Our Workshops
COVID19 Update
We are pleased to announce that our workshops have resumed with new safety measures in line with the latest government guidelines.
Feedback from our Traditional Teddy Bear Making class on 9 Sept was extremely positive.
Safety measures
- max class 5 + tutor
- participants have their own work station
- appropriate distancing between fellow class-mates
- masks are obligatory
- tutors wearing a mask or visor
- please bring your own refreshments
- and if you feel at all unwell on the day, we ask you not to attend and either find you an alternative class or refund your money.
If there is a second spike that interferes with our (or your) plans, we will endeavour to find alternative dates to suit everyone, or provide a no-quibble refund.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Duttons for Buttons
Scroll down for programme, booking and payment
Heritage Workshops
Full day Wednesday workshops (10 am-4 pm and, occasionally, 10 am – 5 pm) teaching contemporary skills & their history.
Workshops are priced individually below. Cost includes the tools to use in class and materials for a take-home project, unless otherwise indicated.
10% discount for x2 Heritage Workshops booked together. Enter HERITAGEFOR2 discount code at check-out.
10% off voucher for each participant to spend in the shop.
Saturday Skills
Half day Saturday workshops (10am to 1pm) covering the basics or specialist skills.
Workshops are priced individually below. The cost includes the tools for class and materials for a take-home project, unless otherwise indicated.
10% off voucher for each participant to spend in the shop.
Access notice: workshops take place on the 2nd floor of our shop at 32 Coppergate, York YO1 9NR via two flights of stairs only. We apologise if this prohibits anyone attending.
2020 Workshops & Classes
Strippy Quilts & Weardale Chain - Heritage Workshop
Explore traditional North Country quilts and classic strippy designs. Learn Weardale chain and cable twist and how to mark out these designs.
Put your new-found skills into practice by making a hand quilted sampler that can be made into a table mat.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
SOLD OUT
7 October 2020
Wednesday
10am – 4pm
Cost: £60
Hand Embroidery & Liberty Florals - Heritage Workshop
Learn or extend your hand embroidery skills, inspired by the floral designs and history of the quintessentially English Liberty prints.
We will cover a range of stitches including couching, chain stitch, stem stitch, cross stitch and French knots.
The completed design will be framed in a card to send to a special friend or a keepsake to frame.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
21 October 2020.
10am – 4pm
Cost: £60
Arts & Crafts Tapestry - Heritage Workshop
Look at the tradition of tapestry in the Arts and Crafts movement and the designs of William Morris. Work on a bird or flower motif using tent stitch and cross-stitch and perhaps make a start on a larger piece to work on as the nights begin to draw in. Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
SOLD OUT
4 November 2020
Wednesday
10am – 4pm
Cost: £60
Traditional 'Shaggy' Rag Rugging - Saturday Skills Class
Learn traditional ‘shaggy’ rag rugging and make a gorgeous cushion cover using super-soft t-shirt fabrics. Learn how to cut your own fabric strips so you can continue your addictive new hobby at home.
Taught by Kim Searle
All materials supplied
You might also like our contemporary Loopy Rag Rugging class on 13 March 2021 – see separate listing for details below.
7 November 2020
10am – 1pm
Cost: £38
Brontë Needle Roll & Regency Embroidery - Heritage Workshop
Sew a needle roll just like Charlotte Brontë’s and study Regency embroidery patterns and designs. Learn a range of hand-stitches and personalise your roll with lace, ribbon and beads in the tradition of 19th century ladies.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
SOLD OUT
25 November 2020
Wednesday
10am – 4pm
Shisha Mirror Work - Heritage Workshop
In this festive class, create a glittering star using the techniques of Indian mirror work started in the 17th century and used by British designers for garments and soft furnishings since the ’70s.
Master how to sew on mirrors safely then embellish you star with embroidery, including chain-stitch, ladder stitch and herringbone stitch and adorn it with sequins and beads to make it really sparkle. Along with your star, you will go home with the confidence to apply your new craft to your own textile projects.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
9 December 2020
Wednesday
10am – 4pm
Cost: £60
2021 Workshops & Classes
Spring - Lover's Knot - North Country Quilting Heritage Workshop
Welcome in Spring by hand quilting a lover’s knot from the Northern Dales. Make your own lover’s knot template by folding and cutting a paper design and then choose a simple border to frame it.
