Abigail Wastie

Delighted to announce the next Ethical Atelier will be at Electric Daisy 🌼 🎉 shopping sustainable in the urban jungle 🍃 with beautiful craftspeople, local makers and vintage sellers. Tickets are £5 which includes entry to including panel discussions- pre book essential and booking link in stories. ♥️ Please share and help us spread the word and make ethical shopping more accessible together 🙏

The Ethical Atelier stalls, makers, speakers and artists workshop all announced 🤸 🎉 🇬🇧 👗 Pre book tickets essential £5 on stories link. Saturday 9th of May 10-3 at Electric Daisy 🌼

The biggest thank you to all who came to The Ethical Atelier yesterday 🌞 over 500 of you came to celebrate and discuss sustainable fashion. It was so heartwarming to see to see so many people lingering to speak to pannelists and chat more with friends over a 🍻 about how they could shift habits in their own life to create a more meaningful, harmonious wardrobe/business/lifestyle. And loved how busy the creative areas were 🎉 🎨 🍃 My main takeaway was the pivotal role community has in a joyful wardrobe- what was your main takeaway?! Special thank you @electricdaisyderby and Connor for being ace hosts, @the_elephant_in_my_wardrobe for persevering with nightmare 🚂, Robyn and @laura_emi1y for being the best team ✨ @thebigswapevents Zoe for keeping the conversation community and inclusive focussed, @___cyanamber for bringing the best colour creative vibes 🌈 . And all the mega gifted stall holders @anna.linz.rocks.sparkles @jessica.lewis__ @isabellepenningtonedmead @annag_styling for gorgeous styling, @stitch_galore @ivyrosechildrensclothes @re.circulate @studi0fox @thefindvintagederbyshire and @janomeuk for sponsoring the amazing giveaway! 🧵and @mattball.uk for gorgeous pics!

Is all this shopping making us happy? Research from ReLondon revealed that the average Londoner bought 48 new items of clothing in 2019 and binned or donated 44 items of clothing to charity….. and that doesn’t even include clothes they bought secondhand or clothes they resold so the numbers could be far higher? Another study last year suggested that although Brits spend £44 billion on clothes, shoes and accessories each year over half of us struggle with our own style and lack confidence when choosing new clothes… But is all this shopping and wardrobe churning actually making us happier? That’s the question I’ll be exploring with Abi @threadoflife and Zoe @thebigswapevents at The Ethical Atelier in Derby this Saturday…. We’ll be discussing whether learning to buy less new stuff, sharing, swapping or shopping secondhand first, alongside restyling, rewearing and repairing more what we already own might be better for our health, our happiness and our bank accounts… What do you think? Is all this shopping really making us happier?

🌱This Saturday I shared #Flax grown in my front garden in #riddings with visitors at the Wilmot Community Centre in #heanor Throughout the day we cracked, wiggled and pulled apart retted flax stems to reveal the fibres hidden inside. Visitors made cordage, handled flax at different stages and took away seeds to grow themselves. 🍃Alongside the hands on activities, I joined the expert panel discussion exploring Future Fibres, sustainability, heritage and making alongside Richard Benfield of @britishwool 🌿The event also included screenings of @nettledressfilm opening wider conversations around plant fibres, labour and slow textile processes. 🍀It was wonderful to have Derbyshire spinner Sandra Maycock spinning flax live during the event, helping visitors understand another stage of the journey from plant to fibre, and to see young people from @heanorgatesa joining the conversations throughout the day. 🌾What interests me most is how quickly flax changes conversations. People begin with curiosity about a plant, then suddenly we are talking about industry, cloth, memory, soil, climate and making by hand. 🌻At the centre of my practice is a growing interest in civic pride, how shared making, overlooked histories and local materials can help people reconnect with place and see value in where they live through #CommunityArt and ParticipatoryArt. ⚘️Huge thanks to @threadoflife , my fibre partner in crime, the fibre splattered Batman and Robin duo of sustainability, plant and animal fibres, and public conversations. 🌼Thank you also to local councillor Paul Jones, @we_are_makeshift , @derbyuni , @claire_tymon_local , @milly.melbourne and everyone involved in supporting and encouraging the event. 🌸I’ll be continuing these conversations at @derbyshiremakes in Bolsover on Friday 16 May with @platformthirty1 and @junctionartsuk . 🌱Historically, 20 May was associated with flax sowing, so if you took home seeds from the event, this is your sign to plant them and become part of the next stage of the story. Photo: Ray Grumbley @artsderbyshire @cvaneastmidlands #vaaworkingartist @linsey_farnsworth.mp @aceagrams @britishtextilebiennial

Is fashions future rooted in its past? 🍃 🐑 🧶 Join us today as we unpack this topic today in Heanor Wilmot community centre after the Nettle Dress film screening at 3pm and 7pm. Panellists include; 🐑 Richard Spencer 4th generation sheep farmer and @britishwool rep. 🍃 Artist and avid flax grower @amandaharantextileartist 📏 Tim Clark Technical Director at @johnsmedleyknitwear 🧶 Laura Collier fashion knitwear product developer 👩‍🎓 @heanorgatesa students who partook in the Sustainable School Uniform Project ✂️ facilated by @threadoflife Textile Artist and Activist

