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

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.

Coming up: Winter Craft Nights!

Diaries out! Here's what we having coming up at the next few Make Escapes!

We have some AMAZING special guests lined up: Lauren O'Farrell (knitting), Purple Claire (weaving) and Mr X Stitch (stitching!)

We also have a craftastic Chrismas special....which is the 2nd to last Tuesday of the month rather than the last, as that's Christmas Day and it would be too late to craft then!
As ever they will be FREE, FUN and FRIENDLY..so pop down, join in...come alone or with mates. 
We're also looking for people to have stalls in our Makers Market so if you fancy one, (free stall hire) drop us an email - themakeescape@gmail.com
See you soon!