Two summer craft workshops for young people from the age of five will be held at Rosehill Theatre, near Whitehaven.
Mini Messel’s Makers workshops recently resumed after almost 18 months of lockdown.
These focus on making crafts from recycled old Sekers fabrics as part of the Creative Connections programme and are inspired by the Sekers Stories exhibition currently running at Rosehill.
Both workshops help to reinforce the importance of recycling old materials. Fabulous Fabrics – the theme of this month’s workshop – offers children a creative opportunity to weave their own fabrics using Sekers materials.
The second workshop teaches the art of rag rugging using offcuts of Sekers fabrics to create unique rug designs.
Janice Murray, creative connections practitioner at Rosehill, who is leading the workshops, said: “It’s great to be able to teach children and their families some textile techniques which will hopefully keep these traditional crafts alive. We are so lucky to have a selection of original Sekers Silk Mills fabric to use at these workshops.”
The Mini Messel’s Makers workshops are £5 each for ages five and over, and include snacks and juice. Under-fives are able to attend for free. Not all the sessions are suitable for very young children, however, and parents are advised to check before booking.
The fabric weaving workshop runs from 1pm to 2.30pm on Wednesday August 25 and the rag rugging workshop is on September 4, also 1pm to 2.30pm.
Advance booking is essential and all workshops are run in a COVID-secure way.
The children’s craft workshops and Sekers Stories exhibition are part of a two-year Creative Connections programme supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Sekers Stories is a free exhibition that showcases original artworks by Janice Murray and Helen Morgan, of Morgan Murray Arts, and poet Emma McGordon, inspired by the stories of former Sekers employees and their time working at the Hensingham silk mill.
Also featured are images of Seker fabrics used in couture fashion design by Nina Ricci, Christian Dior and Pierre Cardin and costumes designed for the musical My Fair Lady.
Free viewings of the Sekers Stories exhibition are available between 4pm and 7pm on Thursdays and 11am to 3pm Fridays from June 3 to August 27.
It is being operated in line with COVID safety measures and advance booking is necessary.
