Tea Bag Art Workshop - A sustainable approach to creative making

Join us for a creative and inspiring one-day workshop exploring the art of making with recycled tea bags, fabric and collage materials. Perfect for anyone interested in sustainable creativity, this hands-on session welcomes complete beginners as well as experienced makers.

Did you know that approximately 165 million tea bags are used every day in the UK, with most ending up in landfill? This workshop celebrates imaginative ways to repurpose everyday materials, putting sustainability at the heart of the creative process.

What You'll Make

During the day, you'll explore a range of techniques and create:

• Handmade writing and sketch journals for your own creative practice or as unique gifts
• Tea bag printing experiments to incorporate into future art projects
• Decorative and functional bowls and vessels made from reused materials

Along the way you'll learn practical skills, discover new creative possibilities and gain ideas for making art in environmentally conscious and cost-effective ways.

Structure of workshop

Workshop Content – 10.00am-1.00pm

Introduction – H&S

• Brief history of the teabag.

• How to dry, store and have tea bags ready for use.

• What kind of teabag to use for journal and bowl making (show examples of journals  

and bowls/vessels.)

Bowls/Vessel making

• Preparation - choose a bowl to use, cover with a freezer bag and tape down.

• Apply glue and build up layers with teabags – extra layer on base.

Refreshment break – 10min

Journal/Sketch book making

• Choose fabric, paper and tea bags.

• Sew together fabric and tea bags /paper.

• Create motifs, apply to front/back (start to collage pages if time allows)

• Feedback

• Finish

No Experience Needed

This workshop is designed for all abilities. Whether you're an artist, crafter, journal keeper or simply curious about sustainable making, you'll be supported to experiment and enjoy the process.

Facilitator: Rosie Allen-Perdikeas

Rosie Allen-Perdikeas is an experienced arts facilitator and visual artist, and a studio holder with Real Ideas at Devonport Guildhall. Passionate about creative reuse and accessible arts practice, Rosie brings a wealth of knowledge, encouragement and inspiration to her workshops.

What to Bring

If possible, save and bring along some used tea bags to incorporate into your creations.

Come along for a day of creative exploration, sustainable art-making and the chance to transform everyday waste into beautiful, meaningful objects. 🎨☕🌱