Grant money awarded for kids crafts club!

KIDS CRAFTS WORKSHOPS AT THE MILL

The lovely grants committee at The Mill have kindly given me a grant to run kids' crafting sessions during the half term and school holidays.

 

The first of these sessions will take place on Tuesday 20th December in the main room at The Mill.

 

10 - 12 { French knitting } { suitable for 5+ }

12 - 1.30 { Sock Monkeys } { suitable for 4+}

1.30 - 3 { Beginners knitting } { suitable for 7+ } 

 

£ 2 drop of fee per session or £5 for the day, per family. 

Book  here or turn up on the day.

 

 

 

 

Knit and stitch show Alexandra Palace

I went to the Knit and Stitch show again this year. I saw some amazing student work, bought some beautiful wool, some great buttons and amazing fabric.

Thanks Eternal Maker, Affiliated Button Company, Beyond Fabric, Zeenah Shah, linentree, Tugba Kop, Becky Dodman, Craft Guerrilla and many many others for providing the quality and inspiration and goodies to keep me crafting for another year!



























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Location:Thorpe Crescent,Walthamstow,United Kingdom

autumn is on its way

My pumpkin plant is so huge it is winding its way into trees and around the rosemary shrub, and it has several pumpkins hanging down 4 foot in the air - one way to keep the slugs off!

I have spiders and figs coming out of my ears and have my first apples on my baby apple tree this year.

On a nice sunny day like the cats and I are lapping up the sunshine.

Single parents are brilliant

I never chose to be a single parent. I too wanted to bring my children, born into a loving relationship, up in a loving relationship. But this unfortunately did not happen. How can the fact that my relationships broke down have turned me from a fine upstanding member of society into the single handed cause of destruction of Britain? Why are absent fathers not blamed for the ills of society, how can it possibly be all our fault, the single mums of the UK. The vast majority of us work hard, very hard, we support our children, love our children, are there for them 24/7, teach them morals and values, run households on a single income, scrimp and save to give our children what their friends have, never show them how difficult it may be for us, how we would love to have another adult around sometimes to talk about the kids, to share their ups and downs with, to help out with the practical stuff.

The majority of single mums are not as portrayed in the press, teenagers who get pregnant on purpose to get a flat and benefits (I in fact have never ever met anyone who would be willing to go into parenthood for the sake of a council flat and £60 a week benefits, you'd have to be very shortsighted!!). All my single mum friends and I are in our late 30s, early 40s, sensible bright talented women who just happen to not be with dad any more. You know, sometimes dads die and then you are a single mum. Sometimes dads run away with a colleague and then you are a single mum. Sometimes dads are so abusive you have to leave, and then you are a single mum. Hardly any of us set out to do it alone (but hats off to you that do as mums are great!).

Parenting is hard, single parenting harder still, but very rewarding too. I am sick to the back teeth of being accused of being responsible for stupid kids looting JD Sports, for teenage pregnancies, for drug taking, for gang culture. Making a baby takes two but destroying society just takes one parent? Give me a break. I am showing my boys that you work hard for what you want, that you work hard at school, value other people, don't litter and don't steal, etc etc. And all the single mums I know are the same, we have high standards and high morals. And we demand a stop to the easy blaming of us lovely, wonderful, fab, strong and dedicated women for everything that is wrong with the world today.

It stinks and makes no sense. It is extremely lazy.

E17 Art Trail 2011

I am SO looking forwards to this year's Art Trail, an open studio bonanza of more than 2 participants, ranging from established artists to children displaying their pictures on their garden fence. It runs from 2/9 - 11/9 and there is sure to be something for everyone.

For more details please see www.e17arttrail.co.uk

I am taking part, with friend and sidekick Katy Winter www.stitchupshop.co.uk. See flyer below for opening times.

There are free sewing workshops taking place during the second weekend on a first come first serve basis. And everything will be accompanied by tea, cakes and choons!

gardening and sewing

I aware that I have been SO busy I haven't posted in a while, am determined now to at least post pictures on a regular basis as I am always taking pictures, no matter how busy. Here goes:

cheekyhandmade lables have just arrived!!

in preparation for the We Make London pop up shop I ordered some lables to be woven for me, it was though and go whether they would arrive in time but they just popped through the door and man am I chuffed!

