Workshops & Creative Retreats.
We host a selection of workshops, events & creative retreat weekends throughout the year. All have an emphasis on encouraging creativity, connection & learning new skills, alongside the celebration of the arts, crafts & working with the hands.
We wish to create a community of kindred spirits, willing to share & learn new ideas whilst making friends along the way & to hopefully inspire a connection to oneself, as well as to others beyond the workshop walls.
All of our teachers are individuals or businesses that we identify with or feel incorporate our own principles here at Kindred House.
Guests are welcome to simply attend their chosen workshop during the day, or book in to stay with us for an all-inclusive retreat weekend package. Rooms are limited & tend to get booked up quickly, so get in touch early to avoid disappointment.
Block Printing Retreat Weekend with Louisa Loakes
During this two-day workshop weekend you will gain an understanding of the technique and creative approach to block printing onto fabric. Day 1 will focus on the construction & methods of creating repeat pattern & day 2 will centre around working with your own designed block. The workshop runs over both the Saturday and Sunday, where attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all skill levels & the project is designed to be achievable for all. You will walk away with your own designed and hand block printed length of fabric.
Felt Wall Hanging Workshop Weekend with Cáit McEniff
In this two day workshop, Cáit will guide you through each step to design & create your own felt wall hanging. From initial design ideas, through to a final piece, Cáit will share her techniques & approach to help you transform your ideas into something you can take away with you and hang on your wall. It will be a fun & relaxed workshop, with a large emphasis on play & getting lost in the process. The workshop welcomes & is suitable for all levels.
Introduction to Hand Weaving with Woven Form
Hand weaving is a beautiful & expressive way to start exploring the world of textiles & this two-day workshop will offer a very free & easy approach to get you started working on a hand loom. Over the course of the weekend, we will begin by talking a little about the history of weaving, as well as looking at the work of some other artists for inspiration. You will learn how to set up a frame loom, and begin to experiment with combining different textures and colours to create you own gorgeous individual artworks. You will begin on a small frame to experiment and then move on to a larger frame for your final piece.
'Drawing with Stitch' retreat weekend with Lora Avedian
Join textile artist Lora Avedian for a weekend of playful experimentation with textiles and embroidery, learning how to draw with stitch. On this exploratory weekend, participants will create experimental embroidery samples with the aim of developing nature-inspired embroidery techniques that can be added to pre-made items or kept as an art work. Through-out the weekend Lora will guide you in how to best translate simple drawings into stitched lines. Looking at a variety of classic embroidery and embellishment techniques, you will learn how to play with scale and materials to create different qualities of line, 3D relief and texture.
'Drawing from the Inside Out' Retreat Weekend with Flora Wallace
During this retreat weekend we will be exploring automatic drawing, creativity and dreams. By practicing various different drawing techniques that help to distract the conscious critical mind, we will encourage the creative potential of the subconscious. We will explore working with different mediums such as ink, watercolour, pastel, oil pastels and charcoal. We will be discussing our dreams and the power of the subconscious and how we can better learn to work with it to inspire our creativity. We will also look at artists who have used these techniques to inform their work, such as Alma Rumble, Leonora Carrington and Hilma af Klint. The weekend is designed to be a fun experiment and open to everyone and all abilities. Come with an open mind and an interest to explore something new!
Block Printing Retreat Weekend with Louisa Loakes
During this two-day workshop weekend you will gain an understanding of the technique and creative approach to block printing onto fabric. Day 1 will focus on the construction & methods of creating repeat pattern & day 2 will centre around working with your own designed block. The workshop runs over both the Saturday and Sunday, where attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all skill levels & the project is designed to be achievable for all. You will walk away with your own designed and hand block printed length of fabric.
Quilting Retreat Weekend with House of Quinn
Join Julius from House of Quinn for this intensive two-day quilting retreat workshop weekend. An accessible and expressive craft, quilt making can be a great way to connect with textiles to make both beautiful and practical artworks for the home. Over the weekend, you will learn how to create a quilted textile collage using various stitching, applique and patchwork techniques. You will then construct, stitch and finish your work, transforming it into a quilted object that can be hung or used around the home. By the end of the weekend, you should be armed with the skills to carry on making at home. The workshop runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. Attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all skill levels and the project is designed to be achievable for all.
