A basket begins with a handful of fibres. A photograph emerges from sunlight. A piece of porcelain takes shape without ever touching a potter’s wheel.
These are among the crafts coming to Sandgate Town Hall when the inaugural Heritage Hands Festival brings makers and curious beginners together on 6–7 November.
The two-day gathering celebrates skills that demand patience, precision and an understanding of materials, whether that means weaving natural fibres, shaping glass or working clay by hand.
For visitors, it will be a chance to meet the people behind these crafts and discover what goes into making something that lasts.
A Little Patience Goes a Long Way
Basket maker Monique Ross will introduce participants to traditional basketry and fibre weaving, where the arrangement and tension of each strand help determine the shape of the finished piece.
Artist and researcher Dr Renata Buziak will take a different approach to making images, using sunlight rather than a conventional camera.
Her cyanotype workshop explores a photographic technique developed in the 19th century. Light-sensitive materials produce distinctive blue images, with botanical forms offering possibilities for prints that combine art and chemistry.
Ceramic artist Nat Harris of Grace Ellen will turn attention to porcelain hand-building. Without the assistance of a potter’s wheel, each form develops through touch, pressure and the careful movement of clay.
Renae from Wallflower will explore floral arrangements in ceramic vessels, bringing together natural forms and handmade containers.
Across these workshops, participants will encounter the small adjustments, occasional surprises and concentration that accompany working directly with materials.
More Than Something to Take Home
At Saturday’s Heritage Makers Market, finished objects will offer a starting point for conversations with the people who created them.
A handmade piece rarely reveals how many decisions went into its construction. The choice of material, the tools used and the sequence of steps can be as interesting as the result.
The festival’s exhibitions and demonstrations will offer further opportunities to explore traditional trades alongside contemporary creative practices.
Some of these skills continue to play a role in restoring historic buildings and objects. Others remain part of working artistic traditions, including decorative arts and costume making.
Sandgate Town Hall will be the centre of the festivities, with activities also extending into the surrounding village precinct.
The Remarkable Things People Still Make
Saturday evening’s PechaKucha: Made to Last will introduce seven practitioners whose work ranges from illuminated glass to historic bicycles and cheese maturation.
Neon artist Michael Blazek specialises in bending glass tubes into illuminated forms, a process requiring precise control of heat and shape.
Suzie Rodgers works with the intricate embellishments found on ballet and performance costumes, where even small decorative details can demand considerable handwork.
Brett Richardson will explore the engineering and craftsmanship of penny-farthings, while Bill Webb will share insights into traditional leather plaiting.
The programme also includes stained-glass practitioner Natalia Elkina, architectural history specialist Marianne Taylor and Wendy Downes, who will discuss the skills involved in maturing cheese.
Few occasions would bring such different crafts into the same conversation. Yet each depends on specialist knowledge developed through practice, observation and experience.
The PechaKucha format gives each speaker 20 images, displayed for 20 seconds apiece, to introduce their work. The evening is free, with bookings recommended.
Sandgate Makes Room for the Makers
Friday’s programme includes workshops, activities for secondary students and a Make ‘n’ Movie evening featuring Practical Magic.
On Saturday, the Heritage Makers Market and exhibition will be free to explore, alongside demonstrations and discussions. Other festival activities include both free and ticketed sessions, with separate arrangements for workshops.
Heritage Hands Festival will run on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November at Sandgate Town Hall, on the corner of Cliff and Seymour Streets, and across the surrounding Sandgate precinct.
For those who have ever wondered how a particular object was made, the festival offers something more interesting than a label explaining its origins: the opportunity to ask someone who knows.
Published 30-Oct-2026
