QUILTING, cake decorating, and jam making will be coming to Sleaford as the focus of a new training programme.

A series of courses, run by non-profit organisation The Homemade House, will be available from September, giving the chance to get back to basics with these traditional skills.

Other courses available include bread making, patchwork, knitting and sewing, and they will be held in various venues across Sleaford.

Award-winning designer and quilt maker Liz Hands will be heading the quilting course, while the other courses will be taught by experts within the individual fields.

Louise Thompson, founder of The Homemade House, explained she started the programme as she feared basic household skills were being lost.

"I wanted to learn how to knit and was looking for a course I could take during my holiday, but couldn't find anything," she said.

"When I looked into it more, I discovered there is very little adult education for these types of skills now.

"I've always baked and made preserves, but have dreamt of learning other home-craft skills – so I decided to co-ordinate a group of experts in each field, all have which have tutored before, and set up The Homemade House.

"We'd like to be able to celebrate and pass on traditional home-craft skills that are in danger of being lost.

"Now, more than ever, there is a lot of interest in learning to make do and mend, creating and maintaining food and clothes, reducing waste, and discovering the simple pleasures in life.

"We would like to enable people to learn the skills to be able to do this locally.

"We have worked hard to keep the course costs as low as possible, and they include materials and refreshments."

Kay Rudland, a 32-year-old student and mum-of-two from Sleaford, agreed that future generations were in danger of losing basic household skills altogether.

"I already enjoy various crafts, like pottery, painting, cross-stitching and tapestry," she said.

"Any craft you can think of, I'll have tried it.

"I already do patchwork, but I'm not someone who uses a machine. I've always hand stitched, so it's going to be good for me to go along, meet new people and learn new skills.

"I've been knitting and sewing since I was very young and both my children French-knit and sew.

"These crafts are being lost and they need to be taught. It's a viable and much-needed service to bring these skills back."

For more information, and for a full programme, visit www.the homemadehouse.co.uk.