The Make Lounge

Stay Warm: Best of the Blankets

With the weather turning decidedly chilly, who couldn't use a cozy blanket to snuggle under? Here, a round up of our favourite beautiful blankets.

(Pixie Dust Lap Blanket)

This blanket, with its big, loopy stitches and a dusting of shimmer, is sure to spark your imagination and keep you warm at the same time. It uses the aptly-named 'Pixie Dust' yarn by Knit Collage. Find out more and see the pattern on the Purl Bee.

(Harlekin Blue by Fine Little Day.)

A lovely and soft Jacquard woven wool blanket that breathes and keeps you warm. Designed by Kerstin Landström of Fine Little Day.

(Chevron Blanket by the Purl Bee)

This knitted Chevron Blanket uses 100% cotton yarn to create a blanket that's as cozy as a cloud! Find the pattern to make your own here.

(Patchwork Quilt by Red Pepper Quilts)

This traditional patchwork quilted blanket with shots of colour will keep your cozy whilst adding a modern twist to your decor. Red Pepper Quilts has a gorgeous collection of modern blankets for you to choose from on Etsy.

If you fancy knitting, quilting or crocheting a gorgeous blankets your self, but need a little help to get started on the technique, why not sign up to one of our workshops?

Stay cozy, people!

 

 

 

Oh Baby! Screen Printing at The Make Lounge

One of our students sent us these gorgeous pictures of her baby Angus, now 5 months old, wearing some fabulous screen printed baby grows!

Back in June, Rachel celebrated her impending motherhood at The Make Lounge,in a Screen Printing workshopwith Helen Rawlinson, where she created this cute set of three printed baby grows! 

We think these designs would look great on T-shirts in our size, too :)

It definitely looks like Angus is pretty happy with his designer wardrobe!!!

 

Squeeze Me Mittens - Keeping Cozy

(Squeeze Me Mittens by Oeuf)

What a sweet idea, a pair of adult sized mittens with a pair of kid sized mittens sew in! Keep hold of the little one and stay cozy at the same time; a perfect combo!

These clever mittens are knitted in Bolivia by a self-managed community of indigenous women. In line with Fair Trade principles, they receive a living wage, which enables them to afford health care and education for their children.

All the mittens are made from soft, luxurious alpaca wool which is hypoallergenic and eco friendly.

Check out Oeuf for these and lots of other awesome treats!

Sublime Stitching: Extraordinary Embroidery!

Just before Christmas, The Make Lounge had the pleasure of a surprise visit from the lovely Courtney, who is the right-hand gal for Jenny Hart, the founder of Texas-based embroidery design company, Sublime Stitching!

Coincidentally, we were running one of our popular Extraordinary Embroidery workshops and Courtney was very impressed with everyone's embroidery skills.

If you're tempted by these awesome motifs, remember The Make Lounge shop has a huge range of Sublime Stitching patterns, books and every thing else you need to get creating!

If you'd like to find out about upcoming Extraordinary Embroidery workshops - and other classes - please have a look at our web site. 

Happy crafting!

Happy December! Download our Desktop Wallpaper

The holidays are nearly here! . . .  so here's a little gift from us to you: a free festive desktop wallpaper + calendar in merry red or gorgeous green. 

Head on over to our Flickr page to download a red or green version for your computer. Special thanks to our friend Siew Cottis, who created these lovely wallpapers (based on our branding by Design Friendship.) Happy December, everyone!

 

Things British: Handcrafted On The Highstreet

(Airfix Mugs by Victoria Eggs)

(Collection by Hatastic!)

(Recycled skateboard dogtags by O'blue Thrashion)

(Gift tags by Clare Shields of lil3birdy)

Lovely gifts, handcrafted by British designer makers, are now available on the high street at the first Things British shop, open in Kingly Court just off London's famous Carnaby Street.

Things British strives to be more than just a shop and is designed to be a gallery, a museum and a fun place to socialise whilst learning about British Craft.

Designer makers, whether full time, part time or even amateur and of all disciplines can rent a space within the shop from as little as 4 weeks, or up to one year with no commission!

As part of the service, Things British does all the selling, advertising, arranges joint promotions, sets up events and marketing activies, all to showcase the fantastic products available, handcrafted in Britain by British designer makers. 

This contemporary platform for showcasing and selling is a great opportunity for designer makers to take what might be a profession or a pastime to a whole new level.

The shop owners have recently announced on Facebook that they will be renting out table top space in their London shop from Thursday through to Sunday each week, where makers can run mini-demonstrations, workshops and product tests, direct to the public. Sounds like lots of fun and a great opportunity to meet the makers! 