Drawing Retreat Weekend with Molly Martin (Sold out)
During this two-day workshop weekend you will gain an understanding of different drawing techniques, using pencil, charcoal and chalk - creating a collection of botanical, location and still life drawings on paper. The workshop runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday and attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all levels and is designed to be achievable for all. Materials are provided, but please bring sketchbooks or any other materials you’d like to work with.
'Painting with Gold' Retreat Weekend with Ruth Parker
Join artist Ruth Parker for a weekend of creative experiments with verre églomisé. Learn the ancient process of gilding precious metals onto the reverse side of glass and experiment with decorative techniques to create your own unique glass tile. You will work with gold leaf to create a ‘glass canvas’ that participants can either frame to be enjoyed as a beautiful piece of artwork in its own right, or use as a small practical mirror for the home. Throughout the weekend Ruth will introduce you to the ancient tools needed to water gild, combined with a modern approach to mark-making with tools and drawing techniques that give the mirrored surface its unique look. The workshop runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. Attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all skill levels and the project is designed to be achievable for all.
Marquetry Retreat with Chelsea Vivash
Join artist and designer Chelsea Vivash for a two-day creative retreat weekend, where you will create a contemporary wooden serving tray using the traditional woodworking technique of marquetry. In this course, Chelsea will share her experience and guide you through creating a decorative and functional marquetry piece using a combination of both natural and dyed real wood veneers. Delve into the world of this traditional technique and bring your own unique functional design to life with your own two hands! The workshop runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. Attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all skill levels and the project is designed to be achievable for all.
'Drawing with Stitch' retreat weekend with Lora Avedian (Sold out)
Join textile artist Lora Avedian in a weekend of playful experimentation with textiles and embroidery, learning how to draw with stitch. On this exploratory weekend participants will create experimental embroidery samples with the aim of developing nature inspired embroidery techniques that can be added to pre-made items or kept as an art work. Through-out the weekend there will be simple drawing exercises, and Lora will guide you in how to best translate your drawings into stitched lines. Looking at a variety of classic embroidery and embellishment techniques, you will learn how to play with scale and materials to create different quality of line, 3D relief and texture.
Quilting Retreat Weekend with House of Quinn (Sold out)
Join Julius from House of Quinn for this intensive two-day quilting retreat workshop weekend. An accessible and expressive craft, quilt making can be a great way to connect with textiles to make both beautiful and practical artworks for the home. Over the weekend, you will learn how to create a quilted textile collage using various stitching, applique and patchwork techniques. You will then construct, stitch and finish your work, transforming it into a quilted object that can be hung or used around the home. By the end of the weekend, you should be armed with the skills to carry on making at home. The workshop runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. Attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all skill levels and the project is designed to be achievable for all.
Marquetry Retreat Weekend with Chelsea Vivash
Join artist and designer Chelsea Vivash for a two-day creative retreat weekend, where you will create a contemporary wooden serving tray using the traditional woodworking technique of marquetry. In this course, Chelsea will share her experience and guide you through creating a decorative and functional marquetry piece using a combination of both natural and dyed real wood veneers. Delve into the world of this traditional technique and bring your own unique functional design to life with your own two hands!
Drawing Retreat Weekend with Molly Martin
During this two-day workshop weekend you will gain an understanding of different drawing techniques, using pencil, charcoal and chalk - creating a collection of botanical, location and still life drawings on paper. The workshop runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday and attendance on both days is
required. The weekend is suitable for all levels and is designed to be achievable for all. Materials are provided, but please bring sketchbooks or any other materials you’d like to work with.
'Materiality: a state of being' - an open-house group exhibition
Introducing our first group exhibition at Kindred House, we have invited 19 artists to exhibit with us, all of whose work we feel celebrates the theme of ‘materiality’ in some way. The artworks will be installed in an ‘open-house’ style show, where visitors will be invited to wander around the house at their leisure and view the pieces within a home setting. All works will be available to buy in person and the exhibition will also be presented online for those not able to attend. The exhibition will be open daily from 11am-6pm and run from the 17th-26th of June. The show is by appointment only, so visitors will need to book ahead for entry.
