Do you want to help create a more positive and inspiring world?
Bring your own piece of clothing and decorate it with a patch of your choice in vibrant, inspiring colours. Add beads, sequins, and other materials to make it truly your own.
The patches feature imagery related to joy, love, or social issues such as racism, allowing you to express a positive message to the world through your clothes.
You will go home with your own customized and decorated garment.
Bas Kosters works as an artist and designer with passion and compassion at the heart of everything he does. Through social engagement, he creates imaginative worlds filled with exuberant, provocative, and tender characters. Determination and enthusiasm are key traits that define his diverse body of work. With a deep love for textiles and paper, he celebrates and communicates personal and societal issues he finds important. Using recycled fabrics, he playfully transforms materials into new artworks and garments that are unmistakably his.
Surrounded by humour and bold messages, his work expresses emotions that might otherwise be hard to face. His fascination with characters, identity, and even eroticism results in a sometimes raw and layered reality where multiple perspectives vie for attention. His storytelling unfolds through tapestries, dolls, sets, glass objects, drawings, paintings, and ceramics.
Welcome to the world of Bas Kosters.
Practical Information
Portret door Marc Deurloo
Get introduced to circular knitting!
Using two colours of your choice, you will work with circular needles to create a cozy neck warmer for chilly days. You will select motifs from traditional Norwegian knitting patterns. Some prior knitting experience is required.
You will go home with your own knitted project (in progress).
Margit Seland is a Norwegian artist and textile craft educator. She studied art at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and lived and worked in Amsterdam for 24 years. She currently resides in Trondheim, Norway. In recent years, her artistic practice has focused primarily on working with various textile materials.
Old sails, weathered by years of sun, sea, and salt, are among her favourite materials. She transforms them into sculptural objects using folding, embroidery, and knots. She also collects old rope and fishing nets that wash up along the coast, repurposing them into large wall hangings as a reflection on a major issue in our society: with every ebb and flow, more material washes ashore.
Practical information
Knitting brings a sense of calm, creativity, and coziness. It’s the perfect mindfulness exercise.
Discover how easy, fun, and addictive knitting can be by learning a few basic techniques. You’ll learn how to cast on, use the knit stitch, and bind off, all while making a stylish headband in a yarn color of your choice. Yarn and needles are provided, along with a darning needle and the knitting pattern — all of which you can take home to keep knitting!
Alice O’Connell is an English knitting teacher who moved from London to Amsterdam 12 years ago. She has been teaching people from around the world since 2005, shortly after becoming addicted to knitting herself. On her website, she offers (online) beginner classes. In addition to teaching, Alice runs her knitting labels Wool & Water and Wool & Whiskers.
Practical Information
The workshop is taught in English
Price includes all materials and VAT
In this weaving workshop for adults, you will create a cover for a plant pot, perfect for plant lovers!
You will go home with your own handmade creation.
Julia Woch (1996, Poland) is an artist and weaver based in Amsterdam. She has a background in architecture (Bachelor at the Cracow University of Technology, master’s in interior architecture research at the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam), with a focus on artistic and architectural illustration.
Julia explores and experiments with strategies for feminist spatial design and community building. Her greatest ambition is to combine the disciplines of weaving and spatial planning to practice art and craft in an integrated way. She teaches weaving workshops to both children and adults.
Practical Information
In this weaving workshop for children aged 6 to 12, you will be introduced to a simple weaving technique, working on wooden animal-shaped looms.
You will go home with your own handmade creation.
Julia Woch (1996, Poland) is an artist and weaver based in Amsterdam. She has a background in architecture (Bachelor at the Cracow University of Technology, master’s in interior architecture research at the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam), with a focus on artistic and architectural illustration.
Julia explores and experiments with strategies for feminist spatial design and community building. Her greatest ambition is to combine the disciplines of weaving and spatial planning to practice art and craft in an integrated way. She teaches weaving workshops to both children and adults.
Practical Information
In this workshop, you will embroider a small sock on Aida fabric using traditional darning patterns.
You will learn the technique of decorative darning and discover how to use colour and rhythm to create a beautiful little piece.
You’ll go home with a uniquely embroidered sock and a new skill.
Embroidery is an ancient craft technique that uses needle and thread to add beautiful patterns, text, or images to fabric. It’s a creative and personal way to embellish textiles, from clothing to home decor.
MerkWaardig is the embroidery association of the Netherlands, with over a thousand members sharing their love for hand embroidery. Whether it’s classic samplers or modern styles like visible mending, embroidery is alive and thriving! At the festival, MerkWaardig will showcase how the technique of darning, once a practical skill for repairing sheets and socks, is being reinvented. Where holes once had to disappear invisibly, darning is now decorative, colourful, and unique. It gives old textiles a second life, with a nod to the past and an eye on the future.
Willeke te Biesebeek is a passionate embroiderer and knitter. She recently contributed to fashion designer Duran Lantink’s collection, which dazzled at Paris Fashion Week and won the prestigious Woolmark Prize. For the Ambacht in Beeld Festival, she has delved into the art of sock darning to show how repairing can be not only sustainable, but also stylish.
Practical Information
Save Your Favorite Sock! In this workshop, you’ll learn how to mend a hole or reinforce a worn spot using a needle, thread, and a classic darning mushroom. Bring your worn-out sock and get started, materials will be provided!
You will go home with a repaired sock and a new skill.
