Make It Better…

This is my new venture!

I have ranted in the past about the lack of ‘community’ in the town where we live, so I have started to take some small steps to try and help.

I met a lovely lady called Verity who already runs some sewing workshops in town, and is a very experienced seamstress. Like me, Verity is passionate about re-using old things, and trying to engage the local community with crafting and upcycling, so we have joined forces to create “Make It Better..”

The idea is to run workshops and a mending/crafting/sewing café, as well as Swishes, Vintage Craft Days, and Charity Sewing Days.

I am very excited!

We have just had our first evening café thingy-which we have billed as a mending/crafting/sewing evening (we need a catchier title I know). The idea that is that people can come along with any projects they have on the go, their mending basket, anything they are stuck with, and we can all help each other out (so encouraging skill sharing), have a natter, meet other local crafters, and eat cake!

It was very cold, and we had only decided to go for it a couple of weeks beforehand, so hadn’t really had a chance to do too much in the way of advertising, but we had 5 lovely ladies brave the cold, and come and join us.

Everyone bought bits and pieces of projects with them-a zip was replaced, various bits of clothes were ’embellished’ and upcycled, and a granny square was crocheted! And cake was eaten.

It was a really lovely evening, and the plan is to make it a regular monthly event, so hopefully, if we can get the word out there, we will get a few more people each time 🙂

And we’ve already booked a date for our first family friendly Upcycle! workshop in the library on a Saturday morning-we are going to be making Pinwheels from old fabric, and magazines, and old comics/sheet music etc, and have a toy ‘Give and Take’ table running alongside.

AND we have booked a local Church Hall for a sewing day (inspired by Becksie from A Year without Supermarkets) making pillowcase dresses for the Dress A Girl Around the World project.

Yay! Having mulled it all over for months and procrastinated, it feels good to be finally getting some plans off the ground.

Just hope everyone else is as keen as I am…