About the Art Textile and Fibre Craft Workshop Experiences

New Zealand offers the most gorgeous of places to visit, not only visually but creatively. 

NZ Textile Experiences invite local residents and visitors to the region to take time out and indulge in one or more of our hands-on fibre craft or art textile workshop experiences where you will create your own unique piece or design to take away with you.

Based in the Nelson Tasman region, this scenic area is renowned for its proliferation of art, artists and myriad of creatives, including a diverse range of textile and fibre craft practitioners.

The vision for NZ Textile Experiences is for you to enjoy those special experiences by creating textiles and fibre crafts in glorious New Zealand locations, with our fabulous tutors sharing their individual specialist skills along with knowledge of their local environment.

By participating in a fibre or textile workshop, you will learn more about our country, meet local people who are also passionate about textiles and take home a unique piece of textile art.

Textile and Fibre Craft workshops can be taken individually or in small groups, each taught by an expert in their field. This is an intimate experience, working in the artist's own studio or workshop, ranging from rural locations in bush settings to an eclectic art gallery and an inner city creative space.

Workshops on offer so far are  Unconventional Textile Materials,  Wild Basket Making, Screen Printing, Hand Loom Weaving, Stitch-Embroidery,  Harakeke - NZ Flax Weaving, Screen Printing, Eco Dyeing, Tapestry Weaving,  Bookbinding, Textile Collage and Felt Making with more to follow ...

If the workshop dates don't suit you send us an email at info@nztextileexperiences.co.nz and we may be able to tailor a workshop to suit your individual availability.  Please also inquire about our Workshop gift vouchers.

Upcoming Workshops


Meet the team and tutors at NZ Textile Experiences

Colleen Plank - Contemporary Textile Artist  - Tutor  -  Exhibitor  -  Workshop Coordinator

Colleen Plank

Contemporary Textile Artist  - Tutor  -  Exhibitor  -  Workshop Coordinator

Colleen's passion for creating textiles has taken her to many exciting and interesting locations, that has at times included attending workshops. The most memorable of those have been in the artists own creative spaces where it has been possible to fully immerse herself in the creative experience.

What drives Colleen's enthusiasm is the opportunity to share her extensive knowledge of Felting, Dyeing, Fibre and Textile Manipulation techniques with anyone wishing to try out something new or to inspire and mentor the more experienced students ready to extend their skills.

more about Colleen

Colleen's CV

Maggy Johnston - Contemporary Textile Artists - Exhibitor - Sculpture - WOW Finalist - Tutor

Maggy Johnston MFA (hons) 

Sculptor - Contemporary Textile Artist - Exhibitor - WOW Finalist - Tutor

Maggy has been a maker all her life. Translating her ideas by playing with unconventional materials that she often finds by fossicking, then turning them into unusual contemporary sculptural objects sometimes with purpose, other times evolving into Objet d'art.

If you attend Maggy's workshop be prepared to be challenged as she shares with you her philosophies of creating textile art with inherent meaning supporting her belief surrounding gender and environmental issues.  Whether you are a complete beginner or bring experience with you Maggy will gently guide you through her processes to create innovative fibre and textile works that are meaningful to you.

Maggy has her Masters in Fine Arts (hons), she actively exhibits her current work and has attended numerous international residences.  Maggy has been selected multiple times for the WOW event, her highlight being winning two awards.

more about Maggy

Maggy's CV

Rosie Horn - Contemporary Stitch - Traditional Embroiderer - Photographer - Artist - Tutor

Rosie Horn

Contemporary Stitch - Traditional Embroiderer - Photographer - Artist - Tutor

Embroidery has always represented this un-obtainable world of patience, something I was short of, a love of for embroidery was something I had in bundles. Eventually the desire to embroider won over, and the patience gradually developed. 

I saw the opportunity to combine photography with embroidery during my Photographic studies when I embarked on a project photographing modern interiors, buildings and objects devoid of surface embellishment.  I tentatively stitched into these images trying to find a balance between maintaining the integrity of the photographic image while giving the embroidery a place in its own right in the final object.

more about Rosie

Rosie's CV

 

Karuna Peralta - Hand Loom Weaving Tutor - Designer - Woven Textiles Educator

Karuna Peralta

Textile Weaver - Designer - Tutor

Karuna has a rich knowledge of hand woven textiles in industry and as a freelance designer, always being drawn to traditional techniques, quality natural materials and vibrant colour combinations. ‘I’m inspired by my beautiful surroundings, experiences and research findings. I love the connection that weaving gives me – to an ancient tradition and to this land which supplies the beautiful fibres I can weave into cloth.

more about Karuna

Karuna's CV

 

Judith Ritchie - Contemporary Textile Artist - Screen Printer - Arts Writer - Tutor - Costume Designer

Judith Ritchie -

Contemporary Textile Artist - Screen Printer - Arts Writer - Tutor - Costume Designer

Judith’s effervescent personality is contagious while learning all the tricks and tools of screen printing.  Judith is an experienced tutor, has a passion for sustainability and loves to share her vast knowledge of colour and pattern when screen printing iconic kiwi designs.

