Faux Taxidermy Craft Workshops
PLEASE NOTE – I am waiting for surgery, which should be happening in February. Due to the uncertainty of timings, pre-surgery treatments and recovery times, I have removed the workshops from my site temporarily.
If you are interested in a workshop, please get in touch, and I will keep you posted as soon as I get more news about what is happening. Thank you for your patience.
About my Faux Taxidermy Craft Workshops:
- 13-15 yrs allowed, accompanied by an adult, otherwise over 16s, please.
- Maximum 4 people. I can fit 5 if you know each other well.
- Duration: 6 – 8 hours for badger and hare, 4 – 6 for mink and cat..
- Sewing machine experience is necessary to sew the ears. If you are unable to use a sewing machine, or have limited experience, I ask that you prepare the ears for sewing, but allow me to sew them for you.
- Located at Ditchling Common, West Sussex.
Fabric Guides:
- A lightweight fabric for the ear liner, and the rest to be medium to heavy weight, preferably upholstery fabrics.
- No stretch fabrics.
- The thinner the fabric, the harder it will be to work with (with the exception of the ear liners). Anything sheer will be un-useable.
- If your fabric has a pale colour back, please be aware that the backing may show on the edges, so these fabrics are not as easy to work with. We can use a trim (at cost price), turn the edges or, in some cases, remove the backing. Fabrics without a white back are preferred (unless it is white fabric, of course)
- You are welcome to send me pics or swatches of the fabric in advance if you need advice.
- A guide to the fabric requirements for each animal are listed on the animal’s workshop product page.
- Dimensions needed for each animal can be found on the animal’s workshop page
- Take a look at the gallery for inspiration.
Please be aware that some online sellers (usually those selling cheaper fabrics on amazon or other multi-seller websites ) may describe fabrics incorrectly. They use the description to draw people to the listing. If the fabric is a non- woven fabric, it is not suitable. If in doubt, please send a photo of the considered product to me and I will help if I can.
If you don’t have fabric:
I have a range of pre-curated fabric packs available in a wide variety of colours and styles. Price depends on which animal.
What will I provide?
Form
Thread
Adhesive
Eyes
Monofilament for Whiskers (if needed)
Epoxy Putty
Wire
Wooden Plaque and all Fastening Hardware
Paint
Eyelid fabric (if necesssary)
Consumables and use of any tools needed.
Refreshments
Extras
I have a collection of trims and hardware that can be used to cover difficult edges or add detail. These are not included in the base price, but if you need them, you can make a selection on the day.
Cost is from £1 – £6 for fur, leather, stephanoise braid or upholstery nails.
You can even add mouldings from my collection, and prices can be seen on my mouldings website. I will need to know in advance if you require any mouldings.
Duration:
It should take 6 – 8 hours for the hare craft workshopand the badger workshop, and 4 – 5 for the mink workshop. How long it takes depends on your skills and experience, and the fabrics you choose.
The day begins at 10am. If you have booked as a group, start time is 10am. If you have booked to join a mixed group and you need to choose a fabric pack, I ask that you arrive at 9.45 so you an choose your pack for a 10am start.and
- A Brief Rundown of your Faux Taxidermy Craft Workshop Day:
- Arrival, Introduction, cup of tea (or your preferred equivalent) and a look at your fabrics. I’ll help you decide which fabrics to use where.
- Commence the Making! The morning is about plaques, sewing ears, cutting out your pattern pieces and application.
- Lunch
- Back to Making your Beastie. The afternoon will be about finishing application, eyes, whiskers and mounting your hare.
- Show and Tell and Photos.
Please Note:
- My faux taxidermy craft workshop is not intended as an instruction on how to make faux taxidermy in general. It’s intended as a fun experience making your own, one-off animal.
- Patterns are not to be taken away, and forms and patterns are not to be copied.
- Any tools and unused consumables are to be left for the next workshop.
- I will be taking photos of your results for posterity, and to post on social media or my website. If you do not wish photos to be taken with you in them, or for photos of you to be posted on social media or my website, that is absolutely fine, and please let me know.
- There is minimal sewing, but if you are not confident and experienced with a domestic sewing machine, I ask that you do all the prep, but allow me to do the sewing part.
- You will also be using a hot glue gun and a battery powered driver / driver. If you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with using any electrical or hot tools, please let me know.
- If you are bringing your own fabric, it helps the day along enormously if you come ready to start. If you need help picking suitable fabrics before the day, I am here to advise.
- If you do not have good grip and hand strength, this may not be suitable craft workshop for you.
In the run up to the workshop date, I will send an email with directions, pertinent information and a link to a questionnaire so that I can get to know your skills and make sure I have the right snacks and drinks for your diet.
How to Book and Pricing:
You can book by heading over to the relevant animal’s workshop booking page:
Minimum number of people is 3.
You can book as a group of friends and arrange a suitable date with me afterwards. Just drop me an email or scroll down to click on the product link for more information.
OR you can sign up to a workshop on one of the dates shown below. These dates will only go ahead if minimum of 3 people sign up.
If there are no dates shown below, I do not currently have a date booked for a “join a group” day, in which case you can….
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