Wee Birdy

Craft Capital: Make Do Mend

A relative newcomer to London's handmade scene, Make, Do, Mend runs craft workshops in London and the South East. The brainchild of Claire and Bee, who are both knitted textile designers and qualified craft teachers, the workshops cater for beginners, individuals and groups. And by the looks of things, they like to combine crafting with copious amounts of tea and cake (not a bad thing at all), setting up workshops in some of London's loveliest tea spots.

Here are their upcoming London workshops for February. You can book in by emailing Claire and Bee at [email protected].

Saturday 6th February 2010
Beginner Knitting at High Tea of Highgate
10am-12pm
£25 including all materials, tea and cake.
We will be making a simple cowl which you will be well equipped for finishing at home. This short course will teach the very basics of knitting; casting on and off and knit and purl. Some beginners may go on beyond even this, especially if they have knitted before but are very rusty!

Thursday 18th February 2010
Crocheted Granny Squares at Tea Rooms Stoke Newington
7-9pm
£25 including all materials, hook, yummy cake and unlimited tea.
Grannies aren't so square. They can be hexagonal, circular and 3-dimensional flowers. During the class you'll be able to choose from 2-3 patterns and be taught how to join your motifs to make an attractive 30cm square cushion with button closure. All materials will be provided. You will need some previous experience and know the basic crochet stitches, including chains, double and treble crochet.

Thursday 25th February
Crochet for Beginners at The Gallery Cafe Bethnal Green
6-8pm
£15 including all materials and hook which you can take away.
We will be making a simple cowl or scarf which you will be well equipped for finishing at home. This short course will teach the very basics of crochet; chain, double and treble crochet. Some beginners may go on beyond even this, especially if they have crocheted before but are very rusty!

And check out the Make, Do, Mend blog here.

Wee Birdy testdrives: Rebel Rebel flower school

I recently found myself on a particularly dark and dismal Monday afternoon in the warm environs of one of my favourite London florists, Rebel Rebel, surrounded by the most exquisite and vibrant blooms. I was test-driving their first-ever flower school, which will be popping up at East London restaurant Bistrotheque in a couple of weeks’ time.

The first lesson involved a quick tour around the shop’s seasonal flowers, followed by a tutorial in de-thorning roses (super-easy thanks to a rather nifty little tool) and lots of hands-on practice. Then it was time to put my floristry skills to the test, with a workshop on how to make a hand-tied bouquet. After practicing on roses it was time to pick my own mix of blooms, which was a very Rebel-Rebel assortment of ruby hydrangeas, Italian mint, pistachio foliage, purple anemones and yellow dill. Here are some pics of my tutor, Gus, going through the steps…

For the finishing touch, I was tutored in the fine art of tissue and cellophane wrapping – and how to make a little water bubble to keep the flowers fresh. Et voila, here’s the final product, which is now taking pride of place in my living room… what do you think?

The first afternoon flower school will be held on Friday 20 November from 2pm to 5pm. You will learn how to make your own hand-tied bunch of gorgeous, seasonal flowers and foliage, which you can take home at the end of the day. £80 per person.

There will also be an all day Christmas workshops on Saturday 21 November from 10am to 4.30pm, where you will learn expert techniques to create your own door wreath or table centrepiece. Lunch at Bistrotheque  included in the £195 fee, and you get to take home your wreath and other goodies.

For more details, call Rebel Rebel on 020 7254 4487 or email [email protected], or visit the website.