Jubilee Pageant with Seaside Sisters
June 11, 2012 at 10:25 am | Posted in Events, Workshops | Leave a comment
memory bunting showing two corgi’s and a confused union jack flag and some printed diamonds and crowns
Jubilee Sunday, as we all know, was rather wet. But that didn’t matter to the Seaside Sisters who were in full swing, running workshops all day for the thousands of visitors to the Battersea Park Diamond Jubilee Festival.
Diamond charms were printed along with flags with dates, diamonds, crowns and jubilee mottos. Hundreds of rosette brooches were stitched from our collection of polka dots, stripes and gingham in red, white and blue.
The upcycling of bicycle wheels and hula hoops using strips of fabric and string transformed them into Victorian style giant rosettes. Plastic carrier bags were fashioned into pom poms and rosettes for wrist, hair and raincoat embellishment. The perfect waterproof accessory for the weather!
Memory bunting was drawn, painted and hung in the marquee. And much fun was had by all.
All the volunteers involved were great, very helpful, hard working and smiling in the rain. Especially Kelly who stood in the deluge looking after the ‘end of the pier’ royal seaside board, with a smile for all. You can see more photos in our facebook album.
Point of the Compass – Tue 26th to Sat 30th June
May 20, 2012 at 2:02 pm | Posted in Events, Workshops | Leave a comment
The Seaside Sisters return to Craft Central in Clerkenwell for their annual showcase of coastal inspired textiles and prints.
The “queens of coastal craft” have laid all hands on deck to bring you their 2012 collection of seaside themed homewares and accessories. Inspired by holidays spent collecting seashells, mermaid lore and souvenirs, their work celebrates the charm of our British seaside towns on all points of the compass, North, South, East and West. You can see pictures from last year’s show on our Facebook album here.
Create your own souvenirs with the Seaside Sisters exciting programme of print and textile workshops running during showcase in the evenings and weekends. Try out print gocco, embroidery or lino printing to create hankies, notebooks and tea towels inspired by the Seaside Sisters collection of vintage souvenirs. Children can take part in the signal flag treasure hunt around the show. Details of workshops and bookings are below.
See a film of the Seaside Sisters getting crafty on the LV21 ship last summer -
Craft Central
33-35 St John’s Square
London EC1M 4DS
Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 6.30pm.
Afternoon tea party Saturday 30th June at 2pm.
Free entrance.
Nearest tube Farringdon. Or a short walk / bus from Old Street or Angel.
Bus routes 63, 55, 243 and 153.
Craft Central print and textile workshops
Print gocco with Xtina Lamb
Wednesday 27th June, 6.30pm – 9pm
£40 includes all materials and refreshments. Book a place
Print a tea towel with Gillian Elam of Fabric Nation
Print Your Own Tea Towel with Gillian from Fabric Nation. We provide all the materials, including pure cotton tea towels, fabric inks and for inspiration, our collection of vintage tea towels and textile design books.
With our tuition and top tips you will design and cut your own lino block and print up a tea towel, all handmade by you. We use a soft lino which is much easier to cut than the traditional lino you might remember from your school days. All inks are washable and non-toxic, but do bring a pinny in case of inky stains. The inks are fixed by ironing, so your finished tea towel can be used and washed. That’s if you don’t plan to frame your work of art!
Take a peek at our Facebook album to see all the fab things we made at our previous printing workshops.
Saturday 30th June 11am – 2pm
£25 includes all materials and refreshments
All workshops are suitable for beginners and children from age 8 are welcome accompanied by an adult.
Book your workshop place here.
Printed Wonders Open Studio
April 23, 2012 at 7:29 pm | Posted in Events, Workshops | Leave a commentTags: open studio, printed wonders, workshops
Join Xtina next week for an open studio as she prints new work on paper and fabric with British celebratory themes. Motifs ranging from May Day green men to Jubilee diamonds, British cultural icons and lucky symbols will be printed on bunting, flags and artworks and used to decorate Craft Central’s Showcase gallery space, foyer, and window.
You can get your fingers inky too if you want to join in. Book an evening workshop for the chance to make prints from your own artwork with Print Gocco screen printing machines. Or visit during the daytime and you’ll be invited take part in the printing in progress, or just enjoy taking a peek at how Xtina’s colourful products are made.
Printed Wonders Open Studio
The Showcase Craft Central, 33-35 St. John’s Square, London EC1M 4DS – Map
1st – 4th May 2012
11am – 5.30pm Tue – Fri, Free entry
Gocco workshops, Wed 2nd & Thu 3rd May, 6.30pm – 9.30pm, £40
Print Gocco Day Workshops
November 3, 2011 at 9:30 am | Posted in Events, Workshops | Leave a commentTags: London, print gocco, workshops
Xtina has two all day print workshops lined up for Gocco fans. Firstly, remember remember to visit Shepherds Falkiners‘ fine paper shop in Bloomsbury on the 5th of November – for a day of Gocco printing using hi-mesh masters and oil based inks. Gocco bulbs will flash like fireworks and ooos and ahhs will ring out at a lovely explosion of prints made from your own artwork.
