces inspired by the built environment. Less obvious interpretations around the construction of ideas, arguments and narratives may also be seen. Also expect to see pieces referencing the Mill building itself and the textile heritage of the site.
Venue: Sunny Bank Mills, 83-85 Town St, Farsley, Pudsey LS28 5UJ
Website: http://www.62group.org.uk
Hannah often combines weaving with techniques borrowed from lace-making or basketry. She thinks sculpturally about thread pathways to create technically ambitious surfaces and forms. Bizarre and Curious Silks is shown in collaboration with the Huguenot Museum where Hannah will present work inspired by the texile heritage and techniques of the Huguenots.
Venue: Rochester Art Gallery & Craft Case, 95 High Street, Rochester, Kent ME1 1LX
Website: https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200182/arts_and_heritage/303/arts_in_medway/2
In this new exhibition, two of Scotland’s leading textile artists Rose Campbell and Alison King take inspiration from the beautiful forests that surround the Border town of Peebles; tracing their ancient history through hunting and cultivation to their use in modern day mountain biking.
Venue: Tweeddale Mueum, Chambers Institution, High Street, Peebles EH45 5AG
Website: http://www.liveborders.org.uk
This exhibtion showcases a mesmerising sculptural installation by weaving artist Jan Bowman who is renowned for breaking the boundaries of weaving by creating woven spatial divides, panels and sculptural pieces that challenge the conventional limits of the discipline by transforming traditional woven forms into contemporary installations.
Venue: The Museum of Carpet, Stour Vale Mill, Green Street, Kidderminster DY10 1AZ
Website: http://www.museumofcarpet.org
The summer's exhibition is "Designed for Liberty". The curator Stephanie Kemp under her label Stephanie Jane designed and manufactured separates and dresses for Liberty of London and their stores across the world during the late 1970's and through the 1980's. This exhibition is her story.
Check website for opening times.
Venue: Newtown Textile Museum, 5 - 7 Commercial Street Newtown Powys, SY16 2BL
Website: http://newtowntextilemuseum.co.uk/
The Collection: Textiles from the Arab World
Multaka volunteers at the Pitt Rivers Museum have worked closely with staff to add new perspectives to a collection of textiles, recently donated by Dr Jenny Balfour-Paul. Jenny is a researcher, collector of worldwide textiles and a renowned expert on indigo dye. In 2016, she offered the Museum a selection of textiles purchased during her travels around the Middle East and North Africa during the 1970s and 1980s.
Venue: Pitt Rivers Museum, South Parks Rd Oxford OX1 3PP
Website: http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/event/multaka-connecting-threads
A new exhibition on the work of craftswomen who turned their practice’s into successful businesses between the two World Wars. Women’s Work will focus on pieces made by textile artists, weavers, ceramicists and silversmiths. Featuring over 100 pieces, Women’s Work will focus on a core group of makers – Ethel Mairet, Alice Hindson, Phyllis Barron & Dorothy Larcher, Enid Marx, Catherine ‘Casty’ Cobb, Katharine Pleydell- Bouverie, Denise Wren and Elizabeth Peacock – some of whom are relatively unknown yet hugely significant to the development of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Venue: Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft, Lodge Hill Lane, Ditchling, East Sussex, BN6 8SP
A new exhibition exploring and sharing new perspectives on cultural heritage and migration in response to world textiles in the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection.
A National Trust property.
Venue: Gawthorpe Hall, Burnley Road, Padiham, near Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 8UA
Lavishly decorated clothes played an important role in society even 1500 years ago. Dress could be used to express dignity, rank and high standards. This special exhibition presents several tunics of the 5th - 7th centuries and numerous small woven panels which once decorated tunics.
Venue: Abegg-Stiftung, Werner Abeggstrasse 67, CH-3132 Riggisberg Switzerland
Website: http://www.abegg-stiftung.ch
Drum Castle hosts five leading contemporary British artists who work across a variety of media to express a considered sense of place and experience.
