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Small Woven Vessel

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13 October  10 - 4

£80  including lunch  

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Natural Christmas Wreaths

Join us for a fun, festive workshop and create a stunning Christmas wreath using natural foliage, cones and dried flowers, all sourced locally.  Alongside a roaring wood fire, chat, make, nunch on some Christmas eats and be inspired by arist and gardener, Belinda Worsely and her natural approach to wreath making.  The perfect way to get in to the Christmas spirit.

Date: 2 Dec  10.30am - 12.30pm

Date: 2 Dec   2 - 4pm

£36 includes teas, coffee and Christmas bakes & treats

Silver spinner ring art and craft workshop ©Cowshed Creative © Cowshed Creative
Textile art and craft courses in the Lake District © Cowshed Creative
Indigo and Shibori craft course in the Lake District© Cowshed Creative
Water colour art and craft workshop in the Lake District © Cowshed Creative
Silver jewellery craft workshop © Cowshed Creative

The majority of classes have a maximum number of 8 students 

This is to ensure that you receive lots of one to one help and support

from the tutor so you can make good progress and quickly develop new skills

We provide teas and coffees throughout the day and a home made tray bake 

You need to bring a packed lunch.  A fridge and microwave is available

Our art and craft courses in the Lake District have parking available on site.  We are based near Windermere and Kendal.  Staveley railway station, on the branch bike that connects to Oxenholme mainline station, is 2 miles from the farm; a 10 minute bike ride or ½ hour walk. The 555 bus service goes through Staveley to Kendal or in the other direction to Windermere, Ambleside and Keswick.   National Rail Enquiries

Green story

We provide a free parking space but as a greener option, if you live nearby and it's possible, why not come to an art and craft course by bike, or lift share with a friend. If you would like to know more about the measures we have put in place to make our business more sustainable, please check out our 

October

Willow Winter Wonders

Give your festive decorations a natural touch this season with some festive willow weaving.  Learn some traditional weaving techniques and create a variety of willow stars and hearts, small wreaths, mini willow xmas trees for the table, or gorgeous reindeer - all with a natural charm.   Enjoy the satisfaction of going home with lots of Eco friendly decorations along with some   willow weaving skills.

21  October   10 - 4

£75 includes a tasty 2 course lunch  

Oil Painting Portrait Skills

Develop your oil painting skills with portrait painting with expert tuition from Sky TV Portrait artist Catherine MacDiarmid. You will be guided through a variety of different oil painting techniques using photographs or digital images as source material, culminating in a final portrait of someone special.  Expert advice and individual guidance will be given throughout.  

11 May 10 - 4

£80 including lunch 

Needle Felt Song Bird

With spring in the air, what a great time to celebrate by creating your own song bird in wool.  This workshop is a really good introduction to needle felting. Learn how to sculpt fleece into a body, wings and tail and how to attach them  together.  You will begin with the bird legs and work up, adding detail with stitch or fibres if you wish. You will learn the skills to make other larger standing birds or figures.

31 March 10 - 4

£75 including lunch

Wire and Bead Butterflies

Inspired by butterflies, moths and dragonflies we'll create decorative wire insects using a variety of coloured wire and beads. You’ll learn how to handle different gauges of wire and experiment with stitching and wrapping techniques to create a variety of effects, adding beads for colour and texture. No previous experience needed

8 July 10 - 4

£76  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Earrings and Pendants

Silver Jewellery 

Focusing on a range of jewellery making techniques, the workshop is designed to develop your skills, explore surface pattern and textural possibilities and encourage you to create your own silver jewellery designs. Expect to make pendants or earrings that are tactile and unique as every pass through the rolling mill is different, and every hammer blow brings exciting changes to your piece. This workshop is perfect for complete beginners and those with some experience.

 April  10 - 4

£78  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Lakeland Landscapes in Print

Monoprinting with Gelli Plates workshop

An ideal introduction to printmaking.  Be inspired by the stunning Kentmere landscape to record images using monoprinting techniques with gelli plates. Create textures, marks, forms and shapes as you layer and play with the ink, working with simple stencils and found materials to create a range of prints. ​ No need for a printing press or any previous printmaking, drawing or painting experience.