Aiming to be the largest retail brand destination for things handcrafted and unique, Things British is a shop to watch - and with new venues due to pop up in all corners of Britain including Cardiff, Manchester and Edinburgh over the coming years make sure you keep a keen eye on your highstreet for the next Things British shop.

Matthew Cox: Embroidered X-Rays

(Waterproof Watches by Matthew Cox)

(Embroidered MRI by Matthew Cox)

With Halloween not far away we were drawn to these eerie embroidery pieces created by Philadelphia-based artist, Matthew Cox, using X-rays and MRI images as his artistic canvas.

On his website, Matthew explains how the stark clash of two such divergent materials - cloth and plastic - provide the catalysts for his work. One is tactile; the other technical. By justaxposing the two, the understood purpose of each is redefined.

We love the idea of turning something so spare into something so tactile and decorative!

Gloriously Gruesome Cupcakes: Louise Hill at Selfridges

Cake sculptor extraordinaire and one of our fantastic Cupcake Decorating instructors, Louise Hill of Love to Cake will be selling her awesome cupcake creations in Selfridges this Halloween from 28th - 29th October!

They are so gruesome they will be sold using her alter ego company name The Butcher of Caker Street.

Choose from six devilishly delicious cupcakes in the range - buy them either as singles at £3.50 each or in boxes of four at £12.50.

Stock is limited so get yours early!

Does anyone have a sweet tooth? ;)

Student Spotlight: Sarah Crisp's Amazing Cakes

We love seeing what our super talented students get up to after their time at The Make Lounge! We recently discovered some of the fantastic creations baked by Sarah Crisp, a loyal fan of our culinary craft workshops, and we couldn't resist showing off her incredible cakes!

Sarah made these gorgeous cupcakes for her local WI stall at the summer Kilburn festival, using skills learnt at the Swirls, Sparkles & Roses Workshop. She even sold some to actor Jim Broadbent and his wife!She baked this awesome alligator cake for a friend's brother, using 24 miniature cupcakes, a slew of After Eight mints, plenty of jellybeans and a ton of green frosting! The recipe came from the book Hello Cupcake!

Her next creation was this collection of 'fast food' for her dad's 60th Birthday, using cupcakes, brownies, cream cheese frosting and sugar cookies. The resulting design is spectacular! The recipes for this ensemble came from the Bakerella blog.

We caught up with Sarah after the recent Jam & Chutney Workshop to ask her a few questions:

Q. Tell us a bit about your crafting adventures. Have you always been a keen crafter and baker?

 I'm actually fairly new to crafting and baking, I started with a few (bad) knitting attempts last year and in November 2010 discovered The Make Lounge's cake decorating workshops. I've been hooked on all thigs cakey-makey ever since!

Q. What was the first workshop you attended at The Make Lounge?

My first was Cupcake Decorating: Swirles, Sparkles & Roses. A friend at work had recently been to the Tote Bag workshop and had a great time. I visited the website looking to do some sewing classes (being awful at anything involving needles, thread or fiddly bits!) and ended up signing up to decorate cupcakes instead!

Q. Which has been your favourite workshop or skill that you've learnt?

I've enjoyed each and every workshop in equal measure. The best thing I've taken away is the confidence that came from my results in the workshops. I've discovered skills I didn't even know I had!

Q. Tell us about your favourite creations.

I got a lot of joy out of making the big alligator cake – it was a birthday cake for a friend’s brother who has learning difficulties, so I wanted to make him something really special. He was gobsmacked when we brought it out!

I’m also very proud of the burger  and chips cakes I made for my dad’s 60^th birthday – the 10 portions took me nine hours from start to finish! I had to print, cut and stick all the trays and chip cartons, bake and cut the cupcakes, brownies, and sugar cookies, make and colour frosting, then put it all together. But it was absolutely worth it. My dad and family loved them – I even got stopped and questioned by the restaurant manager and waitresses about where I bought them from! They're probably my proudest baking moment so far.

Q. Whats next on your crafting adventure?

I’ll be making some wedding ring & love heart-topped cupcakes in November for my friend’s engagement party. I would also love to develop my skills in relation to baking, sculpting and decorating large cakes, but this might have to wait until next year!

6. Do you have any tips that you've picked up from the workshop or from your own experiences that you now swear by?

I’ve learnt that plunger cutters are the way forward if you’re making lots of cakes! They save you having to hand-make every little decoration. Also – I wouldn’t be without a few pots of edible glitter, I just love that stuff!

