Leanne Prain, co-author of Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti, is looking for unexpected embroiderers. She's not talking about falling asleep and waking up finding that you've sewn the image of Cliff Richard's face onto one of your throw pillows. She's searching for those who embroider outside the box.
Like her Yarn Bombing book Leanne is hoping to bring together folks at the forefront of subversive stitching once more for Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery. This time they have smaller needles but similar values. They're the folks taking their craft and turning expectations of tweeting birds and blossoming flowers on their heads.
To put it simply "If you describe your stitch-work as arresting, subversive, quirky, or conceptual, Hoopla should feature your design work."
Full details of how to submit can be found here.
Go forth and pimp your subversive stitching. Go on.
This Friday London's fabulous fibre-filled V&A throws open its doors to the craft world with its Stitched Up event. They're cramming making and mending into their museum in a bid to explore all things stitched.
The Stitched Up event, which takes place on Friday 30th April, is part of the V&A's Lates. On offer we have 50s cocktail music and jazz at the Grand Entrance which is also home to a Stitch Surgery.
There's also The Tea and Make Garden Tea Party alongside the shimmering pool in the jaw-dropping museum courtyard; an interactive sewing contest, monster making, cross stitch chaos, and Sarah Tierney's Gigantic Weaving Loom.
All the events are free so you can drop in when you like and there's the Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition to wonder at too.
A crafty event not to be missed.
Election Fever sweeps the nation as the UK gears up towards going to the polls on May 6th. All over the country, and the virtual UK on the net, they're fighting it out in glorious yellow, blue and red (with the occasional bit of green).
Election rosettes tend to err on the 'part of a clown's outfit' side of things so I hunted down these rather lovely rosettes to help show where you stand with a bit of style.
Preprodepot sell all manner of retro fabric fabulousness and also run a blog featuring ideas on what to do with your precious purchases. Their Little Rosette Ornaments tutorial takes scrap fabric and vintage buttons and turns them into something stylish.
To adapt the pattern to a simple stylish rosette you can stitch something in your colour of choice, then add a brooch pin of the back and a couple of ribbons.
Pledge your party allegiance with a bit of panache.
Like a mysterious Cold War spy Stitch and Bitch London has had a facelift, changed its name and is living a new life. It's first big event in a woolly whirlwind of stitching that invites you to get your stitching exhibited in London's world-famous Science Museum this summer.
To celebrate the change newly hatched Stitch London has teamed up with London's Science Museum in a global stitching event that anyone can contribute to.
The Stitch Yourself project calls for people to send mini-mes of themselves, Stitched Selves, which will be part of a stitched science installation as part of the Science Museum's Who Am I? gallery in June.
Read more below
Continue reading >>
The stretching, muscle pulling and cheering of the 2012 Olympics are racing towards us and craft will not be left behind. Quilts4London are inviting those handy with a sewing needle to stitch an Olympic pennant.
They're looking for 12,000 pennants to represent the UK's athletes in a National Olympic Textile Project you should be able to see from anywhere in the stands.
The pennants can be made in any shape and design and they're calling for any genre of craft that involves sewing to join in.
Helpful guidelines for how to make your pennant can be found here and there's an even handier video taking you through step by step here.
The deadline for all contributions is December 2011 but it's never to soon to get your needle and thread in training.
For more details and an address to send to go to the Quilts4London website.
Yay! Spring has sprung! The sun is shining at long last and all across the UK flowers are attempting to grow. Rather than pluck them from the ground to get a little spring about your person you can join in the blooming by whipping up a fabulous felted flower brooch.
Anjie, pom pom princess of craft, has put together a step-by-step tutorial on her website Pom Pom Emporium. All you need is a bit of felt, simple sewing stuff, a few beads for embellishment and a trusty brooch pin.
See the full tutorial here.
Wear it on your recently-released summer jacket. Stick it on your summer hat. Make a felted posy. Safe spring flowers can continue sprouting and you can cover yourself in blossoms.
Kids are so very easy to craft for. Knit them an urchin-sized hat, stitch them a squishy bear, snuggle them up in the squares of a handmade quilt. They're always fascinated by the process of making things and will probably be the most fun to make for as they'll love it the more individual it is.
The Kids Company charity was set up to make the lives of wee ones a bit brighter. They "promote and support emotional well-being" and bring a little love into the lives of London's less well-off kids.
Member of Zurich Stitch and Bitch, Nicki Auf der Maur, got in touch with me recently to let me know about her "Wrap Up a Kiddie" project. She invites you to use your craft to make a tiny person's day.
You can donate fabric or yarn, make cushions or quilts, knit scarves, hats, cardigans or mittens or even stitch pictures. Basically any kid-friendly craft is welcome.
See how you can help on the Handmade Gifts for Vulnerable Children website and help to Colour a Child's Life.
digg this |
del.icio.us this
| 
Stumble It!
