Crafts Alive and in Bloom at Rodmarton Manor
This September, the Gloucestershire countryside will be in full bloom — not only with late summer flowers, but with craft, colour and creativity. From 10–14 September 2025, the Gloucestershire Guild presents the fourth edition of its much-loved festival, Crafts Alive – Flowers and the Maker, transforming Rodmarton Manor into a living gallery where historic architecture and contemporary craft entwine.
Rodmarton is no ordinary backdrop. Built by Ernest Barnsley between 1909 and 1929, it remains one of Britain’s finest Arts and Crafts houses — a home conceived as a community project, shaped by local hands, and steeped in the ideals of the movement. This year’s floral theme reaches back to a charming discovery: a 1972 recording of Mary Biddulph recalling the manor’s first flower festival, organised to raise funds for the village church.
Devoré robes by Liz Lippiatt
The textile line-up is remarkably diverse. Alison Dupernex’s sculptural felt and silk garments unite Donegal tweed with fine silk in “cobbles in a myriad of colours,” while Helen Foot’s Rebellious Nostalgia scarves fuse traditional patchwork with bold geometry — techniques that have already attracted Paul Smith and Alexander McQueen. Embroidery also takes centre stage: Jan Knibbs’ award-winning “Poembroidery” wallhangings have evolved into bridal wear, and Louise Watson captures the quiet rhythms of the countryside in delicate hand stitch. Painterly screen-printed scarves and garments by Jenny Bicât eschew digital technology in favour of hand-drawn expression, while Liz Lippiatt continues Gloucestershire’s cloth-making heritage with devoré velvets “like beaten gold.”
Knitted textile artwork from a series inspired by icons and artefacts by Sue Bradley
The weaving tradition is represented across generations. Sarah Beadsmoore has spent four decades finding joy in the “basic simplicity” of warp and weft, while Rhian Wyman’s contemporary designs are rooted in the Royal Forest of Dean. Sue Bradley’s experimental knitwear, shaped by her research into historical costume and worn by houses such as Missoni and Shrimps, sits alongside Anna Newton’s digitally printed silks that bridge graphic design and textile art.
Jessie James - Garden floral pink and red small mini tufted rug.
Beyond traditional textiles, Crafts Alive embraces innovation. Cate Fox turns her background in fashion textiles into embroidered pictures alive with mirrored glass, foils and wire; Jessie James creates hand-tufted rugs as “functional floor art” in sustainably sourced wool; Kathryn Clarke celebrates the natural imperfections of sheepskin in her Stroud-made garments; and Louise Pocock combines millinery with textile flora in sculptural works that feel especially apt for this year’s floral theme.
A suspended floral tapestry by Emma Thistlethwaite will transform a William Morris’s inspired designs into a living 3D installation at Rodmarton Manor.
Since its launch in 2018, Crafts Alive has grown into a much-anticipated biennial event. Festivals in 2021 and 2023 confirmed the enduring appeal of experiencing contemporary craft in Rodmarton’s historic rooms — spaces that echo with the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement: respect for materials, environmental consciousness, and the social value of well-made objects.
With original works for sale, demonstrations and workshops to take part in, and talks set within the manor’s domestic rooms, Crafts Alive offers visitors a rare chance to encounter today’s makers in direct conversation with the past.
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Further Information:
Crafts Alive at Rodmarton Manor is on from 10 – 14 September 2025.
Tickets available HERE
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Image Credits:
LEAD: Louise Watson Embroidery - Allotment Garden.
All other images as credited in photo captions.