Join us to experience the beauty of contemporary woven tapestries by Jo Barker, Sara Brennan and Susan Mowatt; the exquisite glass and ceramics of Andrea Walsh; and Jane Bustin’s intriguing combinations of paint, metal, ceramics and cloth.
Venue: Drum Castle, Drumoak, by Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 5EY
Website: http://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/drum-castle/events
From Syria, Iraq, Turkey & Yemen - the four corners of the Ka'bah - textiles from the Whitworth's collection will be brought together, extending to the widest reaches of influence of the Islamic world.
Venue: The Whitworth, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER
Marking 25 years of collaborative working, Dovecot Studios are excited to be working with Royal Academician painter and master printmaker Barbara Rae CBE RSA on a significant new tapestry titled Peel Sound Ice.
This new tapestry celebrates the artist’s critically acclaimed recent body of work exploring the Northwest Passage in the Arctic region, which was shown at the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) in 2018 for the first time.
The display will be held on the Tapestry Studio Viewing Balcony. The viewing times are as follows:
Mon-Fri: 12.00-15.00
Saturday: 10.30-17:30
Open Sunday during August: 10.30-17.30
Venue: Dovecot Studios, 10 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LT
Website: http://www.dovecotstudios.com
An exhibition of new work by weaver Theo Wright.
http://www.theowright.co.uk/outofsynch.html
Venue: Handweavers Studio, 140 Seven Sisters Road, London N7 7NS
Website: http://www.handweavers.co.uk
This Fungi Dye exhibition includes tapestries by Trisha Gow and Veronica Collins.
Venue: The Tolbooth, 4 High Street, Lanark ML11 7EX
Website: http://lanark.co.uk/whats-on/fabulous-fungi-dyes-26-08-2019
The landscape, flora and fauna of Scotland provide inspiration for these vibrant felt art works and other wool felt creations.
Venue: Borders Textile Towerhouse, 1 Tower Knowe, Hawick TD9 9EN
Website: http://www.liveborders.org.uk
This year’s WEFT will celebrate the cloth designers who worked in the Trowbridge mills between 1930-70s, showing for the first time a selection of Trowbridge Museum’s collection of cloth together with the story of the designers. The exhibition will also include new works by weavers in the west of England, inspired by the museum’s collection of cloth.
Venue: Trowbridge Museum, Bridge House, 10 Stallard Street, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 9AE
Website: http:// www.trowbridgemuseum.co.uk
A celebration of silk in Sudbury. The festival coincides with the Heritage Open Days. The day will include talks, exhibitions, demonstrations of silk weaving walks and silk mills. Check the website for details.
Venue: Sudbury, Suffolk
Heallreaf 3 is the third biennial featuring tapestry from artists around the world. Tapestries are all about narrative; they have told stories since their heyday in the Middle Ages and this exhibition of contemporary work is no different. Each piece captures a moment in the story, but a moment that is fixed slowly by the artist as each layer of weft threads lay down the image held in the tapestry. In the age of accelerated technologies and instant gratification, it is encouraging that some artists are still willing to sit at a loom for weeks, months, or even years to produce such remarkable works of art.
Venue: Surface Gallery, 16 Southwell Road, Nottingham NG1 1DL
Website: http://www.surfacegallery.org
Showcasing the work of six Devon Guild of Craftsmen Members & Associates.
Venue: Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9AF
Website: http://www.crafts.org.uk
An exhibition of works resulting from a Wales / India exchange programme by textile artists. Includes weaving, digital print on cloth and stitched work.
Venue: Aberystwyth Arts Centre, penglais Campus, Aberystwyth SY23 3DE
The final venue for an exhibition which toured a number of venues in Scotland in 2018.
