The Manchester Craft Mafia has been featured in this great four page article in Quick and Crafty Magazine this month. It also mentions our fellow mafioso in Nottingham and Glasgow, as well as the group that started it all - the Austin Craft Mafia.
Many thanks to Nottingham Craft Mafia for this great image of the article.
Our own Sarah Terry, of Guerilla Embroidery, recently completed 7 weeks of workshops with young people in the Ribble Valley, designing and sewing into skateboards. These workshops culminated with an exhibition which was held at the Platform Gallery, Clitheroe, and ran until the 3rd April. One lucky young person was chosen to have their skateboard in the UK: DIY exhibition which is currently on at the Turnpike Gallery, Leigh; until the 23rd April.
This Saturday saw the opening of the first UK Craft Mafia exhibition at the Manchester Craft and Design Centre. Developed as part of the UK:DIY series of events planned for 2009 - with other exhibitions/ events taking place at the Turnpike Gallery, Platform Gallery and Touchstones. This exhibition celebrated our mafioso from all over the Uk with members from Glasgow and Nottingham representing as well as Manchester of course. This exhibition runs until the 2nd May so don’t miss it!
Manchester Craft Mafia are proud to announce the UK Craft Mafia Exhibition at the Manchester Craft and Design Centre feat. work by crafters from the Manchester, Nottingham and Glasgow affiliates:
Yarnbombing is taking over the North West. You know the stuff - knitted wraps, cosies and jumpers for street furniture, trees and all kinds of other urban bits and bobs.
It’s sprung up outside the Turnpike Gallery as part of the UK DIY project, flashed its fluffy goodness all over the Urban Folk Festival in New Islington last Autumn and wrapped up the mega Knitty Gritty event at Touchstones Rochdale in October.
Now you can not only expect to see yarnbombing lurking round the Oxford Road zone but you can be part of the whole shindig too. NW yarnbombers extraordinaire, Artyarn, are in residency at the Contact Theatre for the next two weeks and want you to join in their escapades with groups and workshops happening almost every day.
They’re happy to talk you through some background information about the textiles medium, as well as showing you some knitting and crochet techniques, helping you choose a yarnbombing target, and creating your tag. To find out exactly where and when you can find them, check out their blog right *here*
You can add your photos of your finished item to the UK DIY yarnbombing pool here too so we can all have a sneaky peak!
Gosh that came round fast, is it time to think about the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair again already?
Well apparently so if you fancy your chances selling there this year.
The call is out for applications for the fair taking place in October, and you can submit your applications from 1st March onwards. Which means you can be working on it now ready for that date.
They tell us “The Great Northern Contemporary Craft launched in October 2008 to great critical acclaim from both exhibitors and visitors. The inaugural show attracted 3500 visitors and the exhibitors reported collective sales in excess of £100,000.”
And we thought it was pretty special too so can’t argue with them there.
We’re not involved in this so don’t ask us any tricksy questions about the process or deadlines or can you be squeezed in after the closing date or any of that stuff because we won’t have a scooby-doo.
Instead, download *this* which has all the info on and read it over and over until you know what to do.
From last year we’re expecting competition for a spot to be pretty fierce (and we mean that in the proper old fashioned sense, not the Gok Wan sense, though come to think about it… ) anyway make it good and we wish you tons of luck.
See you there, and more than likely several times before then too.
If you’ve been tucking your crafts away in a corner of your house, fighting for space on the dining room table, packing up your work each day to make way for other things we have the very thing.
One of our Manchester Craft Mafia members, textile designer Nell, is looking for someone to share her studio and retail space in the Manchester Craft & Design Centre. Just as soon as you please thankyou kindly.
You can find the full details right *here*
Just a quick reminder Lo-Fi DIY is back this Tuesday.
And we’ll be there whatever the weather!
Luckily our demo this time is how to knit up something warm and snuggly.
Tuesday, 6-8pm Manchester Craft & Design Centre - full details here / below
Yes your favourite monthly craft night is back in February. Making things happen!
Tuesday 3rd February, 6-8pm, Manchester Craft & Design Centre
Lo-fi DIY is just an easy breezy night for anyone, be they craft curious novices or old hands.
Bring something along to work on or try some new ideas out with us.
If you’re completely new to crafting or don’t have anything to bring along, don’t worry we’ve got plenty to help get you started. For example…
Though Valentines will soon be upon us, winter is still in the air so we’ll show you how to make the easiest knitted scarf, even if you’ve never knitted before. Create for a loved one, for your best friend or even for yourself AND it can double as a belt. An instant hug!
