The Bees Needles fills Northwood House in Cowes with island makers, creative businesses and ideas for your next project. Karen Robb Sewing Collective returns with a third gathering that brings together people who make finished pieces and businesses that supply the materials. Entry is free. You can browse artisan work, look at fabric and wool, and talk to exhibitors before choosing what to take home or which craft you might like to try.
The programme includes areas for demonstrations, workshops, talks and presentations, alongside an artisan shopping area and a shopping mall for creative supplies. Karen's plans cover interests from sewing and painting to sculpture and blacksmithing. Workshops have their own room, and the event also includes a place to pause and meet friends between browsing. This is a chance to see materials in person and ask the people selling them about how you could use them, rather than trying to judge colour, texture or technique from a photograph.
Visit on Sunday 25 October between 10.30am and 3pm. The event takes place indoors at Northwood House on Ward Avenue, so you can spend the day with creative work even if the autumn weather rules out an outdoor outing. General admission is free; check with the organiser for any individual workshop arrangements before expecting a place. Bring a project idea or a question if you want a starting point for chatting to the exhibitors. For more chances to make something yourself, browse arts and craft events around the Isle of Wight.