Dont get Cross, Cross Stitch!!!

Join us on the 22nd of August for a truly inspired workshop held at the Head & Hands shop communal space in Walthamstow, East London!

Learn the art of subversive cross stitch with us, Craft Guerrilla!
Get crafty and slightly sweary at this friendly workshop, where you'll learn to create your very own expressive cross stitched hoop.
Channel your inner tensions into decorative textiles. Rude, lewd, crude or just plain honest - this workshop is a playful take on the traditional 'home sweet home' sampler.
Instead we celebrate chaos, discord and everyday stresses by keeping our hands busy and making peace with life's micro-aggressions!

The class is all in good humour and during the workshop, participants will be guided through the basics of cross stitching as well as a simple lesson in layout, so you can transfer your design from paper onto fabric.
This workshop promises to be a lot of fun and will also encourage thoughtful and reflective action through creative craft therapy.
All materials, including wall hoop will be provided so you can go away with your very own piece of modern cross stitch art to hang, pride of place in your home.

When

Monday, 22 August 2016 from 19:00 to 20:30 (BST)

Where

E17 4RT - head & hands 6 - 10 Central Parade, Hoe St, London, E17 4RT

To book your tickets please go to : www.eventbrite.co.uk

Hello sailor, all hands on deck... our swallow patch tutorial is here!

Summer's left us just like the swallows have left our northern skies.
They've flown south for the winter way too soon but fear not because we too can get some of that good feeling back with this cute sewing tutorial!

I've opted for adding my patches to a cardie mainly because I'm always cold... but these patches also work on shirts, dresses, tote bags or anything that needs cheering up!

Another great idea is to add them to some fabric shoes (you know the ones, those cute traditional Chinese canvas ones) adding some embroidered extra details like a sequined covered heart or some other tattoo inspired designs.
Lets face it... they are an old school tattooed sailor staple but are also quite girlie too which is something I absolutely love.

I'll be making quite a few though I hope I don't over due it with the  birdie theme... bah, who cares, I love them so I'm adding them to lots of stuff... shoes, bags, dresses, hair clips...whatever!
Oh well, could you really have enough?!

The ones pictured were made with scraps of letherette and felt but you can use fabric, felt or even paint the details on with acrylic fabric paint.

*Also a top tip which I found after I wrote up the tutorial is that if you use iron on double sided interfacing that it's even easier to add to your clothing!

To download the instructions and template PDF click "here"
Happy making!


Here are a few resources you might find helpful...
Iron on fusable interface fabric: www.cottonpatch.co.uk
Wool felt: www.bloomingfelt.co.uk
Although I've used a basic running stitch it doesn't mean you can't embellish your patches with other stitches:

Embroiderers... show us the LOVE!

Help us get the word out that embroidery rocks!
Lots of people are yet to discover the joys of the stitch and we want to show them that it can be fun, simple and rewarding not to mention healing!

image: www.cafeportugal.net

We really don't believe that embroidery has to be done solely by gifted, nor by a medieval bands of merry men or super skilled individuals because if someone wants to do it but can't quite get to grips with the discipline then... who are we to say that  the way you're doing it is wrong?!
Forgive me ladies of the Embroiderer's Guild if I make you weep and shriek when you see my embroidery work: "That's not how you embroider! " because frankly I don't care!!! You can call me the punk of embroidery and that's fine by me. I really love embroidery and though I can still hear my nana's words ringing in my ears as she tried to explain to me that cross stitch should be the same in the reverse as it is on the front of my work I completely ignored her as I continued to do as I pleased.  She tried yet from a very early age rebellion was strong in me!

So we'd like to put out a plea... we're after embroidery works which express sentiments of love based on the Portuguese "Lençinhos dos Namorados" (Boyfriend Hankies/ Lovers' Hankies or Wish Hankies) which were once hand embroidered by semi illiterate women as token of love which were gifted to the objects of their affections!
Apparently they go back to the 17th century when peoples' wishes were embroidered onto a small piece of fabric in order to conquest their hearts' desire. They were later taken up by women and popularised into this form we now love and know.
Canny retailers have even gone on to screen print inspired motifs on textiles, home furnishings and clothing created for the tourist market. And you can certainly find at least one of these modern adaptations in a form of a table cloth or tea towel in almost every Portuguese home. That's how popular it's become.

image: http://namorarportugal2012.blogspot.co.uk

Plus this project is all about liberating, letting go and putting ghosts to rest as you'll be able to offer a homage to anything you miss but still burn a torch for... or if you're in love and want to celebrate that then that's great too! So as I mentioned before it can be healing too if you wish it to be and not just a way of practising and honing your embroidery skills.