Ingredients:
♥ Pair of 20mm needles
♥ 1 ball of big fat wool (Rowan Biggy print yarn is perfect but quite expensive, pop down the charity shops and grab yourself a handful of something lovably chunky)
♥ Toggle or your favourite chunky button.
And as usual, £3.50 will get you a tasty snack and a drink of your choice - an absolute snip!
To let us know you’re coming, or for a little help with a first crafting project and ideas on bits to bring, email nico@opheliabutton.co.uk … See you there
UK DIY is a series of exhibitions, projects and events coming to the North West from February.
Presented by Turnpike Gallery, Leigh; Manchester Craft & Design Centre; Touchstones Rochdale; Platform Gallery, Clitheroe; Urbis; and Manchester Craft Mafia, UK DIY will showcase a living round up of craft across the UK
The project stems from all things ironic, political, environmental, fun and subversive found within contemporary craft, communities, and entrepreneurial makers.
To keep up with what’s happening visit www.ukdiycraft.com and remember to subscribe to the email updates box there to have all the news dropped into your inbox as its posted. See you there, we can’t wait!
You know what it’s like… you saw it, you imagined learning to knit beautiful jumpers, cosy blankets, snuggly scarves… you ruffled it through your fingers lovingly, handed over your finest gold coins and held the bag close to your chest all the way home.
And then stuffed it in a cupboard and forgot about it.
Well we need that wool - get it out of the knitting closet and set it free, free to be part of the next big thing to hit the North West…
UK DIY - a celebration of the DIY craft movement and it’s development here on these shores. UK DIY will be bringing exhibitions, projects and events to a lovely spot near you from February onwards.
In preparation the Turnpike Gallery in Leigh is working with some fantastically exciting and talented people to bring you pompoms, crocheted bacteria and other knitted wonders - and they’d like your unwanted wool please.
Any colours and weights of wool will be very gratefully received. All donated wool will be used as part of the make-and-do area of our forthcoming exhibition UK DIY (February - April 2009) giving visitors to the exhibition the opportunity to try some hands-on knitting and crocheting.
Please post your unwanted wool to: Louise Clennell, Turnpike Gallery, Civic Square, Leigh, WN7 1EB
If you need any help with postage costs/jiffy bags, please email l.clennell@wlct.org or call 01942 404469.
More details about UK DIY coming soon…
Just quickie to say we’ve uploaded a ton of events on the calendar for ‘09 so if you’re about to make your new year’s resolution or need something to look forward to once the festive fuss dies down, you might find some inspiration there.
If you know of something else we should add just contact us with the details.
Santa and Reindeer Alfies by Claire at sewsewcrafty.etsy.com
Happy Christmas people.
Hope Santa does you all proud, that your mince pies are home baked, that you receive and love Christmas jumpers from your aunties and grans, and that you come back twice as fresh and creative for 2009.
So last weekend the highlight of the craft mafia year swept us away in the shape of our Christmas Markets at The Whitworth Art Gallery.
We were hoping for very good things but the range and quality of the work was fantastic - thank you so much to all the makers who turned up and set out such wonderfully presented stalls.
The Whitworth spoiled us with a surprise festive Saturday complete with a children’s Christmas play, a mini festive food fair with the wafts of hot mulled wine floating around the room, and a brass band playing carols in the adjoining gallery. It put us all in the mood from the off.
And we were delighted to see around 1300 visitors over the weekend, all of whom enjoyed some cheery last minute Christmas shopping and craft chat at all the stalls.
Whether you were there selling, buying, browsing or chatting - or if you missed it and are wondering what all the fuss is about there are a few pics here. Maybe you can spot yourself, feel free to add your own shots of the event to the album.
For those of you who asked us about more events don’t worry, they’ll be coming throughout 09…
The wait is over. Come visit us this Saturday and Sunday for all your festive handmade heart’s desires.
Over 40 makers will be there across the two days, selling everything from saucy knickers through cuddly toys, fascinators (those fancy things you wear at weddings - somewhere between a hat and a feather), prints and all manner of loveliness in between.
As well as your best Manchester Craft Mafia friends there will be big name makers such as Jennifer Collier and Lucy May Schofield, plus a few fellow makers coming specially from the likes of Norfolk and Edinburgh.
If you’re a facebooker join the event and invite all your facebooking friends right *here*
If that weren’t all enough, it’s also the closing weekend of the major textiles exhibition Cloth and Culture NOW. And for family peeps there are some lovely trails, artcarts, storysacks and such to be had; and of course the divinely scrumptious gallery cafe serving locally and seasonally sourced food as well as a good slurp of hot chocolate - prefect for these frosty days.
Admission is free and the market and gallery are suitable, nay perfect, for all ages. Maps and location can be found *here*
Below are a few sneaky peaks at what you might find on the day - click for full details of which work belongs to who…
Yes your favourite monthly craft night is back, making things happen.