Linking art, design and industry, the exhibition explores a rich heritage, new work and insights into contemporary materials and manufacturing at home and abroad. Five Storybooks, printed on linen paper, are available to read at the exhibition stations: Featured Designers: Linen Journeys in Design, European Unions, Art & Acquisition, Plant & Production and Supply & Sustainability. Our Exhibition Design is in collaboration with artist Nick Sargent. Our Linen Storybooks are created in collaboration with Alison Newman of PULP.
Venue: The Dovecot Gallery, 10 Infirmary St, Edinburgh EH1 1LT
Website: http://www.dovecotstudios.com
Tokyo Spinning Party has Exhibitors and Trade Stands covering all aspects of Dyeing, Spinning, Weaving, Braiding, Knitting, Crochet, Felting along with Textile Art with raw materials, equipments, books. There are also demonstrations, workshops and lectures. This is the 17th Tokyo Spinning Party.
OPEN : 10:00-17:00
ADMISSION FEE : 1000yen/each day
Please pay at Hall.
Admission for those under 15 years of age is free.
Email:info@tokyo-spinningparty.org
Venue: 3-9-10 Koutoubashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0022 Japan
Website: http://tokyo-spinningparty.org/
An exhibition celebrating the life and work of one of Britain's most influential post-war designers.
Venue: Willis Museum, Market Place, Basingstoke, RG21 7QD
Website: http://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/willis-museum-and-sainsbury-gallery
In celebration of fifty years of the Zandra Rhodes’ label. This retrospective will highlight 100 key looks, as well as 50 original textiles. This comprehensive exhibition will explore five decades of the distinguished career of a British design legend.
Venue: 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF
Website: https://www.ftmlondon.org
Shetland Wool Week is a world renowned celebration of Britain’s most northerly native sheep, the Shetland textile industry and the rural farming community on these islands. This year there will be an extensive range of exhibitions, classes and events, which will cover many different subjects. These will include; weaving, spinning, dyeing, Fair Isle and lace knitting as well as many other fascinating subject areas. Events will take place from the most southern tip of the Shetland, right up to the most northerly island of Unst, famous for its beautiful lacework, with many locations in between.
See website for full details.
Venue: Various venues in the Shetland Isles
Website: http://www.shetlandwoolweek.com
A programme of textile-related events / exhibitions at various venues in Lancashire. See website for details. Includes Alice Kettle's large scale works: Threads Bearing Witness at Gawthorpe Hall.
Venue: Various
Kent Cloth textile works by Francesca Baur. This approach advocates a slower approach to creating natural local textiles with a story that employs traditional skills, from growing the flax for linen to making natural plant dyes. It is a botanical journey from the flax fields of Belgium and Normandy to the White Cliffs of Dover, and around the 'Garden of England'.
Venue: Rochester Art Gallery & Craft Case, 95 High Street, Rochester, ME1 1LX
Website: https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200182/arts_and_heritage/303/arts_in_medway/2
The West Wales Wool Show in Narberth is a celebration of all things woolly. From beautifully hand crafted items, clothing and footwear to knitting wool, fleece and all the equipment needed to make at home. Demonstrations run throughout the day with stall holders sharing their skills and knowledge with visitors plus wool skill workshops such as felting.
Venue: Queens Hall & Hyfrid Hotel, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
By Hali Publications and Karun Thakar
Venue: Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
Website: http://www.soas.ac.uk/gallery/
See website for details.
Venue: Alexandra Palace, London
The All-Wales Event for Spinners, Weavers and Dyers - suppliers stands, exhibitions of work by the Welsh Guilds, the Guild Challenge, raffle and sales table. Riitta Sinkkonen Davies will give a talk on My Weaving Life.
Venue: Minerva Arts Centre, Llanidloes, Powys SY18 6BY
A knitting and wool craft event
Knitting is a traditional craft that has been dated back to the 11th century in Eygpt. A special Wild About Wool knitting event and discover different types of wool and help solve your knitting conundrums by talking to friendly experts.
This event is suitable for all ages and levels, from beginners to experienced knitters.
