Highlights from our Christmas Carnival Craft Night

Mia & Momtaz from The Make Escape

Last week we got the sparkles out and invited you to join us for our Christmas Craft Night at Hackney Attic. We were so impressed by your creations and we hope everyone who came loves their handmade masterpieces. 

Here's our highlights from the night...

CHRISTMAS KNITTING

We were joined be Madelaine and Dee who inspired us with their woolly wonders and showed newbie and old knitters who needed refreshing, how to knit. 

BEADED CHRISTMAS WREATHS

Beading is a specialist skill and Jewellery Designer Louise Reed ran a fascinating session on how to make an intricate beaded decoration for your Christmas Tree. 

CHRISTMAS CARDS

We were so excited to be joined by the amazing MYO London a new creative craft workshop space near London Bridge. They came with so many ideas for how to make your own Christmas cards.

TREE DECORATIONS

Finally, we love our sewing bee sessions here at The Make Escape so we gathered our most sparkliest fabrics and sequins to show you how to make tree-rific felt decorations. 

To make our night complete we also had top seasonal tunage from our DJs The Spinning Yarns.

THANK YOU

to everyone who has come to our Craft Night this year. We are currently planning for 2018 dates and look forward to seeing you there.

Don't forget we also run private craft workshops and parties too so if you'd like us to organise an event for you get in touch.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and very Happy Crafty New Year!

Mia & Momtaz 

The Make Escape

Free Christmas Carnival Craft night! 12th December

Flier design: Sally Hughson 

December is officially the season of glitter & sparkles so extra reasons to get your craft on. Come along to our final FREE Craft night of 2017 for festive fun crafting! 


Make Your Own Christmas Cards

MYO will be in the house crafting up a Christmas card storm, including these Reindeer beauties.

Christmas crochet

We will have our usual yarn corner ago with festive inspiration, including this wonderful decoration with regular tutor Tone.

Or if you are knitting Christmas gifts bring along your works in progress, and get advice from our knitting expert Madeline.

Mini Wreaths


Wreaths are a key decoration this festive season, and you can create an adorable mini version AND master the art of beading with our special guest tutor Louise.

Needle- Felted puddings

Mia and Momtaz will showing you the craft of needle felting, where you can create a pocket sized pudding!








As usual all craft materials are provided, there's a bar on site, DJs The Spinning Yarns behind the decks and lots of fun to be had.

Workshops are run on a drop in basis and doors open 7.30pm. See you at Hackney Attic!

- - - - - - - -

Also, 
we have this fantastic workshop on

WEDNESDAY 20th DECEMBER:
Sew a Christmas Flag Decoration @ Fabrications 
The Fabrications shop will also be open late for some last minute Christmas gift shopping!

Book here. 

Save the date! Christmas Carnival free craft night

Flier design: Sally Hughson 

YAY! It's December, officially the season of glitter & sparkles so extra reasons to get your craft on. Come along to our final FREE Craft night of 2017 and make Christmas cards, needle felted Christmas puddings, learn to knit or crochet and master the art of beading with our special guest tutor Louise Reed who will be showing you how to make beaded wreath decorations. As usual all craft materials are provided, there's a bar on site, DJs The Spinning Yarns behind the decks and lots of fun to be had.

Workshops are run on a drop in basis and doors open 7.30pm. See you at Hackney Attic!

CAN'T MAKE IT?

Don't worry we've got two other craft workshops you can attend:

SUNDAY 17th DECEMBER: Make Christmas Film Quote Banners @ Drink Shop Do

Book here. 

WEDNESDAY 20th DECEMBER: Sew a Christmas Flag Decoration @ Fabrications 

Book here. 

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and here's hoping Santa re-stocks your craft supplies!

Momtaz & Mia xx

Tues 29th November FREE Disco Fever Craft Night in London

Poster design: Sal Hughson

We hope you're in the mood to sparkle! Our final Craft Night of 2016 is DISCO FEVER - yup it's got a disco theme and not just in the soundtrack!

Workshops include Making Your Own Disco Ball with Guest Tutor, Designer Mia Little Wolf...


and a chance to get a head start on making your Xmas cards.

All materials are provided but if you have something sparkly at home you'd like to bring along to craft with then do!

Learn to knit, collage to your hearts content, make friends, get creative and most of all have fun. 