2 June. 10 - 4

£75  Teas and coffees and home made traybake

Textures in the Lakeland Landscape

Gouache and Inktense

Focusing on the beautiful mosses and lichens, this workshop looks at ways to combine drawing and gouache painting to create marks, texture and colour in your landscape paintings. The day will start indoors developing skills and then we will go outdoors, weather permitting, to work directly from observation:

11 Oct   10 - 4

£76  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

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Welcome to Our 2024 Workshop Programme

We are delighted to offer a wide range of workshops 

with our talented team of artists and craft tutors

Please get in touch if you would like any

information about our courses or vouchers

Spring Lakeland Landscape

Enjoy the stunning views of the Kentmere valley and capture the natural beauty of the Lake District landscape and the early spring colour and light, using water colour and mixed media.  The course will combine practical painting and drawing exercises in the art studio with opportunities to work directly outdoors focusing on creating exciting textural foregrounds.  A great opportunity to develop painting skills and explore a variety of mixed media techniques

TBC 10 - 4

£75 including lunch

Wildlife and Hedgerow in Lino Printing

Be inspired by the wildlife and hedgerows of the Kentmere valley and learn the skills you will need to cut and print your own unique lino design, creating a small edition of stunning prints to take home. 

With expert guidance, explore the importance of mark making and texture. Enjoy the rhythm of cutting and interpreting your own design into the lino plate.

You will learn hand printing and burnishing techniques and produce both one colour and multicolour designs by varying the inking up. 

An ideal introduction to printmaking for beginners and improvers.

TBC  10 - 4

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Colourful Anodised Aluminium Jewellery

Join us for a splash of colour in this exciting and playful process.  No experience needed, just enjoy experimenting with felt pens, stamps, paint brushes, inks  and dyes to transform aluminium.  In the afternoon you will learn how to create jewellery from some of your patterned metal and take home earings, bangles, or pendants.  

12 Sept   10 - 4.30

£75 including lunch

Enamel Jewellery Workshop

Enamel is a decorative coating of coloured glass fused to metal.  It is a really exciting process  experimenting with coloured powder, stencils and sgraffito, then firing your own work to see how the glass melts to the silver or copper, with jewel like results. On this craft course you will create a number of  jewellery pieces using this decorative process

The perfect workshop for both beginners, those with some previous enameling experience.

TBC  10 - 4

Fee including lunch

March 

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A Mother's Day Hand-Tied Bouquet

A treat for Mother’s Day - come with your mum, make something  for her,  or spoil her with this workshop!  

Be inspired to create a hand-tied bouquet that has a  fresh, natural, wild, ‘just picked in the Lakes’ spirit. Gain the confidence to create a stunning bouquet using seasonal flowers and foliage. A relaxed friendly and informal workshop; perfect for complete beginners, those with some experience and any flower  lovers.

Sat 13 March  10 - 12.30

£35  including tea, coffee, homemade biscuits & cakes

Autumnal Collage Course

Come along and capture warm autumnal colours in a personal collage to enjoy throughout the winter months. Base your design on an interior scene; a still life, vase of flowers or arrangement of autumn fruits. Working with collage gives you the freedom to explore colour combinations and composition, allowing you to reposition motifs and play with shapes. Create an intimate artwork to keep or give as a gift. 

10 Oct  10 - 4.30

£70  including lunch

Drapes to Dungarees . Bespoke dungarees in a day 

Have you got an old pair of curtains that you love but are no longer in use? Come and learn how to turn them into a bespoke pair of dashing and daring dungarees, designed to fit your shape.  

This craft course will cover the whole process and you’ll leave with a new or honed vision for creative reuse. In this spirit; second hand materials are highly encouraged, but if you have your eye on a new piece of fabric that’s great too.

18 Sept     10 - 4.30pm

£ 70 including lunch

Wildlife and Hedgerow in Lino Printing

Be inspired by the wildlife and hedgerows of the Kentmere valley and learn the skills you will need to cut and print your own unique lino design, creating a small edition of stunning prints to take home. 

With expert guidance, explore the importance of mark making and texture. Enjoy the rhythm of cutting and interpreting your own design into the lino plate.

You will learn hand printing and burnishing techniques and produce both one colour and multicolour designs by varying the inking up. 

An ideal introduction to printmaking for beginners and improvers.

