Oswestry Makes 2016 Weekend is almost on us.  This year we are a bit more bijoux than the 2015, as who could top the utterly fabulous Community Allotment Garden you all knitted, crocheted, embroidered and felted!

The month long Exhibition in the Library – ‘ Life in Squares’ is an amalgamation of local artists’ large scale works, miniature ‘lifes’ in four inch squares, created with great flare by the local community, and lovely pieces made by primary school children in the area, under the tutelage of Oswestry Makes Team member Sue Turner.  Sue will be hosting a family Creativity day at Milano’s Café in Chapel Court between 10 and 3.  The event is free, all we ask is you happily partake of the rather lovely refreshments that Milano’s are famed for.

Our lovely rising star, Gemma of Gemmipop Designs is running a drop in crochet workshop on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th, between 10 and 4, so if you want to learn to crochet, or need further guidance, head to Gemmipop Studio, upstairs at Little Vintage on Willow Street.  It’s £5.00 an hour, and worth it!

Saturday sees the annual Oswestry and District Embroiderer’s Guild Exhibition in the Memorial Hall, on Festival Square, Oswestry, with much exquisite work from the Guild Members and the younger Jets; demonstrations by Melanie Barnes and Jenny O’Leary, as well as some rather beautiful antique embroidered works from the London Headquarters archives.  The Exhibition is on between 10 and 4.

We are extremely lucky that Oswestry is bursting at the seams with craft creative folk, and this year we have a textile trail, purely for fun and pleasure.  Photographs of intriguing textile art have been taken by the very talented, artist, jeweler and photographer, Graham Mitchell and are on display in Milano’s.  Programs are available at the library and Milano’s with a map and a list of the venues.   It is especially pleasing that St Oswald Parish Church are showing some of their vestment and altar cloths this year. 

Finally, Sunday has the annual Wool Gather that is Wonderful Wool Day, a day of friendship, lots and lots of wool, lots and lots of cake and a chance to try your hand at all sorts of woolly skills, buy wool, sell wool, swap wool, felt, Nålebind, spin, crochet and knit all in a warm hearted, laughter filled room.  Venue is The Memorial Hall from 11 – 4.

We do hope you all enjoy the weekend

The Oswestry Makes Festival Team.