The Wiltshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers & Dyers
Guild Day Programme
The Guild Programme is held on the third Saturday of the month (other than August). This is free to full members (usual £3 door money applicable).
Online members and visitors are very welcome and can purchase a ticket for talks at the cost of £10.
When booking a workshop or wanting further information please use the contact details for the session which can be found below.
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Please check individual days for timings but general guild days begin at 10.30am and usually go on to about 3pm. Please bring a packed lunch or sandwiches can be purchased from the village shop downstairs. Teas and Coffees are included.
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If booking a paid workshop please read our Workshop Cancellation Policy here.
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Please note - £3 door money is payable by members on all Guild Day events.
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May Guild Day
Saturday 16th May 2026
Talk 11am
Workshop 1.30 - 4.30pm (members only £20)
St Mary's Building, Steeple Ashton
Talk - Spinning for colour with blended tops
Speaker: Becks from Tiny Fibre Studio
The colourful vertical stripes in blended tops can present a conundrum for spinners. Becks will explore the huge range of results that are possible.
Workshop 1.30 - 4.30pm (members only £20 - booking essential)
St Mary's Building, Steeple Ashton
Learn to unlock a vibrant spectrum of colour effects using blended tops. Learn spinning from the fold, chin lying and colour manipulation.
July Guild Day
Saturday 18th July 2026
Talk 11am
Workshop 1.30 - 3pm (members only £10)
St Mary's Building, Steeple Ashton
Talk - History of Silks and Dyeing
Speaker: Deby from Dyelution Dyeing
Deby will talk about historical colours of silk dyeing and the process she uses to dye achieving a kaleidoscope of colours.
Workshop 1.30 - 3pm (members only £10 - booking essential)
St Mary's Building, Steeple Ashton
Deby will guide you through the process of dyeing your own pre-prepared embroidery silk skein.
September Guild Day
Saturday 19th September 2026
Talk 11am
Workshop 1.30 - 4.30pm
St Mary's Building, Steeple Ashton
Talk - Woven: the Yarn, the Loom the Body.
Speaker: Alexandra Lucus - Backstrap weaving
Alexandra uses a backstop loom and threads as tools that connect her to the earth, to dust, simultaneously linking the past, present and future.
Workshop 1.30 - 4.30pm (members only £25 - booking essential)
St Mary's Building, Steeple Ashton
Alexandra will show you how to set up a basic loom to try out a 'tapestry' weaving technique.
Teresinha Roberts of Wild Colour
Talk: A True Blue – Woad and Indigo
Date: 17th January 2026
Time: 11am
Cost: Free to members, £10 for non-members & Online members (limited places). Online and Non-members ONLY please contact Kathy Davis to book – Kathy-d@hotmail.co.uk.
Can you guess how old woad is? Discover how many different plants produce blue! Beginning at its origins to its present-day revival, Teresinha will explain how she achieves her amazing blues with an indigo vat. The talk ends with a discussion on sustainability in textiles, with a focus on indigo.
Wiltshire Guild of SWD – AGM followed by Show & Tell
Date: 21st Feb. 2026
Time: 11am
We look forward to welcoming as many members as possible to our annual AGM. Being a membership organisation, it’s really important to be part of the decision-making process and use your Guild vote to help ‘weave’ our future direction (pun intended)! Remember only FULL members can vote and you can do it by proxy, post or email if you can’t make it on the day.
This will be followed by a Show & Tell, after lunch, to celebrate the wonderful skills of the creative members we have in the Guild. All levels of work welcome from all groups, so don’t be shy! We’d love to see what you you’ve been up to.
Mike Blake
Talk: Exmoorino Wool
Date: 21st March 2026
Talk: 2pm
Cost: Free to members, £10 for non-members & Online members (limited places). Online and Non-members ONLY please contact Kathy Davis to book – Kathy-d@hotmail.co.uk.
A review of the development of an experimental flock of sheep which aims to produce high quality fine fleeces to add value to a native hill breed by cross breeding Merino and Exmoor Horn sheep.
Mike will bring some raw fleece and processed fleece that has been scoured and spun into DK, 4 ply cones and hanks.
Skills Day
Date: 18th April 2026
Time: Morning and afternoon sessions (details to follow).
This hugely popular day is dedicated to sharing our skills with others, and so several mini-workshops will be offered in morning and afternoon sessions, to do just that. The topics will be decided depending on members’ interests and skill sets.
If you have any ideas, requests or you can offer a skill, please contact Kathy Davis to discuss.