Embroidery is an ancient craft technique that uses needle and thread to add beautiful patterns, text, or images to fabric. It’s a creative and personal way to embellish textiles, from clothing to home decor.
MerkWaardig is the embroidery association of the Netherlands, with over a thousand members sharing their love for hand embroidery. Whether it’s classic samplers or modern styles like visible mending, embroidery is alive and thriving! At the festival, MerkWaardig will showcase how the technique of darning, once a practical skill for repairing sheets and socks, is being reinvented. Where holes once had to disappear invisibly, darning is now decorative, colourful, and unique. It gives old textiles a second life, with a nod to the past and an eye on the future.
Willeke te Biesebeek is a passionate embroiderer and knitter. She recently contributed to fashion designer Duran Lantink’s collection, which dazzled at Paris Fashion Week and won the prestigious Woolmark Prize. For the Ambacht in Beeld Festival, she has delved into the art of sock darning to show how repairing can be not only sustainable, but also stylish.
Practical Information
In the children’s workshop Make Your Own Surinamese Celebration Scarf!, you’ll create your own colourful shoulder scarf, just like the ones worn by Indigenous children in Suriname during special celebrations.
What will you do?
Come join us to discover, create, and celebrate!
Take home a piece of Surinamese magic and help keep this unique heritage alive. Colourful fun guaranteed!
For the parents:
During this creative workshop, children will explore the rich cultural heritage of Suriname’s Indigenous peoples in a playful and engaging way. Not only will your child create a beautiful keepsake, but they’ll also learn about meaningful traditions from the Amazon region.
Carla, Martha Sabajo, and Marilyn van Rijn, born in Suriname, are proud culture bearers of the Lokono community. As members of Stichting Wasjikwa, they devote their time to preserving and passing on Indigenous cultural heritage.
Their motivation comes from a deep connection to their roots. They believe that traditional techniques cannot be separated from the stories, values, and spirituality woven into them. For Carla, Martha, and Marilyn, passing on Indigenous knowledge is about more than just teaching technique, it’s about sharing an entire way of life.
During their workshops, they create a warm, community-centered atmosphere where participants not only learn practical skills but also hear personal stories about the importance of culture and community.
Practical Information
Learn to make your own mini hammock during the workshop The Lost Art of Surinamese Hammocks, under the expert guidance of Carla & Martha Sabajo.
Step into the nearly forgotten world of traditional hammock-making, an ancient Lokono craft from Suriname. This unique technique, held by only a few Indigenous masters, is on the verge of disappearing.
Experience how this ingenious creation comes to life, step by step, knot by knot. This is more than just a creative workshop, it’s your chance to help preserve an endangered tradition!
You’ll go home with your own mini hammock.
There are now very few Indigenous knowledge holders who still master and pass on the traditional art of hammock-making. This technique originates specifically from Suriname and is practiced by the Lokono, one of the Indigenous peoples of the region. Traditional hammocks are made from palm fibre or cotton, which are processed from raw material or plant: de-seeding, cleaning, forming yarn, spinning, weaving, and knotting. An original hammock is a brilliantly efficient invention, easy to carry, highly durable, and environmentally friendly. It stems from a time when Indigenous communities lived nomadically and carried little with them as they moved from place to place.
Carla, Martha Sabajo, and Marilyn van Rijn, born in Suriname, are proud culture bearers of the Lokono community. As members of Stichting Wasjikwa, they devote their time to preserving and passing on Indigenous cultural heritage.
Their motivation comes from a deep connection to their roots. They believe that traditional techniques cannot be separated from the stories, values, and spirituality woven into them. For Carla, Martha, and Marilyn, passing on Indigenous knowledge is about more than just teaching technique, it’s about sharing an entire way of life.
During their workshops, they create a warm, community-centered atmosphere where participants not only learn practical skills but also hear personal stories about the importance of culture and community.
Practical Information
In this workshop, you’ll print a soft and summery Etamine de Laine scarf with your own custom pattern using a variety of leaves.
The instructors from Hawar Textile Institute will show you exactly how to do this, teaching you about the natural dyes released by different leaves and how to create crisp, detailed prints.
You don’t need to bring anything for the workshop; a wide selection of leaves will be available. But if you enjoy experimenting, feel free to bring your own plant, tree, or flower leaves. The colours they release are often a beautiful surprise that makes the result even more special!
Leaves can transfer natural colour onto fabric. In eco-dyeing, also known as botanical printing, leaves from various plants are used to print patterns on fabric. Since the publications by India Flint, this dyeing method has become increasingly popular. The trick is to achieve more than just a coloured blotch; the leaf’s vein structure should also be clearly visible in the print.
You’ll go home with your own handmade summer scarf!
Part of the process includes fixing the print, which takes about an hour. You don’t need to stay for this step, but keep in mind that your scarf won’t be ready to take home immediately after the workshop.
Floor de Bruijn runs the family business Hawar Textile Institute, originally founded by Meinie Wardenier and Harm Harms. In their large and atmospheric studio in Oldeberkoop, national and international teachers share their expertise in textile craft and textile art. Alongside the studio, there’s a well-stocked shop and an inspiring gallery, making Hawar a creative hub where old and new textile materials and techniques are (re)discovered. Floor and her team will be teaching the workshops at the festival.
Practical Information
Festival address:
NDSM Loods
NDSM-Plein 85
1033 WC Amsterdam
Postal address:
Stichting Ambacht in Beeld
Kalf 158
1509AH Zaandam
The Netherlands
