Dovecot Studios is a proud supporter of Garvald Edinburgh, a local charity that offers practical and creative opportunities for adults with learning disabilities. They provide a range of activities across five locations, where Garvald members can build relationships and learn new creative, social and practical skills alongside highly qualified staff support members. Alongside making beautiful, handcrafted products, the members develop skills and receive recognition for their work.
Garvald Makers create hand-carved bobbins for Dovecot, made from offcuts from their large projects. Each bobbin is hand-cut, shaped, and finished at their Georgie workshop and have been used to weave and beat down the weft woven through the tapestry warps of every single project at Dovecot since 2017. When browsing in the Dovecot shop, you can find some of the Garvald bobbins for sale alongside beautiful handwoven scarves, purses, cushions, and blankets crafted by the textile makers.
As part of our Festive Night, Dovecot is delighted to be welcoming the makers from Garvald to showcase a selection of their handcrafted, fine-quality art and crafts made by their members. Their products range from special and unique ceramics, glass work, jewellery, textiles, crafted wooden items, and original art. Every purchase supports Garvald members to make, create, and develop their potential.
"Dovecot Studios has a longstanding relationship with Garvald with our shop selling their expertly produced wooden bobbins for a number of years. We introduced a Garvald Textiles collection to our Shop last Christmas with great success. Having had the privilege to see some of the amazing work being produced in person, I knew that our customers would love the beautiful, locally crafted products. We have a fantastic, collaborative relationship with the Garvald Textiles team; their summer Textile collection was inspired by the work of Kaffe Fassett and sat beautifully alongside 'The Power of Pattern' exhibition itself. We are delighted to host the Garvald Textiles team on our Festive Night within our shop and are looking forward to introducing their seasonal collection to our wonderful customers!"
- Zoe McWhinnie, Dovecot Studios Commercial Manager
Book tickets for our Festive Night at Dovecot and enjoy a complimentary glass of fizz while creating festive decorative pompoms on the spectacular Tapestry Balcony. Our expert curator, Ben Reiss, will be on hand to give you a guided tour of our exhibition, Scottish Women Artists: 250 Years of Challenging Perception, and an insight into the current artworks and projects on the Weaving Floor. Plus, there will be 10% off purchases in the Dovecot Gift Shop, alongside lots of other special winter offers - An evening not to be missed!
Visit the Garvald Edinburgh website to find out more!
Registered Scottish Charity SC014228