Genre: Classes

Rag Rugging is a traditional craft, in this case creating beautiful rugs out of pure wool blanket yarn. The yarn used in our workshop is a waste product from the mills and has been sourced by the tutors from various mills around the UK, and means less waste is going to landfill. 

During the workshop you will learn how to create your own unique Rag Rug. Having learned how to use the tools including a latch hook and cutting gauge, you will then start to create your own rug from 100% pure wool blanket yarn.

This course includes:   

• Your own latch hook
• 1 x 250g ball of blanket yarn
• Hessian mat 90cm x 60cm.

You will leave with the knowledge and skill to finish your rug at home.  There will be additional supplies available to purchase on the day. If you wish to complete your rug in pure wool a further 5 balls at £6 each will be needed, these can be chosen from the vast range of wool and paid for on the day.
 

Your tutors, Alison and Lorraine, live in Cumbria and both are experienced teachers and confess to being ‘rag rug enthusiasts'. While the craft experienced periods of decline, interest in rag rugs has been revived, with many people enjoying the creative and sustainable aspects of making them. You may find Rugging therapeutic and very addictive. So watch out – you may become addicted too!

10am-1pm
Maximum number 15
Minimum Age 16
£55 inc all materials as listed above

Please note tickets are non-refundable. Exchanges to other classes by the same tutor may be offered more than 2 weeks before the start date (subject to availability). 

During this festive workshop you will be surrounded with beautiful natural ingredients grown locally and sourced in a sympathetic and sustainable way.

Whether it’s a crescent moon style or an abundant traditional full circle wreath you aspire to create, you’ll be guided step by step throughout the class by expert local flower growers Rebecca & Scott, who will teach you how to create a wreath to proudly hang on your front door for the festive period using their seasonally inspired style

The Pretty Wild Flower Co. is a cut flower farm and ethical floral design studio run by Rebecca & Scott Masterton from their family home nestled in the hills of Dumfries and Galloway. They are best known for their naturally styled dried flower creations and sow, grow, dry and create unique, sustainable dried floral designs for the home and all occasions

Maximum number 15
Minimum Age 16
£95 inc all materials.  All ​tools and equipment are provided

Please note tickets are non-refundable. Exchanges to other classes by the same tutor may be offered more than 2 weeks before the start date (subject to availability). 

Try your hand at glass fusing and have fun making your own Christmas decorations with hands-on guidance from Roxanne. You will learn all you need to know to design and produce three to six decorations, including an introduction to different forms of glass, colour changes in the kiln, glass compatibility and how to cut glass

All materials and use of equipment are included in the price. Your finished pieces can be collected from Rheged a couple of weeks after the class.

Roxanne is an award-winning glass artist, who produces colourful and abstract fused glass pieces including bowls, wall art, coasters, jewellery and much more. Roxanne has been teaching glass courses for the past nine years and loves to bring out the creativity of her students and see the pieces that they produce.

10am-1pm
Minimum age 16 years
Maximum of 8 in the class
£75pp

For an afternoon of wreath making with the stunning colour palette of Autumn. During this creative class you'll be surrounded by beautiful dried flowers, foliages, seed heads and other lovely treasures that have been organically grown and dried on the Pretty Wild Flower Farm in Dumfries and Galloway.

Rebecca will demonstrate how to create an Autumnal wreath in a beautiful crescent moon style before guiding you through the process yourself. You will be able to choose from a mixture of ingredients to make your own unique creation. Finished with hand-dyed silk ribbon and ready to hang on an indoor wall or sheltered door. As the ingredients are dried, the wreath can be left up all year long and you will be given expert care advice to keep it looking its best.

The Pretty Wild Flower Co. is a cut flower farm and ethical floral design studio run by Rebecca & Scott Masterton from their family home nestled in the hills of Dumfries and Galloway. They are best known for their naturally styled dried flower creations and sow, grow, dry and create unique, sustainable dried floral designs for the home and all occasions
 
Maximum number 15
Minimum Age 16
£95 inc all materials.  All ​tools and equipment are provided

Please note tickets are non-refundable. Exchanges to other classes by the same tutor may be offered more than 2 weeks before the start date (subject to availability). 

