Wearable Joy – Mindful Brooch Making for Wellbeing

Join Bath-based textile artist and Bath Spa University Teaching Fellow Emma Reichenbach for a gentle, hands-on brooch-making workshop using vintage buttons, fabrics, ribbons, beads and sequins.

This relaxed session combines creativity with wellbeing: you’ll slow down, work with your hands and design a small, wearable artwork that reflects your own style and mood. Emma will introduce simple brooch-making techniques, then guide you through choosing and assembling your own combination of colours, textures and shapes.

Making by hand is a simple but powerful way to support mental wellbeing – the rhythmic actions of stitching, pinning and arranging materials can help quiet racing thoughts, ease stress and bring you back into the present moment. Designing something you can wear also creates a personal “talisman”: a small reminder that you are creative, capable and allowed to take time for yourself.

You’ll have access to Emma’s extensive archive of fabrics, buttons, ribbons, acrylics and embellishments, so your brooch can be as subtle or as bold as you like. Whether you’re an experienced maker or completely new to jewellery-making, this workshop is about enjoying the process, connecting with others and discovering how creativity can support everyday wellbeing.

By the end of the two-hour session, you’ll leave with a finished, ready-to-wear brooch. All materials are included in the workshop price, and light refreshments will be provided.

This workshop is suitable for ages 16+ and requires no previous art experience.

Emma is a practising textile artist with over 25 years’ experience in fashion and interior textiles. A passionate collector of vintage trimmings and internationally sourced materials, she enjoys sharing her expertise, collections and love of making with others.