Jewellery from Natural Materials workshop with Australian contemporary jeweller Melinda Young @ Wollongong Wood Workshops & Market

Jewellery from Natural Materials workshop with Australian contemporary Jeweller Melinda Young

"Making something extraordinary out of the ordinary."

This workshop engages with treasures collected from the natural environment, you will learn a range of simple stringing, binding and cordage techniques which are then applied to your found natural materials to create beautiful wearable objects for the body or the wall.  Along with materials from nature, we will use a variety of other materials including brightly coloured embroidery threads, string, wool, and raffia. You are welcome to bring your own materials from nature, such as twigs, driftwood and sturdy leaves, or use the materials provided.

You will be introduced to the processes of hand-making cordage (or string) using a hand-twisting technique and binding using a simple whipping technique. Both are deceptively simple processes with infinite possibilities! Cordage and whipping can be used in combination with found natural materials to make a piece of jewellery such as a necklace, bracelet, earrings, or brooch. 

Participants will leave the workshop with one or more wearable keepsakes.