Look at the popular use of the lover’s knot in whole cloth quilts and learn a little of its history.
Learn to hand quilt and use a variety of embroidery stitches to create your own original piece. Take it home to frame, make into a cushion or finish off with bias binding to make a mat.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
10 February 2021
Wed 10am – 4pm
Cost: £65
Loopy Rag Rugging- Saturday Skills Class
This is rag rigging with a modern twist* using colourful cording. Create an up-to-the minute cushion cover just for you or for Mother’s Day too.
Taught by Kim Searle.
*You also might like our traditional ‘shaggy’ rag rugging class on 7 August 2021.
13 March 2021
Saturday
10am – 1pm
Cost: £45
Traditional Teddies for Beginners - Heritage Workshop
Meet (and make) Milo, this adorable, mischievous, traditional jointed teddy bear. Milo is 23cm high when standing, 17cm when sitting.
In these two half-day classes, learn teddy-making skills and the fascinating heritage of mohair bears from his designer, Jacqueline Schultz, owner of Jacqueline’s Bears.
Milo’s authentic appearance is thanks to his Steiff Schulte Ratinee 100% mohair ruffled coat as well as his movable cotter pin joints, his British-made glass eyes and his endearing features.
You don’t need any previous bear-making experience but we do recommend you have basic sewing skills.
17 & 24 March 2021
(2 half day classes)
Wednesdays
10am – 1pm
Cost: £95
(includes Milo Kit RRP £35)
Celtic Goldwork - Heritage Workshop
Examine beautiful Celtic designs and choose a simple motif to embroider. Learn how to use gold leather, couch gold thread and add sequins and gems to create your authentic craft piece.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
14 April 2021
Wed 10am – 4pm
Cost: £65
Kumihimo Braiding - Saturday Skills Class
Kumihimo braiding is a really absorbing and addictive form of braiding using a wide range of coloured cords. Easy to grasp, mindful and lots of fun, it’s like French Knitting for adults. By the end of the session you should have at least one professional looking finished bracelet.
Taught by Kim Searle.
1 May 2021
Saturday
10am – 1pm
Cost: £40
Traditional Teddies Advanced Class - Heritage Workshop
In these two half-day classes you will be making Tilly, under the expert guidance of bear designer Jacqueline Shultz.
Tilly is 16cm when standing. Her authentic appearance is thanks to her Sparse, Distressed 100% mohair coat as well as her movable cotter pin joints, her British-made glass eyes and her endearing features.
To be successful making Tilly, having some previous bear-making/traditional toy making experience is recommend.
5 & 12 May 2021
(2 half day classes)
Wednesdays
10am – 1pm
Cost: £95
(includes Milo Kit RRP £35)
Knitting with Colour - Saturday Skills Class
Take your knitting from nice to wow! Master colour changing to tackle more complex patterns, while keeping the whole thing beautifully neat (front and back).
This class is taught by our colour knitting & fair isle specialist, Eleanor Caldwell.
Level: some knitting experience required
22 May 2021
Sat 10am – 1pm
Cost: £45
Summer: Shells and Wild Flower Embroidery - North Country Quilting - Heritage Workshop
Explore the shell and flower motifs used in the North Country quilts and see how the motifs are combined into an overall wholecloth and strippy quilt.
Have fun making your own templates from traditional motifs as well as designing a few new ones from drawing shells from coastal beaches and flowers from the garden.
Learn new embroidery stitches to add to the hand quilting running stitch, working on 3 or 4 shell or flower motifs. These motifs can then be made into coasters or used in a quilt/cushion project you may have at home.
