Bobbin Lace Workshops
Headford Lace Project runs several bobbin lacemaking workshops throughout the year with our wonderful tutor, Jackie Magnin. We also invite visiting instructors to teach other Irish laces, including needlepoint, needlerun, Irish crochet, tatting, applique, and embroidery techniques.
Our next workshop weekend takes place on 11-12th November 2023. Please see below.
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We are grateful for the support of Galway Roscommon Education Training Board and Galway Rural Development for their assistance in providing these classes.
Saturday 11th November 2023
Beginners Bobbin Lace with Jackie Magnin: 10am - 4pm
Jackie has been making bobbin lace for many years and has been instrumental in the establishment of Headford Lace Project since 2016. Her expert knowledge, skills and patience will have you up and running in no time. The workshop is suitable for complete beginners. All materials are provided for the workshop, and can be purchased for an additional fee of €25 if you'd like to take them home with you.
Workshop fee €30. Limited places. Booking essential. Contact us to book and to enquire about concessions for students/unwaged.
Gentle exercises for Lacemaking: 9.30am and 4.00pm
As a special treat, our lacemakers can enjoy these specially designed sessions of gentle chair based exercises. In the morning we will ease out stiffness in joints, release physical tensions and help release creativity. At the end of the day we will loosen out stiffness in the spine, shoulders and neck and finish with light relaxation / meditation. This optional extra is sponsored by GRETB to promote wellness and is free to all our beginners, improvers and gathered lacemakers. There is no expectation of physical fitness or flexibility - come and have a go and we promise it will improve your day!
Free of charge. Limited places. Contact us to let us know if you want to take part.
Lacemakers Gathering/Lace Display: 10am-4pm
Spend some time working on your own projects (any lacemaking or craft technique), in the company of other lace-makers. Or bring along some lace items for 'show and tell'. Our tutor Jackie will be busy next door, so this session is largely about practising by yourself and sharing stories of lacemaking with others. We'll leave the door open for members of the public to visit and see a display of lace, etc.
Free of Charge. No booking required, but we'd love it if you would let us know if you can make it, so that we have an idea of numbers.
Sunday 12th November 2023
Improvers Bobbin Lace Workshop with Jackie Magnin. Anglers Rest Hotel. 10am-4pm
If you've already got some basics and are eager to start a new project, then Jackie will help you choose a project appropriate to your level and guide you through it. You can work with traditional white/cream threads or introduce some colour for a contemporary approach. We have lots of threads to choose from included in the price. We assume you already have your lacemaker's pillow and bobbins to bring along, but if not, just let us know in advance and we can have some ready for you to borrow (or purchase).
€30 Limited places. Booking essential. Contact us to book and to enquire about concessions for students/unwaged.
Gentle exercises for Lacemaking: 9.30am and 4pm
As a special treat our lacemakers can enjoy these specially designed sessions of gentle chair based exercises. In the morning we will ease out stiffness in joints, release physical tensions and help release creativity. At the end of the day we will loosen out stiffness in the spine, shoulders and neck and finish with light relaxation / meditation. This optional extra is sponsored by GRETB to promote wellness and is free to all our improvers and gathered lacemakers. There is no expectation of physical fitness or flexibility - come and have a go and we promise it will improve your day!
Free of charge. Limited places. Contact us to let us know if you want to take part.
Lacemakers Gathering/Lace Display: 10am-4pm
Spend some time working on your own projects (any lacemaking technique or similar craft), in the company of other lace-makers. Our tutor Jackie will be busy next door, so this session is largely about practising by yourself and sharing stories of lacemaking with others. We'll leave the door open for members of the public to visit and see a display of lace, etc.
Free of Charge. No booking required, but we'd love it if you would let us know if you can make it, so that we have an idea of numbers.
The Headford Lace Trail – an audio walk by Ed Coulson. Beginning from St Fursa's Hall (H91 N5P9) any time.
“There’s the Headford we can see around us, and another that’s harder to see – but it’s still there: the Headford of the past, waiting for us, in the spaces between things.”
Turn on your smartphone GPS, put on your headphones, and set off to discover a time when lacemaking wasn’t a hobby, but a matter of survival for an entire community. Join a cast of characters to experience immersive stories, sounds and specially recorded music, on this audio walk with a twist.
We hope you might consider spending an extra hour in Headford over the weekend, or at another time that suits you, to take our self-guided audio walk which we launched on Culture Night 2023.
Take a look at the attached instructions to set yourself up (or ask any of our Headford Lace Project members in The Anglers Rest over the weekend). The walk begins at St. Fursa's Hall H91 N5P9 (just a short walk from The Anglers Rest) and finishes at Headford Community Orchard (St John the Baptist Church Grounds) and while 50 minutes is an estimated duration, participants are free to enjoy the walk at their own pace. Please bring a smartphone and headphones. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear suitable footwear. As the walk is experienced individually, please allow for one smartphone and set of headphones per participant.
Free of charge. Funded by the Galway County Arts Office as part of Culture Night which was brought to you by the Arts Council in partnership with Galway County Council.
Please note the walk can be accessed all weekend (and beyond!) but technical help is only available at the times listed above over the weekend.
All materials required for our bobbin lace workshop will be provided, and any lace samples you create are yours to keep.
The materials kit is not included in the workshop price, but can be purchased for an additional €25. The kit includes a lace pillow, 20 bobbins, thread, pins, pincushion, scissors, grips, crochet ladder, cover cloth.
