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Students learn traditional upholstery (not modern – foam) by working on their own prized objects.

In this exciting course, Kat will help students of all levels from complete novices to experienced upholsterers. All types of projects are possible everything from simple drop in seats to complex buttoning using only tradition techniques hair and stitched seats with webbing and springs.

We urge all students  to send a picture of the object if this is your first class with the school at least 2 weeks before the start of the term for cost evaluation. As in all craft he skill and experience level of the student will guide what is an acceptable project.

All base materials can be supplied by the school (although a charge may apply at the end of the course – an estimate of the material costs can be provided once a photo of the piece is received). The top cover can also be ordered through the tutor (students will receive a 10% discount on fabric orders.)

Tools will be provided by the tutor for the duration of the class however if students do want to purchase tools, they, can order them through the tutor at a discount.

Please note that as precautionary measure we ask everyone to wear mask in the school!

Class Dates (every Thursday):
September: 8, 15, 22, 29
October: 6, 13, 20
November: 3, 10, 17

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m.

Price: £275 (Deposit: £100)

Beginner students will learn the craft of Wood Carving using traditional tools through a couple of challenging exercises, talks and demonstrations. Those new to Wood Carving will learn all the basics and will develop the basic skills to successfully carve objects in wood. They will develop an understanding of wood, how to use the basic tools, then how to conceptualise a final Wood Carving goal and how to reach that goal. More advanced students will continue to improve their skills by carving more advanced pieces with careful guidance from the tutor.

Class Dates (every OTHER Saturday except during school holidays):

September: 24
October: 8, 22
November: 12, 26

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Price: £275 (Deposit: £100)

Please note:  no refunds will be given if canceled 2 weeks or less before the class are scheduled to start.

This course starts with an overview of common furniture woods and their qualities as well as the basic hand tools and how to sharpen them. Students will then be introduced to basic Wood Working techniques while each making a beautiful wooden box with a few options to suite all skill levels. Some of the skills students will be introduced to include: using a plane, using chisels to produce dovetail joints, turning, using a cabinet scraper among others. Finally students will try out different finishing techniques before choosing one to apply to their box.

Note the price does not include a £25 materials cost which is payable to the instructor on the first day of classes.

Please note:  no refunds will be given if canceled 2 weeks or less before the class are scheduled to start, unless we are able to fill the slot with another student.

Price: £275 (Deposit: £100)

Class Dates (every OTHER Wednesday except during school holidays):
September: 14, 21, 28
October: 5, 12, 19
November: 2, 9, 16, 23

Class Times: All classes start at 18:00 and end at 21:00.

The Chair Seating Club is an informal group meeting monthly. We meet at the Wooburn Craft School on the first Friday of every month. Hours are flexible. Start when you want any time from 2.00 and finish when it suits.

We cover
• Chair caning in the well-known six-way standard pattern. Furniture suitable for this should have one or more panels with regularly spaced holes going all the way through the polished frame. A trapezium shaped bedroom chair is suitable for a beginner.
• More advanced chair caning. Recent projects have used patterns such as double Victoria, snowflake, or more unusual designs as well as more complex exercises such as different shaped panels, sunrise or medallion patterns, curved edges or curved surfaces.
• Blind caning where the holes are not drilled all the way through the frame.
• Double caning. This is usually worked on the arms or back of a chair or sofa. Both front and back of the panel are woven at the same time.
• Close caning. Usually done on the seat of a chair with unpolished rails drilled with widely spaced holes, and with raised corners.
• Rush seating using English rush in the ‘envelope’ pattern or a continental design. A small bedroom chair or stool is suitable for a beginner although a drop in seat is not recommended as a starter piece. For rushing, the piece should have solid unpolished rails around the seat with raised corners.
• Other materials. Projects using e.g. Danish cord or paper rush are also possible

In all cases students will need to bring their own furniture to work on, although it may be possible to purchase a suitable piece from the Wooburn Craft School. Any repairs should be complete before caning or rushing, as well as cleaning, painting or French polishing.

If you would like to join the group, please contact the Wooburn Craft School in advance to discuss your requirements and the suitability of your furniture.

