What We’re Buying: Artisan Workshops with No5 Workshops and Janine Pope

According to the latest piece of research by J Walter Thompson on us mid lifers, many of us are graduating towards the creative world, either as a second career or just to return to learning. The research also highlights findings from the Wellbeing In Later Life Index, organised by Age UK and Southhampton University, which indicates that taking part in creative activities has the biggest impact on wellbeing in later life.

And since it’s currently easier to find a craft workshop offering us lessons than an outfit on the high street that has been designed with a 50 plus woman in mind, it’s not hard to see why we’re all flocking to sign up. Our regular correspondent Julia Little took herself off to a couple of good ones she’d heard about…

“I didn’t particularly enjoy learning at school. It was the early 80s and I was too busy thinking about the weekend and whether I could afford the cherry rollerball lipgloss AND the Rimmel aqua blue mascara, not to mention the sloe gin and tonic down the local (I was way ahead on the drinks trend). So it rather surprises me that I now love learning, in particular arts lectures, printmaking, embroidery and anything food related. In fact, I can’t get enough of it, particularly in a classroom situation. When I say a classroom, I mean a workshop classroom, with a really good teacher, because the teacher is the key. The right teacher can make you feel nurtured and enlightened. Knowledge is power!

Armi Maddison (above) is one of those teachers. A year ago, she set up No5 Workshops in the garden studio of her beautiful home near Hampton Court. Armi is an arts educator, with over 25 years experience, and she has a calm and friendly approach that allows one to discover how they enjoy working.

Highly creative and organised, Armi welcomed a group of four of us to a lino print workshop. After an encouraging chat we got straight down to simple sketches and experimenting with the tools set out for us (no previous knowledge or drawing skills required).

Very quickly, we were producing some really pleasing patterns and shapes. Armi taught us cutting skills, how to use the printing press, advised on technique and knew exactly when to step in and encourage or when to let the flow of the creativity take over.

We had plenty of space in the light filled studio and there were generous supplies of paper and art supplies (including lots of handy hints on what to use, such as the pound shop make-up brushes and the hand held Baren Press, enabling printing without the need of a huge cast iron press). With so many responsibilities in life, it is rare that we can take a step back and feel looked after while being taught a new skill and this creative environment felt totally nurturing.

I haven’t even mentioned the beautiful workshop setting, or the home made orange polenta cake and fresh coffee we were served mid morning, but I will leave that for you to experience, which you have to, by booking one of the No5 Workshops, or get a small group together for a private session.

Armi explained how after years of teaching at Kingston Uni and also a stint at the Urban Craft Centre in LA, she is really enjoying teaching from home allowing her to be flexible and keep prices low, making it accessible to all. Our session at £38 each, with all that Armi offers, was great value for money (it’s worth going just to see Armi’s beautiful workshop and garden….A).

Another talented teacher is textile artist Janine Pope, whose workshop demonstrating how she designs and creates figures with Danish influences, using beautiful fabrics and free motion embroidery (that’s using your sewing machine to ‘draw’ stitches) was equally rewarding.

Janine collaborated with West London restaurateur, Rebecca Mascarenhas, to use the private room above Sonny’s Kitchen in Barnes. As well as owning and running several successful restaurants, Rebecca has a huge passion for crafts, often making things from gorgeous fabrics she sources from India. Wanting to learn new skills and in particular free motion embroidery, Rebecca invited Janine to run a workshop around the huge dining table.

Using simple outlines and with Janine’s calm teaching skills, we were able to quickly create some really effective shapes, which translated into the body and limbs of a person (or dog!) using scraps of patterned fabrics and stitching onto any linen, cotton or calico. We could all see how these skills could easily be translated into our own designs or quilting patterns.

After a productive morning learning free motion techniques (the Karen Kay Buckley fine-toothed scissors were a revelation and the stitch & tear webbing allowed designs to be placed easily onto the fabric) we broke for a delicious lunch downstairs in Sonny’s Café (you’re getting a theme here, nourishment for the stomach as well as the mind!)

