I am so pleased to be able to share that my new website is now up and running which means that you can now purchase my workshops and some of my artworks online rather than needing to arrange a bank transfer, phew its been a challenge
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If your looking for something different to do and have always fancied having a go at making something out of willow, then you might be interested in some of the willow-weaving activities that are taking place in the South Of Hampshire in the next couple of weeks.
honey bee willow sculpture
For those of you who have more free time in the week then how about making a willow woodpecker at River Hamble Country Park on Wednesday the 12th or a buzzing bee at Queen Elizabeth Country Park on Friday the 14th?
If you fancy doing something a bit more chilled then how about joining me to create a large flower which is lovely as a piece of wall art and enjoying lunch at the Lapstone a lovely pub situated in the parish of Horton Heath, Eastleigh located between Winchester and Botley, on Thursday the 20th.
If you are looking for something a bit more substantial and free at the weekends then why not join in the fun of creating a large bird such as a heron or a chicken or goose etc in Portester on Saturday the 22nd
Whatever you decide to do you will have a lot of fun creating your own piece of willow art
If you are interested in finding out more check out this link
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Tagged activities in southampton, bees, craft workshops classes hampshire southern england ng, days out, fareham, flowers, hampshire, july, lunch, portchester, portsmouth, queen elizabeth country park, southampton, wallart, willow birds workshops, willow weaving, workshops
Rag rug weaving is a traditional craft that came about because of necessity and practicality as well as a lovely way to share and pass on a craft to others.
Today making rag rugs have enjoyed a revival with the desire to reuse materials, incorporate fabrics that are meaningful and find creative ways to make you can create relatively simple designs or push boundaries for making, depending on the method that you use it can grow quite quickly and is popular for those of us who love to play and experiment and has the advantage that you don’t need to be able to sew all though it can be useful for some of the projects.
For those of you who would like to have a go at creating your own rag rug Jacquie from Willow and Crafts based in Southampton Hampshire is offering a Flower / garden-themed activity at the beautiful Tudor House Museum and Gardens in Southampton
Under her expert guidance Jacquie will guide you in the various techniques needed to create your own small rag rug, take inspiration from the beautiful Tudor garden, a magical place in the heart of Southampton medieval city or bring your own images to inspire your imagination, be it a beautiful flower or a buzzing bee, or a fluttering butterfly the choice is up to you.
At the end of the day, you will be able to take your work home and turn it into an array of items including a cushion, bag, or a wall hanging or give it pride of place and frame it for your wall as your own original piece of art. you are only limited by your imagination
Sunday 11th June 10.15 am -16.15 pm
£50 Refreshments and materials are included
For more details and to book a place
This is always an interesting time of year isn’t it with everything starting to come to life, the trees are starting to fill out and new blossoms appear.
I love taking time out to explore and I am often out watching wildlife inf fact I am an avid follower of several Facebook wildlife groups, always looking for lovely places to visit to observe our amazing wildlife, often it is on your doorstep where you see the most interesting things.
Over the winter months, I have been volunteering once a week to clear peat/heathland from invasive plants that dry out the soil, a potential danger in the summer if there is a fire.
As usual, I have been out collecting wild garlic and early nettle leaves to eat.
If you fancy collecting your own wear gloves for teh nettles chossing young tops to prep nettles which can be used similarly to spinch, remember to wash any foraged materials , wild garlic can be used similarly to chives. To prepare nettles simply scald them in hoiling water to remove the sting before using, they dont need much cooking.
I love seeing the trees coming back to life dont you and with the wood sap rising I must try to find the time to harvest wild willow bark for projects as well as collecting bramble stems whilst they are still tender before the berries come in.(You can dry branble despiked bramble stems and rehydrate them in boiling water and a later date
I have also been collecting long dandelion stems on dry days as well as harvesting daffodil stems and leaves once the flowers have dried , they will be dried out in bunches ready to make with.
The first couple of months were very quiet as usual giving me time to recoup and sort things out I am not really a winter person and I do tend to hibernate a little at the beginning of the year, but that didn’t last for long as I was working on a large commission, and with busy times are ahead I thought that id share some of the activities and places where you will find me in the next couples of months.
If you’ve been busy making do let me know how you are doing if you are on Facebook or Instagram do ping me to share what you’ve been up to you will find me under the name of willowandcrafts.
Public events
Workshops
Moon gazing / sitting Hare workshop Friday 19th May Queen Elizabeth Country Park nr Petersfield.
Willow deer head workshop 8th June Queen Elizabeth Country Park nr Petersfield
As you will notice my monthly makes are now taking place at the Lapstone Pub in Fair Oak and include lunch as well so a lovely relaxing session and only cost £45 so a lovely way to relax and make and make new freinds
Anyway that’s it for now my summer newsletter will be created in the next few months
Happy Making
Jacquie
Autumn Newsletter
This is always an interesting time of year isn’t it with the autumn days providing a mix of rain and lovely weather, it’s a great time to get out and about and do some foraging.
