MFF2027 Workshop: Carve Your Own Spoon

Part of Manchester Folk Festival 2027. This workshop will take place in Victoria Wood Hall within the Hallé St Peter's building. Spoon carving is a traditional craft that offers a chance to slow down, work with natural materials and create something useful by hand. The workshop is rooted in facilitator Jonti Bayram’s personal journey, which began during lockdown and developed from an interest in carpentry into making gorgeously crafted spoons for friends, family and, more recently, visitors to Hebden Open Studios. The process begins with sourcing fallen wood and axing it into a rough spoon blank, before using carving knives to shape and refine the spoon. During the workshop, participants will be introduced to the basics of the process, with a demonstration of how to safely axe out a spoon blank before getting hands-on with carving. Each participant will work from a prepared, axed-out piece of wood, learning how to use carving tools to shape their own wooden spoon. The session is suitable for beginners and will focus on developing basic carving skills, understanding the material and enjoying the process of making something by hand.