Bristol Textile Quarter (BTQ) - a fashion and textile co-working space - is opening their doors on Saturday November 16th for an Open Studios event.

Ria’s first studio was in BTQ and they are popping up for the day with naturally dyed knitwear and other yarny goodness!

BTQ neighbours Dash+Miller and Bristol Weaving Mill will also be open on the day.

Ria will be exhibiting a new piece of work and selling a select range of items at the Fashion on Earth event at Bristol Cathedral on November 6th.

See below for more information and to book your ticket:

Join Sustainable Fashion Week on Wednesday 6th November for a night exploring fashion that is created in harmony with nature.

The backdrop of Luke Jerram’s Gaia serves as a provoking reminder of the interconnectedness of all life on earth. As with any resources our society consumes, the clothing and materials we wear and dispose of have a significant impact on planetary health.

This event offers the opportunity for you to discover some of the artists, makers and organisations working towards a better fashion future. Through an inspiring evening of exhibited pieces, catwalk performance, stalls and live music we hope to encourage attendees to reframe their relationship with the clothing they wear.

There will be select items available to purchase from sustainable makers.

Price:

£10 Adult

£6 Child

About Sustainable Fashion Week Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) unites the community nationally through the power of taking action locally. Working in collaboration, they help make sustainable fashion accessible. Taking a creative, grassroots approach, they empower people with skills and resources to help drive a shift in our collective relationship with clothes.

SFW works throughout the year to engage with citizens through different mediums, inspiring positive action in favour of a greener, cleaner and fairer fashion industry. They partner with a wide range of individuals, organisations, community groups, education providers, museums, brands and institutions to co-host a variety of events and activities to engage with a broad range of audiences and help grow a powerful movement for change.

Now in its fourth year, our annual flagship event – SFW 2024 – will see a programme of action taking place across the UK and in four international locations. With clothes swaps, workshops, talks, markets, repairs, fashion shows, activism, styling and more – hosted by the community for the community.

Bar

A bar will be available throughout the event. Alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks will be available. Card only. A Challenge 25 policy will be in place so please bring ID.

Children

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please ensure there is a ratio of no more than four children to one adult. Children’s ear defenders are available to borrow on a first come first served basis.

https://bristol-cathedral.co.uk/event/fashion-on-earth/

Ria will be at Fernhill Farm’s next Fibre Experince, hosting a natural dye plant walk and workshop on September 21st. They will also have a pop-up shop selling their naturally dyed knitwear, book, dried natural dyes and seeds.

1:30-2:30pm Natural Dye Plant Walk and Talk (free to attend, please pre-book your space)

A short walk across the farm, identifying and foraging for wild dye plants along the way. Back at the saloon we will talk more about my work with wild dye plants and show the range of colours that can be achieved with the plants found during the walk.

2:30 - 4pm Natural Dye Workshop (£40 per person)

I will also be running a workshop where you can learn how to create natural colour on wool. We’ll use natural dye plants gathered on the farm, plus fresh flowers from my Bristol garden to dye Fernhill wool yarns and scarves in a range of vibrant colours, using a variety of different natural dye techniques.

The workshop price includes either 50g of yarn to dye (in the form of 5 10g mini skeins), or a knitted scarf to dye which can be taken home to enjoy at the end of the workshop.

For more information and to book your place, visit Fernhill Farm’s website: https://fernhillfibre.co.uk/shop/ffibre-experience-workshops-21st-september-2024

Ria will be bringing her South West Colour Library project and other natural dye goodies to Fernhill Farm’s Fibre experience on March 16th.

Come to the farm where her wool comes from and immerse yourself in natural fibres, regenerative farming practices and new/old ideas!

The Fernhill Fibre Experience will showcase the Wonder of Wool, with displays of many British wool products, available for everyone to benefit from each and every day.

This one day event will continue to focus on the inclusion of many natural fibres alongside our wool harvesting systems, with a key focus on holistic agriculture. As well as talks and films focussed on reviving natural fibre industries, we will be discussing how to rehabilitate the land with animals grazing in rotation, conserving soils and enhancing biodiversity whilst harvesting replenishing resources that can benefit water, plant and mineral cycles.