Q. Any crafty Christmas plans?

I’ve just ordered a preserving pan and other bits for making jam; I’m planning on making some jams, chutneys and sauces to put into hampers as Christmas gifts. Very excited!

Thanks, Sarah! Sarah also recently set up her own cake-making blog called Bakerdoll and you can also find her on Twitter.

Innovative Decorating: Wall Embroidery

(Photos by Hans Guldemond)

What a winning combination: getting your craft on plus revamping a wall, using inspiration from your favourite cross-stitch pattern.

Eline Pellinkhof, a Netherlands-based designer creates these gorgeous hand- painted murals to add a splash of colour and fun to room decor.

By making a simple repeating cross stencil, anyone can decorate a wall, canvas or fabric with a cross-stitch design!

What do you think about wall embroidery? Are you temped to craft a little magic onto your plain wall?

Wooly & Stitch: Chairs That You Create

[Photos by Sascha Linke]

These beautiful, 'unfinished' chairs are the final graduate project of Susanne Westphal.

Designed so the sitter takes off Wooly's yarn and feeds it through the holes of Stitches, the chairs force the individual to slow down, relax and unwind (so to speak!).

One of the great things about these chairs is that the design can be easily changed, demonstrating the endless possibilities of embroidery.

When was the last time you sat down to relax and unwind whilst crafting something - and what did you create?

WIN A SPOT: Log Cabin Cushion Workshop

Many of our customers say they'd love to make a quilt but can't find the time in their busy schedules to learn the basic techniques.

Recognising that, we love being able to offer a Log Cabin Quilting workshop that lets you learn the skills - plus walk away with a completed project, in a single evening! All fabrics included, plus a cushion pad.

In just 3.5 hours, you'll be well on your way to quilting all things big and small, by learning how to cut, piece, and stitch using traditional quilting techniques and this timeless pattern.

We have three spots available to give away to lucky blog and Facebookreaders for the Monday, 26 September class, taking place between 6:30-10 pm. 

** For your chance to win a spot, please contact us by email, using the subject line 'Log Cabin', and answer the following question: What is the difference between quilting and patchwork? Winners will be drawn and contacted by email on Sunday evening, September 25 at 6 pm GMT. **

Good luck! 

BakeMe.com: Culinary Crafters Rejoice!

 Attention cakers and decorators - there's a new social networking website especially for you!

Following in the footsteps of other craft-based online communities - BurdaStyle for sewing fans and Ravelry for yarn addicts - Bakeme.com lets you share your own sweet successes with a growing community of culinary crafters.

Sign up for free then share, learn and even blog about your creations from your own decicated BakeMe page. We hope to spot some your workshop creations online soon!

Tattly: Terrific Temporary Tattoos

   
Like to wear your design credentials on your sleeve? The folks behind Swissmiss have just launched Tattly, a fun-tastic range of temporary tattoos by top design talent including the lovely Julia Rothman.

Perfect for cool kids of any age. :)

Wasted and Wounded: Vintage Letterpress

We adore indie printworks Wasted & Wounded, who create rock-and-roll inspired prints using a vintage letterpress and hail from the picturesque (and delightfully twee) town of Rye, Sussex. 

The first of their typographical rock homages begin with the 1960s - which happens to be the same era as their beloved Heidelberg Cylinder Letterpress - and features famous song lyrics by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Dylan. (These would be brilliant for a Father's Day or anytime Dad gift).

We look forward to seeing more from them soon! :)

 

Eames + Knitting = Genius

[via plainliving via our pals at presentandcorrect]

On the Up and Up: Vertical Gardening

From the plant covered facade of The Driver pub in Kings Cross (above), to the teracotta pot-filled entrance walls of Shoreditch's The Book Club, vertical gardening is clearly on the rise.

And it's not difficult to see the value for residential spaces, too, particularly for city dwellers with limited or non-esxistent outdoor space. Check out these DIY ideas for quirky indoor and outdoor plantings that turn gardening on its head (or side, rather)!

Here's a succulent wall hanging,suitable for indoors or out. Make your own using this tutorial from the Instuctables!

Or, if you're in need of a privacy screen for your unwalled urban suntrap, how about this nifty shelf-like gardening idea, from A Kate Offering?

This looks fun. How about your own hanging vegetable garden? The Cheap Vegetable Gardener shows you how!

And finally ... have a look at this feature wall! We came across a great DIY product called the Wally Pocket which is modular and can be easily attached to indoor walls.

Good Wood: Super Scrap Furniture

When it comes to wood, there is no such thing as rubbish, according to Sicilian-born cabinet maker Arcangelo Favata. In fact he's made a business out of breathing new life into scrap wood, with a line of beautiful one-off furniture made exclusively from cast off materials he finds on the streets of Turin, Italy.

