Please join us over on our new website

www.thecreateplace.co.uk

It has finally arrived, we now have a new website and it is faster and easier to use. It has full listings of all our new workshops and all the services which we offer, with some new bits too. Please join us!!

Marie's Back

All you free crafters will be happy to know that Marie is back After 3 weeks away Marie will return to our free craft session this Wednesday at 9:30 she will be on hand for all your knitters and crocheters until 11:30am. I am sure there will be cheers all around London tonight. Look forward to seeing you all again on Wednesday!

Loyalty Cards

Choose from one of 3 designs.

Finally we have launched our loyalty cards. Every time you attend an event or workshop at The Create Place we will stamp your card. Once you have attended 6 we will give you a workshop for half price.

You can even back date your card so remember to pick one up next time you are in.

When was the last time you wrote a letter?

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Not an email or a facebook message or event 2 lines in a greeting card, we are talking a real letter here, a from the heart 5 page affair telling that special someone just how special they really are. Well here is your chance. We are very excited to be hooking up with The Letter Lounge to host a unique event as part of next weekends Mother's Day Pop-Up  Shop. 

From 2pm-4pm on Sunday 27th March we will be offering you the space to come in and write a letter to your mum, loved one or friend.  Open you heart and mind, spill the beans and get it on paper. We will provide the tea, cake, paper, pens and will have stamps for sale, we will even post if for you. All you need to provide the words.

It is a drop in event so no need to book your slot. Now who are you going to write to?

Made Not Manufactured

Original design by Andrea Taylor

Its not often you get the chance to say proudly to someone I made that. Whether it is a sketchbook or a little notebook for all your daily thoughts, bookbinding somehow seems so complicated, so mystical and certainly not something which can be learnt in a couple of hours.
Tomorrow night Andrea Taylor is here to dispel that myth. Using recycled paper and flyers Andrea will show you how to make your own books using traditional binding techniques, for just £15 per person.
So why not give it a go, there are only 5 places left , sign up for your place now using the google cart to your right.

Handmade Wedding Collective

One of A Alicia's beautiful designs

A Alicia is a very talented lady, not only does she make exquisite jewellery under her own label but she has also found the time to form a handmade wedding collective. The collective is made up of some of the best handmade designers whose bespoke designs help to give your special day a personal touch.
Pop along to craft central between 15th and 20th March 12-6:30 Tuesday to Saturday and see for yourself.
Or why not get yourself along on Wednesday 16th 6pm-8pm for a special late opening with tea and cake.

Supporting our Crafty neighbours

You lucky people, not only do you get to come to our amazing Mother's Day pop-up shop in Saturday 26th March and Sunday 27th March but while you are out you can pop along to our neighbours, Stour Space and see yet more work from London's best designer makers. Thats one whole weekend of craft loving for you right there.


Similar to The Create Place STOUR SPACE is a not-for-profit exhibition and performance space devoted to the production and promotion of contemporary art/design, entrepreneurship, and the development of creative opportunities. Contact Stour Space for more info.

Learn How to crochet- Follow Up session

Image courtesy of crystals-creations.net

On Thursday 17th March we will be hosting a follow up session for anyone who has attended one of our beginners crochet sessions here at The Create Place. From 7pm-9pm Mandy Lui will be on hand to help out with any difficulties you have been facing when trying to practise what you have learned at home. It is a great chance for her to show you again more advanced stitches or to help trouble shoot on a project which you have.

For just £5 you can ask her anything, preferably crochet related, simply bring your hook and yarn and we will provide the tea and cake. Now doesn't that sound like a lovely evening? Book your place now via the google cart.

Want to pop along but haven't attended a beginners crochet session with us? Then join us, however please note we will not be teaching crochet from scratch in this session. 

Sewing Machine SOS

Does your sewing machine need a bit of TLC? Perhaps the tension dial is dodgy or the pedal just won't work. Starting on Wednesday 23rd April from 9:30am- 11:30am you will be able to pop your machine into The Create Place and have the talented Jennie have a go at fixing it for you.

