Printing and Pottery Creative Workshop Day in Nailsworth

Come and join Susie Hetherington, printmaker and pattern designer, and ceramicist Sophie Learmont of Starlingpots, for a relaxing day of printing and pottery in the gallery at Three Storeys, Nailsworth. 

This creative workshop day is designed for anyone and everyone who would like to take a day for themselves (or you could gift it to a loved one), to get absorbed in some gentle crafting, and enjoy a good natter in the process. Come with a friend, or just bring yourself along to switch off from normal life for a bit, whilst making something to take home with you. 

From 10am - 12pm you will be printing handmade cards on cotton rag paper, using floral/botanical lino blocks that Susie has pre-carved for you to arrange in any combination. Mix your own colours, choose which motifs you want to combine, and loose yourself in the joyous process of pattern printing. This is a very simple couple of hours of experimenting with ink and repetition, and when it comes to dreaming up patterns, the possibilities are endless. Envelopes provided at the end, so you can take home some truly unique cards, perfect for special occasions or recipients. Susie will also give a short demonstrate the carving process alongside where to buy all the materials, incase printing has you hooked and you want to give this a go at home.

From 12pm-1pm we break for lunch; you can bring your own packed lunch to eat in the gallery, or in the very next room you can buy lunch from The Plot Café, along with excellent coffee and cakes. Take a stroll if you need to stretch your legs, and then come back to the gallery for an afternoon pottery class…

From 1pm-3pm Sophie will guide you through your own unique design and decoration of a hand crafted stoneware plate. This decoration might be inspired by nature, botanicals, or your morning of printing. You will use a selection of underglazes to create your design, Sophie will be on hand with ideas and advice as you paint. At the end of the session, Sophie will take your plates to her Nailsworth studio, to be glaze fired ready to collect the following week. Your finished works of art will be both food and dishwasher safe and can be used as your favourite snack plate, as a trinket dish or can be hung decoratively on your wall.

All the materials are provided, all abilities welcome. Susie and Sophie are experienced teachers/creatives and will guide you through the day. Please bring an apron, or clothes you don’t mind getting messy. The cost for this one day workshop (for both the printing and the pottery) is £85 per person, with a maximum of 12 participants attending. 

For more information please email Susie susie@susiehetherington.co.uk, or Sophie starlingpots@gmail.com, 

More about Susie Hetherington…Drawing on a love of nature, pattern designer Susie Hetherington closely observes the intricate details of plants, trees and flowers, sketching designs that she then carves to lino and prints to paper or fabric. Susie's prints and textiles have a distinct Arts and Crafts influence, and pattern is at the forefront of everything she creates. Susie sells a range of soft furnishing fabrics by the metre, alongside which she creates commissioned pieces and unique block printed artworks.

Instagram: @susiehetheringtonpatterns

www.susiehetherington.co.uk

More about Sophie Learmont…With a background in architecture and design, artisan maker Sophie, of starlingpots, has taken her love of texture and form to smaller scale with her ceramics. From her base in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, she designs and lovingly hand crafts unique pieces in small numbers, drawing on inspiration from the natural world for decorative themes and colour palettes. 

Sophie is also a design & technology teacher and loves sharing her joy of craft with you. 

Instagram: @starlingpots

www.starlingpots.com