2024 will see the newly refurbished Horseshoe Barns as the main hub, with traders, café, bar and relaxed seating situated around our nature pond. Talks and Films, Workshops and Farm Walks will also be available around the farm and fields throughout the day.

This is a continuation of our Farm Open Day, be held at Fernhill Farm during our Spring 2024 Blade Shearing season and will enable you to observe some of the top blade shearers in the Northern Hemisphere do their master craft and choose your fleece as it falls onto the boards in our 4 stand sheep shearing shed.

For more information visit the Fernhill Fibre website.

Studio Moving Sale!

Taking a break from knitwear means sadly giving up my studio, and therefore massively downsizing my equipment and yarn stash. Good news for the machine knitters and yarn crafters amongst you though, as I'm selling quite a lot of it!

I'm opening my studio for an in person sales on the afternoon of Jan 21st, selling knitting machines, machine accessories, samples and LOTS of yarn (for machine and hand knitting).

A list of machinery and equipment can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rTAjvGti-LDIBpLWeKYMdFOLNoBsVi6goArc7Ev_hSQ/edit?usp=sharing

Sunday 21st January

12pm-4pm

Estate of the Arts, South Liberty Lane, Bristol, BS3 2SG

Card and cash accepted - all sales are final

Please note that my studio is up one flight of stairs and there is no lift.

No parking available on site, but there is plenty of free on street parking available nearby. On arrival call the number on the gate or ring the doorbell to be let in.

Made in Bristol is the only Bristol market Ria will be doing in December - head to Bristol Beacon on Saturday 9th December for all your Christmas gift needs!

Find Ria in the new Lantern Hall at the recently renovated Bristol Beacon.

Bristol's annual showcase of local creativity & handmade gifts is back!

Once again up to 200 designer-makers from in and around Bristol will take over the foyer of Bristol Beacon this Christmas at our unique series of direct-selling extravaganzas.

https://www.madeinbristolshop.co.uk/giftfair

Find a curated selection of Ria’s knits alongside other talented makers at The Chuffed Store pop-up shop in Marylebone this festive season. Everything in the shop has been handcrafted in the British Isles.

20 Seymour Place, Marylebone, London, W1H 7NH

Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm

Late night shopping on Thursdays til 9pm

https://thechuffedstore.com/

Ria will be selling knits, kits and yarns at Windmill Hill Market on November 4th.

Windmill Hill Market showcases the very best of ethical designer makers from Bristol and beyond, with products made with care, love and the planet in mind.

The market is set within the City Farm itself, an amazing oasis in the heart of Bedminster.

The market takes place on the first Saturday of the month – April through to December 2023.

Address: Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4EA

https://www.bristolmarket.co.uk/windmill-hill-market/

Ria will be popping up at Bristol Textile Quarter on Saturday 30th September as part of their Open Studio event. BTQ was Ria’s first studio space so she’s excited to return and celebrate the space where her business began!

Come and see our studios and meet members

• Weaving, Knit and sewing demos

• Meet Make Mend workshop X SFW

• Products & samples for sale

• Displays of work from members of building

• Jacky Puzey studio open!

• Fibreshed displays

Ria will have her new season knitwear colours, books, yarns and dye supplies to sell, as well as dyeing demos and plants on display.

Our first online talk of the academic year will be from Ria Burns. Bristol based knitwear designer,  natural dyer and author will be joining us to talk about her work, her book ‘Dyeing Yarn Naturally’ and her passion for making garments that are sourced as locally as possible.

‘Dyeing Yarn Naturally’ is the debut book by Ria Burns, published in April by The Crowood Press. It’s a step-by-step guide to dyeing yarn from start to finish, aimed to be accessible, informative but also inspirational. It’s the culmination of years of research and creative experimentation into natural dye plants and their wide spectrum of colours that Ria has undertaken in order to create bright, long lasting shades for her knitwear brand.

As well as talking through her book Ria will give an insight into her wider practice and explain why and how she has chosen to work in a hyper local way, sourcing wool from a local farm and growing the majority of the dye plants in her back garden. Ria works in fashion, but follows a plant-led, rather than trend-led approach to design.

If you’re interested in making in a sustainable way or wanting to know about the natural dye process or even starting your own dye garden, this talk is going to be a wealth of information. We look forward to seeing you in the audience online.