For just £25 per hour Jennie will fix it up as good as new for you. If you can't make it on the day then contact us and we will arrange for you to drop the machine into the workshop so it is waiting and ready for when Jennie arrives.

Check our Jennie's profile below.

I am a little bit clever when it comes to fixing sewing machines. 

Obviously if it has been dropped on it’s head and it rattles when you shake it I may not be able to help but for basic tension problems or an inability to form  stitches without creating nests under the needle or a machine having seized up or anything other you are scratching your head over, please drop over with your machine and I will have a look. I have a pretty good track record (not been defeated yet!) and it is a lot cheaper than taking it in to a repair shop.  And you can eat cake and drink tea whilst I fix it or just leave it and pick it up when it is feeling better.  Also good for when you have bought a machine on ebay or you have inherited a machine without a handbook, we can work it out together and you can get to know your machine at the same time.  I am always happy to provide advice on decent machines to buy new or second hand and I will be glad to help you source a cute vintage machine and have some great websites I use for reviews and history.

Oh what a lovely evening

Thank you to Claire, Louise, Lara from The Papered Parlour and the team at the V&A Museum of Childhood for organising the fabulous, "Ethical Fashion in the Age of Austerity" event on Thursday 3rd March. Siobhan and I manned the St Margaret's House stall which showcased work by all our pop-up vendors and a selection of vintage clothing from Ayoka our charity boutique.

We were so lucky to be involved and met some amazing people including, fine cell work, Shoredich Sisters, Zoe Bateman, Rosie Love Lock and the hat collective to name but a few. Plus the lovely Leona popped by to talk about her new project Thrift-orala which launches next week on the 14th March.


Thank you to everyone who popped by to find out more about all the St Margaret's House projects, we hope to see you at one of our workshops.

Apologies for our Free Crafters

Dear Free craft attendees. I am so sorry that we had to cancel this mornings session. Marie Pedersen our wonderful session leader is on a course. Our fabulous volunteer linda was due to take over the reigns but at the last minute had to pull out.

Linda will be back next week to teach you the wonderful art of macrame.

Ethical Fashion in the Age of Austerity

Come and visit us this Thursday at the V&A's Museum of Childhood- Ethical Fashion in the Age of Austerity event. The event is Free and it is a great way to meet London's most exciting Arts and Crafts projects.


We will be showing a selection of hand made gifts from our Pop-Up shop and showcasing some of the projects which have taken place in the space since its opening in November 2010.


Read more about the event below from the V&A's website.

In an age of austerity, can we justify the added expense of buying ethically? Or is Make Do and Mend set to be the next big trend? Join in an evening devoted to ethical fashion and sustainability as independent arts venue The Papered Parlour host an ethical mini-festival at the Museum.

Uncover hidden workshops, live music, performance, panel discussion and craft stalls set amongst the Museum's childhood collections. Celebrate the rise of 'slow fashion' as London's leading eco-journalists, green stylists and ethical campaigners come together to discuss the key issues surrounding this growing social movement.

Fashion designer and V&A Trustee Betty Jackson will be in attendance, alongside the Guardian's 'Ethical Living' columnist Lucy Siegle, who will be speaking about her forthcoming book 'To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing out the World?'. London's ultra-cool stylist Jocelyn Whipple will be running a unique workshop on green styling, plus eco-campaigners Labour Behind the Label and Love Fashion Hate Sweat Shops will be offering top tips on how to be sustainable with style. The Papered Parlour will also be running Make Do and Mend workshops with Piney Gir, and Young & Lost Club will be performing a live set. 

Granny Square Love

The lovely Marie Pedersen is our resident yarn expert and is always on hand on a Wednesday morning to advise and guide our loyal band of followers who attend our weekly Wednesday Craft Mornings.

Today's conversation quickly turned to how much we love crocheting granny squares - they are relatively quick to make, it's a good project to do while chatting or watching TV because you go into the gaps rather than the stitches, you get a sense of satisfaction every time you complete one and there are so many things you can make from them. 

Marie has put a together a beautiful post on her blog showing a few granny square designs which she finds inspiring. Why not join her at one of her classes at The Create Place on the 1st of March or the 2nd of April.