Check out these lovely pieces! Don't you think they look happy to be refashioned?

A chair that folds out into...

... a table complete with tiny drawer, neat!

A rather wonderful sliding door inspired by the artist Paul Klee, made from small scraps joined together, tetris-style!

Or howabout this anglepoise lamp, featuring a shade made from bits of reclaimed hinged measuring rulers!

Arcangelo doesn't miss a trick. Even pencils are salvaged and used to 'reupholster' a chair!

And finally, look at these wholesome toys, each with plenty of character! 

Crazy Crochet: Performance art by Olek!

This takes the idea of being mad on crochet to another level!

Having spent the past seven years blurring the line between art and life on a mad journey crocheting everything from bikes to people, Polish-born performance artist Agata Oleksiak's (Olek for short) work goes way beyond regular yarnbombing.

Playing on our natural fear of the faceless, its her people-covering activities that have drawn most attention around the world. Get a load of her putting the finishing touches on a recent exhibition Knitting is for Pus**** in New York (pictured above)!

When not reclining in totally crochet homes, her acrylic camo figures hold signs on street corners wishing folks a good day! Anther cool video of this project here ;)

Crazy balloon man hails a cab...

... while scary sea balloon men emerge from the deep?

Bonkers! :)

Brighton Maker Faire: Calling All DIYers!

 

The very first Brighton Maker Faire is coming this September and organisers are looking for local makers to get involved! If you'd like to take part, be quick - you only have until 30th June to get in touch with the organisers. As a not for profit enterprise most spots are free to non-commercial exhibitors, so check out the website for more info on applying.

We're big fans of the American craft extravaganza that is Maker Faire and we're pleased that the festival, running since 2006, has inspired growing interest across the pond!

Following on the success of last year's Newcastle Maker Faire, the Brighton edition similarly aims to showcase all manner of resourceful tinkering going on behind the closed shed doors here in the South.

Described rather amusingly as being like Burning Man for the pocket pen knife set, here's a flavour of the weird and wonderful stuff that goes on across the pond . . .

[via QUEST on KQED Public Media]

Best of luck with your applications and we look forward to seeing everyone in September! ;)

Sarah Greaves: Embroidered Graffiti

It has been a good week here at The Make Lounge; lots more happy crafters and we released dates for our exciting new Creative Cross Stitch workshop! Something else raising smiles is the stitch-based work of Manchester artist, Sarah Greaves (above).

Juxtaposing embroidery with food and other found objects, Sarah's work has great double take appeal! We also like it for its fun, Surrealist twist on familiar feminist art themes of domesticity, gender roles and body image.

Some food for thought now... and a comment on fad dieting?

Surely resistance is futile?

"I'm alright now" on a chair... the first port of call for the shocked! I wonder if she has done a kettle?

Show 'em the door - "The End" writ large!

Want to see more? You can visit her upcoming exhibition, Pulling The Threads: Embroidered Graffiti by Sarah Greaves on at the Central Art Gallery in Manchester from 26 June – 3 September. If you do have a chance to see the exhibit, please tell us what you think in the comments!

Book Giveaway: Everything Alice

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who entered, the winners are announced in the comments, below. Come back often as we'll have plenty of lovely giveaways in the near future!

 

No strangers to a soya teacup candle or a spot of paper cutting ourselves, we are big fans of the super stylish new craft book, Everything Alice, featuring 50 magical projects inspired by Lewis Caroll's famous work, Alice In Wonderland.

The book's due out in July, and rather excitingly, we have five copies to give away to you, lovely blog readers! Just tell us in the comments below what you love about Alice In Wonderland. Five winners will be chosen on Friday, June 24. Now that really isn't mad ;)

Designed and styled beautifully thoughout, the book was masterminded by fashion stylist and graphic design duo, Hannah Read-Baldrey and Christine Leech. More on them on the book's web site.

Full of wit and whimsical ideas, we're particularly enamoured with a set of tree lights with cardboard rose shades and giant shadow puppet theatre (above)! There are also some downright lovely projects, like place settings and jam lid toppers that would translate well for general entertaining and even weddings. 

Ooo, and check out these Red Kings Red Velvet Cupcakes - a sparkling addition to any tea party! So get going! Comments at the ready...good luck to each of you!

Handmade In Britain: Bath-Based Festival Starts Tomorrow

Don't miss out as Handmade In Britain opens tomorrow at the glorious Assembly Rooms in Bath!

