Highlights of the month-long festival, which takes place June 1-30, include learning rag-rugging with the National Coal Mining Museum, a giant floral display in Ravensthorpe and natural dyeing in Skelmanthorpe. Attendees will also be able to learn the basics of batik with Huddersfield textiles reuse and skills hub Thread Republic, engage in a lively discussion around industry and technology with the Red Shed Players at Tolson Museum, do textile patch screen printing with the West Yorkshire Print Workshop and take part in clothes and skills swaps as well as stitch sessions across the district.
The festival will see events happening all across Kirklees and is being run in association with organisations across the district, including libraries, museums, charities and businesses. During the festival, the Creative Piazza in Huddersfield will become a WOVEN hub and the Thread Republic team will be on hand to advise on activities in the town and beyond.
The event will showcase the rich textile history of the area as well as explore cutting-edge developments in the industry.
WOVEN has offered micro-grants through the Growing Great Places crowdfunding platform to help bring some of these textile-related projects to life. Projects include supporting artists to run natural dye workshops and helping facilitate yarn bombing. In addition Arts Council England (ACE) funding is supporting Ashbrown, Birkby and Ravensthorpe communities to work with artists and the WOVEN team to make their community events happen.
The Red Dress, a globally-travelled collaborative embroidery project, will be on display at Oakwell Hall for the duration of the festival. The project was initiated by British artist Kirstie Macleod in 2009 to help marginalised women tell their stories through stitching, uniting people around the world without borders. The dress now features the work of more than 300 embroiderers from 51 countries and has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide.
To kick off the festival, WOVEN will be hosting a World Stitch Day on 1st June at Oakwell Hall, where community groups, stitchers and anyone passionate about textiles is invited to showcase stitch techniques from their cultural background and heritage. The callout for participation is live until April 16.
Natalie Walton, WOVEN’s curator, said, “We’re so excited to see the diverse array of community events in this year’s programme. There’s so much to see and get involved in and it’s a real celebration of our fantastic community textile activity.”
Councillor Carole Pattison, Leader of Kirklees Council and Cabinet Member for Culture said, “This is a whole month of exciting creativity and community connection, as WOVEN 2025 celebrates our local history and our diverse cultural tapestries with innovative spirit. I hope this will inspire a new generation of textile enthusiasts and a renewed connection with the history at the heart of these communities."
WOVEN is initiated by Kirklees Council but is owned by everyone, including community groups, textile businesses, cultural and educational organisations, artists and heritage sites across the district.
To see the full WOVEN 2025 programme visit https://woveninkirklees.co.uk/events/