Image courtesy of mariesmaking.com

Image courtesy of mariesmaking.com

The images are from the following sites:
1 necklace
2 coin purse
3 shoulder bag
4 dog coat

5 cushion
6 blanket
7 lamp
8 basket

Me old China

some of simply vintage beautiful candles

Melissa is the latest edition to our pop-up shop collective. Her brand simply vintage produces beautiful organic soy candles in vintage tea sets. She combines her love of all things vintage and handmade with. So the bonus is after your sweet smelling candle has burned away you will be left with a cup, saucer and cake plate to keep using.

Simply Vintage pin cushions

Alternatively you could buy one of her pin cushion tea sets or cute little pin pails. They are all in the shop now some come along and see them for yourself.

pin pails

What is Amigurumi?

Amigurumi (Am-ee-gur-oom-ee) is the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting small creatures. The word derives from the Japanese words ami (meaning crocheted or knitted) and nuigurumi (meaning stuffed doll). Becoming incredibly popular in recent times as collectors items, they can range in price online from £10-£100! 

Amigurumi Bird by Catherine Hirst

We are so excited to introduce Catherine Hirst to The Create Place to teach our very first amigurumi workshop.

Having being taught to crochet by her grandmother, she caught the craft bug at a very young age. With her art education influencing her original designs she has been teaching crochet, knitting and embroidery across the globe for over a decade. It will truly be a unique experience, so make sure you don't miss out by booking your place now! 

For more information on Catherine visit her website:

http://www.catherinehirst.com

Garter Stitch 100 event- This Sunday 2pm-5pm

Square of knitting contributed for the Garter Stitch 100 Project

Please come along and join our event this Sunday from 2pm-5pm in support of Garterstitch 100's 100 million stitches for 100 million women initiative linking to International Women's day.

It is estimated that 100 million women are missing from the world due to gender discrimination. Each stitch will represent a woman "missing" for reasons including gender provoked infanticide or abortion, sex trafficking and complications in childbirth. See 
http://garterstitch100.posterous.com/ for more info.

Please bring your creativity and a cake to share if you'd like to. We'll provide, tea, needles and yarn (but if you'd like to bring your own you are very welcome!). If you haven't knitted before we can give you some coaching. Crocheters also invited!

Why not pop in and see our lovely neighbours at Prick your Finga to buy some supplies.

A fresh look at quilting

Image courtesy of cheekyhandmades

Want to learn a fresh approach to quilting? Then why not join our quilting course starting on the 9th March. Run across three, 2 ½ hour session will cover which fabrics to use, and how to work out quantities, different kinds of wadding and their properties, thread, funny feet for your machine, cutting and stitching fabric, appliqué and patchwork, hand and free motion machine embroidery, and finally putting the whole quilt together and hand or machine quilting it. 

One of Jennie's exquisite designs

The session will be led by the wonderful Jennie who runs her own website cheekyhandmades, and her own folksy store.

We are now proud to offer concession rates on this course. Please contact us for more details.

Sign up for your place now.

Beginners Crochet- Valentine's Special

Happy Participants at Marie's session

This Saturday saw a bustling session at The Create Place with Marie Pedersen's beginners crochet session, teaching how to make a valentine's heart.

Tea, Cake, yarn and hooks were distributed and the giggles ensued. Working with this simple session everyone went away happy with their own little heart and a crochet hook to continue their new hobby with.

Missed out on this session? Check out Marie's new session on our workshop page, listed under Granny Squares. Sign up now!

Knickers to the lot of you

Leona gets stuck in

Last Sunday saw our first successful lingerie masterclass with Sara Macnab. It was an intensive introduction into sewing with lace and elastic culminating in each person taking away their very own unique pants.

Lace and trims from a sara's sewing box.

The morning saw each person experimenting with how to sew with difficult fabrics and creating samples to prepare themselves for the final design.

Working with elastic and lace

Then finally over afternoon tea and cake the girls produced their very own finished garments. Photos of the finished garments coming soon.

Pop-Up success.

