Courses and events in 2020

Introduction to Weaving
Saturday Feb 29th 2020:  10.00 – 4.00

You will be using a 4-shaft table loom which will be warped and ready for you to start weaving straight away.  You will weave a variety of patterns and will take home the resulting sampler together with the printed instructions.  

The £75 fee will include all materials and tuition, plus written instructions, tea, coffee and biscuits.  Please note that places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Thia course is now full. If you would like to be notified about when we are going to repeat this course later in the year, please register your interest by emailing fwsdevents@gmail.com.

Rigid Heddle Weaving for Beginners

Saturday 14th March 2020 10.00 – 4.00

You will be using a Rigid Heddle loom which is a simple 2-shaft table loom. You will learn to warp the loom and then weave with a variety of patterns, and will take home the resulting wall hanging/table mat together with the printed instructions.

The £75 fee will include all materials and tuition, plus written instructions, tea, coffee and biscuits.  Please note that places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Open Day Saturday 18th April

A day for you to come and see what we do here and maybe have a go on some of our looms, talk to weavers and eat cake! Details to follow.

As part of the Frome Local History Festival, we will be holding the following events:

It’s all in the Spin

Saturday 9th May: 10 – 3.00

Come and have fun at our community event for all ages. Try your hand at spinning. Make a drop spindle and spin a yarn. Or bring your spinning wheel and join in. This will be a free drop-in event outside Frome Library, weather permitting.

It’s all in the Weave  

Sunday 10 May:  10.00 – 4.00

Follow the rhythm of a thread as it weaves under and over. An introduction to free form weaving, exploring colour and texture on a loom which will be pre-warped with a dark cotton thread. Weave enough cloth to make yourself a small bag, a cushion or a table runner. No experience is necessary, as the looms will be ready for you to play and have fun.

The £75 fee will include all materials and tuition, tea, coffee and biscuits. Please note that places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

To apply for, or register your interest, in any courses or events, use the 'events' email below.

Can we help?

If there is a particular area that you would like to have help with, contact us using the 'events' email below, and we will see if we can assist you.

Six potential weavers at our Introduction to Weaving course

Our new premises

We are very grateful to Steiner Academy Frome for allowing us to use two of their classrooms over the last four years while they had spare capacity.

Our hunt for new premises has been long and difficult, but after months of uncertainty, we are delighted to have moved to our new premises.  Our rooms are light and airy and will enable us to broaden our activities, including running some courses and workshops.

Successful grant application

We have recently been successful in obtaining a grant from Frome Society for Local Study. This has enabled us to buy six folding looms which are being used to run courses and workshops. We thank them for their interest and support in encouraging the continuation of a skill which is very much part of the history of Frome.

Ongoing activities

We continue to welcome new members, support beginners and run introductory courses. We also provide the chance for those with weaving experience to develop their craft on a range of equipment that they may not have room for at home.

Our plans for 2020, include an open day, more introductory courses, working with the Frome Museum on an event, being part of the Frome Heritage Festival in May as well as our usual sales and exhibitions. Watch this page for further details.

We welcome visits from anyone who would like to find out more.