So sew

admin — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 10:31:35 +0000

There’s something incredibly gratifying about sewing, knitting, cross stitch, dressmaking, and the like. The tactile nature of using your hands when so much of our lives exist in the digital world. The delight in letting you imagination reign as your play with creativity. The satisfaction of following a pattern with care and precision. Spending hours on a swishing array of fabrics and textures. The opportunity to make something functional or full of emotion. And the delight in turning a flat piece of fabric into something three dimensional and beautiful.

There’s also a hell of a lot of frustration – what to make, which fabric to choose, how can wools be so different, why are there multiple different needles, what is that proddy thing and for god sake why won’t this bloody sewing machine just sew?!

But that’s all part of the fun! At Craft Heaven: The Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts Show they hope to inspire and inform with a whole host of demonstrations, workshops, stalls, experts and events to get you started or keep you going in the world of making. Running from Thursday 7th – Saturday 9th April, tickets are only £10 in advance, and available here.

Getting crafty with Homemade London

admin — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 10:47:14 +0000

As adults we often neglect creativity in our lives, instead focusing upon the efficient and effective achievement of a useful goal. To play, to create, to make, to be frivolous just for the sake of it – surely that’s kids’ stuff. Well no. studies have proven that the benefits of creativity include stress reduction, positive emotions, connections with inner ‘flow’ and a general feeling of well being. I know I like making things (including a mess), but the trouble is that I’m not a painter, a sculptor, a sewer, a butcher, a baker (well) or a candlestick maker. Thankfully, at Homemade London, the independent craft workshop in Seymour Place, London, you can be all, as my taster of their offerings proved.
Sustained by Earl Grey gin fizz cocktails, rose and thyme vodka mules, mini English sandwiches and Eton mess in china floral teacups, a group of London bloggers were given the chance to try out some of the classes on offer in the charming and colourful store.

We kicked things off with paper craft, embossing on card and making crepe paper flowers. Later on we tried printing on fabrics, by making our own block stencils and leaving our marks on small napkins. The highlight for me was definitely the perfume making session. Founder and owner of Homemade London, Nicola Barron is a perfumer, and her knowledge and dedication to the coordination and concoction of the perfect scent for each person stirring. Using only natural oils and aromatherapy techniques we all came away with a fragrance suited to our skin type and personality, as well as new knowledge.

Their motto is ‘create the things you love’, and I like to think that this is not just about having things in your home that you love, but creating them. In the days of convenient mail order, flat pack pieces and off the peg homogeneity, there’s something wonderful about putting your effort into making thing, your heart into your home. All around are inspiring examples of craft and art, with quaint pieces poking out of stylish décor, and the staff are helpful and reassuring.

So on offer, as well as the above, is sewing, candle making, knitting, paper cutting, chocolate truffles and lingerie making. If you can’t decide what you want to make from their dizzying array of options, there’s always the £10 mystery workshops. Each is an hour long and have included jewellery making, personalised mugs, drawstring bags and machine-stitched notebook covers. A feeling of contentment and a creative gift to take away with you, for a tenner in London. Bargain.

sewing – and so she thinks

So sew

Getting crafty with Homemade London