Workshop at the kirk

When we sailed back to Shetland after our year in Norway we had on board 14 old unwanted sewing machines. My husband had a plan, to start repairing sails, something he had started to do on our own sails and in doing so saw the potential to repair sails for all the boats that come across the North Sea to Shetland.

This though, generated a new dilemma. The only workspace we had outwith our boat, was a small studio I rented in Scalloway to do my GillyBDesigns work. It had been fine for me, but, it really was just one small room and a toilet, there was no way sails were going to be fixed in there. We tried, but, some of them wouldn’t even fit through the door.

So we started to look for something else and the something else that fitted the bill was an old Kirk in Sandwick. It was just luck that this place came up just when we had the notion for a bigger space.

(A sail on the ground is like a felled tree. So much bigger than you thought it was when upright)

The old Kirk part of the building needed work, but, the front two rooms could be used right away, it had two toilets and a kitchen area so we could start to work from the space immediately without having to wait to do renovations.

We got the keys in February 2023 and found ourselves the owners of a small bell tower complete with a bell, which Davie soon checked out to make sure it was securely attached in its tower and would not come klonking down through the roof or a neighbours car.

Renovation work on the Kirk will be ongoing, possibly always!

So far we have fixed sails, created bags from repurposed sail fabric and Scottish Fire and Rescue service fire kits. Held workshops in paper cut lampshade making, how to use sewing machines and hosted Linda Richardson to do 2 Lino print workshops. I’ve held classes for Shetland Wool Week and from the 7th to the 27th July this year we will be open as an art gallery for a 3 week mixed show from local talent, not to mention the visiting artists from Norway who will be using our workshop as a base for their project in the 3 weeks before the gallery showing.

It’s been great to welcome folk into the building who have memories of coming to Sunday School here or who have been to a wedding in the Kirk.

I’m struck by how different the sound of the environment is in Sandwick than Scalloway.

In Scalloway the sound of the summer is the Arctic Terns.

In Sandwick it is Curlews and Blackbirds.

In Scalloway it is the sound of fishing boats unloading at the fish market and the net washing machine.

In Sandwick I can hear the waves on the beach down the hill in Hoswick.

You can find us here. We have a small section of the Kirk that operates as a shop where you can find a selection of our products. If we’re here we can be open if you tap on the door.