On for just two days, 17-19th June, this market - which prides itself on nuturing craft start-ups in their first year - features some of the newest British talent. What's more, each designer-maker works to minimise their own carbon footprint by using local materials and making exclusively in the UK. Good stuff!

With 60 hand-picked vendors, plus a special focus on jewellery designer-makers, there's bound to be plenty to catch your magpie eye.

Check out these pieces by some of this year's featured sellers:

Rather lovely procelain and lace bracelet by Rose Ellen Cobb.

Amazing interiors inspired brooches from Miriam Rowe.

Glorious colour and laser-cut pieces by Heather Fox.

Also join Handmade London later this year in London at Chelsea Town Hall on Oct 28-30.

Knotty Fun: Embroidery Thread Jewellery

Granted, the idea of making jewellery from embroidery thread might seem like something best left to preteens, but this tutorial thought up by the clever stylists at Honestly...WTF might just change your mind!

 

They have come up with a devilishly simple idea for a exotic, colour blocking dream of a necklace that's super stylish and inspired by high fashion.

We had a quick scout round online for more ideas too...

How about wrapping rings instead and connecting them with findings like this Aziza necklace at Oliver Bonas? Or replacing the washers with wrapped rings like this one from Dorothy Perkins (below)? FYI: for more elborate style rings, check out Dorset button making!

This bracelet by Proenza Schouler looks totally DIYable thanks to this tutorial too! Just add a carabiner (and you thought they were only for rock-climbing and other adrenaline-fueled activities!) :)

See, knot to be sniffed at at all . . . and a great use of left over embroidery thread! 

 

 

 

Happy Hankies by Mr. P.S.

What a wonderful Father's Day gift these would make!

Hand-screen printed, and available in four colourways with two handkerchiefs per pack - just £10. Get them here - and don't forget to click over and look at all the other lovely goodies in the shop!

Abigail Brown's Scrap Fabric Birdies

When we spied these gorgeous works by talented illustrator and textiles artist Abigail Brown, we couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of them being some sort of crazy cross between The Make Lounge and the famous local curiosity, Get Stuffed, the taxidermy shop on nearby Essex Road!

Indeed, Abigail's charming flocks have recently captured the imaginations of fashion and interiors folk, and her little birdies even graced the Paul Smith store on Sloane Avenue - a perfect fit for the brand's take on heritage fashion with a colourful twist.

We simply love the way she brings each one to life with little illustrative touches - such as black hand stitches and jaggedy frayed edges - as well and her use of new and recycled fabrics. In addition to birds and her equally lovely butterfly brooches, Abigail creates cartoonish, wonderfully whimsical fabric animals. To see more of her work, visit her web site or browse her online shop.

 

Sew Simple: The Walkaway Dress

Check out this brilliant pattern from 1952, kindly loaned to me by Susannah from Cargo Cult Craft. It's for Butterick's famous 'Walk-away' dress, which promised to be so easy to sew that you could 'start it after breakfast... walk-away in it for luncheon'!

We think it would make a great follow on project for our summer dress graduates or simply the perfect tonic to help dressmaking phobics, myself included, simply take the plunge. First stop: get your hands on a copy of the walk-away, reissued in 2006 as B4790 by heading to the Butterick's website, or track down one of its many spin-offs!

What's so great is its complete lack of scary bits. Being essentially just a clever wrap dress, going on over the head and doing up apron-like at the back and buttoning at the front, there is no need tricky stuff like for zips or interling. What's more, with every edge bound in a bias tape (the method taught in our summer dress class) you can feel like you're on a homerun from the start. And with such potential for combining fabrics and bindings, the real task may lay in just selecting your fabrics! Hint: we have lots of bias tape and gorgeous fabrics available in our shop, and you can now book time to use our machines here ;)

Check out these stylish interpretations we spotted online...

Betty Floored's picnic inspired custom version

Vera Vague's stunning reinterpretations are worth a look over on her Etsy store Vogue by Vague!

Another quick sew pattern we found which predates the Walk-away is the One Hour Dress published in the 1920s. The time saving method of working with only rectangles of fabric to make a flapper dress, feels remarkably modern and hassel free and reminds me of those other no nonsense pattern makers DIY Couture, whose pattern books we proudly sell in our shop. 

Plant-astic! Botanical Crafts

Spring is on its way and our thoughts have turned to quirky crafts of a botanical nature! Here are a few of the weird and wonderful ideas that recently caught our eye...

Wonderful portable plant pendants as seen on Poppytalk!

Some cheeky surrealism at Giddy Spinster, where succulents gain an extra spike!