Block Printing Retreat Weekend with Louisa Loakes
During this two-day workshop weekend you will gain an understanding of the technique and creative approach to block printing onto fabric. Day 1 will focus on the construction & methods of creating repeat pattern & day 2 will centre around working with your own designed block. The workshop runs over both the Saturday and Sunday, where attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all skill levels & the project is designed to be achievable for all. You will walk away with your own designed and hand block printed length of fabric.
Quilting Retreat Weekend with House of Quinn
Join Julius from House of Quinn for this intensive two-day quilting retreat workshop weekend. An accessible and expressive craft, quilt making can be a great way to connect with textiles to make both beautiful and practical artworks for the home. Over the weekend, you will learn how to create a quilted textile collage using various stitching, applique and patchwork techniques. You will then construct, stitch and finish your work, transforming it into a quilted object that can be hung or used around the home. By the end of the weekend, you should be armed with the skills to carry on making at home. The workshop runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. Attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all skill levels and the project is designed to be achievable for all.
Wet Plate Collodion Portrait Sitting with Kasia Wozniak
Wet Plate Collodion is one of the earliest photography techniques, dating back to the mid nineteenth century. Each step of the image creation is a greatly considered & highly skilled process. The image itself is captured during only a few seconds of long exposures. The final image becomes a beautiful tangible object, that can stay with you for many generations to come. The portrait sittings are designed for up to two people in the photographic frame and we are limited to only 6 portrait sittings on the day.
Cyanotype Printmaking Workshop with Kasia Wozniak
Join photographic artist Kasia Wozniak at Kindred House for an introduction to the process of cyanotype and create your own botanical prints. During this workshop, you will be introduced to the basics of this historical printing process, learn all about the chemistry behind it and how to coat your own paper with a light sensitive solution. Lastly, by laying out various different found or collected objects directly on to the paper and exposing it to the sunlight, you will create your own Prussian blue photograms.
Jewellery Making Workshop with Corrie Williamson
Join Corrie for a day of jewellery making, where you will experiment with shapes and found materials to create your own art pieces to be worn. You will use a mixture of both wood and metal; material combinations that are integral to Corrie’s own multidisciplinary work. During the workshop you will learn some traditional silversmithing techniques that you can use to make your creations, alongside some more playful experimental methods. Hand tools will be used to cut, shape and finish your pieces ready to take home.
Mobile Making Workshop with Corrie Williamson
Join Corrie at Kindred House to create your own beautiful hanging piece of suspended artwork. Using a collection of found objects, reclaimed woods and metals, you will work with the guidance of Corrie to create your own unique mobile or hanging sculpture. Participants are welcome to bring their own found objects along, or choose from a selection of items provided on the day. You will learn and practice some simple wood and metalworking techniques, which you will then use to join the materials together and work on getting a balanced finished piece. Participants can either re-create an existing design of Corrie’s, or create thier own composition on the day.
Reclaimed Wood & Metal Retreat Weekend with Corrie Williamson
This all-inclusive weekend package includes a two-night B&B stay at Kindred House, along with full access to both our Reclaimed Wood & Metal Weekend Workshops; ‘Mobile Making’ & ‘Jewellery Making’, hosted by jeweller & multidisiplinary artist Corrie Williamson. Our retreat weekends provide an ideal opportunity for a weekend getaway in our sanctuary beside the sea, whilst having the opportunity to get creative, learn a new skill and make new friends along the way.
Quilting Retreat Weekend with House of Quinn (SOLD OUT)
Join Julius from House of Quinn for this intensive two-day quilting retreat workshop weekend. An accessible and expressive craft, quilt making can be a great way to connect with textiles to make both beautiful and practical artworks for the home. Over the weekend, you will learn how to create a quilted textile collage using various stitching, applique and patchwork techniques. You will then construct, stitch and finish your work, transforming it into a quilted object that can be hung or used around the home. By the end of the weekend, you should be armed with the skills to carry on making at home. The workshop runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. Attendance on both days is required. The weekend is suitable for all skill levels and the project is designed to be achievable for all.