Enjoy an extra special Christmas instalment of your favourite crafting club:
Tuesday 2nd December, 6-8pm at Manchester Craft & Design Centre
As well as tons of fabulous ideas for the perfect handmade gifts and loads of itsy bitsy crafting oddments to help you get your Christmas crafting projects underway, we’ve also got oodles of crafting inspiration courtesy of our two guest demonstrators.
Knit the light fantastic…
Forget tinsel and shop-bought baubles because this year you’re going to knit your own sparkly and splendid tree decorations with the help of super-knitter Kate Heppell. If you’d like to have a go, just bring along a pair of 4mm knitting needles (try the charity shop), some double-knit wool, a darning needle and any sparkly oddments you might have.
Make Your First Crochet Bouquet…
Roger the Crochet King will be demonstrating how to make the perfect crochet bell flower. Ideal for popping on your favourite coat as a brooch. Bring your 3.5mm crochet hook and Double Knitting yarn.
If you have something you’re already in the middle of bring it along to share with us. If you’re completely new to crafting or don’t have anything to bring along, don’t worry we’ve got plenty of ideas and materials to help get you started. As usual, £3.50 will get you a warming platter and toasty drink.
To let us know you’re coming, for a help with a first crafting project and ideas on bits to bring, or to offer us a demo at our next Lo-fi email nico@opheliabutton.co.uk
See you there!
ArtYarn invite you to a day of free knitting and crochet workshops this Saturday.
Artyarn’s latest project is collecting 7″x7″ knitted or crocheted squares to contribute to the SHED jumper project at the Pool Arts SHED Gallery, Tonbridge Road Allotments in Levenshulme.
To be part of this community project we welcome you to our open workshop day to make squares weather you are a beginner wishing to advance your skills or learn a new craft, or weather you wish to join us and build up our stock of squares with your speedy knitting and crochet skills.
When: 10am-4pm, Saturday 22nd November
Where - St Lukes, 1 Guidepost Square, Longsight, Manchester M13 9EA
The SHED jumper project will be launched on Thursday 18th December from 7pm , with mulled wine and Christmas treats. For more info please visit:
You’ll probably be seeing a bit more of this over the next few weeks, but we were so pleased with it we had to post it straight away! There’s a larger jpeg, and a pdf version if anyone wants it - let us know. See you there for all manner of handmade goodies…
*update* … If you’re about to ask if there are any places left then we’re fully booked right now. However if you’d like to apply for our waiting list follow the application info detailed here … http://www.manchestercraftmafia.com/blog/?p=134#comment-77
Last night we zoomed up to Manchester Grammar School for the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. Here’s what we thought of it…
Firstly, it was a bit tricky to find, though to be fair, we forgot to take the map. However being outside of the city centre meant parking was good, and really well organised. Manchester Grammar School turns out to be a stunning building, much as we’d imagine. Once inside we discovered plenty of other people had got lost too, but we all made it eventually so it wasn’t a big problem.
The welcome was warm and friendly with helpful staff. Though one security guard led us a merry dance trying to find the cloakroom which turned out to be just behind him (as we’d suspected all along).
Though the work was spread across several rooms, the route between them all seemed instinctive, so even those seemingly tucked away were still very easy to find. The fair’s signage was beautiful (screen prints) and clear. The school’s slightly less so.
The range of work was perfect - a mix of high end and affordable. We lusted over Alison Willoughby’s skirts (above) but didn’t want to (more…)
Yes your favourite monthly craft night is back.
Lo-fi DIY on Tuesday 4th November, 6-8pm at Manchester Craft & Design Centre.
Once again a cheap as chips £3.50 will get you a nice hot drink and something to warm those winter tummies. More importantly, the evening will be full of making merriment as we pick up our craft bits and bobs and get busy.
If you have something you’re already in the middle of bring it along and show us as you work. If not, as ever we’ll have a little something for you to try. We’re thinking something cosy to snuggle up with in the winter will be just the job. Curious hmm?
Feel free to pop in for a crafting quickie as you’re passing, or stay for the full two hours.
And if you’ve never been before don’t worry - whether you’re an absolute novice or a seasoned professional - you’ll find a friendly mixed bunch ready and willing to help, admire or just chat. It’s all about having fun, sharing ideas, and making new friends.
If you can let us know you’re coming that would be great, or for a little help for a first crafting project, or you might even like to offer us all a demo of what you do, please email nico@opheliabutton.co.uk
And we’ll do it all over again on Tues 7th December so put it in your diary. Same time, same place.
Image: cup cosy, SewSewCrafty