They're saying it with foliage, not flowers, this Valentine's Day over at Family Chic!

Blooming marvelous I say! ;)

The Artful Hoarder: Customised Plastic Bags

Check out these cute customised baggies made by the super talented Babalisme! If like us you are a bit of a hoarder when it comes to craft supplies, these make sorting and stashing that little bit merrier.

Why not give this unusual craft a try by taking a permanent marker to a few humble plastic seal bags and tracing some of your favourite illustrations - or even some of the objects that will be stored inside? 

You needn't stop at archiving, anything contained in a baggie can get a make over, from your homemade bathbombs to your family's pack lunches!

A Nin Win Situation: Refashioning Your Clothing

The Make Lounge's creative alterations class is truly a thing to behold! On a recent weeknight, I watched as within an hour eight ladies excitedly went on their way to perfecting all sorts of items with hidden potential after consulting with the awesome fashion tour de force that is Nin Castle, founder of sustainable fashion label Goodone.

In the spirit of Nin's class we found this simple idea for a fab nautical top top which anyone can attempt at home without the use of a sewing machine. Just perfect for summer, we think it has more than an air of Vivienne Westwood about it! Why not recycle an old men's shirt, then it'll be eco-fabulous too!

Tees and Cake: Threadless' friendly cake-off!

Possibly giving even The Make Lounge's own prize-winning caker Louise Hill (of Love to Cake and Cupcakes Ahoy) a run for her money, these wonderful 3D interpretations of designs from t-shirt mecca Threadless.com are just a few of the entries so far in the 2010 edition of the aptly-named Threadcakes competition!

It's open to anyone, so if you've been hankering for a new sugar paste project, look no further! Simply select an artwork to 'interpret' (there are literally hundreds), and get baking! You have until 16 August to send in pictures of your finished cake (plus the making and demolishing of it) before the winners are awarded some as yet undisclosed (no doubt cake or t-shirt related) prizes!

For more info and to read the rules (very important) head to the competition website. To check out the competition, head on over to the gallery, and if you feel as a result a little help might be in order, why not take a look at our upcoming cake decorating class dates?

Here's last year's winning entry!

Tasty Fashion Accessories!

Here's something that's already got me looking at the specials on soft fruits differently! Although the subject matter of award-winning advertising photographer Fulvio Bonavia's latest book might be a departure from his usual automotive bent, it's his virtuoso skills in Photoshop – coupled with his wife's love of Italian fashion - that are really on show in this surprising set of images.

Visit his website to view more images from the book, A Matter of Taste and, for, a behind-the-scenes look at how these surreal still life images were achieved, watch the video below!

Cool Knitannia: Learn, Shop, Knit, Spin at Knit Nation!

If you know your wool from your Wollmeise you might want to make a massive note about this in your diary. The first ever Knit Nation Expo, brainchild of Soctopus' Alice Yu and Cookie A (of the monkey socks), is coming to London's Imperial College in South Kensington, on 29-31 July! The event promises to bring something of a festival vibe to the usual knitty goodness, with an exciting program of classes featuring a stellar lineup of international knit and spin stars! 

See who will be there on the Knit Nation blog.

Whatever your level of skill, you can knit and spin along with your heroes for hours and hours, learning anything from tip down gloves to spinning for socks (do book in advance). Plus, as you might expect, there'll also be more delicious yarn than you can shake a DPN at with over 35 local and international vendors on site. 

Another higlight is the talk by the founders of the knitting social media site Ravelry who will also be throwing a party (that's right, PARTY) on Saturday night! And as if that's not enough to keep you contented, the V&A and Kensington Gardens are only moments away if you need a break. 

Who needs Glastonbury?

Nina Mankin: The Fine Art of Patterns

With a brand new class in demystifying patterns starting this week at The Make Lounge, it seems timely that we came across the work of artist Nina Mankin. Mankin uses paper dress patterns in her work and currently has a solo show at Livingstone Studios in Hampstead, North London.

Set against a tranquil backdrop of antique textiles and artisan wares, her evocative sculptures and vitrines, made almost exclusively from reclaimed materials, explore themes of forgotten memories and hidden psyches.

The exhibition continues until 7 August. Plus, as an extra bonus, if you visit on 31 July you'll also be treated to a one off evening of Jazz and World music! What a pleasant way to spend a summer's evening?

Crazy, Lovely Stitching!

We love the work of Vietnamese artist Diem Chau. Chau serves up a witty take on the stuffy wall-mounted dinner plate, taking tea and stitching to its natural conclusion! Her tiny embroidered 'canvases' of organza stretched over cups and saucers make a humorous statement as the pony tails and skipping ropes of the enigmatic figures fall out of frame.

