This festival will have you in stitches...
Fans will get crafty at the RDS
WHEN I was a little girl, my mum made most of my
clothes. They were made with love and care because my mum was fabulously creative and into fashion, but also because there wasn’t a great selection of affordable clothing out there. Unfortunately I didn’t inherit her sewing skills — heck, I didn’t need them! I could head to the High Street — where fast, affordable fashion rules — and pick up clothes from the likes of Penneys so cheaply it didn’t matter if I only wore them once.
Recently, however, I’ve had a change of heart. I struggle to find that perfect dress I have in my mind. I don’t have as much time to shop, so I look at my wardrobe and realise I could make more mediocre clothes into unique covetable pieces if only I had the necessary sewing skills.
I’d like the chance to make more crafts with my children too; Christmas decorations, for example, or fancy dress costumes.
I’m not alone. There has been a recent revival in all things crafty and home-made. Now it’s hip to knit, cool to crochet and sewing circles have become a night out. The perfect place to get inspiration is The Knitting & Stitching Show in Dublin, which is bursting with creative ideas for ordinary folk like me, who want to develop a crafting skill-set, as well as seasoned sewers, like my mum, who fancy learning more advanced techniques.
The RDS will be packed with more than 150 exhibitors selling specialist craft supplies. Imagine mountains of colourful yarns, swathes of gorgeous fabrics and buckets of glossy beads — your crafting stash never looked so pretty. For art lovers, the Textile Galleries will showcase work from leading textile artists, including Ann Small’s intricate layered cloth sculptures and Hilary Hollingworth’s dramatic stories in stitch. And head to the Knitting Station for all things woolly, a knit and a natter.
It’s the long list of workshops, though, that caught my eye. You can learn the basics, such as how to knit and crochet, but there are other fun, innovative sessions that anyone can manage. Ever wanted to make your own knickers? Now you can, in just one hour. Fancy upcycling your glasses case? There’s a fabric decoupage class for that. Feel you could make that boring black top so much more interesting? Take an introduction to applique workshop and create your own cute design.
Sue Cotten gave up her job to follow her dream of running multi-media workshops. She is leading several workshops at the show, including one on creative piping and another on how to make a noodle scarf from velvet.
‘I’ve been crafting as a hobby for ever,’ Sue explains. ‘Last Christmas, I gave up my job as a health and safety consultant to explore craftwork, particularly creating things involving recycled materials, like plastic bags, material scraps and old books. I get things destined for the bin, then I think about how to revive them. The books I use are donated by the Church or from charity shops. They are faded or torn and I rescue them and turn them into something. The plastic bags can become ‘plarn’, or plastic yarn, which you can weave with.
You can do book folding at home or in groups. It is perfect for those who are less dextrous, even children can do it.’
Many might recognise Angeline Murphy, a sewing fashion designer, tutor and blogger from Co. Down who appeared on the Great British Sewing Bee. She is running free demonstrations in the Creative Living Theatre.
‘Ten years ago I tried to turn up a pair of my own trousers, then I got into making my own clothes and it went from there,’ Angeline says. ‘Now I do presentations and teach dress-making, as well as blogging on my website. I have a nine-monthold son, Luke, so I’m on maternity leave from my job as a marketing manager. I’ll be coming down to The Knitting & Stitching Show this year with him and my husband.’
ANGELINE says there are many like her who want to create. ‘The sky’s the limit in terms of creativity,’ she says. ‘YouTube is great for picking up tips and techniques. It’s certainly cheaper to make your own clothes, but it does take time. It’s about creating something you really want to wear.’
Claire Tyler is a seamstress and dress-making tutor who runs her own sewing school. She is running several workshops, from creating covered buttons to learning how to make a stretchy skirt. ‘I’ve been a seamstress for more than 30 years,’ she says. ‘I used to run a fabric store with my mum, but when I started teaching sewing I loved it. Now I teach classes at my sewing school and at Knitting & Stitching shows. I’ve noticed in the past five years an increase in people being keen to learn how to sew. People want to be individual, but it’s more than that. It’s very grounding; when you spend a day sewing, you are entirely focused and can’t think about anything else.
÷THE Knitting & Stitching Show takes place from Thursday to Sunday at the RDS in Dublin. See theknittingandstitchingshow.com