This month we are once again supporting MIND Crafternoon (last time we raised £59.38p!) - let's top that! Bring a donation for the night and spread the word, everyone is welcome.

See you Hackney Attic. All details on the flier above!
If you've like to help out on the night, run a workshop or have a questions drop us an email.

COMING UP: FROST FAIR CRAFT NIGHT 24th November 2015

Designed by Sally Hughson

Our last Craft Night of the year has a wintery theme - come join our Frost Fair! Workshops involve, wool, glitter and other seasonal themes...

Xmas Cards with Shimelle Laine

Make a start on your Xmas cards with help from Celebrity Craft Expert Shimelle Laine, using her own special brand of papers! WOW!

Eco decorations with Karen Shand

Try your hand at making Christmas decorations with natural and found objects including twigs and yummy smelling fern with recycling expert and one half of Use It Up Wear It Out, Karen Shand.

Paper decorations with Debbie Michener

Join local designer Debbie in this addictive workshop using collage materials and magazines.

Knit & knatter
Learn to knit or crochet or come and join us to work on your own projects. Help on hand from a number of knitting experts including Sheree Robinson. 

All workshops are drop in - no need to book, just turn up. See you there! We are very friendly so come on your own or bring people!

Frost Fair Craft Night, 24th November, 7.30pm til 11pm, Hackney Attic, 5th floor Hackney Picturehouse Cinema, 270 Mare Street, London, E8

Coming up: Nov 25th Wild Winter Craft Night plus book launch for Louise Walker's Faux Taxidermy Knits

Image: Louise Walker

BRRRRRRR!

We're having a Wild Winter Craft Night and you're invited to join us!

As the evenings draw ever chillier we decided it's best to grab some yarn and get knitting so to inspire you to do the same we're delighted that November's event will also be the official book launch for Louise Walker's AMAZING new book Faux Taxidermy Knits. The most talked about knitting book of the year, containing projects everyone wants to own, it's filled with super cute creatures and the good news is you don't need to be able to knit to come and enjoy the night, we'll show you how or you can dip into our other non woolly crafts too.

Book launch: Faux Taxidermy Knits by Louise Walker

Image: Louise Walker

Join Louise for a very special workshop where she'll be showing you how to knit a special animal project inspired by her book for for non-knitters there's the option of making a cute creation from felt. Louise will also be bringing her animals along for a very special exhibition plus you can buy a signed copy of the book and win prizes! 

The ladies from our Knitting Knook will also be on hand to show you how to knit if you've never picked up the needles before. We've got plenty of wool (thanks to Love Knitting) so just turn up and join in!

Spicy Pomanders
Make warming clove and spice scented 'lavender bags' to give as gifts, hang in your wardrobe or pop in your pant drawer in this scentsational sewing workshop led by textile designer and cake baker Alison Beadnell. Warning...this workshop will smell delicious!

Xmas cards & decorations
With exactly one month left until Christmas now's a good time to start making Christmas cards and decorations. We'll have all you need in our Collage Corner including glitter and sparkles. One year we had someone make 10 Xmas cards...see if you can beat that!!

We'll also have our DJs The Spinning Yarns behind the decks plus a bar on hand and a kitchen downstairs so join us Tuesday 25 November 2014 for our last craft night of the year!!!

Doors open 7.30pm, 5th floor, Hackney Attic, Hackney Picturehouse Cinema, 270 Mare St, E8
Nearest stations Hackney Central Overground and London Fields rail. All workshops are drop in. FREE ENTRY.

See you there!

Coming up: Narnia Night Tuesday 26th November 2013

Illustration by Sal Hughson, and Matthew Lee

Brrrrrrr! We're feeling cold, but we're not going to let that stop us crafting! We are ending the year with a winter wonderland themed Narnia Night, inspired by C S Lewis' fantasy tale.

As ever the Attic will be like a wardrobe into another world, where you can cut, stick, colour, stitch and knit away with other friendly creative peeps. Come and join us! 

SNOW QUEEN TREE DECORATIONS

Local textile artist, baker and author Alison Beadnell will be showing you how to make a seasonal decoration that you can hang around your home, on your Christmas tree or perhaps on yourself, snow queen style?

ASLAN POM POMS

Could this be the cutest workshop ever! We fell in love with these lion pom poms on the Mr Printables website and will be showing you how to make some of your own. 