Tutor: Christine Brewster

Class Dates (FIRST Friday of every month):September: 2
October: 7
November: 4
December 2

Class Times: All classes start at 14:00 and ends at 18:00

Price:  £10 per hour

Although students will focus on pieces that can be worn they will also look at how these techniques can be used Fine and Decorative Arts. They will follow a basic set outline and they will use these techniques to make items that they will be confident in using. However one goal is to encourage their creativity and if they wish, the design of a piece can be up to them to express their likes and style. Precious metal work and especially jewellery is for everyone, be you a maker, wearer, male or female and it is all about the design, as students follow this course and feel more confident with making pieces I will encourage them to create work that reflects them. However, another side of this will be to teach them the mastery of the techniques related to working with metals.

Students will begin by looking into the basic tools, workshop health and safety, at best practices for the use of equipment and workshop awareness. The first project will teach them about annealing metal, and which involves using a blowtorch, flux and safety pickle, hammering, forging, mark making and polishing. The end result will be a copper bangle.

Following this demonstration students will learn how to solder, to use a jeweller’s saw, how to turn silver wire into a simple ring, and how to make a stone or jewelled setting, for a ring, pendant or brooch. Then they will look at mixing metals and look at more advanced methods of joining them to make a key chain, badge or brooch. Other subjects covered will include:

• Chain making;
• Melting and casting metals;
• The use of rivets, wire and pins.

Finally students will make a number of different items including more brooches, necklaces, etc. The last week will be open to allow them to explore their specific area of interest.

Class Dates (every OTHER Wednesday except during school holidays):

September: 7, 21
October: 5, 19
November: 9

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 a.m. and end at 16:30 p.m.

Price: £275 (Deposit: £100)

Please note:  no refunds will be given if canceled 2 weeks or less before the class are scheduled to start.

The instructor for this class is Candace Pearce who has been teaching the Jewelry Making classes at Bucks New University in High Wycombe for over 30 years. Over this time many of her students have gone on to become award winning designer/makers.

This course is designed for both the absolute beginner and for those wishing to learn more advanced skills (Note those wanting to learn more advanced skills should contact the school to discuss specific learning objectives.).

Beginners will make a variety of items including rings, bracelets and charms. They will also learn to work with copper and silver and they will learn to use many of the basic tools used to make beautiful jewellery. Materials will be at an additional cost (approximately £25) which is payable directly to the tutor.

The tutor will guide the more advanced students and will facilitate the successful completion of their project.

Class Dates (every OTHER Saturday except during school holidays):

September: 10
October: 1, 15
November: 5, 19

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Price: £275 (Deposit: £100)

Please note:  no refunds will be given if canceled 2 weeks or less before the class are scheduled to start.

Using traditional carving tools and a wooden spoon learn to carve and print from your own wooden print block

A short woodblock printing course introducing students to carving wooden printing blocks. Although this is a very ancient way of producing prints it has largely fallen out of favour with the availability of new materials such as lino which are easier to cut and are much more stable. This course aims to teach students how to carve low relief images for printing, in various types of wood and how to creatively exploit the surface texture, grain and imperfections of the wood to develope those printed images.

1. Designing and cutting the first test block:

Prepare your wooden printing block, then draw up  your test design on paper before being shown how to transfer it to a prepared wood surface. Using a traditional lino/ block printing v tool you will be shown how to carve out your design to create black printed lines. Using the same v tool you will be shown how to create mid tone ‘colour’ using cross hatching techniques. Then using a shallow gouge you will be shown how to remove waste material to produce white areas on the finished print.

Outcomes:

• Preparing your timber
• learn to draw your design for printing.
• learn how to transfer your drawing from paper to timber
• learn how to use woodblock printing chisels and gouges
• learn about negative and positive printing, black and white.
• Experiment with grey and mid tone colour using cross hatching with a v tool.

2. Printing your block:

students will then be introduced to the ‘wooden spoon Barren’ and be shown how to prepare it for use on the printing paper. Using a hard rubber print roller and water based printing ink students will be shown how to roller ink onto a block. Students are then shown how a printing frame holds the block and how to lay printing paper over the block (registering). Students will print the image by using the spoon Barren to rub over the paper with an even firm pressure

Prints will then be lifted from the block.

