Knitting and Stitching Show - October 2013

Yesterday I was at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, London. What a fabulous day.

As always with these shows, preparation is key. 

I booked in for 2 workshops - one on Shrink Plastic and another to make a make up bag

I'd made a list of what I wanted to buy 

had other project ideas in mind. 

I also went with a very good friend...crafting and a good chat...what could have been better. 

This was by far the biggest craft show I have ever been to, taking up 3 halls in Alexandra Palace. There was such a range of things to do and see.  Including an amazing yarnbombed taxi at the entrance!

One hall had a beautiful display of work from experienced and student artists

Whilst another had the opportunity to get involved in upcycling to make woven rugs and flower corsages

The third hall was by far the biggest and full of all types of knitting and stitching products, of course I didn't come home empty handed 

Campervan and Spotty Fabric

Cars Fabric

Elephant Fabric

Liberty Scraps Fabric

I also bought a fabulous quilt fabric which I will use the liberty fabric for...will share this soon

Looks like there will be a lot of stitching in my future!

Shrink Plastic Workshop

I've had a play with Shrink Plastic before, but always useful to learn from someone more experienced. I made these amazing buttons...so incredibly pleased with them and definitely learnt some new tips to help me make better items at home

Shrink Plastic Buttons

Sewing a Zip into a Makeup Bag Workshop

This was the workshop I was most excited about as I thought there was a dark art to inserting zips...turns out they are as easy as pie! 

Within an 1.5 hours I had made the outer bag with a zip inserted and box corners (also new to me!) then I slip stitched in the lining on the train heading home....great skills I will use again and again. 

From this....

...to this

Love it!

If you're crafty and can get to London would completely recommend the show, its on until Sunday so get there if you can.

I was sent the entry tickets to the show for free in exchange for writing a review, however, I paid for all travel, workshops and shopping myself. All words in this blogpost are my own. 

Knitting and Stitching Show October 2013 - Ad

Can't believe it is already 5 months since the Spring Knitting and Stitching Show in Olympia London, I had such a great time there, seeing all the tools and fabric for sale, attending classes and of course splashing some cash on a new sewing machine. Read my show review here. 

And now it's time to think about the Autumn show in Alexandra Palace. Tickets are already on sale for The Knitting and Stitching Show - 10th-13th October.

I'm looking forward to attending the event and will be booking myself into some classes again, think it's the best way to get the most of the day - learning something new and meeting new people. There is an amazing range of classes again at this event including 3D Applique, Making Felt Lace, Knitting Baby Booties, Stitch Portraits, Freeform Crochet. My biggest challenge is trying to decide which day to go on and which classes to attend. 

Are you planning on attending? Would love to meet up with you there 

The Knitting and Stitching Show

Twisted Thread offered my 2 free tickets to the show in exchange for writing this post and a review post. All the words are my own and any classes or show purchases are made with my own money

The Amazings - Free Online Course Offer

If you've been reading my blog for a while you will know that I do love to learn new skills. I really enjoy attending courses as feel that there is so much more I can learn from a professional teacher than surfing the internet and learning from pictures. But, I don't always have the time to attend a course, there's work commitments, home commitments as well as babysitter needs, so I don't go to as many as I would like these days. So when I was contacted by The Amazings I jumped at the opportunity to take one of their online courses. You mean I can take a professional course from the comfort of my own sofa at a time which worked for me?....genius....yes please 

I took the Hexie Heirloom Patchwork Quilt class

This is the Virginia the course teacher showing off her quilt

The class is divided into 9 chapter videos comprising

• introduction explaining the technique, end product and the materials needed lasting approx 20 mins
• the process is then split into 8 bite size chunks of approx 7 minutes 

Each of the videos is done in a chatty style, it really feels like you are also sat in Virginia's living room with Jen learning all about the techniques. I found that I watched the first couple of videos and learnt about the template fabric cutting, then I proceeded in getting my fabric and paper cut whilst I watched the remaining videos, for me this worked really well as I was able to see what was coming, and of course because it is online I was able to rewind and re-watch if I missed a bit (you cant do that in a physical class when you've been daydreaming for a second and missed the important point!)

Each of the videos was really clear and because the chapters are only 7 minutes long it's achievable and you can watch the section as you need it without worrying that you will have forgotten what the teacher said by the time you get home.  

I don't think there is a substitute for attending a physical class, but if live is busy, finances tight or taking a day to travel to a class simply isn't an option this is a brilliant alternative. 

I was offered the course free by The Amazings' team in exchange for writing this review, the team are superstars as they are also offering you lovely readers the chance to take one of their online courses free too 

Free The Amazings Online Course - Click here

what will you choose? Loom knitting? Make your own beauty products? Upcycle a shirt into a dress? There are some great classes available and remember you can take one for FREE - awesome

My Day at the - Spring Knitting and Stitching Show

Well what a wonderful day I had.

 

I've been to the Spring craft show at Kensington Olympia for the last few years and generally leave with mixed feelings. Not sure if it was the place I am now with my crafting and this blog or the fact that I was there with a very good friend or what it was, but, I had a thoroughly wonderful time there on Thursday.