Sashiko Jacket Embroidery Workshop with Yi Crafts
Join Yi Crafts at Kindred House for a day of slow, medative stitching, where you will experiment with sashiko embroidery on an indigo-dyed natual cotton jacket to take away with you. Sashiko, meaning ‘little stab’, is the Japanese art of stitching beautiful patterns using running stitch, often used to add decorative and/or reinforcement, texture & warmth to cloth or old garments. In this workshop, you will learn both the history & cultural background of sashiko, as well as learn all the basic techniques & principle of the embroidery style, so you will be able to continue your practice at home.
Shibori Indigo Dyeing Workshop with Yi Crafts
Join Yi Crafts at Kindred House to spend the day creating your own natual indigo-dyed shibori tablecloth or wall hanging. During the day, you will hear all about the history and cultural background of this unique dyeing process, as well as learn and practice four different traditional stitch resist tie-dye techniques. You will then create your own design based on these learnt techniques and apply it to a provided organic cotton tablecloth. You will then finish your creation by dyeing your cloth in a natural indigo dye vat.
Traditional Chinese Textiles Creative Retreat Weekend with Yi Crafts
This all-inclusive weekend package includes a two-night B&B stay at Kindred House, along with full access to both our Traditional Chinese Textile weekend workshops; ‘Shibori Indigo Dyeing’ & ‘Sashiko Jacket Embroidery’ both hosted by Yi Crafts. Our retreat weekends provide an ideal opportunity for a weekend getaway in our sanctuary beside the sea, whilst having the opportunity to get creative, learn a new skill and make new friends along the way.
Decorative Paper Flower Workshop with Pom Pom Factory
Learn how to create an-everlasting decorative display for the festive season at our botanical paper workshop with Pom Pom Factory. In this hands-on workshop, Karen will guide you through the process of creating a range of festive-inspired botanicals, crafted from fine Italian crepe paper and wire. She will then demonstrate the different ways in which you can use your handmade paper creations, choosing whether to string them up as part of a statement hanging installation, or arrange them as a festive table runner display.
Festive Wreath Workshop with Kidge Flowers
Join Katie from Kidge Flowers for a festive morning to create a botanical wreath to bring the outdoors into your home this winter! During this workshop you will learn how to make a beautiful wreath out of the season's most lovely ingredients. We will be combining fresh foliage with delicate dried details and other seasonal beauties to make gorgeously sculpted and heavily scented pieces of natural art for your doors or walls.
Festive Botanical Retreat Weekend at Kindred House
This all-inclusive weekend package includes a two-night B&B stay at Kindred House, along with full access to both our festive botanical weekend workshops; ‘Festive Wreath Workshop’ with Kidge Flowers & ‘Decorative Paper Flower Workshop’ with Pom Pom Factory. Our retreat weekends provide an ideal opportunity for a weekend getaway in our sanctuary beside the sea, whilst having the opportunity to get creative, learn a new skill and make new friends along the way.
Texture & Wood: Sculptural Workshop with Henry Neville Wood (SOLD OUT)
Join wood carver & sculptor Henry Neville Wood for an exploration into creating a variety of different textural effects & surface finishes on your own mini wooden sculpture. Using ready-cut wooden forms, you will experiment with creating different textures using Japanese carving gauges, before assembling your own sculptural piece to take away with you. Suitable for beginners, no prior knowledge or experience is necessary.
Introduction to Spoon Carving with Henry Neville Wood (SOLD OUT)
Come & learn how to carve a lovely spoon with wood carver & sculptor Henry Neville Wood in this hands-on workshop. Spoon carving is a pastime that allows you to slow down & enjoy a process working with wood, whilst learning a new skill with your hands. There's nothing quite like creating something that will last & can be used as part of one’s daily life for years to come! This is a great workshop designed to get you up & going so that you can whittle the winter months away! No prior knowledge or experience is necessary.
Woodwork Creative Retreat Weekend with Henry Neville Wood at Kindred House (SOLD OUT)
This all-inclusive weekend package includes a two-night B&B stay at Kindred House, along with full access to both our woodwork weekend workshops; ‘An Introduction to Spoon Carving’ & ‘Wood & Texture: Sculptural Workshop’ both hosted by wood carver and sculptor Henry Neville Wood. Our retreat weekends provide an ideal opportunity for a weekend getaway in our sanctuary beside the sea, whilst having the opportunity to get creative, learn a new skill and make new friends along the way.