Crafts

Here you’ll find plenty of craft ideas and tutorials to help you start creating, as well as short history posts about crafts. From origami and textiles to clay decorations and delicious recipes, we’re sure you’ll find something you want to try!

Textiles

The Useful and The Beautiful: Darning and Repair. Debra takes closer look at darning, and how repairing and reusing textiles is not only good for the environment, but has a myriad of other benefits.


Sew Easy! Making Reusable Makeup Wipes. Steph shows you a quick and easy way of making your own reusable wipes. You can use up that fabric you bought and haven’t touched or use an old item of clothing and help reduce waste!


Mindful Weaving. Debra shares her method of weaving on a cardboard loom.


#WhitworthAdvent 2021: ‘Twas Mine Own Heart That Told Me So: Making Lavender Hearts. Steph shows you how to make a gift that will keep things smelling fresh and add a rustic touch to the home.


Sashiko: Simple Japanese Stitching. Steph looks at the beauty, origins and uses of sashiko, a simple and relaxing form of embroidery. Why not have a go yourself?


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: Make Your Own Fabric Bookmarks. A simple project and gift idea you can take with you and sew on the go. Slip one into a card as a standalone gift or use them as a nice handmade addition to a hamper.


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: A Festive Family Tradition. Robin tells us all about her fun Christmas family tradition and how to start your own for the holidays!


#WhitworthAdvent 2023: Catch a Falling Star and Put it in Your Pocket: DIY Plush Pocket Stars. Find out how to create your own pocket-sized star plush in time for Christmas in this tutorial by Steph.


#WhitworthAdvent 2023: How to Crochet a Coffee Cup Cosy. Keep someone’s fingers safe as they enjoy a hot drink this winter with this easy crochet coffee cup cosy pattern by Steph.


#WhitworthAdvent 2024: Sew Your Own Christmas Ornament From Upcycled Materials.

Inspired by the Barbara Walker exhibition and Toile de Jouy in the Whitworth’s collections, Talith teaches you how to construct your very own Toile-themed decorations.


#WhitworthAdvent 2024: DIY Needle Case.

Steph walks you through a very short history of the needle case and, inspired by one in our collections, which was made by former Whitworth director Margaret Pilkington, she teaches you how to make your own.


The Whitworth in Stitches: Steph’s Sashiko Clover Pattern

Learn how to stitch your very own sashiko clover with this free pattern and tutorial created by Steph.


The Whitworth in Stitches: Steph’s Summer Rose Sashiko Pattern

Learn how to stitch a sashiko rose for summer with this free pattern and tutorial from Steph.

Drawing and Paper Crafts

The Beauty of Charcoal Part 1: Dave takes a closer look at the history of charcoal, and gathers willow sticks from Whitworth Park that will be used to make his own charcoal.


The Beauty of Charcoal Part 2: Dave continues his look into charcoal by firing the willow branches he gathered in Whitworth park and leading a workshop with the team.


Indian Ink: A Rich, Dark Concoction. Dave explores the origins of Indian ink and takes our audience through a workshop in which we made our own ink drawings.


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: Simple Pop Up Christmas Cards! More stuff to do this festive season because you’re not busy enough already! Follow Sue’s easy tutorial to make some simple but fun pop up cards!


#WhitworthAdvent 2021: Cut The Waste: Create Your Own Custom Crackers! Fed up with buying pricey shop-bought crackers? Tired of the same worn-out Christmas jokes that seem to make less sense with every year? Done with the tacky cracker gifts that never see it through to the end of the day? Harvey shows you how to do away with all of this by creating your own custom crackers.


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: DIY Trendy Marbled Gift Wrap. Fancy gift wraps can be expensive, so why not create your own trendy marbled gift wrap?


Autumn Doodles: How To Draw a Pumpkin in Six Easy Steps and Other Seasonal Drawing Tricks. Steph shows you some tricks so you can create your own easy autumn-themed doodles.


#WhitworthAdvent 2023: On Paper: It’s Never Too Late to Learn a New Creative Skill. Richard from the Whitworth Shop tells us all about how he came to make his own paper from old books and walks you through the process, so you can give it a go yourself.


#WhitworthAdvent 2023: Festive Exquisite Corpse: Create Your Own Christmas Critter. Looking for a little something to fill the time on those sleepy festive days? Fancy playing something with your family/friends but can’t face the tensions of the monopoly board? Jake has the solution to all of your problems! 


#WhitworthAdvent 2023: Junk Journaling Basics. Find out how to create your very own junk journal and try your hand at bookbinding in this craft tutorial from Rosie.


#WhitworthAdvent 2024: Drawing Your Own Escapism at Christmas Time.

Taking a work from the Whitworth’s collections, Jake walks you through how you can create joyful festive versions of your favourite photos/paintings and other works, to create for presents/cards etc.