Check out more of Diem's work at her website. 

And, for another alternative way to display your own extraordinary embroidery, here's a brilliant tutorial we found on using your hoop as a frame. Also worth a look (just because!) is the work of Californian artist Catherine McEver, who uses bread as a canvas! Enjoy!

Craft And The City: Knit Large in London's Canary Wharf!

Giant knitted sculpture has been around a while; most recently we've had a huge world record setting knitted bunny visible by satellite and before that Artist Dave Cole knitted on a big scale with the help of couple of JCBs!

This weekend it's the turn of the humble Knitting Nancy to get the scaled up treatment as Architectural Design company, Superblue install an outsized version of the classic braidmaking toy in Canary Wharf's Jubilee Park as part of the London Festival of Architecture.

Reflecting the festival's theme 'The Welcoming City', the amazing installation offers everyone, knitters and non knitters alike, an opportunity to knit in public as never before, their combined efforts resulting in a giant snaking seating structure for all to enjoy. The installation will last from Friday 25 until Sun 27 June, and can be added to from 11am-5pm each day!

Stitch-tastic: Customised iPhone Covers!

Crafters are, by their very nature, customisers. Many of us also like our gadgets, in particular the iPhone. So you can imagine my delight when I came across getuncommon,a wonderful website for customising your iPhone case. For $40 (around £27) you can upload any image, resize and position as you like and the company will create a case and send it to you!

You can also browse their library of artists' original artwork for images to use or buy pre-designed cases (if you don't trust your own sense of composition). 

As one of the few UK stockists of Sublime Stitching embroidery patterns, we squealed when we saw this one (shown above) from stitcher Jenny Hart! 

It's also worth noting that if you fancy putting your own work up for public consumption, you can submit five pieces for consideration and potentially join the growing Uncommon community of artists!

Crafty Roundup: DIY Gifts for Dads

Making gifts for men is a notoriously tricky business, so with Father's Day this Sunday we thought it timely to share with you our favorite men's craft sites to get some inspiration!

ManMade DIY has a number of brilliant 'how-to's including a pannierful of cycle accessories, hand stencilled mouse mats and DIY Moleskine notebooks. 

We particularly love this deer head silhouette (video below), which would make a stylishly quirky addition to any man's den. It can also be turned into coat hook or key holder by adding some hardware (hint: for help with this bit, check out our brand new DIY Home Skills class!).

Need gift ideas for a geeky guy? Check out the online tech mecca, Makezine (the online companion to the one of our favourite print magazines). How about a polycube puzzle made from black dice, or perhaps a set of etched tumblers (from Make's sister site, Craftzine)?

If, however, classic is the way you want to play it, you'll find instructions for making cigar box dehumidifiers and DIY glasses cases over at Instructables, while at Cargo Craft Cult there's a mean set of blokerchiefs to embroider!

And finally, we offer you DudeCraft, a blog featuring crafty goodness from a man's persepective, to add to your favourites list. Enjoy!

How Cool! A Patchwork Skateboard

Covering a skateboard in patchwork isn't something most of us will have on our crafting to-do list, but for our across-the-pond pal Karyn Valino of Canada's The Workroom, doing so means she's proudly ticked off #6! She's posted about the project on her lovely blog, Make Something, and you can also view more photos of the painstaking process - which included laser cutting then hand sewing 200 triangles - on her Flicker photo stream.

Why not check out the rest of Karyn's Crafty List Of Things To Do? And if you're feeling inspired (and brave) enough to wrap something in patchwork yourself, revamping an old ironing board might be a stylish option. And what do you know, Karyn has a tutorial to help! 

For help on the quilting side of things, however, you can look a little closer to home as we'll be adding new dates for quilting classes at The Make Lounge soon (and are also considering running one-off quilting block workshops, too)! Do sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter here if you'd like to hear about upcoming dates for this, and other classes.

Knit In Public Day: Join the Knit Crawl around West London!

This Saturday June 12, while the nation is busy toasting the Queen's birthday and the official start to the World Cup, an equally proud group of knitters from Stitch London (formerly known as Stitch and Bitch London) will be out celebrating World Wide Knit In Public Day with their annual Knit Crawl. This year, the Knit Crawl is in aid of the Brain's Trust.

 

If you have a project you think could benefit from a good airing, why not head over to the Natural History Museum around noon and join the posse of stitch-hibitionists as they begin their woolly open air tour of West London? 