Venue: Chilterns Open Air Museum, Newland Park, Gorelands Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire HP8 4AB
Website: http:///www.coam.org.uk/events/wild-about-wool-knitting-event/
The Heallreaf 3 exhibition of international juried tapestry art.
Venue: Espacio Gallery, 159 Bethnal Green Rd, London E2 7DG
Website: http://www.espaciogallery.com
Pringle of Scotland, knitwear producers, was at one time the largest employer in Hawick, with a worldwide reputation. As part of the celebrations to mark the tenth anniversary of Borders Textile Towerhouse, we have drawn from the largest collection in our archives to chart the company’s design history in the 20th century.
Venue: Borders Textile Towerhouse, 1 Tower Knowe, Hawick TD9 9EN
Website: http://www.liveborders.org.uk
East Sussex Guild exhibition with trade stalls, demonstrations, scarf raffle & refreshments.
Venue: Lewes Town Hall, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2QS
Website: http://www.esgwsd.org.uk
The biennial exhibition by Peter Tavy Guild of WSD. Our members have been taking inspiration from the work and influences of Bobbie Cox our founding President. Some of Bobbie's own work will also be on show.
The exhibition is open 10am to 4pm.
Venue: Peter Tavy Village Hall and Chapel
Website: http://www.petertavywsdguild.org.uk
An exhibition by the Scottish Regional Group of the British Tapestry Group. As artists we are often inspired by place and the incredible landscape that surrounds us. Beautiful rolling hills, dramatic seascapes, the textures and colours of where we come from gives endless inspiration to artists who weave. Surrounded by water, with over 6000 miles of coastline, Scotland has more than 790 islands and over 30,000 lochs and lochans and almost 500 Munroes and Corbetts. How could we not be inspired by what is around us!
Venue: Farfield Mill, Garsdale Road, Sedbergh, Cumbria LA10 5LW
Website: http://www.farfieldmill.org
The biennial conference focussing on historic dyeing technques. The 2019 conference will be held in Amsterdam - details to follow.
See website for details.
Venue: RDS, Simmonscourt Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Dumfries and Galloway Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers
Guild Challenge exhibition, sales table / suppliers, spinning circle / knit and natter. Refreshments.
10.00 - 15.00. Entry £2.00
Venue: Dumfries Baptist Church, Gillbrae Road, Dumfries DG1 4EJ
Website: http://dgguildwsd.org.uk
See website for details.
Venue: Harrogate Convention Centre, Kings Road, Harrogate, HG1 5LA
Website: http://www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/harrogate/
An exhibition of work by members of the Hampshire Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers.
Venue: Whitchurch Silk Mill, 28 Winchester Street, Whitchurch, hampshire RG28 7AL
Website: http://www.whitchurchsilkmill.org.uk
This exhibition will highlight exceptional textiles held in seven regional museum collections in England, all originally collected in the twentieth century by pioneering women.
Venue: 2 Temple Place, London WC2R 3BD
Website: http://twotempleplace.org/exhibitions/hidden-fabric/
Residential and non-residential weekend event with keynote speakers, practical sessions, demonstrations, talks and a Saturday evening dinner.
Further details from: guildsgathering@wsd.org.uk
Venue: University of Worcester
Website: http://wipagwsd.wordpress.com/colour-the-full-spectrum/
The biennial exhibition of the Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers, organised by the North West and Online guilds.
The theme for the juried section will be 'Coal, Cotton, Canals'. The theme for the unjuried section will be 'Still Waters'.
The exhibition will coincide with the opening of the Leigh branch of the Leeds to Liverpool canal, which will be celebrated during Heritage Weekend.
Venue: Leigh Spinners Mill, Park Lane, Leigh WN7 2LB
Website: http://www.wsd.org.uk
The diary appears in the Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers
The Journal is published on behalf of the Association of Guilds of Spinners Weavers and Dyers. It covers a wide range of textile subjects, including articles on historic textile techniques and cutting edge modern design.
