A lot has gone on in the past year and we decided to relocate from Loughborough town centre to the outskirts. It was for various reasons, parking was one of the issues, and also the area we were in wasn’t quite suitable. We have now created a fabulous workroom which can accommodate our sewing classes and our cosy crochet and knitting evenings.
We did a full refurbishment on the room, having the walls completely re plastered and the ceiling finished off. New electrics were added and better lighting makes the room really bright and visual for all of our lessons. Wooden flooring has also been laid down, this make picking up pins and threads so much easier, no more random pins stuck in the carpet!
We chose harlequin wallpaper for their vibrant butterfly design. the colours in the wallpaper matched our brand and we also wanted to stimulate and provide more colour and make the room more exciting.
Another addition to our room was is our brand new tailors dummy! We are always dressmaking whether it is requests for ballroom dresses, bridesmaid dresses or dressmaking in our sewing classes. Either way this is an invaluable investment and I can’t imagine how we survived without one for so long!
We hope you all enjoy the room, here are some pictures:
As you can see we have already started and had lessons in our new room. People who have attended the lessons have been really positive and we hope to continue teaching and sharing our knowledge of sewing and crochet and of course our main mission of being creative!
If you like what you see and you want to come along to any of our classes then just get in touch, we will be happy to see you.
A lovely afternoon with Annie and her friends celebrating her 40th birthday on Saturday, they chose to do creative textiles instead of partying in a club, because they knew that was what she would prefer, so thoughtful of them. They decided to create a wall hanging for Annie’s daughter, each working on a piece which eventually would be sewn together and framed for the bedroom wall.
They worked out a plan and then delved into my boxes of bits to find fabrics to work with, then buttons and ribbons that would brighten it up. Hand sewing, machining and gluing into place all the elements which made up this lovely picture, which when finished they will be very proud of.
On Sunday we were at Barrow on Soar street market. We have never been there before and it was a last minute decision we were lucky to get a space. We arrived at 8.30am with a car full of stuff, Amy got out to find our space which was perfectly placed in the middle of the market, next to the WI, their cakes looked, and tasted great, what a lunchtime treat! After disgorging everything onto the pavement our friend arrived with his gazebo, we set to and erected it with all the wools, hooks, samples and everything, we were very pleased with the stall it looked great.
The market began at 10am and I was surprised how many people were wandering around looking at the stalls, our guessing game certainly had people wondering at how many metres of DMC’s Natura XL there were in the bag I had crocheted, there were some really wild guesses which caused great hilarity. The winner of the competition was Sharon Lewis! She guess right with 435m!
There was such an amazing amount of interest in learning new skills, crocheting particularly, and the more seasoned knitters rifled through the vintage patterns we bought along, they were very popular.
The weather held up nicely it was warm, even sunny at one point, then as the afternoon wore on the wind got up and nearly blew over the stall opposite us, (we tied ours to some railings!) It was at that point we decided it had been a lovely day, meeting lots of very friendly people, but it was time to pack up and go home.
We will definitely do it again next year, and well done to Ophelia for all her hard work in organising the market, which was a great success.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Joy To Make creates fun and creative parties for all ages and abilities.
If you are planning a special event, why not consider Joy To Make to add that certain special something to the mix!
Joy To Make offers a full party service which includes activities from sewing, crochet, knitting to painting and textile art.
If you would like help finding a venue or organising food and refreshments, we can also organise this for you. We know of a number of venues and catering companies throughout the East Midlands area. We can organise something as little as an afternoon tea with some Prosecco or a full hot or cold buffet.
Past parties we have been involved in are: Hen parties, baby showers, and birthdays for both children and adults in Loughborough, Leicestershire.
If you are interested in booking Joy To Make for your party then you can email us through our contact page
What a busy weekend we had with crochet workshops and private sewing tuition.
On Saturday we were teaching how to make a Roman Blind, Sunday we were running a crochet workshop for children at The Sock Gallery in Loughborough, and Monday we were making curtains.
