Two September Weekends Filled with Fibre, Colour and Creativity

September has been a busy month here at Jasmine Cottage Crafts, with two lovely opportunities to pack up my weaving, leave the studio and spend time meeting people face to face. First came Unravel Autumn at Farnham Maltings, followed by an afternoon of local arts and crafts at Pierrepont Farm in Frensham.

There’s quite a lot of preparation behind these events — choosing what to take, packing yarns and textiles, and working out how to fit everything into the space. But the real pleasure comes once everything is set up and the conversations begin!

Unravel Autumn at Farnham Maltings

On Friday 11th and Saturday 12th September, I joined the exhibitors at Unravel Autumn, surrounded by colour, texture and people who love working with fibre.

My stand brought together weaving yarns, looms, accessories and my own handwoven textiles. It was a chance for visitors to look closely, feel the yarns and fabrics, and talk about projects they were planning — or perhaps discover something they hadn’t thought of trying before.

One particularly encouraging part of the weekend was hearing how pleased people were to see weaving and spinning represented alongside knitting and crochet. I spoke to experienced weavers, spinners and complete newcomers, with plenty of questions about getting started.

Rigid heddle weaving attracted a lot of interest. Those conversations have encouraged me to set up a Schacht Cricket loom for demonstrations: it’s so much easier to picture yourself weaving when you can see the process in front of you.

The West Surrey Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers also had a stand at the event. As a guild member myself, I was pleased to point interested visitors in their direction so they could find out more about the friendly community and support available locally.

I came home tired, with plenty to unpack, but encouraged by the curiosity and enthusiasm people had shown.

Local creativity at Pierrepont Farm

The following Saturday, 19th September, took me to the Old Dairy at Pierrepont Farm in Frensham for an art day featuring an eclectic mix of work by local artists and makers.

I shared the Courtyard office, next to the taproom, with Harriet from Round Objects. It was lovely to be part of an event bringing together different crafts and artistic approaches, with visitors browsing the work and chatting to the people who had made it.

Alongside my handwoven textiles, I took my little Louet Erica loom to demonstrate weaving. A working loom is a wonderful starting point for a conversation, helping people connect the finished cloth with the individual threads and the process behind it.

One of my scarves found a new home, which is always a special moment. When you’ve spent so much time choosing colours, preparing the warp and weaving a piece, it’s lovely to see someone make that connection with it.

There was also plenty of interest in my weaving taster sessions, and I hope to welcome some of those visitors into the studio soon.

From meeting a maker to becoming one

Thank you to everyone who stopped to chat, bought something, asked a question or simply took an interest over these two weekends. Those conversations are such a valuable part of running a small creative business.

If watching the weaving has left you wondering whether you could have a go yourself, I’d love to welcome you to a taster session at my home studio in Frensham. You don’t need any previous experience — just a little curiosity about how threads become cloth!