Enjoy a fun and creative winter landscape painting session inspired by seasonal colours, snowy scenes, and the beauty of winter landscapes. Working with acrylic paints, you'll learn essential painting techniques, including colour mixing, brushwork, and expressive mark-making, through a series of enjoyable experimental exercises.

Throughout the workshop, you'll create a collection of small landscape paintings while developing confidence in using acrylics. There will also be plenty of opportunities to bring your own ideas to the theme, whether you'd like to make your work more festive, create designs suitable for Christmas cards, or produce unique handmade gifts.

Suitable for beginners and those with some painting experience, this workshop offers a relaxed and inspiring way to explore winter-themed art while building practical painting skills.

Please bring with you:
* A1 or A2 white cartridge paper
*Masking tape.
* Acrylic Paints (a range of colours thinking about Winter – blues, purples, greens, browns etc  Must also bring white)
*Range of brushes – including at least one big brush
*Palette knife.
*Water pots.
*Material rags.
*Scissors.
*Small sponge.
*Palette or plate for mixing colours on.
*Grease proof paper.
*Water spray bottle
*photos of winter landscapes/festive images that inspire you (digital or photos).
*Hairdryer will be useful.

We have a Design shop at Rheged in case you are missing any materials.

Catherine MacDiarmid is an award-winning artist from Kendal and has exhibited widely.  She featured in the recent New Light Art Prize hosted at Rheged, and regularly has work in the Mall Galleries, London. She was a semi-finalist in the Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2019, and painted renowned journalist and news reporter John Snow, live on the Sky Arts channel in 2020. Catherine has 30 years’ experience teaching art courses and workshops.

10am-4pm, £70 pp
Max number of 14 people | Minimum age 16
Please note tickets are non-refundable. Exchanges to other classes by the same tutor may be offered more than 2 weeks before the start date (subject to availability). 

Come join us for a fabulous 4-hour workshop celebrating our fabulous feathered friends, whilst exploring the wonderful heritage craft of stained glass with a contemporary twist!

With a choice of 4 different patterns to work from, suitable for both complete beginners and those experienced in stained glass, will you choose the stunning hummingbird/kingfisher, a cheeky freestanding seagull, an inquisitive puffin or create a petite wren/tit/robin?
Your tutor Kate will start by introducing you to different types of glass and design, covering how to handle and work with glass safely.  You’ll also have the opportunity to see examples of the pieces already assembled and other pieces of Kate’s own work to inspire you, if the surrounding birds in our duck pond and at in the bushes by the entrance at Rheged and on your journey to us hadn’t provided enough already! 

Kate will then guide you through how to cut and shape each individual piece of glass, wrap them in copper foil and join them together using a soldering iron, before applying optional finishing touches such as patina (darkening of the silver solder) or painted details should you wish.  You will be provided with a wide selection of different coloured and textured glass to choose from, so that your bird will be completely unique and personal to you.

All tools, materials and safety equipment will be provided.  However, due to the nature of the craft, please can you ensure you are wearing closed shoes (no sandals, crocs or sling-backs) and that long hair is tied back.  If you wear reading glasses, it is also advisable to bring these for the close detail work!!

As the soldering process does involve lead based products, it is not advisable for pregnant women to attend or those who are currently breast-feeding.  Children between the ages of 16 & 18 are welcome, but must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Kate is a professional glass artist with over 30 years of experience, working with both the Tiffany and leaded-light techniques of stained glass. She moved to Cumbria 7 years ago, and was so inspired by her surroundings that she decided to change career and set up her business North Lakes Stained Glass, creating landscape and nature-inspired work.  You can now find her work for sale online nationally and internationally, as well as at artisan fairs and in galleries across the region.  Her portfolio of larger residential installations and public art commissions can be found on her website www.NorthLakesStainedGlass.co.uk.
Having appeared as one of the featured artists on the BBC 1 TV show ‘Make It At Market’ in the spring of 2025, Kate now runs regular workshops throughout the year to introduce and inspire people to enter the wonderful world of stained glass, as well as offering one-to-one mentoring and studio space at her personal studio based in Keswick for those wishing to develop their skills further. 

Max numbers 6
Min Age 16. 
£80. Additional Material costs to pay on day: £15 (or £17.50 if you select the larger Puffin option)

Please note tickets are non-refundable. Exchanges to other classes by the same tutor may be offered more than 2 weeks before the start date (subject to availability).