Learn to make a rag rug with Kath Evans at Audlem Mill

Join tutor Kath Evans of the Waterways Craft Guild for this one day course in rag rugging. During the day Kath will guide you through the basic methods of rag rug making, including the different materials and tools used for the various techniques.

You will need to bring T-shirts or other materials to cut up into strips to make your rug.

The course costs £50 for the day and this includes lunch and refreshments during the day.

The course starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm.

Tutor: Kath Evans (Waterways Craft Guild)

Audlem Mill is situated on the Shropshire Union Canal in Cheshire. The Mill, known locally as Kingbur Mill, was built around 1916 (rather later than most early industrial buildings served by canal) for the miller H Kingsley Burton. It was always a corn and animal feed mill, and was operated by him and then his son John Burton until the mid 1960s, when it was sold to another local miller, but it closed a few years later.

Soon after, the top floor was converted into living accommodation, and the lower floors became the canal shop. This work was all done by John Stothert, who ran the shop until he retired in 2006. The single storey extension at the rear, which housed the original Crossley oil engine which operated the mill via belts, rods and pulleys, is now used by British Waterways for canal maintenance purposes. Much of the other internal mill fittings, such as the hoppers and chutes, still survive, and are incorporated into the shop.

Over the years, the business has become one of the best-known shops on the canal system. The new owners will continue in this fine tradition.

The ground floor has gifts, canal guides and books set amongst the hoppers and chutes of the mill building. You will find gifts for all the family for most occasions, as well as canal souvenirs and gifts, and one of the best selections of canal books in the country. There are also original canal paintings, from both established and lesser known waterway artists, and other works from local artists.

The first floor is dedicated to a wide variety of needlework and related crafts, with kits (e.g. cross stitch, tapestry), a small selection of fabrics for the various crafts, specialist tools, the full ranges of DMC and Anchor embroidery threads, Anchor tapestry wool, specialist threads and many other needlework and haberdashery items.

Our needlework and craft courses run from October to April, covering a wide range of skills, including cross stitch, canal bonnets, crochet, bobbin lace, boat fender making, rag rugging and knitting.