Felt Up Craft Club

"special"

2010-05-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

an 18th birthday present i made for my lil' sis. not even stuffed yet but the bear fits the outfit i knitted so i'm happy :)

CRAFT BOOK wishlist and other things

2010-05-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

BOOOKS

The Guerilla Art Kit // by Kerri Smith- I gave this book to a champ/scamp/friend of mine a couple of years back. I have since witnessed Wish Trees and the like popping up all over. A favourite was in Camberwell last year when i couldn't afford the bus. I wished for enough money to get a bus or new shoes. London is pretty difficult without transport and my soles were so thin i could feel everything on the ground poking through. My best friend now has this book and i want to steal it of her. All the activities are all-age-and-ability friendly and really encourage you to engage with your own environment without harming it.

Demons Yarns and Tales: Tapestries by Contemporary Artists // By Sarah Kent- I found this inSoho at The Riflemaker Gallery ( http://www.riflemaker.org ). There was at that time a William Burroughs Exhibition downstairs and a group exhibition on under the title of VOODOO:HOCHIE COOCHIE AND THE CREATIVE SPIRIT upstair with some trippy kinetic pieces. The work on the cover is by artist Kara Walker who has inspire some of the shadow puppet work we've done.

OTHER THINGS:

We are doing very well at The Marwood at the moment. I'm thinking up a June workshop which will most likely take place at The Penthouse. Urrrmmmm......I have not eaten an awful lot of cake as of late but have succeeded in drinking myself through a whole bottle of rum at The Great Escape. Colour coding is still my best friend and i've started writing for our freinds at The 405 http://www.thefourohfive.com so watch out for that craft update.

Miss String

DATES

2010-04-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

Weekly Craft Circle@ The Marwood Cafe, Ship Street, Brighton

6-8pm every Tuesday

--------------------

APRIL Tuesday 20th 6-8pm

MAKE DO & MEND

@The Penthouse, Phoenix Place, Brighton

MAY Bank Holiday Monday 3rd

4-7pm +SHOWS from 8pm

SHADOW PUPPET WORKSHOP

@The Penthouse, Phoenix Place, Brighton

JUNE Sunday 6th

TBA

JUNE/JULY TBA

Marching Making Baking

2010-04-02T02:11:00.000-07:00

Dearest Crafty peoples,

It has been well over a month since my last post.
There are lists and lists (because they're awful fun to write) of things I need to share with you, and I will do in a week or so when i'm reunited with my mac and all the photos uploaded onto it back in Reading town.

MARCHing
It's nearly the end of march and a long cold winter. I apologise for not being able to host any meetings this month, however i hope you've all been busy making and i'd love to post up some of the things you've all been crafting....email pics to: feltup.craftclub@googlemail.com

MAKING
Lots and lots of making has been going on. I've been busy on my degree drawing directly onto super8 film and at home knitting birthday presents for my ma and sister. I can't read patterns so the results are quite "special".

BAKING
I'm currently staying in the house where I spent alot of time in the summer last year planning the birth of Felt Up. The oven is a bit of a disaster. It charred all my thank you cookies.....in five minutes....despite me sitting infront of it the whole time. I'm going to make thank you fridge cake instead.

OTHER HAPPENINGS
We have dates for the next few months, whooopeeee!
here they are:

Tuesday 20th April
Bank Holiday Monday 3rd May
Tuesday 18th May
Sunday 6th June

There will be more date added later depending on where i'm working in july...Brighton/St Andrews. I'm off to canada in august and september but will be back on time for our first anniversary with lots of new canadian craft skills and tales to share.

I'll leave you with a lovely video I just found.

Miss String x

Last Night

2010-02-17T02:19:00.001-08:00

....was truly wonderful. It was a busy night in the bar and at one point we took over half of it with all our paper craft mess. Steve and Pete put some awesome tunes on and everyone had a go at trying to make an origami crane. Above are some of the messes made.

FOLD IT TEAR IT THROW IT SCRUNCH IT CUT IT

2010-02-15T04:24:00.000-08:00

Heeeeeeeeyyyyy!

Tomorrow night is paper crafts night.

Bring scraps and scissors to The Penthouse, Brighton from 8pm.

Beachcoma DJs will be playing some super fun tracks to craft to.

