Gloucestershire Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers pop-up textile shed

Saturday 20th September 2025, 11am - 3pm

Nailsworth Pop-up Textile Shed

As part of Heritage Open Day 2025, the Gloucestershire Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers, (who also kit, crochet, felt and sew) will be hosting a mini workshop for you to try your hand at weaving, spinning knitting and crochet. There will be a range of looms from a basic back strap loom through to a four shaft table loom, and demonstrations throughout the day as well as room at looms to have a play.

Come and find out more about a craft that was so important to Nailsworth in the past. Get a taste of what life was like for the hand weavers of Nailsworth.  Our guild's aim is to encourage people to take up textile work as a most rewarding, relaxing and sometimes challenging hobby. We also want a better appreciation of the history of these crafts, and what they have enabled us as a species to do. These are crafts mankind has been practising for at least 40,000 years. We will have displays of spinning and weaving through the ages, some of which you can try out.

We are also delighted to have been loaned some amazing work-books and samples from the Elizabeth Heydeman Collection, recently exhibited here at Three Storeys. We would like to say thank you to Elizabeth and her daughters for this generous offer. Elizabeth is a member of the Berkshire Guild of Spinners Weavers and Dyers. So we have even more inspirational samples of what you can create using a loom and your imagination.