Book your ticket here: https://theloomshed.com/calendar-event/ria-burns-dyeing-yarn-naturally/

Ria is looking forward to a sunny summer edition of the Frome Independent market. She’ll have her book, kits, yarns and dye supplies for sale.

Find her in the suitcase sale on The bridge (not Catherine Hill!)

For more info visit the Frome Independent website: https://thefromeindependent.org.uk/

Ria will be opening her new studio as part of Estate of the Arts’ Spring Fair.

Have a nosey at her workspace and learn more about natural dyeing and machine knitting. Ria will have naturally dyed yarns, kits, plants and her new book for sale.

Note that the event is two days, but her studio will only be open on the Saturday.

Our South Bristol arts Industrial estate will be open for all to explore! Artists and makers nestled around every corner of our rabbit warren of spaces; from ceramics to sign-writing, fresh cakes to clothing in the market and live music on our stage all day long.

BUS:
24, 75, 76

TRAIN:
Parsons Street is just next door

CYCLE: 20 mins from Centre

CAR: Limited parking in our car park opposite. Please car share.

https://www.facebook.com/events/583973387003193/583973397003192

Ria’s debut book ‘Dyeing Yarn Naturally’ has just been published by The Crowood Press.

To celebrate, we’re having a launch party at No Frills Knitting, and you’re all invited!

Meet the author, buy the book and get it signed! See the colourful yarn samples Ria created in the making of the book, plus learn more about the plants that made them.

Free glass of fizz (alcoholic or non) on arrival.

Entry is free but please RSVP via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dyeing-yarn-naturally-book-launch-party-tickets-620530662917

As part of the Fibreshed exhibition programme at New Brewery Arts, in Cirencester, Ria will be giving a talk and Q+A about her practice.

Soil-to-Soil: A Regenerative Approach to Designing Knitwear

Ria is a knitwear designer whose efforts to develop fully traceable and sustainable knitwear have led to her developing a holistic, soil to soil approach to design and making. From sourcing her wool as locally as possible, to becoming an accidental horticulturalist by growing her own plants for natural dyeing, to designing zero waste garments to be cherished, looked after and passed on; in this talk she will take you through her journey, showcase her work and provide some practical tips on sustainable knitwear making.

Tickets £8. Book here: https://www.newbreweryarts.org.uk/ria-burns-fibreshed-talk

Ria will be at to The Frome Independent Market on Sunday 4th December with a selection of naturally dyed knitwear and accessories, along with yarn and kits.

Find her on Catherine Hill in the suitcase sale section.

Ria will be at to The Frome Independent Market on Sunday 4th December with a selection of naturally dyed knitwear and accessories, along with yarn and kits.

Find her on Catherine Hill in the suitcase sale section.

Ria will be at to The Frome Independent Market on Sunday 6th November with a selection of naturally dyed knitwear and accessories, along with yarn and kits.

Find her on Catherine Hill in the suitcase sale section.

Ria will be returning to The Frome Independent Market on Sunday 2nd October.

Find her on Catherine Hill in the suitcase sale section.

Jennifer Hunter from Fernhill Fibres and member of the South West England Fibreshed organisation discusses her regenerative farming and fibre practices and life with 3000 Shetland-cross sheep.

Bookings: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jennifer-hunter-fernhill-fibre-tickets-414218116537

Regenerative ‘Wool Market’ with Woodchester House Yarns, Fernhill Fibres, Botanical Inks, Ria Burns Knitwear, Louise Amelia Phelps & more

Ria will be giving a talk about her knitwear practice at Fibre Quest at Fernhill Farm on Sunday 19th March at 2pm.

https://www.facebook.com/events/626681488615575

Soil to soil: a sustainable approach to designing knitwear

Ria is a knitwear designer whose efforts to develop fully traceable and sustainable knitwear have led to her developing a holistic, soil to soil approach to design and making.

 

From sourcing her wool as locally as possible, to becoming an accidental horticulturalist by growing her own plants for natural dyeing, to designing zero waste garments to be cherished, looked after and passed on; in this talk she will take you through her journey, showcase her work and provide some practical tips on sustainable knitwear making.