 

I attended 2 workshops

1. Free Hand Machine embroidery - always been too scared to give this a go. I love it, totally hooked although I obviously need a lot more practice

2. Hexagon patchwork - using a paper piecing technique I haven't tried since school

 

 

I purchased fabric, kits and a new sewing machine so more to come on these soon. Machine arrives this week - excited :)

 

 

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When all you can do is beg

There are some things which I am certainly not too proud to do

• the photo copying at work


• sniffing my baby’s bottom to see if there is anything I need to action


• re-cleaning tables in restaurants before we sit down as I know T will attempt to put the whole table in his mouth at some point over dinner. (I like to make sure it has seen antibacterial some point recently)
  

but most recently I added begging to the list and I don’t care because it came through.

As you know I took a bit of a cyber break when T was born. Just couldn’t fit blogging into my already chaotic world, but now T is 8 months old, I’m back at work and we are into a very good bedtime routine* I have a little more time on my hands and blogging was top of my list.

It was therefore only recently whilst blog-surfing that I discovered the Cyber Mummy conference taking place in London on 25th June, got very excited….went to register and was quickly deflated to discover it was sold out and there was a waiting list. There was nothing for it but to beg, offered to work at the event in exchange for a ticket; handing out badges, stewarding, anything which would mean I can go to a couple of the talks. I want to be a better blogger.

Well, I’ve just heard back from the organisers and

The lady from CyberMummy....she say yes

(insert own cheesy Spanish accent)

(apologies to anyone who wasnt in England in the '80s to experience the Del Monte ads)

I’m so excited.

Looking forward to meeting lots more yummy cyber mummies.

Are you going? Let me know…looking forward to meeting you

* clearly I have jinxed the next few nights by writing this

Metal Clay Class

Well I've had a great weekend, hope you had a good one too.

The jewellery class on Saturday was a great success, I might actually be hooked. Here are new sparkly pieces which are all my own design....

I worked with Metal Clay which is dried and fired. Then once buffed and polished reveals a solid silver treat.

Firstly I modelled my pieces in polymer clay (like playdough) until I was happy with the design. Below is a polymer and a Metal Clay piece

Then after a little elbow grease (and a trip to the polishing barrel for some pieces which is a magical lazy option) I walked away from the class with some earrings, a ring and of course my leaf and stone set pendant...I am rather pleased with myself. Thoroughly recommend the day...

I still have an awful lot to learn but will be practicing at home as this really doesn't need any specialist equipment....I've got a table, radiator and a creme brulee torch...silver treats here I come

All Buttoned Up

I returned home late last night resembling a Pearly Queen

I hadn't suddenly decided to move to East London and learn Cockney rhyming slang. No. I'd been to a Button Jewellery taster class at the London Jewellery School and had made enough goodies to practically rattle as I walked home.

There is certainly something exciting about being faced with a box brimming with buttons. I don't know if its the feeling as they drip through your fingers, the mirage of colours and shapes or just the chance of uncovering a gem which makes rummaging such fun but the 4 of us in the class were mesmerised before the class had even started.

Our 2.5 hours whizzed by in a flurry of button threading action. I really couldn't believe just how easy it is to make these sweet-shop treats. Am now off to eBay to source some materials...here is what I made....I will be seen modelling them around London and Surrey for a long time to come

2 cute bracelets

some retro button earrings

and here is me modelling my new necklace

Jewellery course - class #3

This week's class was mainly used up finishing last week's ring project. So I started with this




There was no creme brûlée blow torch, instead we used what can only be described as a dentist's drill, thankfully without the high pitched squeal. The drill-like weapon was wrapped in sandpaper and used to polish the inside of the ring, it did a remarkable job. 2 minutes of whizzing and the inside of my ring was like a mirror. Unfortunately the outside was not so easy. Not sure why but the dentist drill couldn't be used on the outside think there was a danger of us accidentally polishing our fingers (and I thought the blow torch last week was dangerous). So old fashioned sandpaper and elbow-grease was the order of the day.

After much sanding I had the following which I was quite proud of. Let's face it, it has all the right ring qualities -
1. It's round
2. It's finger size
(I'm not the fussiest of ladies, I know my limits)



Not content with a plain band (oh no, you can buy those in any shop) I set off on a mission to customise. You might have to trust me here as the picture isn't great, I have battered my silver ring with a hammer to within an inch of it's life, I now has a mottled effect. I'm really quite pleased with project number 2

For those of you with super-duper eye sight you might have spotted a grey/purple area around the middle of this ring, apparently this is called fire-stain and is caused when heating the metal. This gives an unintentional colouring to the ring which I would never be able to replicate if I actually wanted to or know how to stop happening again, oh well I like it and that's all that matters.



So here is a sneak peek at next week's project....




as Rolf Harris would say "do you know what it is yet?"

Jewellery Making Courses

Check out London Jewellery School
I've just signed up for a 5 week course in Jan '10, very exciting