Rare Trades Centre at Lost Trades Fair and Beyond

As summer fades, artisans at the Rare Trades Centre are hard at work in their home workshops, gearing up for their biggest event of the year—the Lost Trades Fair. Held in Bendigo over the Labour Day long weekend (8–10 March), this event is like Christmas, Easter, and the AFL Grand Final rolled into one for makers and artisans passionate about traditional skills.

The Rare Trades Centre is thrilled to be back at the Fair, actively spruiking an exciting lineup of artisan-led workshops for the year ahead. We’ll also be on the lookout for new skills and experiences to bring into our ever-growing calendar.

As part of our commitment to keeping rare trades alive, we’re once again hosting exclusive workshops led by out-of-state artisans — brought to Victoria by the Lost Trades Fair — who are eager to share their knowledge and skills with keen learners.

📍 Gin Gin, Queensland

A former apprentice of R.M. Williams, Bill Webb is the real deal. With 50 years of experience working with kangaroo leather, he brings a lifetime of knowledge to his three-day Leather Plaiting Workshop.

Under Bill’s guidance, you’ll learn traditional leather plaiting techniques, from selecting and preparing leather to cutting, plaiting, and finishing. Choose from a range of projects, including a dog collar, lead, hat band, belt, or small whip — all while learning the time-honoured skills from a skilled craftsman.

📍 Glencoe, South Australia

With over 30 years of experience restoring stained glass church windows, Brian Sims is a master of leadlight restoration. In this three-day BYO Leadlight Restoration Workshop, you’ll bring your own leadlight panel and work alongside Brian to assess, repair, and restore it to its former glory.

Along the way, you’ll learn the fundamentals of glass cutting, lead seaming, and panel assembly, gaining hands-on experience in both heritage restoration and modern leadlight design. By the end of the workshop, you’ll walk away with a fully restored heritage panel and a contemporary piece of your own creation.

📍 Eveleigh Works, Sydney

Blacksmithing fans, this one’s for you! Representing Sydney’s legendary Eveleigh Works, Matt Mewburn has designed a three-day blacksmithing experience at the Rare Trades Centre, including forged and formed copper serving utensil workshop and forge your own blacksmithing tools workshop.

A dedicated artisan and educator, Matt will share the foundations of blacksmithing. Under Matt’s expert guidance, you’ll craft either a forged serving utensil or a set of blacksmithing tools, learning to cold-form metal with an anvil and hammer, manage a coke forge, heat and shape various metals using traditional hand tools, and perfect your work through tempering and finishing techniques.

Though not from interstate, dress and material culture historian Sarah Bendall takes us on a journey far beyond modern fashion — into the sixteenth century. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn the historical materials and techniques used to construct a farthingale, the garment that shaped the distinctive silhouettes of Renaissance fashion.

Using wrapped reeds, historical sewing methods, and accurate construction techniques, you’ll create your very own half-size farthingale — a perfect starting point for further exploration into historic tailoring.