Adult Crafting Workshops
Creativity and inspiration...
Hello! At Birkhill House, we know that crafting is therapy. But it also provides the opportunity to unlock whole new worlds by learning new skills. There is so much on offer here to help with this discovery - whether that be through attendance at one of our regular weekly groups, participating in one of our seasonal crafting workshops or scheduling something special for you and your group from our Crafting Directory. Have a browse and contact us if you would like more information.
Regular groups
We offer regular creative opportunities throughout the weeks and months. You can browse these below. Or you can skip down the page an find stand-alone scheduled workshops.
Open Crafting Sessions
Tuesday 6-8pm & Friday 10am-12noon
Free, no booking necessary - just drop in!
Please note: There will be no sessions on Friday 13th, Tuesday 17th and Friday 20th February 2026.
The open sessions are for members of our community who would like to bring along a crafting project to work on, share a laugh & a cuppa and generally soak up the creative vibe here At Birkhill House. We encourage attendees to breathe life back into neglected projects or take the plunge and start something new. Many people think it's only about knitting and crochet but we have had so many different mediums around the table: paint, charcoal, pencils, beading, embroidery, gem art, origami, stitching, woodworking, needle felting and more. Join us!
Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund
Makers Groups
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, 10am-1pm
Free, block booking necessary (see below)
The Makers Group was created in response to a need identified for opportunities to learn new skills and alleviate social isolation.
What we noticed about some visiting groups during the pilot period of our Makers Group in 2022 is that the social aspect of creating around the table and the skills developed during that process seemed equal in importance to the finished products themselves. Attendees were keen to soak up the relaxed atmosphere, share experiences and learn together - and everyone was delighted when they felt that work they had done here could also somehow benefit our project.
So we introduced five-six week blocks in which participants could learn two or three new techniques/skills together, create items that would end up on the shop shelves here and hopefully make new connections with like-minded folk. Our groups also help to prep and package kits and test-drive new products.
Tea/coffee and lunch are included and there is also a small bursary to help with travel expenses. Generally, groups have no more than six or seven people/block.
So successful was the uptake that we now have three groups meeting weekly!
The next blocks run from:
Peg loom weaving:
Tuesday 13th January - 10th February 2026 - FULLY BOOKED
Wednesday 14th January - 11th February 2026 - FULLY BOOKED
Thursday 15th January - 12th February 2026 - FULLY BOOKED
Fleece & Fibre processing:
Tuesday 24th February - 31st March 2026
Wednesday 25th February - 1st April 2026
Thursday 26th February - 2nd April 2026
Natural Dye Garden activities:
Tuesday 21st April - 19th May 2026
Wednesday 22nd April - 20th May 2026
Thursday 23rd April - 21st May 2026
Please email to book your space: directorabh@outlook.com
Check back soon for details on future blocks.
Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund
Saturday Stitchers
Saturdays, every three weeks, 10am-1pm
£12 per person per session or £36 for four-week block
Saturday Stitchers takes place in a relaxed group environment loosely led by textile artist Mairi Flood and was born from a desire to stitch and experiment together as a group.
"While there is absolutely a place for contemplative stitching on one’s own, we feel there is equally a place for setting aside time to meet with other stitchers to sew and share knowledge & creativity around the craft table with a coffee in hand. The companionship of stitchers is powerful stuff!" says Mairi.
While Mairi is on hand to offer ideas and help when requested, this is not a workshop format. She can offer suggestions if you’re unsure about what to do but more often than not, this is provided through the group sharing ideas.
Everyone who comes along has their individual stitching story: some are skilled with patchwork, others enjoy mending & upcycling, some like to dabble in all kinds of stitching and others want to start at the beginning. What is special about the group is the alchemy that happens when everyone is chatting and stitching together. Sessions are punctuated with chat, laugher, the silence of busy hands and the buzz of sharing ideas and skills, creating possibilities along with encouragement to have a go.
Sessions happen around the large craft table At Birkhill House and the group also has the use of the sewing room and its machines. Alongside this, Mairi leads two or three "Demo Days" throughout the year. These are not workshops, per se, but days to experiment and play with a technique or idea that Mairi demonstrates at the start of the session. The Demo Days give you access to the tools you need and a materials pack, more of which can be purchased in the shop at Birkhill. Our first two Demo Days focused on Gelli Plate printing on fabrics and then weaving & embroidering on upcycled textile strips to create your own fabric and were priced quite reasonably at £40 per six-hour day. Ideas for Demo Days come from the discussions around the craft table. Whatever your sewing story is, you are most welcome to join us!