Judith has recently returned from living in the Cook Islands bringing many new skills and experiences to add to her arts practice.

more about Judith

Yvonne Hammond - Fibre Artist - Harakeke Weaver - Exhibitor - Tutor - WOW Finalist

Yvonne Hammond

Flax Weaver 'Harakeke' - Fibre Artist - Exhibitor - WOW Finalist

 Having woven with NZ flax/harakeke for more than 30 years, Yvonne has acquired an in depth knowledge of the tikanga, the passing of knowledge and of maori protocols to learners.    Yvonne is passionate about working alongside students either new to the medium or to those already with harakeke experience wising to extend their skills, ideas and creativity in a fun and supportive environment.   “It has been my personal journey to grow through raranga/flax weaving and the care of the harakeke plant.  I go forward learning and sharing my art.”

more about Yvonne

Rosie-Anne Pinney - Creative Bookbinding Tutor - Artist - Educator - Lover of Books

Rosie-Anne Pinney

Tutor of Creative Bookbinding - Artist - Educator and Lover of Books

Passionate about bookbinding, there is nothing I enjoy more than sharing my love for the craft with others.  Bookbinding is an ancient practice that has changed very little over the centuries. I value the sense of being part of this long tradition of men and women working together to make beautiful and functional books.

more about Rosie

Marilyn Rea-Menzies - Master Tapestry Weaver - Painter - Tutor - Exhibitor

Marilyn Rea-Menzies 

Contemporary Textile & Multi-Media Artist – Exhibitor – Tutor – Studio/Gallery Director

Marilyn has been passionate about tapestry for many years – She loves the process and feels that she is very much part of a long continuum of tapestry weaving on this planet, dating back over 5000 years.

An  Award winning artist, drawing and painting has always been huge in Marilyn’s life and still forms a large part of her art practice, but once she discovered the wonderful medium of tapestry weaving in the early 1980’s it very quickly took over her life and became her major passion.    Tapestry is a medium that full of intense visual and tactile beauty.  Colours blend in an optical way, and every crossing over of warp and weft forms a pixel of colour.  The original pointillism…!! 

more about Marilyn

Marilyn's C.V.

 

Sally Reynolds - Textile Artist - Painter - Tutor - Exhibitor

Sally Reynolds

Textile Artist - Painter - Tutor - Exhibitor

Sally is an experienced painter and textile artist who enjoys passing on her knowledge to others.  Her work has been shown in many galleries and exhibitions including the National Changing Threads and the Parkin's Drawing awards.

Anne Grassham  - Spinner -  Weaver - Knitter -  Feltmaker - Farmer - Tutor

Anne Grassham

Spinner -  Weaver - Knitter -  Feltmaker - Owner of Fleecewood Farm - Tutor

Anne was born and grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. Her interest in woolcraft began over forty years ago, when her mother taught her to knit. Fifteen years later, while living in Socorro, New Mexico, she was introduced to weaving and using a spinning wheel.  When she returned to New Zealand, she had the chance to learn about farming sheep and goats for fibre. Anne now breeds the Fleecewood Leicester (named after Anne’s farm). This sheep produces a naturally coloured fleece, characterised by length, lustre and openness, and is appreciated by spinners wanting a wool with a silky smooth handle.

It wasn’t long before she was spinning, weaving, knitting and felting the wool her sheep produced, as well as selling fleeces. She soon learnt that some customers preferred to purchase prepared wool, so she started washing fleece, and having wool carded for sale. The next adventure was exploring dyeing, including overdyeing naturally coloured fleeces.

In recent years she has explored new techniques and developed equipment, including the WIZPICK system for coding felting needles (in conjunction with Helen Bishof) and various techniques associated with diagonal weaving. She is qualified to teach at both the adult and a secondary school levels, and now tutors woolcraft learning opportunities in community education settings, as well as Creative Woolcraft Workshops and mentoring at Fleecewood Farm.

Anne is passionate about the power of creativity to enhance people’s sense of worth and well being, and continues to use her scientific  and teaching background to explore new woolcraft possibilities.