This Christmas make it HAND MADE!

This Christmas make a conscientious effort to either make or buy hand made items! As a firm advocate for all things hand made I truly believe in the worth of buying more locally made/sourced items but also by doing this you are helping out the planet.
By thinking about where products come from and how they were produced you are making a positive, informed choice and it doesn't mean that cheap mass production will cease (though it would be nice!) I hope it will show the "big boys" on the High Street that we want change. The consumer's voice has never been so powerful so show them if you believe and want a change to a fairer and more environmentally friendly production process!
Not just a good move as you're helping your local economy but also it's a lovely way to show your family and friends that you care about them and the world we live in!!!
I'm not going to bore you with the intricate reasons why it's better to buy hand made...besides  I'm sure you know all about it anyway! Here are a few choice items that I love and a selection of projects I will be getting stuck into making for my loved ones...

Material World by Perri Lewis

the aviary

http://jillybird.co.uk/

Paper decoration tutorial

make your own cupcake to gift to your friends!

Make a circle scarf or leg warmers from an old jumper!

Feeling Inspired? Check out We Make London's new book!

New handmade design guide puts readers directly in touch with makers...

Readers of a new book, Inspired: London, A guide to handmade in London, will get an exclusive insight into over 150 handpicked designers, such as an embroidery designer who helped create Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, to a designer who created bespoke and exclusive cushions for Harrods and Selfridges.

Packed full of inspiring designs from clothing to art, and detailed information about their creators, this guide literally puts the reader in touch with the people that hand make products in London. The book closes the gap between the producer and the buyer, as the book contains contact details for every designer, so the reader can chat, make a commission or even meet up with the designer in their studio.

The guide was created by Mary McDermott, owner of We Make London, a series of regular craft events across the city, after she spotted a rise in the interest in handmade products in the UK.

Mary said: “While the enthusiasm for handmade products has increased in the past few years, I also noticed that customers actually wanted to know more about the designers than you can with online shopping. They wanted to have a personal experience and to know that the products they buy have been lovingly made locally. So we decided to put together a book that would allow customers to actually meet up with the designer.”

With products to suit every budget, this must-have guide for Londoners and visitors aims to support local businesses, which is now more important than ever in the current economy. As well as dedicating an entire page to the work of each designer, the book also has a directory of nearly 100 interesting organisations, suppliers, independent shops and designer-maker markets.

Inspired:London – A guide to Handmade in London will be launched on 10 and 11 November at Spitalfields market and is available to buy online for £12.99 via the We Make London Website http://wemakelondon.bigcartel.com/ and in selected bookshops.

BUT if you can't quite wait for the 10th of November pop down to Chelsea Old Town Hall on Sunday 4th November for the We Make Christmas Fair and meet the designers...
 

Browse and buy for the whole family from over 80 hand-picked exhibitors, selling a wide range of wares from Eco-friendly hand-crafted gifts ideas to jewellery, fashion, graphic / fine art, bath and body, toys and children's clothing. Shoppers will be able to relax in the cosy cafe with a selection of delicious homemade delights. 

Opening times are 11am-5pm. Entry is £2 and free for children
 

 

"Lençinhos dos namorados"...a stitched call out for exhibitors!

"Lençinhos dos namorados" is a very old Portuguese tradition which began by semi illiterate women embroidering hankies for their lovers some of which were fisherman.
These little tokens also served as good luck charms and as a constant reminder that their lady's love would be waiting for them upon their return while they worked on the stormy and harsh seas.
Filled with pretty, colourful images and designs they also featured spelling mistakes and grammatical errors which personally I think makes them utterly charming! These little pieces of linen are a true and pure account of someone's love for another and also served as a "sampler" to teach girls the basics of embroidery.

"our love will end when this dove takes flight" Please note that if it were translated with typos it might be something like this: "Our love wood end wen this dove takes flite"

And so here's what we propose...
As part of our next E17 Art Trail exhibition we'd like to invite embroiderers from all corners of the globe to send in their hankies for an exhibition which will take place in September 2013.
Please add a message on a hankie in your own language though we'll need a translation in English on a piece of paper so we can tell people what it says when we show it!