Email Mairi Flood directly: meanderingyarns@gmail.com
Upcoming blocks in 2026:
2nd May, 28th May, 13th June & 4th July
25th July, 15th August, 5th September & 26th September
17th October, 7th November, 28th November & 19th December
Upcoming blocks in 2027:
19th January, 30th January, 20th February, 13th March
Spinning Group
Sundays, monthly 12noon-4pm
Free, no booking necessary - just drop in!
Join us for a monthly gathering of experienced spinners looking to bring their projects and spin in company. The group is drop-in but we do ask a donation (pay-what-you-can) for tea/coffee and snacks. Bring your own wheel and spinning project. Please note: this is not a teaching group.
Next dates:
19th October 2025 19th July 2026
16th November 2025 August - break
18th January 2026 20th September 2026
22nd February 2026 18th October 2026
22nd March 2026 15th November 2026
19th April 2026 13th December 2026
24th May 2026 17th January 2027
21st June 2026 21st February 2027
Scheduled workshops
Below you will find details of upcoming workshops and booking links to our Eventbrite.
Origami Hearts: Community Day
Saturday 7th February 2026, 1-3.30pm
Join us for some crafty Valentine's fun! We will teach you how to fold these lovely origami hearts and there will be materials available to turn them into strings of bunting or cards.
Tea/coffee, juice & treats are included and you will have a chance to visit with our adorable alpacas and other animals. This is fun for everyone! Thanks to generous funding from a National Lottery Community grant, tickets are free but please book spaces on our Eventbrite page so that we can get some idea of numbers.
Please note that this is not a drop-off event. Children must be accompanied by adults. Feel free to drop in any time during the time slot but bear in mind that it will take about 15 minutes to learn to fold an orgime heart and you may like some extra time to use your heart(s) to create a card or some bunting.
FREE but booking essential
Needle Felting: Valentine's Day Hearts
Wednesday 11th February 2026, 6.30-8.30pm
Learn to create delightful needle felted hearts, using a variety of different fibres, and string these to make Valentine's Day bunting.
Join At Birkhill House Director Lara Armitage for a bit of Valentine-themed needle felting. Using homegrown alpaca fibre from our own herd, a variety of different sheep breads and commercially dyed and prepared tops, you will learn to felt your own hearts and then string them onto ribbons for Valentine's bunting. Lovely for adorning your own mantel or giving as a gift.
There will also be the opportunity to buy additional materials and a basic needle felting kit if you decide to continue to experiment with needle felting at home.
£16/person
Ages 12+, Under-14s must be accompanied by an adult
Shaping Through Knitting
Saturday 14th March 2026, 10am-1pm
Helen Houston returns to Birkhill House! In this workshop, you will knit in the round on double pointed needles to create a ladybird lavender bag, using increase and decrease techniques along with grafting (Kitchner stitch) to create a 3D shape. A fun project looking at skills required for knitting socks and garments. We will also have time to look at other 3D knitted shapes.
Workshop best for knitters wishing to expand their knitting skills. Teenagers welcome if accompanied by an adult. Please bring three 4mm double pointed knitting needles, yarn will be supplied.
£38/person
Ages 13+ (accompanied by an adult)
Length 3 hours
Thrumming
Sunday 22nd March 2026, 10am-1pm
Learn this fun traditional technique to make extra cosy, soft and super warm knitted accessories such as hats, mittens and slippers. Thrumming is a traditional technique that involves combining soft wool fleece/rovings with historic knitting methods to provide a thick and warm internal layer to knitted garments for extra comfort and insulation. It's not only cosier to wear, it's also fun to knit and opens many colourwork possibilities that will brighten your day in the coldest of the winters.
In this workshop, Samira Hill will teach you how to make the cosiest pair of slippers you have ever worn! Participants need to be familiar with knitting basics (cast on, knit, purl).
Includes tuition, coursework, pattern, refreshments and some materials. Participants will need to source 150g of chunky wool in the colour of their choice for their slippers and bring along a pair of 7mm knitting needles. We will have a selection of coloured fleece from which to choose. The necessary amount of fleece for this project is included in the cost but there will be further packs available to buy on the day just in case you catch the bug bad and need to make more at home!
£35/person
