The Social Sofa Project Workshops

The Social Sofa Project is coming to the Museum of Gloucester on Saturday 14 November, as part of a new project by local artist LJ Ellam. It's a drop-in workshop, so you can just turn up and get stuck in rather than committing to a full course. The session runs from 2pm to 4pm in the Museum Cafe, and it's free to attend.

What you'll be doing is making a fabric collage patch. You start by printing onto fabric, then build your collage around that, with the whole thing based on your own experiences of the city and how you feel about your community. All the materials are provided on the day, so you don't need to bring anything with you. It's open to everyone aged five and up, though adults need to stay with their children throughout.

Your patch won't just sit in a drawer, either. It's part of a larger public art piece that celebrates the people of Gloucester and the local community. Ellam's project takes illustrations, embroidered patches, and knitted or crocheted pieces and turns them into furniture, which will be exhibited in specific locations across the city and loaned to the places that helped create them. So, whatever you make ends up as part of something that'll be seen out and about in Gloucester.

It's a relaxed, drop-in session, so you can drift in when it suits you between 2pm and 4pm. It's free to attend, though there are only ten places, so it's worth getting there early if you're keen. The workshop is held in the Museum Cafe at the Museum of Gloucester, on Brunswick Road.