Our Roman Blind workshop was to make one large window measuring and one small window . We started off by working out the maths, Roman Blinds are tricky to make, but once you have got all your measurements worked out, it’s really just a case of piecing it together and sewing them up. The maths at the start is the hardest part.
The following day we embarked on our children’s crochet workshop for The Sock Gallery Fair in Loughborough. We managed to teach nearly 100 children aged 4-16 how to finger knit and crochet. For the younger children we taught them how to do basic chain stitches on their fingers and they created some creepy crawlies out of really bright colours of Hooked yarn by DMC. They then were set loose decorating their bugs with pipe cleaners and beads.
Because of the time restriction on how long people would stay, we thought this would be a great idea to quickly show how you can make a basic chain stitch and turn it into something unusual! The kids really enjoyed themselves and were very pleased with what they accomplished!
We also showed the older children how to make their own friendship bracelets using myboshi wool and crochet hooks. These were made using a simple chain stitch, we taught each one how to hold the hook in one hand and thread the yarn through their fingers to create tension in their other hand. It’s amazing how many boys took to crochet and really enjoy making their own bracelets!
We also got to chat to lots of people about learning to crochet themselves so they could teach their children. We were really pleased with the level of interest and we hope to see you all at one of our workshops in the future.
We would like to thank the Sock Fair for the opportunity, we really enjoyed being able to pass on some skills to such a happy bunch of children!
Finally we ordered some branded clothing to wear at our workshops and events. T-shirts and hoodies! Take a look!
We are going to be running a crochet workshop at the Sock Fair at Loughborough Town Hall on Sunday 22nd March 2015.
Come along and bring your 4-16 year olds to participate in some creative crochet sessions! Make funky coloured bugs and creatures or fashionable headbands and bracelets. It’s free to join in, so we hope to see you all there! the workshop will fron from 10am – 4pm.
It’ll also be a great opportunity to take a look at all the fantastic arts and crafts on offer from our local artists!
This week we have been making crochet myboshi beanies
Well we are getting to that stage of waking up again its nearly Spring! We’ve lots to create in the next few weeks to brighten ourselves and our homes after the long freezing winter.
Everyone that came had either no idea or just limited knowledge of crocheting, so we started with a step by step guide, with the aid of our trusty camera projecting onto a screen showing the process as I demonstrated. This approach seemed to work really well, and taking our time they learned a few basic stitches to get them started with crocheting. A bit of practice later and it was time to start the real thing. Tea and cake came out then, we needed it!
In the MyBoshi books there is a great guide to help you with the stitches, but most of the ladies were fearful as they had no understanding of a crochet pattern, so we showed them how to read the abbreviations as we began to make the beanies, it all becomes clear when you have a hands on approach and follow it logically.
Some picked it up more quickly than others, we used the stitches learnt, and with patience guided them through the process. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and they all made a good start on their beanies. We were delighted to get a picture of a finished beanie a couple of days later, well done to all the ladies we hope they enjoyed it, we did. So come back soon! Next workshop on 2nd March! Click here for booking.
So what’s happening over the next few weeks..
March is pretty busy with Easter craft workshops, both at Bridge Street and at Lubcloud Farm, these will be great fun so book soon. There is also stuff for the kids at a drop in workshop we are doing for Loughborough Sock Gallery, ‘Lets make bugs’ for the younger ones and ‘funky crochet’ for the teens. There is also the Cozy Crochet club, alternate Mondays, and Sewing BEE on alternate Thursdays. Dressmaking is the thing for Spring.
We also help people with their own special projects, like making curtains, or dressmaking.
So there is lots to do and we would love to hear from you if you need any help or would like to join in any of our groups and workshops.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
My resolution is to do more of the things I like doing and feel relaxed about and less of the irritating and time consuming things that are too stressful. So sewing, knitting, crochet it is.
Christmas at our house is hectic, all the family turn up and we end up being a bit frazzled, but happy to see everyone. Just prior to this I saw my little 8 year old niece, I taught her to crochet a couple of months previously, she was happy making friendship bracelets and hair braids. A lady told her that her mum taught her to crochet but she didn’t carry on with it, so my niece was very proud to tell me that she had managed to teach the lady to crochet as well… well done Tabby! We will make beanie hats for Barbie next!
