The Making Rooms is a community-focused makerspace, empowering individuals to turn their ideas into reality and explore sustainability technologies.
The Making Rooms, 2022. Photo by Robin Zahler.
Explore the Eco Lab and Ceramics Lab in their temporary home opposite Blackburn Library. Have a go at natural dyeing and mosaics.
Workshops include:
Natural dye handkerchief – Dye your own handkerchief using natural colours and traditional tie dye and Japanese shibori techniques.
Explore the art of natural dyeing as you create your own unique handkerchief to take home. You’ll be guided through a range of dyeing techniques; from the bold, graphic patterns of tie dye to the delicate folds and resists of Japanese shibori. Using natural dyes and pigments throughout, you’ll leave with a one-of-a-kind piece and the knowledge to keep experimenting with colour at home.
Sustainable Homes – Help us build a giant model of a sustainable home and discover the materials and technologies that make it possible.
Mosaics – Choose from an array of tiny tiles and arrange them into your own mosaic, taking inspiration ancient times or designing something entirely new.
Have a go at the ancient art of mosaic-making, picking from a beautiful range of coloured square tiles and arranging them into a design that’s uniquely yours. Take inspiration from classical Roman patterns, geometric abstracts, or simply follow your instincts. A tactile, meditative activity that’s satisfying for all ages.
Name necklaces – Press, mould and texture your own ceramic pendant, then come back to collect it once it’s been fired in the kiln.
Create a small, textured ceramic pendant personalised just for you. Using laser-cut stamps and 3D-printed moulds, you’ll press patterns and motifs into soft clay to make a truly individual piece. Your pendant will be fired in the kiln after the event and can be collected or glazed at one of our regular Saturday sessions at The Making Rooms, a lovely reason to come back and explore the space!
About The Making Rooms
The Making Rooms is a place where creativity, technology and advanced manufacturing come together in a community facility for use by artists, inventors, students, children and just about everyone else to design and make anything from high-tech products and gadgets to toys, artworks, home decorations and accessibility devices. At the heart of The Making Rooms is a Fab Lab containing an impressive range of modern fabrication equipment combining advanced manufacturing with traditional craft processes including 3D printing, laser cutting, electronics, CNC machining, pottery, sculpture and screen printing, to name but a few.
STEAM is everywhere – from what we make, to how we travel, to how we live. Here, you’ll find a wide range of workshops designed to get your hands working and your mind whirring.
Tinkertown is back! Wood-working meets den-building in this drop-in workshop for children. Grab the tools provided by the team and set to work tinkering, building and creating!