Miss String x

FEBRUARY

2010-01-31T15:45:00.000-08:00

ALWAYS 8pm @The Penthouse (unless stated otherwise)

ALWAYS FREE!!

Dates:

FEBRUARY

Sunday 7th

Craft Aid Kit Drop-In

Discussion topic: How your crafting started.

Felt Up! Playlist theme: We HEART Billie (Holiday not Piper!)

Tuesday 16th

PAPERCRAFT NIGHT

A night of paper based crafts such as origami, cutting and binding

w/ Beachcoma DJs

Other things:

Sat 6th Feb

HANDMADE BRIGHTON @Komedia

11-4pm

Sat 20st Feb

BRIGHTON ZINE FEST @Hanover Community Centre

1.30-5.30pm

****New Issue of PIECES OF STRING ZINE!!****

Goodbye Janvier!

2010-01-31T09:30:00.000-08:00

Above are some wonderful examples of what was made at the last club night. These are by Becca. She is a star.

I am posting feb and march dates tomorrow so watch out foe all the colourful posters around town. will actually print some off.

I would like to welcome The Brighton Uni WI onto the Brighton craft scene. I believe the next night will be held at Pavillion Parade in the common room on Thursday 11th Feb from 6-8pm. I think it's a make and mend session.

Don't forget next weekend is Handmade Brighton. Big blog to come after that concerning some new craft co-op happenings.

Have a super first week of February!

Spring's nearly here!!!!

Miss String

23rd January 2010"

2010-01-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we had our tuesday night craft club gem sweater special this week and we had some new crafters come along and join our ever expanding circle.

I am still waiting on some pictures of the creations made by those who attended. There was some magnificent sweater decorating going on and chats about vegan cake societies and how to apply for allotments and where to order vegetable boxes. There was also general talk of the benefits of craft and making time for it in our busy 21st century lives.

I have been reading Betsy Greer's 'Knitting for Good' ( http://www.craftivism.com ) which involves Greer's personal experiences combined with research into health benefits, some really easy to follow patterns and stories from craft people around the world.

-extract from Chapter 3: Knitting as relief: Craft as Therapy-

" Much of the meditative quality of knitting comes from its repetition. There is safety in repetition; we are likely to know the end result, so there is little anxiety in the process. According to Dr Herbert Benson, who has spent his career researching the mind-body connection, 'Benefits can come from a spectrum of repetitive, mind-clearing practices that elicit the so-called Relaxation Response, which works on the principle of getting your whole body to relax. The response itself is defined as "physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress (e.e., decreases in heart rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing, and muscle tension).'. "

...this is wonderful news for people like me who find it difficult to sit still. Normal meditation can be a bit much sometimes, at least with knitting you're getting the same effect on your mind while letting your body think it's doing something useful with the time. It passes time in waiting rooms and calms nerves before interviews/ dates/ performances. I would say the same goes for crochet and embroidery and paper-cutting and working with wire and sewing and........

.......applique badge making!

Below are the first five in a line of fifty unique, ron-on hand stitched badges. I'm working on setting up an etsy account (seems they don't accept my card type so i need to go through the whole schpeeeel of opening up another bank account..... knitting ready in by bag for the queueing). They make great accessories for bags/ tshirts/ knickers/etc. and prices range from £3.30 to £8, respectively.

Next Felt Up! is our stall at Handmade Brighton, then drop-in session at The Penthouse the next day.

I think that is all for now.

(Recommended listening: Tune-Yards/Little Dragon/Leslie Hall/Charlotte Gainsbourg/Girls)

18th January 2010

2010-01-18T02:02:00.001-08:00

Look what Mama String did. It's a cup cosy!!

I reckon it's shaping up like a mudskipper. add buttons for eyes I say!

(image: http://www.aquariumofpacific.org )

January 15th 2010

2010-01-15T02:15:00.000-08:00

Last night my house became a craft mecca.

We made music, drank cava and made and decorated PeanutButter&Oat Cookies.

For some reason they started looking at owls.

Next Tuesday is our Ice-Gem-Sweater Party.

You will need to bring:

A sweater to decorate.

Some extra decorations (we can supply some for a donation of £1)

January 6th 2010

2010-01-06T04:38:00.000-08:00

We are in prime craft time fellow felt up! crafters!

