Make a traditional Cumbrian Mell Doll Harvest Trophy with Penny Maltby. On- line workshop Thursday 1st October 6.30 pm –8.30 pm
Celebrate and learn more about the festival and customs of
harvest.
Join Penny Maltby for an online event to celebrate the Autumn harvest and mark the upcoming Apple Day on 21st October. Learn about harvest customs and corn dollies. There will be a short talk in advance of having a go using heritage wheat straw and make
your very own Cumbrian Mell Doll Harvest Trophy.
Are you planning an apple day celebration of harvest home
supper? Perhaps you are craft curious, enjoy working with natural materials,
marking the seasons or would like to take your first steps into straw plaiting
then this fun online workshop is for you.
Great Northern Contemporaray Craft Fair
Date: 16th - 18th october
Venue: Victoria Baths, Manchester
What is Precious 17th August - 3rd October
My straw work will feature in a new edition of Design-Nation's touring exhibition, which challenges our perceptions of material value through the lens of sustainability and contemporary craft.
What is Precious? was developed through Design-Nation’s Sustainability and Ethical Practice group, established in 2021 to explore issues of sustainability, ethics and environmental responsibility within contemporary craft and design.
Creative Industries Trafford is working with Design-Nation to produce a third iteration of its successful exhibition, bringing together a curated selection of Design-Nation members, whose practices explore the idea of perceived material value. Centred around recycling and repurposing, the exhibition looks to question what we as humans value in a throw away society and start to change the conversation.
Design-Nation is one of the UK's leading organisations dedicated to supporting contemporary craft and design.
Hat Plaiting Demonstration on Sunday 4th October
Come along to the Chiltern Open Air Museum where I will be demonstrating straw hat plaiting techniques.
Autumn Fair at the Botanic Gardens
Harcourt Arboretum Autumn Fair
Saturday 24th October 2026 | 10am - 4pm (Last entry 3pm)
Harcourt Arboretum, Peacock Gate, Nuneham Courtenay, Oxfordshire, OX44 9PX
Celebrate autumn at Harcourt Arboretum with a family-friendly day of discovery, crafts, food and seasonal wonder. Explore our colourful woodland, meet local makers, and enjoy hands-on activities that inspire a deeper connection with nature.
Yattendon Winter Market 2026 Modern Makers Collective is delighted to announce our 7th annual Yattendon Winter Market:
Traditional Skills, Contemporary Designs, taking place on 14+15 November. The village hall will once again transform into a vibrant showcase of work by 24 exceptional artists, designers, and craftspeople.
Nov 15, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tickets £3
The entrance fee will help to raise funds for Yattendon Village Primary School
Yattendon Village Hall, Church Ln, Yattendon, Thatcham RG18 0UE, UK
HUMBLE COUNTRY CHRISTMAS MARKET at West Wycombe Walled Garden27, 28 & 29 November 2026
A brand new late night shopping evening will kick-off this year’s event from 4-8pm on Friday 27 November. Join us at dusk for a truly warm festive welcome & the perfect chance to find all your Christmas presents under one cosy roof! Watch this space for more details of this exclusive shopping evening – come with friends and soak up the first chance to shop the stalls & the best time to snap up some special offers!
(More details coming soon….tickets will be limited and will go on sale from July & will include your complimentary glass of mulled wine on arrival!)
The wonderful festive atmosphere will continue all weekend with the Christmas Market open on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November from 10.30am – 4.30pm daily.
FREE ENTRY for visitors all weekend and plentiful car parking.
Make a folk angel with Penny Maltby Friday 4th December 2026 - 10:00 to 16:00
Kelmscott Manor
Kick off Christmas at Kelmscott Manor with one of our festive craft workshops. Join Penny Maltby for a day of creativity with straw and make a Straw Folk Angel with fabric accents to decorate your home, give as a gift or use as a tree topper.
The day will also include making some fun small straw adornments to hang on the tree or adorn a handle or mantlepiece.
Some manual dexterity is required for this workshop, and it is suitable for beginners, those who have worked with straw before and anyone with an interest in craft and working with natural materials.
£95 per person.
Previous events
Previous events 2026
Oxfordshire Arts and Crafts Summer school - 3 day bookmaking and 1 day straw plaiting
Modern Makers Summer School - make a folklore crown
Harcourt Arboretum - drop in family event
Oxford Botanic Gardens -make a corn dolly
2025
Church Farm, Sunningwell Christmas Fair. Beautiful and Useful Craft Fair. Modern Makers Winter Market, Yattenden. Oxford Esty Christmas Market.
