2793 Recreational courses

Brand new for 2021, Live online quilting course via Zoom, for total beginners.

Crewel embroidery, also known as Jacobean embroidery, has been practiced for centuries and remains a beautiful and practical craft used to adorn clothing, bags, boxes and much more.

This fun 1 day workshop will really get you started with your free machine embroidery, with great results from the start!

This pretty quilt has been designed with total beginner’s in mind. The design is quick and simple to make, with minimum fabric cutting (you wont be cutting lots of small pieces all day!). This one day workshop includes: How to cut your fabrics accurately How to piece accurately with a perfect 1/4″ seam Assembling your quilt top together Layering up the quilt, wadding and backing How to achieve simple quilting Making and attaching your quilt binding

A perfect follow-on course for those who have already completed an introductory darkroom printing course, or who have a reasonable level of B&W darkroom printing experience. Please bring B&W negatives (35mm or medium format) that relate to each other in some way (subject matter, tonal range, environment etc.) as we will be making a number of prints that can be read as a series. Please note: This course only covers the printing of images and participants should therefore bring previously processed negatives and if you have one, a printed contact sheet along to the session. All other materials (including a range of papers) will be provided. Class sizes are currently limited to 4 participants to enable social distancing throughout the course. Morning Presentation and analysis of what makes a successful series of photographs, and how the final print can be crafted to accentuate the photographer’s artistic intent Reading the negative and pre-visualising the print Re-cap of darkroom skills – including overview of single filter printing, test strips and making a work print Learning how to split-filter print Afternoon Making a printing plan Using fibre based paper Plenty of practical darkroom time to work on your images and gain confidence in the new skills and processes Finishing your prints   Courses are subject to minimum enrolment. Please register early, within five days of the start date, to reduce the likelihood of course cancellation. Please read our cancellation policy before booking. Students, anyone over the age of 65, and those in receipt of any form of benefits can claim the concessionary price, offering a 10% discount on the full course price. Valid proof of eligibility must be produced on the first day of the course. Please use the code CONCESSION when prompted at checkout. Stills uses ILFORD PHOTO chemicals on this course that can potentially pose a risk to pregnant and breast feeding women and asthmatics. We take every care to ensure good working practices and adequate ventilation in our darkrooms. If you feel you may be adversely affected, please visit the Health and Safety section of Ilford’s website for further information. General Guidance Notes for Pregnant and Breast Feeding Women and Asthmatics: From a risk assessment standpoint, provided all necessary control measures (such as good working practices, adequate ventilation, and the use of appropriate PPE) are in place then pregnant and breastfeeding women should be able to continue to work safely with photochemical products.Inhalation is the main route by which fumes and gases enter the body, making good ventilation a high priority. Exposure to irritant chemicals that would not affect most people may provoke an asthma attack in a person who already has asthma. For example, low levels of the gas sulphur dioxide can be produced by some ILFORD PHOTO processes. Most individuals would be unaffected but asthmatics may suffer adverse affects. ILFORD PHOTO products include no known human carcinogens, and no substances to which phrase R46 (May cause heritable genetic damage) or R64 (May cause harm to breastfed babies) applies. Most ILFORD PHOTO developers use hydroquinone, and their classification therefore includes R40 (Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect) and R68 (Possible risk of irreversible effects). Some ILFORD PHOTO chemicals use boric acid or borates. These substances are classified as toxic for reproduction. As a result, the classification of some of the powder developers includes R60 (May impair fertility) and R61 (May cause harm to the unborn child).

We will taste a range of different cold meats and cheeses and match them with classic wines from France, Spain, Italy and the rest of the wine making world and explain why they taste so good together. We'll also talk about food and wine pairing in general and give you some really good tips to try out at home. The combinations will vary from one event to another depending upon availability but in the past, we've featured pairings such as -  Prosecco Superiore DOCG Mozarella Burrata Rich Malbec with an aged Cheddar Fresh fruity Beaujolais with German Salami Delicous crisp Sauvignon Blanc with Chevre A Manzanilla or Fino Sherry and Jamon Iberico Pinot Noir with Pork Pie This 2 hour tasting is perfect for foodies, with tasting samples of at least 6 wines and cheeses/charcuterie samples to try. 

The French make arguably the best sparkling wine in the world, Champagne, but how does it stack up against other fantastic Sparkling Wines from around the world? In total we will taste 6 wonderful, sparkling wines from Champagne, Egnland, Italy and further afield. It's a fantastic opportunity to do some comparing and contrasting. Will you be able to taste the difference - and which will you prefer? Great value at £35 with 6 wines to taste and some cheese to nibble on inbetween!

Cheese and wine are known as a classic combination, but when you examine a well-stocked dairy counter and then the shelves at a good wine shop, the obvious question that comes to mind is this: just which cheese with which wine? Now's the chance to engage in a couple of hours of research on the topic, as we match a range of delicious cheeses with some classic wines from around the globe. We'll also talk about food and wine matching more generally, and you'll pick up some really good tips to take away and practice at home. On the evening we will try six different cheese and wine combinations, some of them classics - goat's cheese with Sauvignon Blanc, mature Cheddar with a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend, Stilton and port - but some less well-known. Have you ever tried cheese with sparkling wine, for example? So don your foodie hat, wet your wine whiskers and come along for an evening of fun and fromage!

Learn to sew a tote bag, add French seams to your sewing skills with this sewing skills building workshop.

Learn to sketch the clouds and the sky using watercolour and pencil with the Cloud Appreciation Society.