What better way to spend a snowed in day than knitting winter warmers to wear out while making snow statues!

Lots of tea drinking is happening and while that is happening I shall inform you of what is happening with us this month:

Sunday 10th: 2-6pm
CRAFT AID KIT

Bring along any current craft projects and zone out on the comfy sofa's at the club while we play some soft sunday sounds. We'll start with some Woody Guthrie and see how it goes from there, maybe throw in some Devandra Banhart and Grizzly Bear.

Tuesday 19th: *8pm*
ICE GEM sweater party

You will need:
- A sweater to decorate
- Donation of materials (buttons/ribbons/beads) to exchange and decorate your sweater with.
-Craft-titude

We will supply:
-Some materials (we ask for a donation of some pennies so we can keep stocked)
-DJs (TBC)
-Projected Leslie Hall videos
-Ice Gems and Party Rings

The Penthouse serve cups of tea for only 40p!!
They also have a super range of other very nicely priced drinks and snacks.

WE ARE ALSO RETURNING TO HANDMADE BRIGHTON @KOMEDIA on Feb 6th with our on the road stall. We'll have things to sell and things to make. Fabulous.

Weekly updates start NOW! stay tuned.

and keep us informed of any crafty happenings/makes at feltup.craftclub@googlemail.com

Miss String

SUNDAY

2009-11-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

This Sunday with BRIGHTON ZINE FEST

2009-11-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=172863613662&ref=ts

Felt Up! are hosting Brighton Zine Fest for an afternoon of workshops and talks on Zines and Craft.

We'll supply some materials but if you could bring your own glue/paper/scissors to subsidise what we have please do.

We are also continuing our pillar sock for The Freebutt which is the perfect chance to learn basic knitting. A square is all we ask, you can bring one you made earlier and we'll add it to the whole thing.
(Last time we even taught left handed knitting!!)

We will be announcing our plans for december aswell.
More info in the links.

Miss String

Starter Kit £1

2009-10-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderful creation made by Lisa from our starter kit. Gerald is his name.

We like him lots. He likes buttons.

1st Craft Aid Kit

2009-10-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

It's a quiet one. We're all super chilled and making felt squirrels and zombies and freestyle monster toys.

The Penthouse is the perfect place to spend our sunday afternoon. Remember Craft Aid Kit is on every 2nd and 4th sunday from (changed time) 2-6pm.

Next week we're showing DIY or DIE and will be telling more about our new group project to decorate the pillar in The Freebutt (downstairs). We're getting some inspiration from guerilla knitters, Knitta Please: www.myspace.com/knittaplease

www.thefreebutt.com

It's all Happening!!!

2009-09-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

So, we've got a line up and a half of awesome craftacular events for you. The beginnings of a very exciting network of craft organisations in Brighton and an exchange with a super group in Newcastle starting soon.

THIS WEEK!!!!!

Links:

Handmade Brighton

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=292917880160#/group.php?gid=113413461944&ref=ts

And our new friends from Craft Guerilla who will be regular guests at events

http://brightoncraftguerrilla.blogspot.com/

OCTOBER EVENTS:

Sunday 11th October-

Craft Aid Kit@ The Penthouse

Drop-in/Bring your own crafts
-Travelling craft library/ nattering/ communal craft aid/tea&Cake&sunday chill out tunes
-examples of crafts to bring: embroidery/knitting/crochet/paper crafts/sewing/mending
12-6pm

Sunday 18th October-
Screening of documentary, DIY or Die: How to Survive as an Independant Artist
-Watch, knit and natter
3pm-6pm

Sunday 25th October- Craft Aid Kit (see above)

CRAFT EXCHANGE

There will be more news of this in the coming months, but for now check out our northern friends from DARN IT!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/TOON-TOWN/DARN-IT/130059886651?ref=ts

...and to conclude our post, a little bit about...OUR HOME

For the forseeable future we will be based at The Penthouse(above The Freebutt), Phoenix Place, Brighton.

We are very excited to be part of all the exciting things happening at the venue since it came under new management. We suggest you have a peak at their new website:

http://www.thefreebutt.com

That is all for now, we will be posting up some photos from our launch next week along with details of some open projects.

Kindest regards,

Miss String

Hola!

2009-08-16T13:59:00.001-07:00

We will be up and running within the next month so keep watching this space!

Rachael String x