Festival Of Crafts

Farnham Maltings’ longest running craft event, Festival of Crafts, is back this month, with more makers showcasing their craft than ever before. The annual two-day show confirms that the appetite for handmade, contemporary craft continues to grow. Now in its 22nd year, Festival of Crafts has long been established as one of Britain’s leading independent craft events and will welcome over 2,000 craft and making enthusiasts through the doors over the weekend.

One of the most exciting elements of the Festival are the workshops, which will open up the world of textiles to the uninitiated. One of the workshop tutors, Jo Hayward, will be showing visitors how to make a printed tote bag.

Jo is a textile artist herself, and trained at the University for the Creative Arts. She mainly works with breakdown printing using silk screen, working in a playful, expressive and organic style. She had been passionate about textiles since she was a child, having a keen interest in different materials and techniques.

Now, Jo is focusing on sharing her love for textiles with others, running craft workshops and participation sessions for young people. She first started teaching four years ago, and gave a screen printing workshop for a group of school students. Jo believes that it is important to provide children with the opportunity to learn about textiles, even if it is not always taught in schools.

Those who attend Jo's workshop at the Festival of Crafts will learn about what print pastes are used on fabrics and how to use their own blocks onto found fabrics which aims to encourage recycling and redesign. Then go on to using this knowledge to develop a repeating print which will go onto their own tote bag at the end of the session.

The Festival of Crafts takes place on 27 - 28 October 2018 in Farnham Maltings, UK.