All Weekend

Out of the Woods

Out of the Woods, a tent of dreamy woodland crafts and an opportunity to sit, watch and make, curated by basketmaker Hilary Burns MBE. 

Hilary Burns, is a highly acclaimed basket maker and willow expert. She will be joined by  a range of makers including greenwoodworker Cyriaque, basket maker Michelle Mateo and spoon carver Alex Finberg, Nick and Mollie McMillen – Cedar, Chestnut, and Willow basketwork and Bob Andrews, Salt glaze teapots. handles from natural materials with Hilary Burns

For the full list of Out of the Woods makers CLICK HERE. 

New This Year

New this year, to celebrate our 20th Anniversary, Out of the Woods will have a range of talks about wellbeing, craftivism and the power of making. Expect lively conversations, tea ceremonies, making sessions and even a spot of yoga. 

They are first come, first served and you cannot book in advance.  

FRIDAY 7^TH JUNE

10.30am Chair Yoga with Anna White from Pretzel Studio. Half an hour of accessible, gentle practice, boosting strength, flexibility, and wellbeing through seated postures.

11am, 1.30 pm and 3.30. Tea tasting sessions with Jane from The House of Hope and Mercy in the Jungle. Small numbers, a centre of calm in the tea house.  

11.30am The Future of Endangered Craft

Mary Lewis, Head of Craft Sustainability at the Heritage Craft Association.

1pm How to Manage the Menopause

Bee Watson, Personal Trainer and woman’s health advocate will be in conversation with Sarah James MBE, director of Craft Festival. They will discuss the many and various approaches to managing women’s health.

3pm Crafting the Leaf with Jo and Kathryn Harper of Dartmoor Estate Tea.

The unexpected discovery of the joy of tea growing and making.

SATURDAY 8^TH JUNE

10.30am Chair Yoga with Anna White from Pretzel Studio Half an hour of accessible, gentle practice, boosting strength, flexibility, and wellbeing through seated postures.

11am, 1.30 pm and 3.30. Tea tasting sessions with Jane from The House of Hope and Mercy in the Jungle. Small numbers, a centre of calm in the tea house.  

11.30am The Art of Gentle Protest.  

Sarah Corbett, founder of the Craftivist Collective, in conversation with Daniel Carpenter, CE of The Heritage Craft Association, about her new book ‘The Craftivist Collective Handbook’. They will discuss the power of craft as a form of ‘gentle protest’ that has helped change hearts, minds, policies, and laws around the world.

1pm Indigo, Mugwort, Willow

A discussion with Hilary Burns, basket maker and Yuki Itaya, medical herbalist and doctor of Oriental medicine and acupuncture. They will describe how their combined interest in health, plants and wellbeing met in an ancient Japanese method for making an organic fermented vat dye.  Using sukomo; composted Persicaria tinctoria from Japan, and lye from hardwood ash, they attempt to develop the ‘saintly patience’ required and explore growing and drying a home-grown crop. 

3pm Art into Industry.

Margo Selby is a woven textile artist and designer. Her design philosophy is focused on pushing the boundaries of weaving to create contemporary fabrics for a range of textile applications. Alongside her commercial textile design business Margo also creates distinctive handwoven artworks, which unite a modernist aesthetic with traditional weaving techniques. In her talk Margo will provide an insight into her 20-year career in woven textiles, how the brand has evolved and the crossovers between her work as an artist, maker and designer. The talk will include a look into the creation of moon landing, which is exhibited at our Anniversary Exhibition, 20 years in the Making at Make Southwest from 27^th April – 22^nd June 2024.

SUNDAY 9^TH JUNE

10.30am Chair Yoga with Anna White from Pretzel Studio. Half an hour of accessible, gentle practice, boosting strength, flexibility, and wellbeing through seated postures.

11am, 1.30 pm and 3.30. Tea tasting sessions with Jane from The House of Hope and Mercy in the Jungle. Small numbers, a centre of calm in the tea house.  

11.30 Intelligent Hands: Why making is a Skill for Life

Join Daniel Carpenter, CE of Heritage Crafts and Katy Bevan, founder of Quickthorn Books, for an in-depth discussion about the importance of craft in our lives. Intelligent Hands: Why making is a Skill for Life investigates the cognitive benefits of craft in life-long learning and brings together existing research and information in an accessible format to make the case for working with our hands. As we hurtle towards the fourth industrial revolution, we risk losing the craft skills that make humans unique. This timely book asks what got us to this place and more importantly, how we can change it.

1pm The Loom the Stitch and the Wardrobe group discussion.

‘The act of sewing is a process of emotional repair’ Louise Bourgois. A group of like-minded friends and makers on a gentle mission to help you repair the beloved clothes and textiles in your lives. The aim is to pass on different techniques and approaches stemming from our individual practices. CLICK HERE FOR THE LOOM, THE STITCH AND THE WARDROBE WORKSHOPS

3pm The Relationship between Wellness and Learning.

Dr Stephanie Bunn, anthropologist of textiles and Research Fellow at University of St Andrews talks about the relationship between wellness and learning. She will talk about her work with Woven Communities; a longstanding Scottish community of basket makers, researchers and basket enthusiasts, and Forces in Translation; a collaborative group of mathematicians, anthropologists, and basket makers.

Heritage Crafts at Craft Festival

We are delighted that we will be joined by members of Heritage Crafts. You will meet makers from the Red List who are keeping a craft alive. CLICK TO MEET THE HERITAGE CRAFT MAKERS

Design Nation at Craft Festival

A range of makers from the South West and Wales cohort of Design Nation will be demonstrating at the Festival.

Craft Cinema in association with Find a Maker

Meet Audrey, the Vintage Mobile Cinema
 
We’re so happy that once again this year at Craft Festival you’ll be able to visit our very special Craft Cinema. And Audrey has the most incredible history & story.
 
Audrey is the only survivor of seven vehicles that were custom built for the Ministry of Technology in the 60's.
 
Tony Benn, the Minister of Technology at the time, commissioned the busses and they travelled the country visiting factories showing short films about the new & upcoming technologies for British businesses to use
 
This incredible piece of cinematic and transport history will be home to our Craft Cinema in Bovey this June & each day there’ll be a full programme of short films about contemporary makers together with historical news clips from Pathé News
 
Will you be stepping inside Audrey to experience our special Craft Cinema?

The Amazing Scene Machine with King of Clay-mation, The Master of Plasticine, Jim Parkyn

Join Jim in The Craft Lab on Saturday & Sunday, and create a plasticine masterpiece, guided by the Master Maker and Aardman Ambassador himself. Your creation will be included in a stop motion film made over the weekend. FREE, Drop-in and no-need to book. Numbers will be limited so it will be first come, first served. 

Saturday June 8th 2024 Craft Festival Yoga in the Park

FREE EVENT: 8.30am Mill Marsh Park, Bovey Tracey

Join Craft Festival & Anna White from Pretzel Yoga Studio in a morning yoga session in the beautiful surroundings of Mill Marsh Park. Meet by the Gym Machines for an uplifting 30 mins of yoga. Please bring your own mat. No need to book, turn up on the day.
Pretzel Yoga Studio is a practise yoga with Anna White in Bovey Tracey.