Category: Workshops

Crafts for the King

Cluaran members have been volunteering at Summerhill youthgroup. We are helping them learn to make things which will be useful for medieval costumes to us in the town celebrations of “Good Neighbours” day.

The next stage of the plan will be for them to pick tasks they are we best at, and try making things to sell. These can then be sold at a medieval market in the summer in Dumfries. Income raised from this will go towards subsidising a medieval harvest feast.

Who is the king though? There is a king of the UK now. Dumfries is celebrating 750 years since the birth of King Robert the Bruce. The kingdom of heaven is both here now and will come to be…

What qualities do you look for in a king? Which king would you craft for?

Workshops

April

Post author By Cathbad
Post date 09/04/2024
No Comments on April

When things are quiet online, that usually means that they have not been quiet in the workshop!

Easter takes up a lot of Wordsmith Crafts time. You can read about that on the Quartz website. Now is the time to prepare for a Summer of activities though!

The Whithorn Trust has supported the building of a Faering. This will be launched the day before a weekend of Viking Activity fri 24th to Sun 26th). Visit the Whithorn ReBuild pages to find out more.

“Making Space” on Thursday evenings is starting up again! This isn’t a craft club. Since it is 750 years since the Birth of Robert the Bruce we are going to move a few blocks over and make things with the Summerhill youth group. The project is called “Crafts for the King” more details to follow.

Proof that hands on work was carried out.

Workshops

Tree Craft

Post author By Cathbad
Post date 09/01/2024
No Comments on Tree Craft

Re-use your Christmas tree

Craft club next Thursday (11th of Jan) will be an opportunity to turn any Christmas trees you have lying around into pegs hooks and whisks.

People have been looking at the way trees grow and working out how to use the shape to make life easier. This peg, or whisk – who knows? Was found preserved in a glacier for centuries. The whisk were made by people re-discovering the wonder of working with simple materials

We have tested out the techniques, and have a few trees ready to process, so come along and have a go! If you have a tree you’d like to see used then please get in touch or drop it off at the workshop.

Craft club takes place in the workshop 7 til 9 most Thursdays. Check the calendar to be sure! Sometimes something special will be going on, at others you can use the time and space to experiment and get round to making.

We ask for a £5 donation to cover overheads – but if you are cash short time helping out maintaining the workshop is welcome too!

Workshops

Craft Club

Post author By Cathbad
Post date 20/11/2023
No Comments on Craft Club

There will be no craft club on the 23rd of November, but it will be back on on the 30th.

So in the meantime here are some making videos:

Jamie with a quick report on a Viking era style box he made.

And making some things to make a loud noise

Workshops

Adventure Planning

There will be Craft Club this Thursday evening. I suspect there will be blacksmithing, but there are also some boat tasks to accomplish.

Bottom boards, and a rudder and tiller are both useful things for the Cluaran boat. More adventurous plans will follow.

You can also take the opportunity to come along, hang out and get round to a craft of your own.

But talking of adventures, keep your eyes open for a menu of things we can work our way towards. This might be visiting schools to bring history to life, or getting out on the water, or even building things which float.

Workshops

Nålebinding

What ancient craft will you preserve today?

It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you think about climate change, war, and politics. We should protest, rage against the fading of the light, but on a practical level what can we do to take control of our daily lives? This suggestion isn’t going to bring world peace, but it might help you find peace of mind.

When we learn ancient crafts like nålbinding we can make useful things out of simple raw materials. A bit of bone crafted into a needle, ends of wool knotted into socks and gloves – or scrap wire into jewellery. A fun craft, and a way to enhance downtime watching something on a device or gossiping with friends. At the end of a blether you could be closer to having hand warmers.

Roman era, child’s sandal socks.

In addition, by learning and teaching the skill you actively involve yourself in the story of human adaption as part of our environment. Your participation preserves the skill you practice, and also contributes to the collective memory of how we can adapt to survive. How many people doing this in the UK would it take to make a change felt globally?

Impressive huh! But also simply knotting wool to make socks the way our ancestors have done for millennia. We rediscover how to be something essentially human.

Here is some info from the British Museum

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107787/pair-of-socks-unknown/

Cluaran craft club will be back on Thursday the 28th of September.

