Hands-on session to learn how to spin hand-made yarn on a drop spindle using British wool and silk, part of the Field to Fashion exhibition.
Learn to use a drop spindle is at the Museum of Making on Wednesday 16 December, a workshop that lets you pick up the basics of hand-spinning yarn. You'll be working with a drop spindle, the simple tool that's been used for centuries to twist raw fibre into thread, and you'll get to try it with British and international sheep wools as well as silk. If you've ever wondered how a clump of wool actually becomes a ball of yarn, this is where you see it happen by hand.
The session is part of the Field to Fashion exhibition, which runs from 24 April 2026 to 3 January 2027. The exhibition follows the journey of raw British fleece from sheep farming into fibre and then into the clothes we wear, and thanks to British Wool, you can touch real fleece and see how it's spun. It also looks at the history of John Smedley, the Derbyshire knitwear company that's been crafting in the region since 1784, and features work from De Montfort University and Derby college students alongside artists, designers and makers. The whole thing is part of the Field to Fashion project, funded by Art Fund and Rolls-Royce as part of the museum's STEAM Learning programme, with support from John Smedley and British Wool.
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The Museum of Making itself sits in the Derwent Valley Mills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and tells Derby's 300-year history of making. It stands on what's widely regarded as the site of the world's first factory, and the museum is housed in a contemporary space, accredited by the Arts Council and the Design Council, with a designated outstanding collection. The workshop runs on 16 December, and you can find more details and book your place at derbymuseums.org/event/learn-to-use-a-drop-spindle/.
