Quilt Fayre

Location: Stormont Hotel Belfast, Upper Newtownards Rd, Belfast BT4 3LP

Price: £10.50 – £13

Come along to the Stormont Hotel to see the 2024 Quilt Fayre! Taking place from the 22nd-24th August from 10am-5pm, quilting enthusiasts will have the opportunity to explore a diverse range of exhibitors each offering various quilting supplies, including fabrics, tweeds, block of the month, threads, needles, wadding, fat quarters, long arm quilting services, wool and sewing machines. Attendees can explore a wide selection of products all in one place! Finally, come and see the annual Quilt Fayre competition! Showcasing the incredible talent and creativity within the quilting community, this celebration of craftsmanship, passion and artistry will reflect this year’s theme ‘Stitches of Life’. Successful entries to this year’s competition will be on display for the duration of the event. Discover unique brands, products and explore techniques in the world of Patchwork and Quilting!

Date: Sat 24 Aug at 10am – 5pm

Noel McCullough Furniture Open Studio and Sale

Location:  100 Cloughwater Road, Ballymena, County Antrim. BT436SZ

Price: FREE

Furniture Making Workshop Open Studio and sale with Noel McCullough. Come along on Saturday 24th August from 10am-4pm to view the studio and meet the maker. There will be a selection of keepsake/jewellery boxes and other “smalls” for sale.

Date: Sun 25 Aug at 10am – 4pm

North Down Craft Collective/Castle Espie Collaboration 2024

Location: WWT Castle Espie, 78 Ballydrain Road, Comber, County Down, BT23 6EA

Price: FREE

This year North Down Craft Collective is working in collaboration with WWT Castle Espie bringing monthly craft pop-ups and larger craft fairs to the visitor centre at Ballydrain Road, Comber. Bringing together makers and artists from the Ards and North Down borough and beyond, what started as a monthly market in Holywood has now become a collective of creatives showcasing their work through exhibitions, pop-ups and fairs. On Sunday 25th August over 25 makers will be showcasing their work in the visitor centre which overlooks Strangford Lough. Visitors can relax with a coffee in the award winning Kingfisher Cafe and  browse the work of makers including, potter, Alison Hanvey, botanical artist, Ruth Osborne and ceramicist, Mags Donnan (Snowdrops & Sentiments). Many of the artists and makers take inspiration from the landscape and wildlife in the borough and these pieces will make up a large part of the work on show at Castle Espie.

Date: Sun 25 Aug at 3pm – 5pm

A Stitch in Time. Lacemaking in South Armagh. Films from the Archives with Northern Ireland Screen

Location: Culloville Community Centre, 3 Corasmoo Road Culloville, Crossmaglen, Newry Co Armagh BT35 9JE

Price: FREE

As part of our August Craft Month and National Heritage Week Celebrations we are delighted to be collaborating with Northern Ireland Screen to celebrate our cherished lacemaking tradition here in South Armagh. Come join us for a cup of tea and sit back and enjoy a leisurely afternoon filled with lace. We are delighted to welcome Bronagh McAtasney from NI Screen to facilitate a screening of a series of films that have been recently uncovered from the archives… A warm welcome awaits you x

Date: Mon 26 Aug at 10:30 am – 3pm

Fused Glass and Tiffany Glass

Location: Bushmills Visitor Information Centre, Main Street Bushmills BT57 8QA

Price: FREE

Join Eleanor-Jane who will demonstrate Tiffany-style glass making – a technique featured on Sky Arts ‘Painting Birds’ Series 2, when she taught Jim (Vic Reeves) and Nancy Moir how to make a Tiffany glass puffin, which they now hang in their home.

 

Date: Fri 30 Aug at 10:30 am – 12:30am

Slow Stitch on Linen

Location: Lagan Valley Island 1 The Island, Lambeg North BT27 4RL

Price: £20

Slow stitch is all about slowing down, being aware of the world around you, and maybe connecting with your past. This workshop introduces you to the concept of a stitch journal, giving guidance on how to develop a daily stitching practice.  Taking a little time out of your day, say 10-20 minutes, you can sit and calmly stitch a small area in your stitch journal. Using vintage linen and embroidery threads you sew a little each day with stitches that are easy to do. You finish with a tactile and beautiful piece of embroidery that is personal to you. This introduction will get you started and then as a way to relax or unwind your thoughts and feelings can be translated into stitch. No experience of sewing is necessary.  Materials will be provided but please bring along small scissors.

Date: Sat 31 Aug at 10am – 5pm

1-Day Barrel Firing Workshop

Location: 20 Isle Road, Lisnagunogue, Bushmills. Bt57 8XR

Price: £160

Learn to fire pottery without a kiln! Patricia will guide you thorough the process of barrel firing. Decorate your pots (provided by us) with designs inspired by neolithic rock art. Learn how to use oxides and organics to add colour. Experience packing and firing a metal barrel. Learn how to clean and seal your beautiful pots. All materials, vegetarian lunch and a trip to Ballintoy while the barrels burn all included.

Date: Sat 31 Aug at 2pm – 4pm

Anushiya Sundaralingam Artist Talk and Reception at R-space Gallery

Location:  R-space Gallery, 32 Castle St, Lisburn, BT27 4XE

Price: FREE

Come along to the R-space Gallery on Saturday 31st August from 2pm-4pm for the opening reception of ‘Transit’, a showcase of Anushiya Sundaralingam’s multi-disciplinary work. At 2.30pm, Anushiya will give an artist talk on her work. In this exhibition, the artist weaves together threads of memory, displacement, and the universal human experience of migration, through the lens of her personal journey navigating the perilous waters of the Sri Lankan civil war. Three-dimensional objects, prints, drawings, and installation make up scenes that depict the uncertainty and peril of journeys, navigating darkness and uncertainty. The works mirror question refuge and belonging, drawing parallels to the current global landscape. Reflecting on displacement, diaspora, and the quest for belonging. The artist’s story, intertwined with the diverse tapestry of cultures, echoes the shared narrative of humanity’s search

Date:  Sat 31 Aug at 10am – 2pm

Head and Shoulders – Sculpt a bust

Location: Top floor, Conway Mill, 5 – 7 Conway Street, Belfast BT4 1QY

Price: £50

You are invited to join Anna for a half day of playing with clay to produce a small bust. The bust is a very familiar form of sculpture mostly associated with classical antiquity. Anna will guide you through her process so you can create your own version using white stoneware clay. Process includes techniques such as those used to make pinch pots, hand modelling and slab building. Price includes bisque firing. Once fired there is the option of a second session where the piece can be glazed.

Craft NI and Design & Crafts Council Ireland have come together to deliver this important initiative.