Free Textiles Course for Gateshead Residents 27/09/24 9:30am-4:30pm

With special thanks to funding from Gateshead Council’s Multiply Fund, we are delighted to bring you these brand-new, 10-week, free ceramics and textiles courses for Gateshead residents.

Our brand-new textiles surface design course will provide you with an intensely practical approach to working with a range of fabrics, materials and accessories. The course aims to help you gain a broad portfolio of traditional design skills that can be continued beyond the course. You’ll have space to experiment with different approaches, materials and techniques, and our expert tutors will support and encourage you to cross the boundaries of textile disciplines and develop your own innovative approaches to designing and making. Historical and contextual studies will be used to help underpin your practical knowledge and provide sources of inspiration. Textiles techniques have been used for thousands of years to adorn clothing, homeware and accessories. These hand-crafted methods have been passed down through generations, each method tells a story about its culture and their places of origin. Techniques such as: hand embroidery, punch needle, appliqué, sashiko, beadwork, cross stitch, bargello and ribbon embroidery will be covered throughout the course. These methods will enable you to become skilled in creating bespoke intricate designs on the surface of fabric. Throughout the course you will use a variety of maths techniques including measuring, pattern and shape design, working with grids, stitch counts, dye mixing and much more. This course will be embedded with functional maths skills and you will explore shrinkage rates, angles, mitring, firing temperatures and much more. In addition, during the course you will gain a greater understanding of the skills needed to create, sell and manage your own creative wares by working with our tutors to develop your budgeting, costing and ordering skills, and you will explore money saving techniques through shopping on a budget and undertaking cost saving activities.

Spanning 10 weeks and embedded with functional skills, these courses are a great way to develop your creative and functional maths skills, improve your communication, promote inclusivity and improve your wellbeing. Our team of friendly, expert tutors will work with you from the very beginning to identify your needs and they will tailor the course around your requirements to ensure you complete the course feeling confident and prepared for your creative journey.

The textiles course will begin on Friday 27th September 2024 from 9:30am-4:30pm and will run for 10 weeks. We will also provide you with a free lunch during each session.

Important information

These courses will take place at Teams Life Centre, Askew Road West, Gateshead, NE8 2PW.

Prior to the course we will contact you to carry out an enrolment for the course. This will take 30-45 minutes. You will also need to provide us with your National Insurance number to take part.

You can book your place on this fantastic course if you meet the following criteria –

1 – You must be aged 19+.

2 – You must live, work or volunteer in Gateshead to qualify for your place.

3 – You can be either employed or unemployed.

4 – You must not hold a Level 2 or higher classification in Maths.

5 – You must be able to attend the course each week.

6 – You can only book onto one course.