Outcomes:

• Preparing a wooden spoon Barren for use.
• Preparing printing ink for the roller.
• Fixing the block in place in the printing frame.
• Fixing and registering the printing paper.
• Using the barren to make a print.

Program of work:

Day one: Drawing for prints: A drawing exercise to explain how prints work the drawing will be the subject of the first carving
Day two: Cutting your image into the wood: using the bench hook to hold the carving, using v tools and gouges
Day three: Registering paper and fixing printing block, inking and printing Artists proof and finished print
Day four: drawing your own print block experimenting with wood texture and grain developing your own print and working on own ideas

Class Dates:

Oct ( Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Price: £250 (Deposit: £100)

Please note:  no refunds will be given if canceled 2 weeks or less before the class are scheduled to start.

The idea of making pictures with coloured glass, balanced with shapes and rhythm has fascinated generations. This course will introduce students to this amazing craft. Students learn the handling of tools and materials. Developing confidence from straight lines to curves on coloured glass. Projects will introduce the students to the basic techniques such as to score (cut) glass safely, copperfoil and traditional leadwork. This is a hands on practical course, with aspects of design and soldering. As with the Applique technique the students will be able to develop their own design once they have mastered the basics. No previous experience in either art or stained glass is needed for this introduction – just a sense of play and adventure!

Advanced students are also welcome. Lilly will guide and facilitate the creative direction that they want to pursue.

Class Dates (every OTHER Sunday except during school holidays):
October: 23
November: 6, 20
December: 4, 18

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Price: £275 (Deposit: £100)

• Students are also expected to pay a material cost of  approximately £25

Although students will focus on pieces that can be worn they will also look at how these techniques can be used Fine and Decorative Arts. They will follow a basic set outline and they will use these techniques to make items that they will be confident in using. However one goal is to encourage their creativity and if they wish, the design of a piece can be up to them to express their likes and style. Precious metal work and especially jewellery is for everyone, be you a maker, wearer, male or female and it is all about the design, as students follow this course and feel more confident with making pieces I will encourage them to create work that reflects them. However, another side of this will be to teach them the mastery of the techniques related to working with metals.

Students will begin by looking into the basic tools, workshop health and safety, at best practices for the use of equipment and workshop awareness. The first project will teach them about annealing metal, and which involves using a blowtorch, flux and safety pickle, hammering, forging, mark making and polishing. The end result will be a copper bangle.

Following this demonstration students will learn how to solder, to use a jeweller’s saw, how to turn silver wire into a simple ring, and how to make a stone or jewelled setting, for a ring, pendant or brooch. Then they will look at mixing metals and look at more advanced methods of joining them to make a key chain, badge or brooch. Other subjects covered will include:

• Chain making;
• Melting and casting metals;
• The use of rivets, wire and pins.

Finally students will make a number of different items including more brooches, necklaces, etc. The last week will be open to allow them to explore their specific area of interest.

Class Dates (every Monday):
September: 6, 13, 20, 27
October: 4, 11, 18
November: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Class Times: All classes start at 16:00 and end at 18:00

Price: £200 (Deposit: £100)

Students learn traditional upholstery (not modern – foam) by working on their own prized objects.

In this exciting course, Kat will help students of all levels from complete novices to experienced upholsterers. All types of projects are possible everything from simple drop in seats to complex buttoning using only tradition techniques hair and stitched seats with webbing and springs.

We urge all students  to send a picture of the object if this is your first class with the school at least 2 weeks before the start of the term for cost evaluation. As in all craft he skill and experience level of the student will guide what is an acceptable project.

All base materials can be supplied by the school (although a charge may apply at the end of the course – an estimate of the material costs can be provided once a photo of the piece is received). The top cover can also be ordered through the tutor (students will receive a 10% discount on fabric orders.)

Tools will be provided by the tutor for the duration of the class however if students do want to purchase tools, they, can order them through the tutor at a discount.

Please note that as precautionary measure we ask everyone to wear mask in the school.

Class Dates (every Monday):
September: 6, 13, 20, 27
October: 4, 11, 18
November: 1,8,15

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m.

Price: £275 (Deposit: £100)