WOOLLY WOODLAND FINGER PUPPETS

Image by RainDrop Stops

If you thought the lion pom-poms were cute, check out these beauties! Make little woodland puppets inspired by the character's you would find living in Narnia to help you tell your own magical tales.

PLEASE NOTE WE HAVE LIMITED COLOURS IN OUR FELT STASH SO IF YOU HAVE FELT LYING AROUND AT HOME PLEASE BRING ALONG AND SHARE! 

KUMIHIMO BRAIDING

Make Escape regular Louise Reed can often be seen braiding in the Attic! This month she's sharing the intricacies of the artform and will be showing you how to make braids that can be turned into jewellery, keyrings or used in your gift wrapping.

PLUS we'll have a heap of seasonal collage corner projects,  make a start on your Christmas cards, bring along your own projects to work on, learn to knit with our in-house knitting gurus or just come and hang out with us.

Back behind the decks with month are the wonderful Spinning Yarns Djs and as usual we've got our own bar.

See you there!

The Make Escape present Narnia Night, Hackney Attic, 270 Mare Street, London, E8 (nearest stations London Fields, Hackney Central and Hackney Downs) 

Entry and taking part is free but we always welcome material donations for everyone to share.

Highlights from our Christmas Craft-A-Thon!

Santa without a beard, but the owner of a hairy chest? It's all possible when you make your own Christmas cards which is exactly what we go up to at this month's Make Escape Craft Night at The Hackney Attic.

The great thing about making your own cards is that they can be as experimental as you like. This crafty fan made a four-page mini-book-turned-card with a printed velvet lining. It's amazing what treasures uncover in our scrap fabric box!

Elsewhere we were delighted to be joined by needle felter Susanne Wallis (whose new book The Beginner's Guide to Needle Felting is out now!)

She led a session on needle felting your own Christmas pudding...yum!

In the Maker's Market we were thrilled to be joined by the gorgeous Sheree A Robinson who makes beautiful hand-knitted accessories. She also ran a workshop on how to make the biggest, fluffiest pom poms ever! Now, we would love a Christmas Tree covered in those!

Two other fabulous ladies that joined us were Marcia (aka Got Big Hoop) from SE London craft collective The Funky Fibres (they meet Mondays at the Lord Northbrook pub) and the lovely Jemma from Le Shit Chic Boutique who sells fun, quirky jewellery using wire and kitschy things like dolls shoes. Check out her fabulous on-line store to browse and buy!

Sisters Zoe and Teanne got down to some serious wire work making tree decorations.

Teanne curled up some spectacular wire holly berries.

While these bells made by Jemma are going straight onto Zoe's tree!

The boys were back! In the Man's Craft Corner they got sticking and stitching.

Pat whipped up a rather fabulous ginger bread decoration.

 While Alice one third of our resident DJs The Spinning Yarns proved a girl can crochet while changing tracks.

At The Make Escape you can join in our activities or bring along your own. It's the perfect place to have a cuppa and catch up on your knit as these ladies did. And if you don't know how to knit fear not, from January we're going to have a regular Knit & Knatter spot where they'll always be someone to show you how!

For those who wanted a hand with crafting we provided all the materials and sparkles you needed to make your own stocking.

  Like this masterpiece.

And gave you shimmering papers to make your own gift bows.

 

Always great to see crafters dressed for the occasion. We couldn't take our eyes off this sweet santa sweater.

If we were giving our prizes, the best-dressed would of gone to Purple Claire... her bejewelled dress was spectacular while her necklace was one she made earlier!

Here are some of the spectacular creations that were sold at The Funky Fibres stall.

 And for anyone who had caught the craft bug so much they wanted to spread the love, The Craft Closet were on stand by selling their 'as bought by Gok Wan' craft kits.

And here are The Craft Closet ladies - you may recognise The Make Escape's Becky who is one half of the Closet.

 

 Well it wouldn't be Christmas without a mince pie! Momtaz having a break from taking the snaps!

Thank you to everyone who came down to our Christmas Craft-A-Thon!
We're back next year with more fantastic craft nights, starting with our Nifty New Year 'money-saving craft special' on January 29th.

We'd like to leave you with one of the choice cuts from The Spinning Yarns.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!