Recipes

#WhitworthAdvent 2021: Hot Toddy to Keep You Warm and Cosy! Matthew’s mouth-watering recipe for an alcoholic and non-alcoholic hot toddy to keep you warm on cold winter nights.


#WhitworthAdvent 2021: Chocolate Inspired Candy Canes. Jason’s recipe for a cheeky festive treat for all you chocoholics out there.


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: Make Your Own Delicious Mulled Wine! Follow Matthew’s easy recipe to make your own mulled wine. It’s delicious and guaranteed to help keep you warm during the winter!


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: Will You Have A Date This Christmas? Follow Jason’s delicious recipe for chocolate covered dates stuffed with peanut butter and topped with pecans. A delicious and luxurious treat for you and your loved ones!


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: A Berry, Berry Good Pavlova! If you’re wishing for summer during winter, this Pavlova will definitely bring a little sunshine on a snowy day. The best thing about a Pavlova is that once you have your base, you can put whatever you like on top! So let your imagination go wild!


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: Crispy White Chocolate Snowballs. Want to make some tasty festive treats with minimal mess and preparation time? Try this festive twist on a treat that we usually associate with Easter in the UK; chocolate rice crispy cakes!


#WhitworthAdvent 2023: Make Your Own Mouth-Watering Florentine Wreath! Inspired by traditional festive wreaths, Tahmina has created a delicious, edible wreath of her own. Follow her recipe to make your own mouth-watering Florentine wreath!


#WhitworthAdvent 2023: Christmas Cosmopolitan. Lucy has been getting into the festive spirit by creating a Christmas cocktail. Follow her recipe below to create your own Christmas Cosmopolitan.


#WhitworthAdvent 2024: Traditional Polish Winter Food.

Cabbage is integral to Polish cuisine, appearing in various dishes and traditions. Its historical significance dates back centuries, with sauerkraut being a Christmas staple. Oliver has included a family recipe for sauerkraut and mushroom paszteciki.


#WhitworthAdvent 2024: Make Your Own Hot Chocolate Bombs.

Tahmina teaches you how to make some truly delicious hot chocolate bombs.

Jewellery Making

#WhitworthAdvent 2021: Fun and Games: Upcycled Game Pieces. Kicking off #WhitworthAdvent 2021, Steph shows you how to transform old game pieces into festive decorations.


#WhitworthAdvent 2021: Starry Night: Beaded Stars. Vicky teaches you how to make beautiful star-shaped accessories and decorations to help you and your home shimmer during the festive season.


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: Simple But Chic: No Fuss, Necklaces. Do you want to try your hand at creating a handmade gift but just don’t have the time or the will to stitch or bake anything? This easy method of creating a necklace is a lifesaver for adding a last-minute, personal touch to a gift with minimal fuss.

Miscellaneous

#WhiworthAdvent: Festive Crafts. Back in December 2020 under the gloom of another gallery closure and Tier 3 Covid-19 restrictions in Manchester, we decided to make the most of a blue Christmas for many and try to stir up some festive spirit. Here are the craft tutorials from the very first incarnation of #WhitworthAdvent in 2020. From air dry clay decorations to mulled wine, we hope you’ll find something to get you crafting through the winter months!


#WhitworthAdvent 2021: Snowflake Christmas Coasters. Lucy teaches you a cheap and easy way to add some festive charm to your table décor.


#WhitworthAdvent 2021: Whimsical Animal Decorations. Steph shows you how to breathe new life into old plastic animal toys and turn them into whimsical decorations.


#WhitworthAdvent 2021: Curios and Keepsakes: Make Your Own Miniature Museum Case. Why not keep the curios you (or you little ones!) collect safe and use them to create a personalised miniature museum case? Steph shows you how in in this tutorial.


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: Very easy, No Glue Tree Decorations! Fed up of crafts that leave you in glitter and glitter up to your eyeballs? Follow Sue’s tutorial to create some easy, no glue necessary tree decorations that shine without any mess!


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: Have Yourself a Preloved Christmas: Rescue Stuffies. Here’s a quick gift idea which is full of character and breathes new life into old toys whilst reducing waste. Make the festive season extra special for someone with the help of rescue stuffies! Plus; follow the free crochet pattern and tutorial to make your plush friend a cute crochet collar!


#WhitworthAdvent 2022: Colour Your Own Dala Horse! The wooden Dala horse, Dalecarlian horse or Dalahäst is a common sight during the festive season. After horsing around a little and in the spirit of festive fun, we’d like to present you with a free downloadable colouring sheet which you can use to colour in your very own Whitworth Dala horse!


Relax! Making Soothing Bath Salts. Steph shows you how to make your own bath salts using just a few ingredients. Perfect as gifts or as a treat for yourself!


#WhitworthAdvent 2024: Easy Festive Crafts in 10 Minutes or Less.

Want to try making some festive crafts but don’t have time for a big project? Steph has put together some tutorials for three easy craft projects that can be completed in about 10 minutes or less.