The deadline is January 2015 so you have plenty of time... The show is in the summer but we'll need them early to ready them for the exhibit in the 2015 E17 Art Trail and possibly for a few other international shows.

If you're interested please down load the document HERE which has all details including the criteria and a brief history about the work.

So get ready to embroider a token, a wish or a homage to anything you want... a piece of cake, a pet, a husband, a child, a secret love, a book, a city, a place you adore... anything which makes your heart beat that little bit faster!!!

image: www.cafeportugal.net

Please note that this is a modern take on the traditional so feel free to use mixed media and don't feel like you need to stick to the style or motifs of the traditional "Lençinhos". I really can't wait to see what you come up with!!!

The Hand Stitched Home...

The Hand Stitched Home is the new book by self taught embroidery artist Caroline Zoob. It's filled  cover to cover with amazing and beautiful projects that wouldn't look out of place in a petite maison Française. 

If you're thinking this book is just for the seasoned embroiderer think again! What Caroline manages to do is offer beautiful projects which can be finished by anyone and not just the accomplished sewers.
Easy, step by step and beautifully photographed projects which will get you making.
I for one can't wait to get my hands busy... there are at least two projects that I'll be trying this summer and I'm in the process of  starting on some shelving edging for my mum's new kitchen!

A page from the book... lovely shelving embroidery edging... might have to make this!

I absolutely love the way you're taken on a journey as Caroline explains the origins and the inspirations about her work and it's far from twee but it definitely touches on the naive and the "French Country" look. Also I'm so please to read that Caroline herself a former opera singer and solicitor came into embroidery in her late 30's so definitely it's something which everyone regardless of age can pick up and master. What an incredible woman and what a brilliant story!

Lovely embroidered towels, cloths and table runners...

I also love the way it reminds me and transports me back to my Granny's holiday cottage in "Pedorido"- a very small village near Porto, in the Douro Valley between hills and terraced vineyards... and if it brings back fond memories then that surely can't be a bad thing!

Granny Maria Adelaide with my daddy in "Pedorido" circa 1946

It's the perfect book for finding guidance and for rekindling your creative love affair with vintage fabrics, patterns, the art of embroidery and getting some needed inspiration. Reworking vintage patterns into usable modern and eclectic home wares is something I absolutely enjoy and know lots of crafters do too so if you think this sounds like a good book for you then take a look at our special offer because the lovely people at Jacqui Small have a special promotion code which entitles you to a discount if you order through us.
Due to be released this summer but available to pre-order now... just read the instructions below....

To order The Hand-Stitched Home at the discounted price of £16.00 including p&p*, telephone 01903 828503 and quote offer code JS217. Or send a cheque made payable to: Littlehampton Book Services Mail Order Department, Littlehampton Book Services, PO Box 4264, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3TG. Please quote the offer code JS217 and include your name and address details. *UK ONLY - Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.

"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...

October's mini work shop...

Held every second Thursday of each month in "ye olde rose and crown theater pub" in Walthamstow.
Choose from a selection of d.i.y. craft packs available to purchase and make on the night and learn a new craft skill! Also there's in house tutors to give you a helping hand so don't fret if you get yourself in a tangle. NEW monthly mini workshops* featuring guest designer makers have been created to offer the craft loving people of east London a fun, hands on and sociable monthly event.
From 8pm. Free entry!

October's mini workshop details:
"Hi, My name is Sophie and I am one of the new guest tutors at the Craft Guerrilla d.i.y. craft night.I will be hosting a mini-workshop on the 14th of October and I will be teaching you how to make this pretty,personalised envelope bag."
Using several different stitches including blanket stitch and chain stitch, you'll work from a basic pattern, which can be used and adapted again and again. The button closure gives the bag a tidy outer finish, perfect for storing things or even as a special gift!

All materials will be included in the £10 fee. Please email sophwalker@gmail.com to book your place and for Paypal details. Please note all fees are non-returnable.
For more of Sophie's work visit: www.sewfarsogood.wordpress.com