The Creative Dimension Trust - Summer 2026: Historical Plant Hunter Puppet Making

This five-day, in-person summer workshop runs from Monday 10 August to Friday 14 August 2026 at the Garrison Chapel, Chelsea Barracks, London. Students will make a one-third scale soft puppet representing a 17th-19th century plant hunter or botanist, working from historical images and scaled-down costume patterns.

The course covers turning 2D images into 3D forms, cutting and stitching a felt body, creating articulated joints, stitching facial portraits in thread, constructing period hairstyles from varied materials, and making toiles to explore shape and fit. All materials and base patterns are provided.

The workshop is tutored by Susie Vickery, a theatrical costumier with over twenty years' experience (Royal Shakespeare Company, English National Opera, Royal National Theatre). Sessions run from 10:00 to approximately 16:30 each day.

The programme also includes discussion of historical costume and pattern scaling, and highlights transferable skills relevant to careers such as theatre design, costume design, fashion design, art conservation, and related creative pathways. The workshop is fully funded by sponsors and offers 12 places.

Applicants should be able to attend every day, meet the eligibility criteria, and submit an application by the stated deadline. If the workshop becomes oversubscribed applications may close early.