Check the website for details of the route, as well as other great stuff like a 'work in progress' or WIP-friendly bag pattern to download. It's completely free to take part and there'll even be raffle with crafty goodies to be won, including a £45 gift voucher from The Make Lounge!

Putting the 'Tea' In Charity: Whip Up a Tea Cosy

As the popularity of our cupcake decorating classes shows, tea parties are huge right now. And as if you needed another reason to crack open a pot of edible glitter, the good folk at Marie Curie Cancer Care are calling on tea lovers up and down the land to host their own 'Blooming Great Tea Party' this Summer.

If dragée and non-pareils haven't yet made it into your daily vernacular, don't worry - there are other ways to get into the kitsch spirit. Whatever your level of baking or crafting skill, help raise funds of cancer research and enter the 'Knit a Tea Cosy' competition, in association with Simply Knitting and The Knitter's Magazine!

Simply knit or crochet a tea cosy on the theme of the 'Blooming Great Tea Party', and send it in by the end of August for a chance to win a tonne of knitting goodies (as well as some nifty gear from Queen of Kitsch Cath Kidston, who'll be helping judge). For more info plus a couple of basic patterns to start you off, head to the competition website.

Look, even Jane Asher's had a bash! Whatever will you create?

Beautiful buttons!

close up, originally uploaded by lilfishstudios.

Would you just look at these vintage finds! This is a detail shot from a gorgeous button bouquet, made by lilfishstudios.

ADDED: It gets even better, look at her Flickr set of button bouquets!

All Hail the Lowly Toilet Roll

Amazing 'everyday art' by artist Yuken Teruya. (And to think my childhood forays into creative toilet roll reuse resulted only in falling-apart robots and shabby spaceships). [via Design*Sponge]

The Crafts Department: A 'Good Thing'

I admit it, I have a bit of a soft spot for Martha Stewart. In my 'former life' as a NYC-based journalist, I often wrote for three of the magazines in her media empire: Living, Weddings, and Body & Soul. While working on the first two, I had the good fortune to meet and work with many of members of Martha's talented crafting team. Their blog, The Crafts Department, feels a bit like picking their brains (well, not literally) with projects from the magazines (like these lovely felt slippers), behind the scenes posts and more. It's one of my (slightly guilty) pleasures.

Feeling Festive!

We're well into the holiday spirit here at The Make Lounge so here's a peek at our shop window. Hope everyone is feeling festive, too, and not overwhelmed by shopping and to-do lists.

We've also introduced special holiday shop hours (now including Sundays) - for details, take a look here.

Feeling Inspired...

by this beautiful embroidery of the most mundane of topics: weeds.

From this:

To this:

Why not have a look around at your everyday surroundings and see if there's anything that catches your eye? (via tiny happy.)

Pretty Paper Cut - Made by Julene

via wholelottalovely.wordpress.com

Would love to have this beautiful papercut by Made By Julene adorning a wall of The Make Lounge!

Button Bonanza - Dalton Stevens' Obsession

via www.buttoncandy.org

I saw this on the 'all-buttons-all-the-time' web site, Button Candy, and just had to share it with you. :)

As Button Candy's founder, Jo, writes:

"Apparently Dalton couldn’t sleep at night so he started sewing buttons onto a denim suit. 16,333 buttons later he had an awesome buttons suit, he has also covered two cars in buttons wow ! and you think my hello piece of art is alot of buttons. Anyway i’d like to be remembered like this one day. . . PS: i think i should start covering my coffin now."

Free amigurumi heart pattern

 

I generally like my Valentine's goodies a bit less sweet (and a bit more tough) than this, but the part of me itching to learn arigurumi couldn't quite resist. 

Get your free crochet heart pattern over at Roxycraft, home of 'patterns that don't suck.' 

Okay, she's a little bit sassy after all. :)

Grateful and gearing up

 

I'm really excited about the coming year, despite all the doom & gloom predictions that burst forth from every newspaper and television show. Since we opened our doors 'officially' last April, it's been so exciting to meet each of you. It's especially inspiring to hear the chorus of 'I can't do that...I'm not creative' transform into 'wow, I made that!' in a matter of a few hours. Fun stuff!

In my personal life, I'm hoping this year for a bit more balance between working really hard and relaxing. I'm off to a decent start by making good on my threats to get to the gym and do more yoga, plus have cut out sugar and other simple carbs. As a result, I'm already feeling more energy to plan workshops (including our buttonhole and zipper class, pictured above) new monthly craft nights, plus many more exciting things - some of which we can't tell you about yet! 

How about you? What are you looking forward to in 2009? What do you hope to do differently/learn/change/add this year?