If you already know how to nålebind why not bring it along to tales at the tap ? (6pm Thursday the 21st of September)

Events Workshops

Cluaran Craft Club

Many years ago Wordsmithcrafts ran a “Medieval Craft Club”

Over time interest in it grew, and all sorts of plans were cooked up. Some of these plans involved actual cooking and time travelling feasting. We made lantern shields for parades, tried bowl turning, and blacksmithing. All the crafts had a heritage connection, but the aim is to not just make replicas but also to be inspired to create new things. There was a strong Viking theme which led to the setting up of Galloway Longfhada the local “Vikings” re-enactment group. Who knows what will happen this time round?

Enough history … the time has come to revisit the craft club idea, working towards Nithraid 2023

General craft club sessions are drop in events. All ages are welcome, but under 16’s will need to bring an adult with them. We will ask for a £5 contribution to cover workshop overheads. There are some free to use materials available which have been donated. Participants will be able to discuss and start “pay as you go” craft projects using Wordsmith Crafts tools and materials.

Participants are also invited to bring their own projects and use the time to “get around too it”, as well as share knowledge and skills.

If you are short of cash, but have time, we can work something out. If you’d like to become a Cluaran member and help this project develop – please let us know!

Events Nithraid 2023 Workshops

Cluaran Boat Session

Thursday the 29th of June

7-9 pm (ish)

This is the ‘launch’ of our boat project leading up to participation in Nithraid 2023. Due to the skippers ambiguous relationship with time, we will be based around mill green interacting with the public rather than racing.

Please gather at:

Wordsmith Crafts Workshop

3 James Avenue, Dumfries DG2 9AU.

Please park in the yard rather than the street.

7-9 pm

We will have a boat maintenance session, in preparation for going for a row at the next boat gathering. If there are enough able bodied people we will turn the boat and replace the metal strip that runs along her keel. There will also be plenty of opportunity to discuss traditional boats, try the crafts needed to operate them, and generally get ready for going on the water.

As usual, you could also bring your own project, or find inspiration from the many ideas help in the workshop. You could also use the time to read. We have been collecting books (many are about boats), and guides on a wide variety of heritage crafts, or again bring along one you have wanted to get around to reading.

Cluaran craft club runs most Thursdays outside of Dumfries and Galloway School Holidays. Chip in £5 a time for workshop overheads, or become a Cluaran member. Materials are available on a pay by project basis. If you are short of cash, but have time, we can work something out. If you’d like to become a Cluaran member and help this project develop – get in touch too!

Workshops

Cluaran Craft Session

1st of June 2023

This Thursday evening is a general drop in crafts session.

3 James Avenue, Dumfries DG2 9AU.

Please park in the yard rather than the street.

7-9 pm

Bring your own project, or find inspiration from the many ideas help in the workshop.

You could also use the time to read. We have been collecting books, and guides on a wide variety of heritage crafts, or again bring along one you have wanted to get around to reading.

Chip in £5 for workshop overheads. Materials are available on a pay by project basis. If you are short of cash, but have time, we can work something out. If you’d like to become a Cluaran member and help this project develop – get in touch too!

On Thursday the 8th of June we will have a boat maintenance session, in preparation for going for a row.

Workshops

Trichinopoly Workshop

Crystal ball and solid silver cost extra!

Learn the art of “Viking Knitting”

Thu 27Apr 2023 7:30 to 9:30 PM

Wordsmithcrafts Studio, Dumfries, DG2 9AU

Click here to buy tickets
Sell tickets online with Ticket Tailor

This is a booked Cluaran Craft club workshop with limited spaces, so that participants are sure to go away having made something.

It’s not knitting and it’s not specifically Viking era either, but that is what it gets called and you can use it to turn scraps of wire into bling!

You could use the time to make a bracelet from silver plated and copper wire to take away with you. You could also use the time to deepen your knowledge and skill in the art.

All basic materials and tools to make a bracelet are provided. Solid Silver will be available at an extra cost if you’d like a longer project to take away with you. (You could finish it off at a cluaran craft club evening)

If you have any questions please get in touch – or book a ticket using the link!