A view inside our valentine's shop

Thank you to everyone who made it down to our Valentine's Pop-Up shop this weekend. It was such a success that we opened up today for a second day. 

Don't worry if you missed out, we will be open all week and next Saturday, so pop-in and buy yourself, or someone special a unique handmade gift or card.

Writing Love letters with Letter Lounge

Our appreciation goes to all our vendors who came down on Saturday to help out and Claire from Letter Lounge who was on hand to help you write a special love letter postcard. Don't worry if you left your postcard here to dry, Claire will be posting them out on time to arrive next Monday.

Check out our photos page for more images.

I only fancy you when you are drunk... and other pearls of wisdom.

Unique slogans curtesy of Violet Iris.

Last night saw The Create Place alive with activity as we hosted a kitsch valentines card making session with legendary Violet Iris. Each person received a starter pack which included badges and cards all ready to customise with their own personal selection of tit bits from Violet's vast collection of trims.

getting crafty

Cards adorned it was then time for the badge machine to come out, making our very own pins with slogans such as" you smell of wee" and "you'll do". The ultimate anti-valentine's gift for your loved one.

Valentine's little helper: Violet Iris herself.

Pop down to our Valentine's pop-up shop this Saturday 5th Feb 10am-5pm,where you can buy stock from Violet's exclusive range. Check out our photos page for more images.

Write a Letter to the one Love.

    

We are very excited to be hooking up with The Letter Lounge to host a unique event at this weekends Pop-Up Valentine's Shop. We will be inviting all attendees to come and write a secret love note to someone or something that they love. Open you heart and mind, spill the beans and get it on paper. We will provide the paper pens you just provide the words.

Watch this space for our very own unique Letter Lounge event in March.

Craft will save the world.

Life with a generous sprinkling of Vintage Glamour is what we have come to know and love about the  work of Laura Nuttall, our latest Valentine's Pop-Up vendor. These gorgeous graphic cards are clean and simple, making them simply irresistible.

We predict there will be a run on these amazing tote bags and look forward to see them being sported across London. The designs have been produced exclusively for us and will be available to buy at the Pop-Up this Saturday 5th February, 10am-5pm. Check out Laura's website for more images of her work.

Who would you give your last Rolo to?

Lu Burnell's Valentine's Cards

You just know you are going to have a good day when the first email to pop up in front of your sleepy Monday morning eyes contains a treasure trove of beautiful work from Lu Burnell.

Lu is one of our Valentine's Pop-Up Shop vendors and will be showcasing her work at this weekends event, Saturday 5th Feb, 10am-5pm, 29 Old Ford Road. Cards range from pop-up concertina hearts to her beautifully hand illustrated slogans and figures.

Who will you give yours to?

For a unique gift idea why not buy one of her golden rolo's in its own hand printed gift box.Check out Lu's blog and website for more information about her work. Better still come down on Saturday and meet her in person.

All you need is love

Violet Iris exclusively designed Valentines Cards

Hot off the press Violet Iris has shared some images of what is in store for you lucky attendees of our Valentine's Pop-Up Shop on Saturday 5th February. With only a week to go things are hotting up here at the workshop and we are astounded by all the amazing designs which are coming through.

Violet Iris Cupid Arrow and Heart necklace.

Violet Iris has produced a range of limited edition necklaces, cards and earrings especially for the event, all with a good measure of her tongue and cheek humour which we know and love.

It wouldn't be Valentine's without Pat and Frank

Make sure you hot foot it down to Back to Basics on next Saturday to grab yours. Better still grab the last 2 places on our Kitsch Valentines Card making session this Wednesday and make your own.

More than Words

Image courtesy of Andy Howe

Andrea Taylor designs and makes the most exquisite eco jewellery. Beautifully crafted from recycled magazines and newspapers each beaded necklace is unique. She will even design bespoke necklaces out of your favourite book.

Make your own Jewellery- 18th February

Stop by our Valentine's Pop-Up shop on the 5th February, to buy one of Andrea's designs. Why not check out our workshop page for details on Andrea's jewellery making and bookbinding workshops, coming up next month.

Bookbinding-Make your own notebook- Tuesday 15th March