Criteria:
It needs to be a message of love though it doesn't need to have typos or spelling mistakes...we're just taking inspiration from these beautiful works of art! Make it as intricate or as simple as you like...
As long as it's passionate we welcome it.... plus we can dry our tears when we're overcome with emotion!!!
It can be a love letter to an unrequited love, a partner, a lost love, a family member, a pet or something more abstract like a city, a cocktail, a band or a anything which gives you that warm fuzzy feeling that you'd like to convey to the world. 
P.S. Free hand machine embroidery is also accepted!
If you'd like to read more (though you'll have to copy and paste the text to google translate...) visit:
http://www.aliancartesanal.pt/site/home.asp?pagina=scd

Deadline:
The deadline is Friday May the 31st 2013 so we can organize and get the show promoted.

We also hope to tour this exhibition so you'll need to give us permission to show your work under our banner but we'll send a release form to all contributors.
If you'd like to know more please email us for details...

Autumn Zine...

Here's a taster of what's to come! Because we LOVE Autumn and all things woody we're celebrating the new season in style with lots of forest inspired projects, illustration, recipes, cocktails and even a play list!

PLUS it's super green as it's only sold as a PDF so no trees have been harmed in the production of this issue so for a teeny tiny £1.50 you'll be able to feel like you've saved the planet just that little bit more then you usually do.
It will be available to purchase on our web site very soon...


If you'd like to pre order your ZINE please email us: craftguerrilla@yahoo.com
Here's  one of our top Autumn tunes from our play list...Enjoy!

Pump House Crafternoon!

On SUNDAY the 7th of October Craft Guerrilla will be hosting a CRAFTERNOON in the Pump House Gallery in Battersea part of the gallery's "Social Sundays".

You can find us recreating our CRAFTERNOON in the gallery from 1pm to 4 pm. Just follow the awesome vintage tunes!
It's free and it's a drop in session so no need to book....just bring your pretty selves, pick up a craft pack* then sit and make with us. You might also meet a few new crafty friends so be ready for a good old chat and some social crafting!

*A selection of packs have been carefully designed by Craft Guerrilla and our associates in order to offer participants fun and easy to follow projects which can be made on the spot but can also be taken away and confidently completed at home.
All projects are suitable for adults and children over the age of 6 (though some supervision may be needed).
Craft Guerrilla tutors will be on hand to guide anyone should they need assistance. Packs are suitable for novices and seasoned crafters.


For further details visit:
http://pumphousegallery.org.uk/events/sunday-social-crafternoon
How to get there:
http://pumphousegallery.org.uk/visit-us/

Getting in the mood for Autumn....

Once the clocks change that's pretty much it! That's when I know there's no going back...it's official summer is  over and awaiting us are long, dark, cold nights! BUT it needn't be dreary, tedious or drab... in fact I love autumn and all the time it frees up for making all sorts of things.
When it's hot outside I rarely sit in and craft so the fresher weather is welcome....

So what projects will you be doing? Here are a few of my favourite winter nest ready makes...

granny squares top...nice and warm!!!

Make mittens from old jumpers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Night lights to make it super cozy!

Ginger & coconut body scrub to remind you of summer during winter when you get the blues!

This year I will start my quilt!

 

Travel back in time! It's 1950 through the Red Door...

Unfortunately we haven't just discovered time travel but the good people of Red Door Studios are having an amazeballs event which will take you back to the good 'ol days... though I think I can safely say that neither I nor most of our readers were around in the 1950's but we can imagine what it was like!
Actually you won't have to imagine too hard as they've done up the main area to resemble a 1950's shop so you will be in essence a "time traveling shopper"!
Vintage/retro dressing up is welcome though not essential.

So pop by the studios for the "Homemaker Pop Up Sale" on the 15th and 16th of the month and grab yourself a bargain.
For a mere £2 entry fee find lots of vintage goodies, furniture, home wares and haberdashery which have been hand sourced and sorted to get you making, re using and recycling...
plus there's a vintage tea room,  a retro beauty boudoir a few craft demos, great music and lots of good clean fun!

Also they are still accepting sale items for the "Homemaker Pop-up Sale" as well as a few craft tutors to head a couple of vintage inspired craft demos.
Please feel free to pass the details onto others who might be interested in participating or contact the Creative Director directly on 07515 378 548 or reddoorstudios@ymail.com and a “Retro Seller Info. Pack” will be sent to you.