London Craft Club started because making something you’re really proud of is good for you. Working with your hands pushes everyday stresses aside in a similar way to exercising and it’s so rewarding to surprise yourself with the quality of what you can make. 

It’s also part of a wider reaction against buying quantity not quality. Getting an understanding of the processes, skills and materials involved in making things is a very hands-on experience, that encourages you to really think about the value your stuff. You can buy a purse for £2, but once you’ve made one yourself you do find yourself asking how on earth that’s right, or even possible.

It also gives you a way to reuse things  - in our workshops you’ll always find old jeans, dresses, bedsheets or curtains (thoroughly washed of course!) in the fabric stash, and at the moment we’re all about reusing knitted stuff that would otherwise get discarded.

If London Craft Club can encourage people to think about how things are made, about who they are made by and what they are made out of, as well as bringing a little bit of happiness into the lives of some busy Londoners, then it’s doing OK.
 

...making something you’re really proud of is good for you. Working with your hands pushes everyday stresses aside in a similar way to exercising, and it’s very rewarding to surprise yourself with the quality of what you can make.  I love the resurgence of enthusiasm for crafting and making at home, but despite that, it’s not always that easy to get started on a crafting project for the first time. Or even if it’s not the first time.

A friend of mine describes herself as clumsy but creative. She has ideas for what she wants to make, but doesn’t feel confident to start chopping up her carefully chosen fabric. Plus there’s a lot of kit and equipment out there, including sewing machines, and it’s a big investment in something she might not even like, or be able to master. It’s tricky just knowing where to start.

At the other end of the scale, a keen crafter I know has a crafting project draw containing the first few rows of a knitted toddler hat (although Winter’s long gone), the untouched makings of a hexagon quilt, and some pinned finger puppets that the intended recipient is now far too old for. Like lots of us, she has a busy life and has to be realistic about what’s manageable. Researching a new project, getting the kit, doing a few tests, finding a pattern, getting the fabric, all comes before you even start making. It’s quite a commitment and in practise she just doesn’t get round to it.

So really, London Craft Club is a kick start for crafting, cutting out a lot of the research and planning and preparation so you can start and finish a project in one go – and end up with something that looks really, really good. Plus you get to discover the skills and equipment you need, and buy any bits you want to do the project again. If you’re confident you can adapt the projects as you like, but even if you thinking you’re not crafty, by the end of a London Craft Club workshop, you might very well surprise yourself.

Have a look at our Workshops page to see what projects you can complete in just one session – and enjoy making something beautiful.