Boat Sail DIY Workshop in the Landes: a Half-Day at the Atelier
A half-day at the Saubrigues atelier to make your own piece from a recycled boat sail: what you will do, practical information and booking.
By OÈST Ateliers3 min read
Have you ever looked at a recycled sail bag or lamp and wondered how a boat sail turns into an object? The easiest way to find out is to come and make one. With our DIY workshops, Nicolas de Chénerilles opens the doors of the OÈST atelier, in Saubrigues in the Landes, for half a day. You leave with a one-off piece, made with your own hands from genuine sailing sails. Here is what to expect.
Half a day in a craftsman’s shoes
The idea is simple: half a day at the atelier, and a piece made by your own hands. You step into a craftsman’s shoes, surrounded by sails and ropes, right where OÈST’s creations are made every day.
Nicolas welcomes you. He founded OÈST in 2019 and carries out every stage of making on his own, from technical sewing to woodwork. During the workshop he passes on that know-how: the secrets of upcycling, the skills that turn a raw material designed for the sea into an object for the home.
What you will learn
An OÈST DIY workshop is more than just a sewing class. It is an immersion in the world of the circular economy, built around three skills:
- Taming the technical nature of offshore sails: a sail is not like any other fabric. It was designed to withstand the wind, and it calls for different techniques from an ordinary cloth.
- Understanding wood grain: at OÈST, sailcloth often works hand in hand with wood, on lamp bases and picture frames.
- Putting noble materials together: sail, wood, marine rope, and the art of combining them into a coherent, sturdy object.
The experience is meant to be authentic, educational and friendly. Above all, it is open to all levels: you do not need to have sewn or made anything before.
A material that has already been to sea
What makes the workshop special is the material. You are not working with new fabric off a roll, but with a sail that has held the wind, with its seams, reinforcements, colours and sometimes its numbers. Every fragment is different, so your creation is bound to be unique.
It is also a hands-on way to understand what OÈST is about: giving a second life to sails that would otherwise have been thrown away. To learn more, read our article on OÈST’s approach to marine upcycling, or our guide to how boat sails are recycled.
Behind the scenes at the atelier
The photo above was taken on the workbench: ropes in every colour, piles of folded sails, shelves full of rolled sails waiting their turn. This is where the DIY workshop takes place. If you would like to discover the space before you come, our guided tour of the atelier takes you inside.
Practical information
- Address: 1650 route d’Ugne, 40230 Saubrigues, France.
- Duration: half a day.
- Parking: free parking on site.
- Level: open to all levels.
- Booking: workshops are by booking only.
Saubrigues lies in the south of the Landes, between forest and ocean, so you can round off the day with a walk on the coast: our Our ports of call category gathers our ideas for outings across the Landes, the Basque Country and the Arcachon basin.
How to book your DIY workshop
Booking is done online, from our DIY workshops page: just click the "Book now!" button. A question before you sign up, about the programme, the piece you will make or a group request? Use our contact page and the atelier will get back to you.
And if you would rather leave with a finished piece, all the atelier’s creations are waiting for you in the shop.
