Wild Cordage

with Alice Fox

Friday 13 June 2025

10am - 4pm (arrive at 9.30 for coffee/tea)

£140

Group Size - 10 people

Our ancestors were extremely inventive and found many ways to turn natural materials into textiles to make cloth, rope, string and vessels.   Nettles for instance make strong fibres and have been used in many practical and creative ways since pre-history.

Alice is an artist working with hand processed natural fibres.  She often uses materials from her allotment or garden and is interested in exploring the relationship with place and the cycle of the seasons that comes from working closely with plants growing in your local area.

This workshop is an introduction to gathering and processing plant-based fibres that grow wild. Using nettles, bramble and other plants collected on site you will learn how to gather, extract and process fibre from the different plants. You will practice how to twist the fibres into cordage (string), and we’ll look at some examples of the structures this cordage could then go on to become.

Alice will bring along samples of a range of wild fibres and we will explore how to gather, process, and store a variety of plants. Much of the workshop will be spent outside, whatever the weather. The focus of the workshop is on gathering and processing fibre and aims to open our eyes to the usable fibres that are commonly available to us in our gardens and local landscapes to transform into useful and beautiful materials.

Alice’s first degree was in Geography.   She later studied Contemporary Surface Design and Textiles at Bradford School of Arts & Media and completed an MA in Creative Practice at Leeds Arts University.  She has written several books including Natural Processes in Textile Art in 2015 and Wild Textiles in 2022. She is based in Saltaire, West Yorkshire.   She exhibits and lectures widely.

Refreshments

Alison will prepare a simple vegetarian lunch including produce from the garden. Home made biscuits will be served on arrival and we will round up the day with tea and cake. If you have any specific dietary requests do let us know on the booking form.

What to Bring

Check the weather forecast before you travel and ensure you bring appropriate clothing, whether that’s waterproofs or sun hats, or possibly both!  You may wish to bring a notebook, camera and water bottle.

Getting Here

Directions will be emailed to you a couple of weeks before the workshop. Use Damson Farm rather than the postcode on Google Maps.

Cancellation policy

As a small business it’s not sustainable to offer refunds. However if you need to cancel your place up to 28 days before the event you will be offered a credit towards another workshop.   After that time, the offer only applies if we’ve been able to re-sell the place. It’s not possible to promote cancelled places for re-sale less than 4 days before the event.