 10 - 4

Dry Stone Walling Course

Enjoy a great day out in the countryside on our Lakeland farm learning traditional dry stone walling skills from an experienced and friendly tutor who will explain the process. On this workshop, learn the basic principles; sorting stone, building foundations and helping to construct a section of wall, developing your confidence as you go. A great introduction to the heritage & ancient rural craft of building walls in the Lake District using only the stone in the field.

26 Aug    10 - 4.30

£75  including lunch

Colourful Anodised Aluminium Jewellery

Join us for a splash of colour in this exciting and playful process.  No experience needed, just enjoy experimenting with felt pens, stamps, paint brushes, inks and dyes to transform aluminium with beautiful colours and patterns.  In the afternoon you will learn how to create jewellery from some of your patterned metal and take home earrings, bangles, or pendants.  

28 June   10 - 4.30

£75 including lunch

Fun Vintage Brooches

Spend the day making these delightful little vintage brooches, made from up-cycled pieces of fabric and lace, using whatever you can repurpose from around your home. Create a Selfie, celebrate a special friend or family member or make one up on this fun and creative craft course.  For beginners and up.

26 June  10 - 4.30

£70  including lunch

Silver Clay Jewellery Course

Silver clay is an exciting medium that appeals to both jewellery novices and more experienced craftspeople as it requires little by way of equipment, and responds beautifully to the imagination! This putty-like clay contains tiny particles of silver, water and binders, which is fired on the day of the workshop, bonding your design into a finished piece of pure silver, ready to take away. Silver clay lends itself to texture, 3D forms and experimentation. It can be rolled, moulded, stamped and will retain fine imprinted detail

24 July.     10 - 4.30

£75 including lunch

Stylish Tote Bags

Create a stylish tote bag in a day on this art and craft course. With expert step-by-step guidance, you will work from a pattern and learn how to cut out and stitch a beautifully lined bag with a pocket.   Choose from leather or faux leather handles or straps, for a really professional finish.  An extra special gift for someone or enjoy using it your self!

29 May   10 - 4.30

£70  including lunch  

Drapes to Dungarees . Bespoke dungarees in a day 

Have you got an old pair of curtains that you love but are no longer in use? Come and learn how to turn them into a bespoke pair of dashing and daring dungarees, designed to fit your shape.  

This craft course will cover the whole process and you’ll leave with a new or honed vision for creative reuse. In this spirit; second hand materials are highly encouraged, but if you have your eye on a new piece of fabric that’s great too.

20 June    10 - 4.30pm

£ 70 including lunch

Birds in Spring Collage: Short Art & Craft Course

With spring welcoming birds back to our gardens and fields, join us to create a collage celebrating their return. Gill will provide a range of pre-painted papers and will share techniques on how to create your own.  Using these lovely texture papers, you will cut and assemble your own striking image. Working with collage gives you the freedom to explore colour combinations and composition, and allows you to reposition motifs and play with form, for great results

25 May   10 - 12.30

£30  including tea, coffee and homemade biscuits

Water Colour Portraiture Course

A fantastic opportunity to explore portrait painting using watercolours.  Work with Sky TV Portrait artist Catherine MacDiarmid and gain expert insight and advice. On this workshop you will be guided through some different exercises covering colour and colour mixing, wet into wet, lifting out and expressive mark making, all with emphasis on gaining confidence painting watercolour portraits.

28 May  10 - 4.30

£75 including lunch

Oil Painting Techniques

Be guided by an expert through a variety of oil painting techniques, with an emphasis on experimenting with different approaches to mark making using both thin and thick paint, brushes and palette knives.  You will also develop your skills in mixing colour and tone.  Be prepared to go out of your comfort zone to learn new skills, refresh your approach and gain confidence with this wonderfully versatile medium.  A great workshop for both beginners and those with more experience.

Image: Student work

8 June

£75 including lunch

Monoprint with Gelli plates

Gelli printmaking is a form of mono printing where you take just one image from your plate. It’s fun, quick and messy, with magical results. There is no need for a printing press or any previous printmaking or drawing and painting experience. 

This workshop is an ideal introduction to printmaking using a range of simple techniques to create a collection of your own prints.

