Your London Craft Calendar for 2019 January 5, 2019 11:11
Hello Londoners! Here's a ton of brilliant crafty things to look out for in 2019 to get your creative hands and minds at work. Do let us know if we've missed something off in the comments and we'll do our best to add it.
January
It's your last chance to see the stunning Anni Albers show at Tate Modern. It finishes on 27th January. We LOVED IT - don't miss it!
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/anni-albers
The wonderful Poster Girls exhibition closes on 13th January - it's at the London Transport Museum so you get to see all the trains and try the Tube driving simulator too! https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions
February
3rd February see the Big Craft Swish! Back again for the third year, it's the perfect chance to reorganise your craft stash and raise money for Mind and Stop the Traffik
https://www.londoncraftclub.co.uk/products/the-big-craft-swish-2019
The spending-fest that is the Knitting and Stitching comes to Olympia. Some people literally bring a trolley! 28th February
https://www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/
London Craft Club Galantine’s Party! It's a dreary month so come for some fab fun at our lovely studio on 13th February. Look out for tickets from NEXT WEEK!
March
One of our favourite Instagram hashtags to join in with is #MarchMeettheMaker to see all the behind the scenes stuff from the makers you follow. New prompts every day keep it energised all month
The Craft Fox Seconds Sale is on 2nd March. Crafty Fox markets are reliably good, and this should be a great place to snap up some ethical bargains.
https://www.craftyfoxmarket.co.uk/market-dates/2019/3/2/sat-2nd-march-sample-amp-seconds-sale-mercato-metropolitano
The Woman’s Hour Craft Prize Exhibition closes on 16th March! Craft getting the exposure it deserves, if a little earnestly, thanks to good old Jenni Murray and pals.
https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/listings/womans-hour-craft-prize
April
The London Craft Club Spring Sale will happen. We'll have a bunch of new workshops that will be at early bird prices briefly. We don't do a lot of sales, so jump to it guys!
May
#MeMadeMay is another fun hashtag to join in. It focuses on sewing but we hijack it with other accessories
London Craft Week is a relatively new but rather fabulous addition to the calendar, this focuses on hyper skilled artisans creating luxury goods and is a great chance to get behind the scenes of some high-end designers, makers and brands.
https://www.londoncraftweek.com/
June
West Dean Arts Festival and Crafts Festival is not strictly London! But the grounds of West Dean College are beautiful and the craft workshops unbelievable. If the sun is shining, it’s an idyllic day out
https://www.westdean.org.uk/events/west-dean-arts-and-craft-festival
World Wide Knit in Public Day is exactly what it says it is! Astrid has been organising this for years, and although we can't see a date yet, it's usually June. We'll be doing a knit event for it of course.
http://www.wwkipday.com/
The Art College Degree shows generally are great fun to look around. They are a real mixed bag of pedestrian, precocious and sublime, but there's so much to see and the smell of art college generally is thrilling! https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/arts/graduate-shows-where-to-go-to-see-the-capital-s-upandcoming-artists-this-summer-a3847906.html
August
The newest addition to the London craft scene is the MakeMore Festival. Last year it was in Bethnal Green's Victoria Park, keen an eye on the website to see if there are dates for 2019
https://makemore.art/
Festival of Quilts is in Birmingham but if you want to be wowed by incredible skills and enormous undertakings of hand sewing, this is the place. There are a lot of very traditional quilts, but you do see more and more with a modern aesthetic.
https://www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk/
September
#SewPhotoHop is a fun sewing hashtag - watch as amateur sewists show off their remarkable talents and feel inspired by seeing the same pattern sewn by different people
For me, The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court is my favourite craft event of the year. There's lots to do, plenty of gorgeous stuff to buy and it can easily fill a fill days’ worth of pottering. Perfect for the crafty and also for the total newbie
https://www.thehandmadefair.com/hampton-court
Yarn in the City is London's best yarn crawl! Social and stitchy, it's a great way to discover new shops and grab a bargain.
https://www.yarninthecity.com/routes/
October
Knitting and Stitching Show at back for round two, this time at Alexandra Palace. Not so easy to get to, but so huge it’s still worth the trek!
https://www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/
November
#BPSewvember is another fun sewing hashtag!
The Creative Craft Show is another huge shopping fest. This one is for the seasoned crafter, looking for bargains and new gadgetry that’s hard to get elsewhere, and might be a bit overwhelming for a beginner!
http://www.stitchandhobby.co.uk/london/autumn/
December
This is Christmas market season - we'll do a roundup of the best markets closer to the time when all the dates are out.
Have a fabulous crafty 2019, may it be filled with creativity for you. Check out our Craft Calendar while you're here!