Over the Christmas break I have had time to finish off a load of stuff that has been building up which is amazing for me, so I have knitted two ‘Tigers’ (rugby) beanies, finished off a cosy little cardigan for our two year old , made a ‘Frozen’ dress and started a ‘Peppa’ jumper for the 18 month old. All I have to do now is finish off designing a new range of children’s play things….its all in my head so I have to write it down quickly…. And another couple of crocheted beanies that have been requested along the way, oh… and recover a vintage child’s cot. Then I can turn my attention back to planning and preparing more creative stuff for the new year!
For the beanies, I downloaded some patterns before Xmas, and have used the best of two designs to create my ideal one. The first one is a bit bigger and my daughter prefers this style as it drops down a bit at the back, the second is a more classic fit. I used three colours DK dark green, white and red to create the stripy effect. I have two more that I will crochet for the surfers in the family I have found a wicked pattern with waves they will love it.
The cardi, was knitted using Sirdar Crofter baby Fair Isle effect DK, a lovely yarn it gives a pretty effect, the knitting pattern is from Sirdar’s The Essential Baby Book, design C. I like this book, the patterns seem to work well so I have done most of them at some time or another. The cardi is finished off with a lazy daisy stitch and lots of red buttons (all different) … very cute.
Now the ‘Frozen’ dress, this is the fourth I have made, all have been differing styles, but this one I wanted it to ‘grow’ with the child, so it has drop sleeves, and ribbons on the shoulders which as she grows can be retied to fit, and I have left the length to the ankle as well for more growing room. It looks very princessy …. Lovely.
Frozen Princess Dress
Working on the cot next, I had to buy a new staple gun before Xmas, I have mislaid my old one.. where I do not know probably left it somewhere… anyway, I have this lovely pink satin to replace what was originally pink silk with a 60’s black and white plastic, sounds weird, but so 60’s and stylish. I have carefully taken off the silk but I am going to retain the plastic because it is vintage and recover the base and the buttoned headboard in the satin. The bottom has proper webbing and is tacked on, so I will just make sure this is ok and then it will be perfect for a little dolly to sleep in eventually.
OK so now working on the children’s range of toys.. I cut out templates last night and started sewing them together, but I am not really happy with the fabric I am supposed to be using, it will be ok for a sample but not sturdy enough for the ‘real’ thing, so I need to look for alternatives. More to come on this so I will let you know about progress.
So a great start to the New Year, I wonder what the rest of the year will hold, I am bursting with ideas, so try and keep up!
Last weekend we were at Our Ladies Convent School in Loughborough at their annual Christmas craft fair.
It was lovely to meet lots of new faces, and ‘hello’ if you’ve popped on to our website to take a look! Lots of interested people inquiring about our workshops and knitting circles. We will setting up a knitting and crochet club in the new year to teach people the basic skills. Please keep looking back for more information, or you could sign up to our mailing list to receive an early ‘heads up’.
We have added some more workshops to our list, these include a Basic Sewing Course which is a 4 week introduction to sewing which teaches you the skills of hand and machine sewing, by the end of the course you will be able to make your own garment!
The next course we have added is our Applique Cushion Making workshop. we will show you how to make attractive scatter cushions which you will design your own motif to applique onto the front of it. Skills include cutting, adding a zip, and learning how to applique. This is for all skill levels, we and if you don’t have a sewing machine of your own, we can provide you with one on the day.
All of our workshops are based at our offices in Loughborough, we provide you with the materials to make the items, refreshments and there’s always some cake on offer!
The next event we will be attending is the Ladies Circle Christmas Fair at Gorse Covert, Loughborough from 10-1pm
We are very proud to have made some crochet poppies for the Music In Me choir from Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire. The ladies were performing for Kegworth Methodist Church where they performed an array of hits from musicals, present day and past classics.
Donations for the poppies will be taken for the Poppy Appeal. Look out for our tutorial on how to crochet one of these poppies!