21 May    10 - 4.30

£75 including lunch 

Enamel Jewellery Workshop

Enamel is a decorative coating of coloured glass fused to metal.  It is a really exciting process  experimenting with coloured powder, stencils and sgraffito, then firing your own work to see how the glass melts to the silver or copper, with jewel like results. On this craft course you will create a number of  jewellery pieces using this decorative process

The perfect workshop for beginners, those with some jewellery experience and anyone who loves colour.

22 May   10 - 4.30

£75 including lunch

Water in the Lakeland Landscape

Water colour & Pastel

Be inspired by the becks and gyhlls in the lakeland landscape. Based in the stunning Kentmere Valley, you will be encouraged to explore ways of working with watercolour paint and soft pastels to record moving water to create rich colour, texture, highlights and definition. The day will start indoors developing skills and then we will go outdoors, weather permitting, to work directly from observation

20 April 10 - 4

£76  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Natural Christmas Wreaths

Join us for a fun, festive workshop and create a stunning Christmas wreath using natural foliage, cones and dried flowers, all sourced locally.  Alongside a roaring wood fire, chat, make, nunch on some Christmas eats and be inspired by arist and gardener, Belinda Worsely and her natural approach to wreath making.  The perfect way to get in to the Christmas spirit.

12 Dec  10 - 12am

12 Dec  10 - 12am

£36  including teas, coffee and Christmas treats

August

Capture a Summer Scene in Collage 

Learn a variety of collage techniques to create your own striking summer collage - a seascape, landscape or garden. Enjoy making a set of painted textured papers using a variety of media.  You will use these to cut and assemble the collage.

 

Working with collage gives you the freedom to explore colour combinations and composition, allowing you to reposition motifs and play with shapes. Create an intimate artwork to keep or give as a gift. 

25 Aug   10 - 4.30

£68  including lunch  

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Silk Painting

Spend a relaxing day exploring Silk Painting skills and create your own vibrant silk art ready to frame. This fun workshop is a process of playing creatively with brightly coloured dyes and specialist resist techniques. Bring designs for inspiration if you wish, these can be figurative or abstract or browse through some of our books for ideas. All levels are welcome from beginners to experienced artists wishing to try a new medium.

Date and Fee TBC

Seaglass Jewellery

The summer is a great time to find your own sea glass, enjoy the subtle colours and create jewellery that is perfect for a summery look.  Discover the properties of sea glass and the techniques involved in drilling, wrapping and setting it to make silver and sea glass jewellery. By the end of the workshop you will have created at least one piece of sea glass and silver jewellery using a range of tools and jewellery making processes. 

29 August   10 - 4.30

£70  including lunch  

Porcelain Gifts 

Personalised plaques and Stem vases

Spend a relaxing morning learning some simple techniques to create patterned Porcelain gifts which you can decorate/imprint with a variety of tools, textures, stamps and textiles along with flowers and grasses gathered from the farm.  Porcelain is beautiful to handle and when fired has a delicate translucence.  All work will be bisc fired and you can collect your work 10 days after the workshop

5 April.  10 - 1

£45  Tea and coffee and home made traybake

Spring Flower Collage: Short Art & Craft Course

​Capture the delight of spring flowers by creating your own colourful collage. Gill will provide a range of pre-painted papers and explain and share techniques on how to create your own.  Using these lovely texture papers, you will cut and assemble your own striking image. Working with collage gives you the freedom to explore colour combinations and composition, allowing you to reposition motifs and play with form, to achieve a great result. 

17 May  10 - 12.30

£30  including tea, coffee and homemade biscuits

September

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Hand Applique Miniatures

Spend a relaxing day creating collaged pictures with fabrics and stitch.  The emphasis of the day is to encourage participants to develop their own creative ideas, turning all those hoarded fabric scraps into a miniature work of art using simple hand-stitches, found fabrics and embellishments. Ideal for beginner or those with some experience. 

3rd Sept  10 - 4.30

£68 including lunch

Printed Table Runner Inspired by the Sea-shore

Learn how to combine your own carved lino block with stencils to create a fabulous linen table runner inspired by the sea-shore. On this workshop, you will plan out a design on paper, cut your own stencils to use with fabric paint and learn to carve a small lino block to combine together onto sample pieces of fabric.  Once your confident with the process, bring these skills together to stencil and print  your own table runner.  Perfect for summer dining

8 July    10 - 4.30

£70 including lunch

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Willow Platter Craft Course

Learn a traditional rural craft and make your own willow platter. These simple, yet stylish platters are great for displaying  baked bread, cheese and fruit  and make a special gift for friends.

