A hands-on beginners course in the heritage craft of straw plaiting, learning to make straw hats.
God's House Tower is hosting an introduction to straw plaiting on Sunday 26 July, a hands-on beginners course that shows you how straw hats are actually made. The organisers call straw plaiting a 'Critically Endangered Heritage Craft', and the session is designed to get you doing it yourself rather than just watching. It's run under the name Plait School, and it's aimed at people who've never tried it before.
You'll start with a three-ended plait, which you'll practise on paper first to get the rhythm down before moving on to the straw itself. Once you've got that sorted, you'll have a go at a five-ended plait. While you're working, there's a bit of the history of the craft to take in, and you'll be able to see examples of the work from its heyday, alongside books and artwork that show where it all comes from.
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The £7 price is set low to help cover the instructor's material costs, as the session is a workshop-in-progress that they're developing to take around the UK. It runs from 11:00 to 14:00 at God's House Tower on Town Quay Road (SO14 2NY), which is about a 25-minute walk from Southampton Central station.
