Sydney Craft Week Workshop Round Up

Sydney Craft Week is an opportunity to come together with makers, artists and designers to discover a new material or technique for yourself, or hone your skills. We invite everyone to take advantage of the exciting variety of workshops on offer and get busy making! Here’s a handy break-down by category in case you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by choice:

TEXTILES | BASKETRY

Bobbin and Ink have celebrated the theme “Handmade in a Digital Age” by combining electricity, paper and textiles. The Electrocraft! Workshop will have you creating simple circuits with conductive thread to build a custom light-up badge or flashing greeting-card. You can read more in our News story Event Spotlight: Electrocraft!

Take advantage of the free felted jewellery workshop run by ATASDA member Susan Shing, and learn more about this great non-profit organisation.

Use knitting to build connections and support women in the community through the Pussy Hat Project by Shared Threads. 

Come together for an evening of crochet and knitting with Kirsten Fredericks and Team Unravelled in Middle Cove.

Go old-school and learn how to make granny squares at City East Community College in Bondi Junction.

Explore the sculptural basketry technique of random weaving with contemporary sculptural basketry artist Catriona Pollard in Mosman.

Master the basics and Learn to Sew with Mindy McTaggart at The Makery in Darlinghurst.

For something more in-depth, try the two-day intensive class led by Caroline Adams at UsefulBox in St Peters. (SOLD OUT)

Sew Make Create are contributing a number of great weekend workshops including Introduction to Sewing, Amigurumi Crochet, Cross Stitch, and an opportunity to BYO project to their Sewing Social.

Come to the Bronte Sewing Room to learn how to unpick, re-cut, re-use, and re-sew, to transform something old into an awesome new tote bag.

You can also have fun experimenting with upcycling clothing and fabric scraps while enjoying locally brewed refreshments from Willie the Boatman at ReverseGarbage for Craft Up Late.

If homewares is more your thing, you can learn the basics of contemporary upholstery from Studio MAAIKE. In their Atomic Ottoman Workshop you’ll “transform a simple frame into your own creative statement”.

Visit Working Cloth in Surry Hills for a hand-quilting workshop against a backdrop of the multimedia sound and textile exhibition, Directions.

The Happenstore in Annandale have put together a bunch of textile-themed workshops including multi-media coil weaving with Michele Morcos and creating crochet squares with Jackie Hodson from Soul Yarn.  For Craft Up Late Vita Cochran will be demonstrating how to create some fabulous 1930s-style felted flowers.

Try your hand at String Bags and Cord Making with Brooke Munro at Koskela. Catch Rachel Castle’s exhibition This is Love while you’re there.

At Makerspace you can try something a little more high-tech with machine knitting, and discover all the amazing facilities on offer at this publicly-accessible workspace.

The Made By Me Workshop has a range of workshops teaching macramé, tassle-making, weaving and more, with special deals when you bring a friend.

COMMUNE in Waterloo have so many great workshops run by well-known Sydney makers. In the textiles category: learn how to dye silk naturally with Joanne Broederlow (Inside Jo.B) or master the basics of weaving with Bronte Wright (Staple and Seed).

CERAMICS | METAL | GLASS

Studio Enti are giving instruction in the Japanese craft of kintsugi: mending ceramics and accentuating imperfections with gold.

Make a teapot, mosaic tile, cookie jar or nest of bowls at Parramatta Clay and Arts Incorporated. They have a choice of five family-friendly workshops on offer.

Head over to The Pottery Shed on Monday October 9 and 16 to try your hand at wheel throwing for free.

What's a Claydate? It's a combination of clay hand-making, wine, and match-making orchestrated by the Concious Dating Co. in Surry Hills – there are places still available for gay guys.

At COMMUNE, learn the technique of Slab Building without a Slab Roller with Ion Fukazawa from Mukumono (SOLD OUT), or as part of Craft Up Late: Make your own Concrete Pots with Hilary Woodfine from Tiny Paradise.

The Fortynine Studio and Bic Tieu Studio will combine their expertise in a two-day workshop covering casting and patina techniques in their Marrickville studio.

Kil.n.it in Glebe are offering two special events: a two-day teapot making weekend workshop and a special date night class on freaky Friday 13th.

See how traditional techniques can be applied to modern materials like Precious Metal Clay, in a range of workshops offered by Sydney Jewellery School in Parramatta.

There are so many different effects possible from mixing resin with pigments and glitters that the Resin Jewellery Workshop will cover at Sew Make Create. Their range of classes spans other mediums like ceramics, polymer clay and textiles, too.

If you’ve ever wished you could play with molten class you can try Glassblowing and Sculpting on the Flame with Mark Eliott Glass Studio.

PRINTMAKING | ILLUSTRATION | PAPER ART

Design and carve an abstract floral lino-cut with Pip Beauvoir then print a set of greeting cards and wrapping paper on Japanese washi paper (CANCELLED).

The Makery in Darlinghurst will host a series of workshops focusing on drawing, hand-lettering and more. They are offering discount rates especially for Sydney Craft Week. 

Become absorbed in Lumifod: mindful mathematical paper folding, a workshop run by STEAMpop in Darlinghurst.

Learn to make cards and mini-artworks using collage, paint washes and stitching on paper, at Reverse Garbage in Marrikeville. The focus will be on upcycling old books, paper and wallpaper remnants.

The Rizzeria in Marrickville will be a hive of activity with a series of workshops covering risograph printmaking, screen printing, watercolour illustration and letterpress led by Kitty Cardwell, Yoka Terzic (Animal Bro) and Pamela Horsnell.

And for something original, try making Cardboard Jewellery with Jeff McCann, at COMMUNE in Waterloo (SOLD OUT).

If you love colour, but feel you lack skills for using it, try Kristine Ballard’s Colourplay Workshop at ArtSHINE Industries in Chippendale.

WOOD

MakerSpace &company will be holding classes on woodworking and knife making, and while you’re there you can discover the amazing equipment available for use in this publicly-accessible workshop space.

Koskela is also hosting a day of carving and whittling with the Spoonsmith, Jeff Donne (SOLD OUT). You’ll be able to see Rachel Castle’s exhibition This is Love while you are working on your wooden utensils.

Have an amazing Sydney Craft Week!