This is an ideal time for collecting willow/ dogwood etc and other bendy materials to create with
, so whether you are able to go out foraging or have some friendly neighbours or are fortunate to have some growing in your garden it’s a great time for gathering materials such as these which will stay workable if you leave them outside for several weeks so if you have some growing near you why not have a go.
As usual, this time of year is pretty busy I have several Christmas workshops on the go and I’m attending several fairs and markets including
So if you in the area why not pop in and say hello?
Every now and again it’s lovely to share our skills with others so I thought that I include a link to a willow fish tutorial that I made on youtube a couple of years ago, its great to do with others I even have one made with paper straws as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcDg-pco0qg
On the topic of interesting things to watch I thought that you might also like this one about making seagrass baskets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcDg-pco0qg
Events
I also thought that I should mention that I have a few places remaining on my workshops before Christmas:
Next Year’s activities
New workshop course
I am going to be starting a regular monthly willow weaving course on the first Thursday on the month, this will be a progressive course aimed at beginners and those with a little experience, at the end of each session students will be taking materials home to practise This course will be taking place on at Chandlers Ford Community Centre nr Eastleigh from January to August. on the Third Thursday of the month from 11am – 3pm If you are interested in attending then check out the information on my willow weaving page
Stand alone workshops
I have also listed below the workshops that I will be offering until the summer which include willow and textile activities. I will be adding more dates in the New Year for rag rug workshops and other outdoor activities focussing on foraging and woodland crafts.
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Dates for next year |
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| Date | Area | Topic | Price | |
| Sat 4th Feb 5 hr workshop 11- 4 | Hamble Le Rice, Southampton | Peg loom workshop | £50 | |
| Thursday 9th Feb | Romsey New Forest | Rag rug hearts | £65 | |
| Sun 12th Feb 10 – 4.30 | Wickham Fareham | Willow hearts | £60 | |
| Sat 25th Feb 10 – 4.30 | Chandlers Ford Easteigh | Willow obelisks and dragonflys | £65 | |
| Sat 11th March £80 | Portchester Fareham | Hare workshop | £80 | |
| Sat 25th March £65 | Wickham, Fareham | Bee workshop | £65 | |
| 22nd April and 23rd April weekend | Chandlers Ford Eastleigh | Weekend willow workshop more details to follow | £150 + materials | |
| Sat 13th May | Portchester nr,Fareham | Owl workshop | £70 | |
| Sat 21st May | Burley, New Forest | Farmyard birds | £75 | |
| Sat 24th June £80 | Burley,New Forest | Fox workshop | £80 | |
| Sat 8th July | Chandlers Ford Eastleigh | to deceide | ||
| Sat 22nd July | Portchester Fareham | to decide | ||
I’m busy offering a variety of willow weaving workshops this year from the traditional Christmas decoration activities as well as a number of large sculpture-creating stag/ reindeer heads at the lovely village of Burley in the New Forest and willow penguins in Chandlers Ford near Winchester
For details about my workshops please visit my new website
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Tagged Christmas willow weaving workshops, craft workshops classes, hampshire, southern england
Autumn/ Winter update ( November 21)
I don’t know about you but I love the autumn and winter the changing seasons are amazing and autumn and spring are definitely my favorite seasons
I am looking forward to my first willow harvest , I only have e a small plot so not enough to be self sufficient but there is something specials about growing and harvesting your own materials and I am looking forward to using them in some of my creations next year.
With so many changes it has been strange a year hasn’t it, I’ve been busy with workshops and activities. and I now have many activities and dates arranged for the first half of next year with more being planned I already have people booking on and others buying a gift for someone special so the ways things are going its going to be a busy year ahead
I am really enjoying my time as artist in residence at Tudor House Museum in Southampton, having time out to experiment and create is really important and it is rejuvenating me with fresh ideas
I have also been fortunate to have been able to have been involved in some great art exhibitions and art fairs this year this year if your interested in finding out more about these pop over to my other site https://www.jrolls.co.uk/
It is always great fun being outside teaching this year and I have loved providing workshops at amazing outdoor venues such as Butser Ancient Farm however now that the winter is setting in I am glad t o be back indoors.
If you are interested in seeing some of my work I am showing some of my work at Westbury Manor Museum in Fareham until the New Year, if your interested in finding out more pop over to my events page for more details,
It has been great fun visiting school projects again and I have been out visiting local groups which is always a pleasure.
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If your interested in finding out more about what I get up to and to see pics of recent activities etc then come and say hello at my Faceboook page JaxsArtsandDesignsWillowsculpture/ 