Contact: Kathy Davis at Kathy-d@hotmail.co.uk.
Strictly Members only. Online members may book at a cost of £10 for the day.
Becks from Tiny Fibre Studio (Talk and workshop)
Date: 16th May 2026
Talk: Spinning for Colour with Blended Tops
Time: 11am
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Cost: Talk free to members, £10 for non-members & Online members (limited places). Online and Non-members ONLY please contact Kathy Davis to book – Kathy-d@hotmail.co.uk.
Talk: Spinning for Colour with Blended Tops
The colourful vertical stripes in blended tops can present a conundrum for spinners. We're attracted to the combination of colours but it can be hard to predict what the fibre will look like once spun. As with anything in spinning, the answer is "it depends".
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Through a series of swatches, Becks explores the huge range of results that are possible with blended tops depending on the spinning techniques used.
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Workshop Time: 1.30pm-4.30pm (members only).
Workshop Cost: There is a charge to members for this workshop of £20.
Booking required: To book a place on the workshop contact Kathy at Kathy-d@hotmail.co.uk. Payment at the time of booking will secure your place.
Workshop with Becks: 1.30pm-4.30pm (members only).
Learn to unlock a vibrant spectrum of colour effects in yarns made with blended tops. Becks will help you learn the key preparation, drafting and plying techniques which have the biggest impact on the resulting yarn. By the end, you'll have a range of small samples and the confidence to make a variety of yarns, from semi-solids to self-striping, fractals, and gradients.
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Techniques we'll learn:
• Spinning from the fold
• Chain plying
• Colour manipulation
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What to bring will be shared nearer the time, but if you have a coloured top or two stashed away and you don’t know what to do with it… bring it along!
Suitable for people who can spin confidently.
Guild Open Day
Date: 20th June 2026
Time: TBC
This is a day to celebrate all the wonderful things we do at the Guild and share with friends, neighbouring Guilds and the local community. Further details to follow.
Deby from Dyelution Dyeing (Talk and mini-workshop)
Date: 18th July 2026
Talk: History of Silks and Dyeing.
Time: 11am
Cost: Talk free to members, £10 for non-members & Online members (limited places). Online and Non-members ONLY please contact Kathy Davis to book – Kathy-d@hotmail.co.uk.
Talk:
From ancient civilisations to modern times, the art and science of silk dyeing has evolved, offering a kaleidoscope of colours that continue to captivate and inspire. Deby will explain the process she uses to dye and talk about historical colours of silk dyeing.
Skeins of silk dyed by Deby will also be offered for sale to members.
Mini-workshop time: 1.30pm-3pm (members only)
Workshop Cost: There is a charge to members for this workshop of £10 and an additional charge of £1 a mini-skein to dye (2 usually required).
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Booking required: To book a place on the workshop contact Kathy at Kathy-d@hotmail.co.uk. Payment at the time of booking will secure your place.
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Mini-Workshop: 1.30pm-3pm £10 (members only)
Deby will guide you through the process of dyeing your own pre-prepared embroidery silk skeins using acid dyes and a steamer. What colour will you choose?
Alexandra Lucas - Back strap weaving (Talk and workshop)
Date: 19th September 2026**
Talk: Woven: the yarn, the loom, the body.
Time: 11am
Cost: Talk free to members, £10 for non-members & Online members (limited places). Online and Non-members ONLY please contact Kathy Davis to book – Kathy-d@hotmail.co.uk.
Talk:Backstrap weaving is a practice that originates mainly in South America and South East Asia, as well as in Eastern Europe to make traditional textiles.
Alexandra uses a backstrap loom and threads as tools that connect her to the earth, to dust; simultaneously linking the past, present and future. As we increasingly rely on automation, how do we keep hold of the fleshy, the messy, the tactile? How do we balance the "organic vs technological?"
Workshop time: 1.30pm-4.30pm
Workshop Cost: There is a charge to members for this workshop of £25.
Booking required: To book a place on the workshop contact Kathy at Kathy-d@hotmail.co.uk. Payment at the time of booking will secure your place.
Workshop: 1.30pm-4.30pm £25 (Members only).
The whole loom relies on the weaver resting the “backstrap” on their waist which is connected to the front and back beams, which in turn are connected to a sturdy surface (be it a table, a tree or your bed). You, as the weaver, are the driving force that makes the whole loom come together.
Alexandra will show you how to set up a basic loom to try out a ‘tapestry’ weaving technique. You will learn how to understand the mechanics of the loom and how it works with the movement of your body.
All levels welcome.
**This date is also Subscription renewal day.