Enjoy an afternoon of creativity, stitching a beautiful Yorkshire Rose design in a friendly, supportive - and historic - environment!

Join Marianne from Form in Fabric to learn or develop your skills in decorative hand embroidery, working with an embroidery hoop, needle and embroidery floss to create your own version of the Yorkshire Rose. The rose is found repeatedly on the walls of Calverley Old Hall’s Painted Chamber, and this simplified Tudor era rose is our inspiration for the workshop.

The design will be provided by Marianne but you will be free to customise it with your own choice of colours, stitches and extra decorative elements.

You will be given instructions and guidance for stitches that were used in the Tudor period, including simple running and seed stitches, whipped stitches, lattice work and couching.

Hand embroidery is a slow process so participants should not expect to completely finish their work in the class. But everyone will take their work home with them along with the embroidery hoop, needle, threads and full instructions.

This workshop is suitable for complete beginners or those wanting to refresh their hand-sewing skills. Please note, you will need reasonable hand/finger mobility and eyesight.

A little about hand embroidery

Freestyle or surface embroidery encompasses any form of hand embroidery where the design isn’t determined by set patterns, counted stitches or the weave of the base fabric, so it is extremely flexible in allowing the embroiderer to interpret almost any image or text they wish onto most base cloths. There are huge numbers of named stitches which can be used in whatever combination the artist desires, and embellishments such as beads, metallic threads, and found objects can be incorporated for added effect. Designs and styles can range from simple line drawings up to intricate and almost photographic “thread painting”.

A bit about the artist

Marianne is an upholsterer and sewing specialist with a lifelong background in textiles, embroidery, dressmaking and upcycling. She loves the simplicity, accessibility and mindfulness of sewing and believes that anyone can learn to sew and express themselves creatively through needle and thread.

Marianne can guide you in both practical and artistic methods of embroidery. She can show you how to use sewing to make beautiful decorative items and also transfer these skills to extend the life of your clothes and textiles. Follow her @forminfabric on Instagram or Facebook.

What to expect on the day    

All equipment and materials will be provided, but please feel free to bring any of your own tools and materials that you might prefer to use.

We will also have tea, coffee and biscuits available.

This workshop is for all aged 16+. Any 16/17 year olds must be accompanied by an accompanying paying responsible adult aged 18+.  

Getting here  

There is no parking on site, the building is in the centre of Calverley, on Woodhall Road, so we encourage visitors to use Leeds and Bradford’s excellent public transport to travel to the event. Please check local travel information for full details.  

If you need to drive, there is ample on street parking in the surrounding area. Please park considerately for our neighbours.  

What3Words: ///police.hunt.moons. Full information and meeting location is provided with your booking confirmation.  

Accessibility  

Calverley Old Hall Community Space has been designed to be as accessible as possible, however it is still a historic building with restrictions. There is level access to the main front door, the pathway from the road is a combination of gravel and paving slabs.  

In the Community Space there is level access throughout, with a small 2cm metal ridge across the threshold of the external doorway.  

Please consult our Access Guide for further information about access in the Community Space.  

We do all we can to enable access wherever possible; please let us know of any access requirements at the time of booking. If you have any access concerns that you’d like to discuss before booking, please contact us via email here.

Thanks to National Lottery Players, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, who have made this restoration and this event possible.