Highlights from our Conscious Couture Craft Night

There's more to crafting than just having fun as we discovered the art of Craftivism....

You came in your dozens to show your support for a very special evening of activities with guests The Craftivists and War On Want. 

Mini protest banners with The Craftivists

Led by The Craftivists founder Sarah, participants sewed their own mini protest banners with their messages to support War On Wants 'Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops' campaign. These were to be hung somewhere poignant after the workshop and everyone who made one was asked to send in a photo of their banner in action - the photos will form part of a national  exhibition later in the year. 

Banner-making materials were very kindly donated by The Craftivists. If you missed the sessions don't worry. You can still stitch your own banner by buying a kit  directly from them, which we highly recommend and hope you will do. 

Sewing basics & making a tissue pocket holder with Alison Beadnall

Local textile artist, writer and baker Alison led a workshop on how to learn basic sewing skills - but it wasn't just a matter of mastering the stitches. Every participant put their new skills to use by sewing their own tissue pocket holder. 

It's amazing what you can achieve in one evening. This workshop was so popular that we hope to run it again later in the year. 

Hip headchains with Use It Up Wear It Out

Jo and Karen making chains trendy

The Use It Up girls are experts in up-cycling what looks like leftover materials into super stylish fashion items. We were very impressed with their latest project, designed just for us, to make head chains. Best of all they were far easier to make than they looked and were the perfect starter project for aspiring jewellery designers.

Is that Wonder Woman or Momtaz?

Doris made her's into a pendant!

All you needed was some chains, broken jewellery for decoration, jump rings and a pair of pliers. This really was craft at it's most trendsetting and easiest - a combo we love.

Knit & Knatter with The Knaughty Knitters

Don't forget every month we are joined by members of The Knaughty Knitters collective who will teach you how to knit, even if you've never picked up needles before. This month Becky helped them with their current mission to knit squares for charity blankets. Help on this is most welcome, so do join in next month whether you can knit or not.

Our doors are always open for you to bring along your own projects and make them in a friendly environment with other craft minded folk. It's part of our Open Craft Night ethos. This girl blew us away with her crochet skills...see this? It may look like a bee, but it's not any old bee. This is a bee costume (with wings) stitched for her pet tortoise. Pet fancy dress in crochet. It all happens at The Make Escape! We are eagerly awaiting the photo evidence of the outfit on its new owner.

Collage Corner

There was an impressive number of boys discovered collaging this month, our faves were a pair of royal elephants and this abandoned number...is it yours? We saved it for you. It's far too good to be leave behind.

The Soundtrack

Finally our craft nights wouldn't be the same without Dan, Alice and Isobel aka The Spinning Yarns providing the sounds while you stitch, the grooves while you glitter and the tunes while you tinker with jewellery making things. 

Join us next month for:
Welcome To The Jungle
Unleash your animal side with some fierce crafts including masks and braid making (to help you swing from trees, obviously.)

Tuesday 24th September, Hackney Attic, 270 Mare Street, London. 

FREE entry 7.30-11pm.  

Coming up: Conscious Couture Craft Night August 27th

This month sees one of our most important craft nights yet. As well as the usual, fun and creativity associated with our events we want you to take a moment to think of the impact that Fast Fashion is having on the world. 

Most recently brought to global attention by the Bangladeshi factory disaster, we all know that we need to ensure this does not happen again. In essence we need to make a stand against sweatshops. Do your bit by coming along and joining us to stitch your own #miniprotestbanner and have a go at making some of your own stylish fashion accessories.

Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops

We'll be supporting the new campaign by The Craftivists and War On Want in the lead up to this year's London Fashion Week by making a stand against sweatshops and other human rights abuses by stitching mini banners that you can take away and hang somewhere that will make people think. 

Craftivists who will be giving a talk about the campaign would also like you to photograph your banner in situ, the images will be used on a photography exhibition later in the year.

Don't worry. You don't need any experience of sewing. Help and materials will be on hand.

Hip Headchains

Use It Up Wear It Out are renowned for being conscious crafters, specialising in using recycled materials to create new fashionable items including clothing and accessories. Designers Karen and Jo will be on hand to help you make this summer's must-have hair accessory. 

Due to the recycling nature of this activity you are encouraged to BRING YOUR OWN MATERIALS - broken necklaces, unwanted jewellery etc and the girls will show you what to do with them. 

Beaded earrings & keyrings

Sheridan Lane is one of our most popular workshop leaders and she'll be bringing a tub of beads to help you make your own pair of earrings or a keyring.

Tissue pockets

Local textile designer and co-author of And Sew To Bed Alison Beadnell is also a promoter of upcycling and she'll be showing you how to make your own transportable tissue pocket holders. 