New Carnival, Isle of Wight - straw masterclass
New Brewery Arts drop in straw workshop as part of the Cirencester History festival. Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair.
Modern Makers Collective Summer School - Make a Decorative straw folk chandelier.
Oxford Summer School - Creative bookmaking and straw work.
Drop in family events at Harcourt Arboretum, Pitt Rivers Museum
2024 Past Events
Church Farm Christmas in the Barn. Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. Sandy Lane Farm Market. Milton Cotswold Market. Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. Modern Makers Winter Market. Made by Hand: Heritage Crafts and Skills at the Weald and Downland Museum. Harvest Knot workshop, Kelmscott Manor.Urban Village Festival. Oxford Harcourt Arboretum Spring Fair - drop in straw workshops.
‘Remembering the Past: Creating The Future’ Studio Neath.
Edgelands, Prism Textiles
2023
Straw Skills workshops at various locations across the year including Oxford Summer School, Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxfordshire Basket Makers, private events and commissions.
2022
‘Straw Skills Workshops’ - through 2022: contact pennymaltbymaker@gmail.com for themes and dates.
‘I am a work in progress’ at The Constance Howard Gallery, Goldsmiths University, 7th February - 25th March 2022
Associate Artist on “I am a work in progress” / The art of living with(out) drugs. This is a collaboration between a researcher, two artists, Isla Miller and Penny Maltby, and seven research participants. It forms part of an early-career research project led by Dr Fay Dennis and funded by the Wellcome Trust entitled ‘Mapping bodies and care practices: Making people who use drugs matter’
2021
In Search of Possibilities’ 21st - 31st October 2021, Prism Group Textiles Exhibition, The Art Pavilion, Mile End, London E3 4QY
‘Straw Skills Workshops’ - including corn dollies, Julbock (Swedish Christmas goat) - public and corporate (June - December 2021)
2020
Contributor to ‘Out of the Blue’ by Susan Aldworth, part of the ‘Illuminating the Self' Exhibition at The Hatton Gallery, Newcastle. 18th Jan to 9th May 2020
Link to notes from some of the 100 embroiderers who contributed to the project.
2019
‘AA2A Exhibition’, End of residency exhibition at Bucks New Uni, High Wycombe. Part of the Artists Access to Art Schools residency Scheme.
2018
‘Our Place’, The Gallery, The Old Fire Station, 40 George Street, Oxford.
'The Art of Labor' Selected artist ,San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, California 95113, USA.
'In My Hands' Solo exhibition Magdalen Road Studios, Oxford.
Prism Textiles 'Transient' Hoxton Arches, Arch 402. Cremer Street, London E2 8HD
'Processions' Selected Associate Artist to work with Modern Art Oxford to create a banner commissioned by The Artichoke Trust for PROCESSION on June 10th 2018
2017
'We Made This' , Pop up Exhibition, The Haven,Church Lane, Banbury May, 2017, Graduate Exhibition
2016
'Third Space' - OVADA, Oxford July 1- 17, 2016, group exhibition.
'Artopology', The Adavo Collection, Pitt Rivers Museum ,one day pop up group exhibition in conjunction with Ovada.
2015
'Thinking/making, Does making help creative thinking?' Curious Projects Gallery, Eastbourne.Selected exhibition.
‘Milking the Dairy Industry’ Castle Quay, Banbury, group exhibition.
'Reinventing Research, The messy process' The Glass Tank, Oxford Brookes University, April 21-May 1 2015. Selected exhibition
'BABE' Arnolfini Centre for Contemporary Arts, Bristol.
2014
‘Visualising the Invisible' Castle Quay, Pop-up Exhibition, Banbury.
2012
Windsor School of Textile Arts Summer Show
PUBLICATIONS
Bookmarks Project, XIII, XIV, XV. (2015-2017) in conjunction with UWE
Artists Book Yearbook 2016-17
biennial reference publication focusing on international activity in the field of book art .
Memberships
Heritage Crafts, Oxfordshire Basketmakers, Basketmakers Association, Guild of Strawcraftsmen,
Selected Memberships
2024 - Design Nation 2017 - Prism Textiles.
