Diana and Jędrzej spent the day at The Greenland Fishery, at one of the Open Studios WhaleMaking Workshops.  They write…

We had the pleasure to visit Jon and Vicky at Greenland Fishery for a whale-making workshop. As a warmup, we had a quick tour of the marvellous house they live in – we think it’s worth visiting just for itself! Especially the wall paintings, with their interesting symbols and history are not to be missed. You can read more about it on the website, but a live tour is certainly more exciting.

Jędrzej marking ot the minke whale

Jędrzej marking ot the minke whale

Next step – whale making! We started off by marking and cutting out required shapes. This first stage, seemingly easy, is quite important as it defines the final shape of the whale.
This was followed by what was our favourite part – making the eyes. The eyes, quite straightforward to make, did certainly give a soul to our whale.

Later on, we sewed the parts together…

stuffed it…

Stuffing the leather whale at The Whale Whorkshop

Stuffing the leather whale at The Whale Whorkshop

and voila! A magnificent minke whale has been born. Ours turned out to have a little mischievous looks, with slight asymmetry that only gives it a more distinct personality.

Diana's Minke Whale at The Customs House in King's Lynn

Diana’s Minke Whale at The Customs House in King’s Lynn

All in all, the workshop was a great way of breaking the everyday routine; a little bit of hand crafting in a very atmospheric place proved to be truly inspiring. Add meeting most charming Jon and Vicky and there you have a recipe for a perfect day out!