I feel like a proper grown up now

yummy chickpea lunch

Thanks to Knitting on Trains' blogpost http://www.knittingontrains.com/ which came in just before I stopped sewing to eat my lunch, I am having gorgeous spicy chickpeas for lunch. Yummy. With home grown lettuce and a bit of sumac (yummy spice).

Do check out the Knitting on Trains blog, it is always full of great stuff.

Quilting course at The Create Place

I have been experimenting with funky pot holders (can easily be made as coasters or place mats too) and I am loving the result. To learn how to make these yourself join me at The Create Place on either Wednesday 18th or Wednesday 25th May between 6.30 - 9 for a short introduction to quilting.

Lots of other classes are up on my new schedule too, both here at home and at the Create Place.

To book follow this link Cheekyhandmades booking

E17 Designer Spring Market

Come and see me at the next E17 Designers Market on Friday 13th may at the Asian Center in Orford Road between 7 and 10pm

Create Place new ventures

Sew Cafe at the Create Place

I will be running sewing drop ins (Sew Cafe) on the first Wednesday of every month between 6.30 - 9, starting on 4th May at The Create Place, 29 Old Ford Road, Betnal Green E2 9BJ http://www.thecreateplace.co.uk 

There will also be a special Easter Sew Cafe on Saturday 23rd April between 10 and 5.Family craft fun activities available too on the day, check out the website for more details.

During the Cafe you can hire a machine for £7 or hire advice and a machine for £15. Please contact me first to discuss what you are working on if you want to book me for a slot so i can coordinate bookings.

Sewing Machine repairs

I will also be running a sewing machine hospital during Sew Cafe. Bring your poorly or unused machine and I will fix and service it. 

Cupcakes and Sewing!

Sarah from Hardy and Scott will be providing cupcakes at all my classes from now on, free of charge. Her cakes are scrumptious and will certainly make sewing even more fun (is that possible?)

Here are some gorgeous things I covet...

Miso Funky

I love Sewing

 Cassia Beck Prints

Felt Bird Brooch


Cassia Beck Prints

Dea Beale

Sewing classes this weekend

Laura's cushion

Beata, Laura and Yolanda hard at work cutting out their cushions

Polly and Claire's finished cushions

Beata and Yolanda's finished cushions

this weekend I ran several sewing classes and a crochet class. Here are the gorgeous results. I am so proud of my ladies and their work!

New ventures

The craft classes are running and proving to be very successful - and enjoyable!

From March I will be teaching quilting workshops at The Create Place in Bethnal green on Wednesday nights.

They run lots of cool and cheap classes in a fantastic venue, check out their website http://backtobasicsartsandcrafts.blogspot.com/p/workshops.html

I am very excited to be involved with them.

We will also start offering a sewing machine repair service from there. You can drop off your machine and I will take it home to repair it, or you can come to the monthly repair clinics. Alternatively I can repair machines at your own home. Prices tbc but likely to be in the region of £15 an hour plus £15 call out to your home. Generally most machines can be fixed within the hour. Low cost alternative to an expensive repair shop!







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Great craft books

As I have a very serious craft book buying habit I was incredibly pleased when I was contacted by Iain from New Holland Publishers asking me to review some of their crafts books, none of which I owned or had read.

Yesterday I received a box full of goodies and hereby are my reviews. Can I just say I was very impressed with all the books! And that readers if my blog can get 20% off these books plus free p&p if they enter Cheeky at the checkout!! Website is www.newhollandpublishers.com/craft-and-hobbies.asp




Make a monster (using fleece). Right up my street. Colourful and fun, with clear instruction and full size patterns. I want to make them all!




Love sewing



Another winner. Great projects, very clear instructions, nice photography.









A cupcake doorstop! First thing I am making tonight. I love it! Patterns are printed but not full sized and not loose so need to be photocopied.


Love crochet




Excellent instructions on starting to crochet, some of the clearest I have seen (and I have seen a few!) and some fantastic patterns.


These gorgeous fingerless gloves are begging to be started today!



And more guilt free cupcakes:





Crafts with kids



Too scared to show Max as he will instantly want to make everything in it (and I have cupcakes to make first!). Rockets, finger puppets, games, lots and lots.
Love this book.



Beautiful knits for heads, hands and toes




The cover looks a little dull but there are great ideas in this book.







Strangely divided up into different colour ways, there are more than just gloves and hats as there is a cute capelet, some lovely bags and wraps too. Using everything from thick wool to whispy mohair there is projects for everyone in here.

Cannot wait to start some chunky socks!




Am loving these books and hope you do too




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