A mighty fine selection of workshops even if we do say so ourself!!

We'll also have our usual Collage Corner where you can make Paper Dolls and the Knaughty Knitters will be joining us to show you how to knit, or help you with a project you've got on the go. 

All workshops are FREE and take place at The Hackney Attic from 7.30pm-11pm. Hope to see you there.

FREE Craft Nights coming up in London

The above three nights take place inside The Hackney Attic* on the last Tuesday of the month. They are FREE to attend and take place 7.30-11pm. *270 Mare Street, E8 1HE.

Join us on our first ever tour!
This August Bank Holiday The Make Escape will also be holding two special craft days inside The Royal Festival Hall, Southbank on Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th from 11am-4pm as part of their Village Fete.  


As usual it's FREE and drop-in. We'll be joined by special guest workshop hosts and will be holding a giant Collage Corner.

PLUS
SATURDAY: 11-1

Make Escape founder Momtaz Begum-Hossain will be taking part in a live panel discussion  about craft and be talking all about our night and why it's so fab!
SUNDAY: 11-4
We're holding a Craft Swap.
Bring along unwanted craft materials and projects and swap for something else!


Hope to see you at one, or all five of these events!

We're in Mollie Makes Magazine!

Exciting alert! We're featured in the new issue of Mollie Makes craft magazine!

You can check out our piece by picking up a copy of Issue 30, on sale now.

Or have a closer read here!

Hooray!!!!!

Highlights from our Make Invaders Video Game & Craft Night

We promised you a night of geek craftery and we delivered! Or rather you all delivered...how awesome are these Mario & Luigi fimo masterpieces??!

But it wasn't just craft. We had games too. Lots of fabulous retrotastic games courtesy of our amazing friends at fellow Hackney Attic night Once Upon A Console who brought us Street Fighter, Donkey Kong and loads more other kinds of iconic interactive action. 

X-Stitch Mania

Back in January, our first cross-stitch workshop run by the legendary Mr X Stitch was the most popular workshop we've ever run, our Becky who also runs The Craft Closet came a close second with her too-cool-for-school xstitch games icon badge workshop! 

It was packed all night...we think this means you guys and girls LOVE x-stitch. 

Thankfully there's more opportunities to have a go in August when we're joined by The Craftivists. 

Collage Craziness

For the first time ever our Collage Corner was so popular we actually ran out of collage sheets! These lucky peeps however got well and truly stuck in with the colouring, cutting and sticking. 

Games Galore

The lovely, wonderful Al (yes a hug from him looks very tempting!) who looks after us at The Hackney Attic has many talents, one of which is running a retro games night called Once Upon A Console which recently celebrated it's first birthday. Him and his crew kindly leant us their games stash which Momtaz got very attached to even though she was pretty rubbish at it.

Top Tunes

Our house DJs The Spinning Yarns aka Alice, Daniel and Isobel were joined by a very special guest behind the decks who played us tunes about Pac Man. 

Fimo Fun

Super Al also ran a Fimo Clay workshop where the most intricate and 'Wow' of creations were made. Check out the booty this duo made.

Knitting & Knattering

Our usual knitting guru Madelaine was off this month pampering her mum who was celebrating her 95th birthday but she sent along Beryl and other members of The London Knaughty Knitters to look after us. 

Knitwits flocked to our knitting corner including a new girl who picked up the needles for the first time ever and an inspiring guy who knitted this mammoth jumper in less than a week. We salute your dedication!

BYO

We encourage folk to bring along their own projects to work on (because crafting with others is so much nicer than making on your lonesome.) We had our first braidmaker and we are really rather jealous of this stunning crochet bag that was being constructed.

And if that wasn't enough. This happened...

An entire building evacuation. Not just those who were crafting and gaming but all the folk who were watching films. 

We could tell you what happened...but have decided it's too top secret. 

Next time you'll just have to join us to be a part of the drama!

By next time...there are are in fact THREE places you can catch us this month! 

We are going on our first ever TOUR!

This August Bank Holiday The Make Escape have been invited to run a craft area inside The Royal Festival Hall at their summer Village Fair. We'll be there Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th August from 11am-4pm offering FREE drop-in craft activities and on Sunday we'll be running a craft swap so bring along any unwanted materials and/or homemade projects you want to exchange. 

If you've not been able to come to one of our weekday evening events we hope you can finally join us.

Then two days later we'll be back in our usual spot at The Hackney Attic on Tuesday 27th with an amazing line up of fashion themed workshops.

See you soon,

Team Make Escape

Suzi, Becky & Momtaz