This technique uses lots of short sticks, making it an ideal starter project for people interested in gathering hedgerow-material from garden and walks!  No previous experience required for this workshop.

22 October 10 - 4.30

£75 including lunch  

Exploring with Your Camera

This course will help you understand how to use your camera more effectively and provide the opportunity to explore some of South Lakeland’s superb scenery at a photographer’s pace. The emphasis of the workshop will be on practical, personal learning in an informal, sociable and enjoyable setting. Ideally, you will have at least some knowledge of how your camera works, (that is not essential) and  a wish to develop your skills

30 June   10 - 4.30

£75 including lunch  

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Kantha Lavender Bag

Kantha is a meditative rhythmic sewing technique that enables the mind to rest whilst creating a beautiful design. During this relaxing wellness session you will stitch either a hare or tree of life, using simple stitches on linen.   At the end of the session, you will be familiar with basic kantha techniques and stitches and leave rested with a design for a scented lavender bag 

20 May  10 - 4

£70 including lunch 

Creative Applique Journals

Create a unique journal to keep notes, photos and drawings in.  Explore how to select and bond fabrics together and draw or copy an image onto the cover.  The theme on the cover is up to you: flowers, animals a seascape, a meadow. skills and explore a variety of mixed media techniques.  This journal is the perfect way to make something personal to you but could also make the perfect gift for someone else. 

9 June  10 - 4

£75  including lunch

July

Arranging Flowers : 2 in 1 day

Pressed Flowers and a Hand tied Fresh Bouquet

Enjoy using local & seasonal flowers to create a stunning bouquet. Learn how to choose materials, consider more unusual ‘ingredients’ and discover how to bring different elements together to achieve a natural look, considering colour, texture and shape.

After lunch learn how to select and prepare fresh flowers for pressing throughout the seasons.  You will perfect this fresh and updated art using a flower press which is yours to keep. An abundance of local pre-pressed flowers, hand-made papers and materials will be available so you can create a range of pressed flower art-work including pictures, cards and gift tags A great workshop to celebrate the Lake District!

30 June     10 - 4

£70 including lunch

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Weave a Scarf or Pattern Sampler 

Warps will be set up and ready to go leaving you to focus on weaving.  Follow simple instructions to create a pattern sampler, or you might prefer to make up your own design, experimenting with colour and/or texture using a variety of yarns.  Either way, you'll have plenty of time to weave a scarf.

Suitable for complete beginners or improvers.  If you have some previous experience using a 4 shaft loom and would like to progress to 8 shafts, please email info@farmpods.co.uk when you make your booking.

8 & 9 July    10 - 4

£150 including lunch on both days

September

Expressive Portraits in Oil Paint

Learn to paint quick and lively oil portraits in this one day workshop that focuses on expressive oil portrait painting techniques.  With expert tuition from Sky TV Portrait artist Catherine MacDiarmid, you will be guided through a series of exercises exploring a variety of oil painting techniques, use of different painting brushes/tools and different colour palettes.  It is designed to challenge your practice and broaden your approaches to portrait painting. 

Working from a model in the afternoon will enable you to put those skills into practice with a portrait from life. 

3 Sept 10 - 4

£85 including lunch and model in the afternoon

Silverwork Herdwick Heat Pad

Learn to embroider your own Herdwick sheep or Tup from an expert, using a range of Goldwork techniques.  You will be working directly onto British boiled wool and at the end of the session will be familiar with the application and limitations of working with metallic  thread whilst creating a stylish, environmentally friendly cherrystone heat pad.   

23 Sept     10 - 4

£75 including lunch

Sew Your Own Cap or Beret 

Workshop

Berets and caps are stylish, fun to wear and can be made from a wide range of fabrics.  Learn the skills to create a unique hat using your own choice of fabric. You will cover the whole process from cutting out, stitching, lining, and finishing.  Tweed, wool, denim, firm cottons and furnishing fabrics are ideal.  To be really on trend, you could up-cycle fabulous fabric from outdated fashion styles.  

13  October   10 - 4

£70 including lunch  

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*Industry Standard mark recognising our business has followed government and industry COVID-19 guidelines

Creative Adventures Together

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