talks, exhibition and participation
thread... a festival of textilesJoin us in the long kiln room to see our exhibition and enjoy our talks programme, visit the undercroft and southwest kiln to take part in free participation.

the re-fashion wardrobe talk with Portia Lawrie
11am long kiln gallery
Portia Lawrie is an Essex based maker, author and content creator, with a particular focus on the reuse of existing garments and textiles in home sewing. Her debut book The Re:Fashion Wardrobe published earlier this year and Portia will be sharing some thoughts on the potential of old clothes and how we can incorporate the textiles we already own into our sewing practice. Garments from the book and other work will be on display and signed copies of her book available for purchase.

Denim Making, Then and Now- Sarah Ward
12pm long kiln gallery
Join Sarah Ward for a deep dive into all things denim! During this talk, Sarah will take you through the origins of this sturdy blue cloth, once worn by labourers, gold miners, cowboys and farmers. We’ll look closely at its history, uses, its cultural significance and the processes used to make it. From there you will learn where ‘Denim’ and ‘Jeans’ got their names, and why wearing them became a symbol of rebellion. Did you know that at one time, in some places, it was illegal to buy denim? Or that until the 17th century, the use of indigo pigment in Europe was punishable by death? The denim industry has evolved exponentially over the years, and has now become somewhat of a wardrobe staple - but it wasn’t always the fashion statement that it is now.

Talk with Rezia Wahid
2.30 pm long kiln gallery
The multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary qualities of Rezia Wahid’s weaving thread her experiences as a woman, poet, artist,educator; she weaves textiles that transcend the practical boundaries of art. Rezia will be talking about her specialism in fine handwoven cloth and career since graduating from UCA, Farnham in 1998.

Yarn Wrapping free drop-in participation - with Charlotte Karin Bull
Undercroft
Delicately playing with colour and yarn to create compositions that can be used as inspiration for all types of craft, be this embroidery, cardmaking, weaving or compiling colour pallets for alternative projects. The techniques will dawn upon traditional resist dye methods and ikat techniques. The workshop itself will begin by choosing a selection of yarns to wrap around card, the participant will then paint the dye onto the yarn before letting them quickly dry and wrapping around a new piece of card to produce a pattern.

free drop-in participation - with the young quilters
Southwest kiln
Farnham Quilters will be in the southwest kiln all day, please drop in and have a go at making part of a quilt. We are supporting 'Quilts for Care Leavers'. Join us at Thread where you can help make a quilt for this wonderful project.
To find out more about the project, click here

Sewing Guru's
The Maltings resident textile duo Alice and Ginny will be on hand in our foyer for sewing chat and to answer questions.