By the afternoon, our group was flying, enjoying the newly gained creative knowledge from Janine and the camaraderie of learning together. It was like being back at school, but better! Rebecca is planning more workshops, so sign up to the Sonny’s Kitchen newsletter to keep you posted. (I loved Janine’s beautiful scrap books, I Was Just Thinking, below, which she’s promised to consider doing as a workshop soon…A).

8 Comments

  • Joy says:

    What a delightful post by Julia! I feel nurtured just reading it, enjoying the pictures and imagining the lovely food. It’s times like this that I wished I lived nearer London but I’ll look out for something similar locally.
    Couldn’t agree more about the benefits of crafting. I have gone back to knitting – just small items using fabulous (read expensive!) yarn. I find it very meditative. I gather there’s been some research to support this.
    I also agree about the return to learning. Again, local provision in my area isn’t great but there’s much to enjoy online (e.g. via MOOCs)

  • Jan says:

    It all looks lovely and I agree with Joy it’s a super post with which to return. I was listening to a radio programme recently that included a discussion of higher and further education. I think it’s more than sad that learning for its own sake has been pushed so far down the agenda. The debate included talking about the OU but so much of the discussion seemed only to centre on people’s desire/need to gain work related qualifications. Did I imagine it or was the concept (with which I wholeheartedly agree) of learning for life one that all UK governments used to subscribe to? Your examples describe beautifully what learning should be about. Opportunities to enhance one’s life now and in the future.

  • There are only a few, 3 or 4, weapon bag workshops left in Japan. Most practitioners are not willing to provide the means required to buy “made in Japan”, just for a bag, and therefore, this industry suffered a lot during the past few years. Mr. Hashizume, who runs this atelier, shares our ethics and high-quality standards . Before we started working with him, there was not a single company in Japan producing carry bags, especially made for Aikido weapons. At Seido, as an Aikido equipment specialist, we put a lot of effort into these products to fill the void that existed. Thanks to Mr. Hashizume, we were able, together, to create multiple models with different characteristics that cover the needs of most Aikidoists. All that, while keeping our “100% made in Japan” standards at the highest.

  • Carol says:

    ‘Workshops are defined as an educational program designed to familiarize participants with practical skills, techniques, and ideas that belong to a specific area”
    And I think this is the best way to make you mind out of the box

  • AthleisureX says:

    Totally agree with your post and many thanks for sharing these amazing blogs with us. This is important to share this knowledge of how fashion accessories can enhance our look.

  • Farenflights says:

    We are the best international travel agency in delhiand provide travel services in the listed below: Travel agency for Domestic and International, Travel agency for Australia, Travel agency for Canada, Travel agency for Dubai, Travel agency for Maldives, Travel agency for Sri Lanka, Travel agency for Turkey, Travel agency for Goa, Travel agency for Himachal, Travel agency for Kashmir, Travel agency for Andaman, Travel agency for Karnatka, Travel agency for Rajasthan, Travel agency for Uttarakhand, Travel agency for Tamil Nadu, Travel agency for Madhya Pradesh, Travel agency for Punjab, Travel agency for Maharashtra, Travel agency for Calcutta, Travel agency for New Delhi’ Travel agency for Domestic and International, Travel agency for Australia, Travel agency for Canada, Travel agency for Dubai, Travel agency for Maldives, Travel agency for Sri Lanka, Travel agency for Turkey, Travel agency for Goa, Travel agency for Himachal, Travel agency for Kashmir, Travel agency for Andaman, Travel agency for Karnatka, Travel agency for Rajasthan, Travel agency for Uttarakhand, Travel agency for Tamil Nadu, Travel agency for Madhya Pradesh, Travel agency for Punjab, Travel agency for Maharashtra, Travel agency for Calcutta, Travel agency for New Delhi.

  • DigitalTree Post is impressively good at providing outsourcing article services. Not only does all this blogging and writing helps you get more experience, but also boost your knowledge. They have a well stable platform where you can outsource your articles and get them published for the world to see, highly recommended.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *