Make Invaders: Craft & Video Game Night July 30th

This month we're teaming up with retro games night Once Upon A Console, to bring you an evening of geek craftery. You'll have a chance to make video game inspired clay models, cross-stitch classic graphics, illustrate characters AND play a host of fun games including Sonic, Donkey Kong and Street Fighter. 

Play Games With Once Upon A Console

Check out this booty! Games, games, games, waiting for you to get your mitts on. Once Upon A Console is a regular night at The Hackney Attic where you can challenge your opponent to classic games on Sega and Playstation consoles on the small or big screen. Get a taste of their night on this awesome video.

This month they are celebrating their 1st birthday (check out their Super Smash Bro party on Wed 17th July).  PLUS they are also joining us at The Make Escape on July 30th for a night of crafting meets gaming. 

As well as doing things like this:

You can also make things like this:

We're not talking plasticine either, this is serious Fimo clay sculpting.

Cross-Stitch Video Game Graphics With Becky From The Craft Closet

The cross-stitch Aida fabric used to make these gamey buttons have a rather brilliant pixelated vibe about them, just like a real video game. Rebecca Wood from The Make Escape team and one half of craft kit suppliers The Craft Closet will be showing you to stitch classic games icons. No sewing experience necessary.

Make games inspired video models with Al

Al is the amazing person who looks after us at The Hackney Attic and he also co-runs Once Upon A Console.Tonight however he'll be casting the games aside for some handiwork of another variety - showing you to make games models using Fimo clay.

Draw your own games characters

Any excuse to rope Lucky AKA Farcreazy Farid back into running an illustration workshop for us, his last two were epic!

This month Lucky will be helping you to draw and design your own video game characters.

As ever we'll also be supplying yarn and needs so you can learn to knit (or pop along to work on your own project), you'll get a chance to cut & stick to your hearts content in our College Corner and we've been promised another fine soundtrack from our DJs The Spinning Yarns. 

A whole night of fun and frolicks in Hackney for FREE!
You won't find this kind of value and friendlier people anywhere else in London! That's a FACT.

Make Invaders Craft & Games Night, Hackney Attic, 270 Mare Street, London, E8 1HE.

7.30pm-11pm (drop in any time). 

Bar in the room and food available in the building.

Highlights: Summer Of Love Festival Craft Night

Last month as the cool folk were gearing up for Glastonbury, we packed our own tent and set up camp at Hackney Attic's Middle Floor bar for our own summer festivities.

But what fun is a festival without the crafts? Thankfully we had oddles of activities to keep our festival goers amused. First up we were joined once again by local jewellery designer Sheridan Laine who brought along a box of beautiful beads...

These were transformed into a whole array of bangles, bracelets and charms.

At The Make Escape we pride ourselves on being the friendliest craft night in the whole of London - and the most inclusive. Indeed we welcomed our youngest ever visiter...Mia who we couldn't drag away from Collage Corner!

Elsewhere we welcomed a generation at the other end of the scale. This girl brought her dad along. But what did they get up to?

The wonderful textile designer and teacher Purple Claire set up a weaving stage showing us eco crafting at its most fabulous. 

Hurrah! We even managed to get some boys involved. 

Claire showed crafters who to weave on card...

And how to create masterpieces on paper plates. Can you believe this is actually a paper plate?? We can't!

For those who didn't want to craft on their own loom, Claire also set up a group weave on the wall.

Everyone was asked to weave in their one designs using scrap yarns...

...and gorgeous ribbon and fabric ends.

Check out these amazing results!

Wow!

And here's how they got on. Now they have matching coasters, we wonder which one of them will be putting the kettle on first?

Hang on a tick, who's this? It's a boy knitter, creating a present for his girlfriend. (aka our perfect man.)

Don't forget everyone is welcome to bring their knitting and other crafts projects along...and if you don't know how to knit, our in-house guru Madelaine will show you how.

Music is a major part of any festival and always one of the fave parts of our nights. Our DJs The Spinning Yarns transported us to the 1960s with a soulful, loved up, hippy, dippy soundtrack.

AND we had an AMAZING LIVE SET by The Something Sisters. Clarissa and Claire used to sing together three years ago when they lived in Belgium and this was their first gig since then. You wouldn't think so, there was absolutely no evidence of any rust. They were incredible.
Don't worry if you missed the set. It was recorded and you can watch and listen back to the tracks here. 

For those who caught the music bug after hearing Claire and Clarissa sing we invited them to make their own musical instruments. 

Surely that was it? NO! We also set up a stall where you could make your own festive headbands. 

There's bows, and there's this creation. Amazing or what?!

Phew! What a night. And to think our Becky (in the middle) was off to the real Glastonbury in the morning.

See you on July 30th - in a very exciting development we are having our first ever collaboration. We're hooking up with Once Upon A Console for a night of retro gaming AND crafting. You can play games and make stuff. Is this going to be the coolest free night ever or what???!

Make Invaders, Tuesday 30th July, The Hackney Attic, 270 Mare Street, London. 

7.30pm-11pm.