The motifs you have designed can then be used in your own quilting and embroidery work.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
9 June 2021
Wednesday
10am – 4pm
Brontë Needle Roll & Regency Embroidery - Heritage Workshop
Sew a needle roll just like Charlotte Brontë’s and study Regency embroidery patterns and designs. Learn a range of hand-stitches and personalise your roll with lace, ribbon and beads in the tradition of 19th century ladies.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
4 August 2021
Wednesday
10am – 4pm
Cost: £65
Traditional 'Shaggy' Rag Rugging - Saturday Skills Class
Learn traditional ‘shaggy’ rag rugging and make a gorgeous cushion cover using super-soft t-shirt fabrics. Learn how to cut your own fabric strips so you can continue your addictive new hobby at home.
Taught by Kim Searle
All materials supplied
You might also like our contemporary Loopy Rag Rugging class on 13 March 2021 – see separate listing for details below.
7 August 2021
10am – 1pm
Cost: £45
Viking Hand Appliqué - Heritage Workshop
Appliqué with felts, embellished with stitch and gold beads, taking inspiration from the amazing patterns and designs left in Britain by Viking craftsmen.
Turn your sample into a unique coin purse.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
18 August 2021
Wed 10am – 4 pm
Cost: £65
Macramé - Saturday Skills Class
Make your own macramé plant hangers from a variety of cords and recycled t-shirts.
It’s the perfect craft for anyone who’s window ledges are overflowing with plants!
You’ll learn all the macramé knots you’ll need to make a variety of different designs and you should leave with one finished piece and a few instruction sheets to make more at home.
18 September 2021
Sat 10am – 1pm
Cost: £45
Autumn: Design Inspirations - North Country Quilting - Heritage Workshop
Have fun making your own quilting templates to combine to make your own unique hanging, mat or cushion. For hand or machine embroidery.
The design process is broken up into small sections suitable for all abilities using a variety of techniques. We will create our motifs by folding and cutting paper, drawing out stencils using a compass and pencil , use old pennies to make feather chains and shells and work out how to create chains and twists (easier than it sounds )
Once you have your templates you can then put them together easily, using a central motif, a border and corner pieces.
We will look at some North Country quilts to see how motifs have been combined to create a wholecloth design in the past.
Take home a design to quilt and lots of ideas for further creations.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
22 September 2021
Wed 10am – 4 pm
Cost: £65
Traditional Teddies Accessories Class - Waistcoats - Heritage Workshop
In these two half day classes you will be making a silk embroidered, embellished and fully lined Teddy Bear’s waistcoat.
You will also learn several embroidery stitches specific to making simple flower designs and motifs suitable for bear/toy clothing.
You will develop your skills on a waistcoat to fit Milo, standing at 26cm, or a bear of equivalent size. And if you have a 16cm Tilly bear from our Advanced class at home, we will supply you with enough material to make one for her too.
6 & 13 October 2021
(2 half day classes)
Wednesdays
10am – 1pm
Cost: £65
Winter: Christmas Wreath - North Country Quilting - Heritage Workshop
Examine the extensive use of the feather wreath in the North Country Quilts and see how they can be drawn out with old pennies.
We will hand quilt the traditional wreath in Christmas colours then add a selection of Christmas motifs including robins, ivy, hearts and berries to create a bright colourful Christmas decoration.
While stitching find out a little about the people who quilted the designs and the history of these treasured textiles.
Taught by textile artist Helen Barnes.
17 November 2021
Wed 10am – 4 pm
Cost: £65
Beginner's Crochet - Saturday Skills Class
Discover the basics of crochet under the inspiring guidance of Yorkshire designer/maker Steffi Glaves (www.steffiglaves.co.uk). Learn the basic stitches including chain, double and treble, arranging stitches to make granny squares to turn into colourful blankets or bunting, with appliqué crocheted flowers.
Level: For complete beginners
Date to be confirmed
Sat 10am – 1pm
Cost: £45
If you are interested, please email york@duttonsforbuttons.co.uk
Know the basics but lack confidence, or learnt so long ago it’s a dim and distant memory? Renew your passion under the inspiring guidance of Yorkshire designer/maker Steffi Glaves (www.steffiglaves.co.uk).
Revisit all the stitches and practice your skills by creating a delightful amigurumi character.
Level: some experience required
Date to be confirmed.
Sat 10am – 1pm
Cost: £45
If you are interested, please email york@duttonsforbuttons.co.uk