✨ Derbyshire Makes – Heanor: Final Week Update! ✨ As we reached our final week before the Derbyshire Makes Festival, it truly was a fantastic session! 🌿🧵 Firstly, we would like to extend a huge thank you to Abigail Wastie and Jan Bradshaw; without your support, our students would not have had this very special opportunity. Your guidance, enthusiasm and expertise have been invaluable throughout, and you’ve made such an impact that our students are already asking for a weekly sewing group! ✨ With the festival taking place across Heanor Market, Infinite Wellbeing and Wilmot Community Centre, excitement is definitely building! This week, our students welcomed a very special visitor — Richard Spencer, an incredibly knowledgeable 4th generation sheep farmer, board member for British Wool (English Central), and passionate advocate for British wool 🐑 Students really enjoyed speaking with him and deepening their understanding of: 🐑 The history of British wool 🧶 Its value within the UK 🌍 The many uses and benefits of this natural, sustainable fibre 🔄 The full process — from the farm right through to the finished market To round off the project, students completed their skirts — ready for display at the Derbyshire Makes Festival this Saturday! 👗✨ We are so proud of everything they have achieved over the past few weeks and can’t wait to see their work showcased to the community 🌟 🌿 As part of the Festival you will be able to step into a special afternoon exploring natural fibres with artists Abi Wastie and Amanda Haran – bringing together ancient threads, hand crafts, gentle stories and powerful conversations about the past, present and future of making in Derbyshire, including screenings of the award-winning The Nettle Dress and panel discussions with local makers and growers. You can book on to the free 7pm screening of The Nettle Dress using this link /e/the-nettle-dress-film-screening-panel-discussion-hosted-by-abigail-wastie-tickets-1985129103587?aff=oddtdtcreator @threadoflife Abigail Wastie @infinite_wellbeing_cic Infinite Wellbeing @Derbyshire Makes @derbyshiremakes

Is fashion making us happier? Explore this topic and surrounding questions with us in person at the next Ethical Atelier on Saturday the 9th of May in Derby. What do you think?! Slide #2 from @theseagull and @ukftorg Slide #3 from @commonsearth Slide #4 from Fortune Business insight Slide #5 from @patrickgrantism book LESS Slide #6 from @relondon_circularchamps

✨ Derbyshire Makes – Heanor: Week 4 Update - Sustainable Uniform Project! ✨ Back at it last night and making fantastic progress! 🌿🧵 Our Sixth Form students continued assembling their skirts, focusing on key finishing techniques: 🧵 Completing top stitch pleats ✂️ Overlocking seams for a professional finish 📏 Attaching waistbands with growing confidence It’s been brilliant to see their skills really coming together as their garments take shape! Emma from Coral and Stone Photographers captured such wonderful images of our students at work and our Year 7 student, Daisy, who kindly modelled one of the skirts 📸👗✨ Such an amazing session — we are so proud of the continued progress of our students and can’t wait to see their final pieces come together! 🌟 None of this would be possible without the wonderful Abi at @threadoflife @Abigail Wastie and Jan Bradshaw. Many thanks also go to @coralandstonephotography @Coral and Stone Photography @derbyshiremakes Derbyshire Makes Please support this event on Saturday, 2nd May 2026, from 11am to 4pm if you are able to. There’s a fantastic programme of activities taking place at Heanor Market Place, Wilmott Street Community Centre, and Infinite Wellbeing @infinite_wellbeing_cic Infinite Wellbeing

✨ Derbyshire Makes – Heanor: Week 3 Update! ✨ Our Sixth Form students were back in the workshop today, continuing their sustainable fashion journey after the half term break! 🌿🧵 This week marked an exciting milestone as they began assembling their skirts, putting all the skills they developed into practice. During the session, students focused on: 🧵 Applying previous sewing techniques with growing confidence 📏 Carefully constructing and aligning their pieces ✨ Building independence as they bring their designs to life We even had a special visit — Mr Oakley decided to pop by for a quick lesson on the overlocker too! 👏 It’s been fantastic to see how much progress they’ve made — their confidence, precision and creativity are really starting to shine through in their work! We are so proud of their dedication and can’t wait to see their finished garments ready for the showcase on 2nd May 2026. 👗✨

The Nettle Dress film is coming to Heanor Derbyshire 🎥 🍃 a stunning award winning film of a husbands textile journey processing the grief of his wife’s bereavement by making a dress entirely made from nettles🤍 As part of a fiber filled day at Heanor with; 🧺 Beneath our Feet flax exhibition and flax basket drop in workshops with @amandaharantextileartist who will have you growing flax in your driveway before you know it! 🍃 Panel discussions unpacking “is Fibres future rooted in its past” with panelists including Derbyshire Sheep farmers and @britishwool board member, UK luxury knit fashion designer, Amanda Haran and hosted by me Abigail Wastie. 🍃 @heanorgatesa students Sustainable uniform project on display, where they created their own collection of British Wool school skirts made by them ✂️ 🐑 With two film screenings at 3pm and 7pm and panel discussions afterwards and family friendly creative workshops beforehand, free to attend and booking highly recommended, link in our bios. 🍃 As part of wider creative packed day at Heanor @derbyshiremakes with creative activities for all from 10am. All made possible by the supoort of @we_are_makeshift 🫶🏻

✨ Derbyshire Makes – Heanor: Week 2 Update! ✨ The creativity continued this week as our Sixth Form students levelled up their garment-making skills! This session they learned how to: 🔥 Safely use irons for pressing and shaping seams 🧵 Thread and confidently use sewing machines 🪡 Safely operate the overlockers 📏 Press, stitch and finish their pieces with growing independence It’s been fantastic to see their confidence building as they move from preparation to construction — the room was full of focus, teamwork and determination! Every stitch brings them one step closer to their sustainable uniform designs for the showcase on 2nd May 2026 — and we are so proud of their progress already. 🌿✨ Thank you to Abigail Wastie @threadoflife and Jan Bradshaw for continuing to inspire and guide our future designers! #DerbyshireMakes #SixthFormSkills #SustainableFashion #FutureDesigners #CreativeConfidence