There will be examples of Gocco work, tips for getting the best results and ideas such as how to re-use damaged screens. You can also try out the squeegee printing method. Shepherds will be supplying fine papers to print on. You’ll take home your screen and prints.
Book via Shepherds 020 7831 1151 or matt@bookbinding.co.uk
£60, max 5 places.
Part two takes place at Xtina’s studio at Craft Central in Clerkenwell on Sunday 4th December, and promises a day of Gocco screen printing and experimentation. Make screens from your own artwork using the Gocco machine and Riso mesh. Stretch the mesh on a thin plastic frame, then print with a lightweight squeegee and water based screen printing ink.
Try out a thermofax machine to make a screen without using Gocco bulbs, and print with texture screens and hand cut stencils onto cards, paper, notebooks and fabric. Registration techniques and lots of tips will be shared. The screens you make are yours to take home. You can carry on printing with them later with supplies easily bought from art shops, and it’s ideal timing for making Xmas cards or gifts!
Sandwiches, tea and cake are included in the price.
£60, max 6 places
Full details & online booking via Etsy
Printing workshops on a ship!
August 25, 2011 at 10:14 am | Posted in Workshops | Leave a commentTags: bank holiday, gocco, Kent, lightship, LV21, Medway, print, printmaking
We have an exciting programme of printing workshops on the beautiful LV21 Lightship. Take inspiration from our nautical and seaside inspired exhibition in the wonderful surroundings of a lovingly restored old Lightship, complete with working lighthouse!
Bank Holiday Monday 29th August, 2-5pm
Print your own tea towel
We will kick off the printing fun with a Print Your Own Souvenir Tea Towel workshop on Bank Holiday Monday. We provide all the materials, including pure cotton tea towels, inks and for inspiration, our collection of vintage tea towels and textile design books. With expert tuition you will design and cut your own lino block and print up a tea towel, all handmade by you on a ship!
The workshop is open 2pm to 5pm , costs £15 per person and can be booked on the day. Suitable for adults and children from age 8 with help from a parent or carer. No previous experience is needed. These are some of the tea towels made by people printing for the first time.
Saturday 3rd August, 12-3pm
Print Gocco Cards & Notebooks
Then on Saturday, we have a print gocco workshop. Taking the participants through the process of creating their own Gocco screen prints, Xtina will show examples of her work, pass on many tips for getting the best results, demonstrate screen registration, and share ideas for re-using damaged screens and some experimental techniques. You’ll be able to create fast screen prints with help from a Print Gocco machine – making artworks on paper and printing onto notebooks and stationery. All materials are provided and the workshop costs £25. Pre-booking is highly recommended. Details & booking
LV21 LIGHTSHIP, Gillingham Pier, Pier Approach Road, Kent ME7 1RX Map
Regular trains from Victoria or St Pancras reach Gillingham in under an hour. The pier is just a 10 minute walk from the station.
Exhibition, pop-up shop, activities & a chance to explore this stunning lightship. See our Events page for the full line up of activities and entertainment.
Bank Holiday Mon 29th August - Sat 3rd Sept
11am – 5pm daily.
Souvenir Shop workshops – bookings open
August 7, 2011 at 10:39 am | Posted in Events, Workshops | 1 CommentTags: Kent, lightship, London, print gocco, sewing, vintage fabrics, workshops
Etsy listings are now up for workshop bookings at Craft Central in London, and the fantastic LV21 lightship in Medway, Kent. We’ve put together an exciting programme of activities to accompany our two summer Souvenir Shop exhibitions in these venues. Here’s a peep at some of the lovely things you can make with us.
Full workshop listings are on our Events page.
Pin cushion storage pots and haberdashery
Screen printing on paper and stationery with Print Gocco
Vintage inspired textile prints
The popular fabric flower brooch making and souvenir pennants workshops that we ran at Vintage at Southbank will be available on a drop in basis at our exhibition on Lightship LV21.
Vintage Festival 2011, a big thank you!
August 6, 2011 at 11:52 am | Posted in Events, Fairs, Workshops | 2 CommentsTags: brooch, craft fair, festival, London, pennants, sewing, vintage, vintage fabrics, workshops
We had a top time at the Vintage at Southbank festival last weekend. So many beautifully turned out and friendly people, and the Royal Festival Hall looking like it never has before.
Seaside Sisters souvenir pennant & brooch workshops, Vintage at Southbank
Thank you so much to all the lovely people who took part in our workshops making souvenir festival pennants and brooches. Around 140 people made something with us, and as well as being great company, they came up with some brilliant choices and really impressed us with what they made.
Fabric brooch making workshop with Seaside Sisters
Take a look at the new Seaside Sisters Facebook page for more photos from Vintage. We’d love to see your photos of our workshops and stall too. We have more workshops coming up and they’re listed on our Events page.
Vintage was the first time we’d run the pennants workshop, and it was extremely gratifying that this worked so well. We loved seeing an eager stream of makers enjoying putting together fabrics, trim and transfers to create lovely souvenirs. Our idea for this workshop was to tie together the fun of making something yourself, taking something away to remember the event by, and linking the 2011 Vintage Festival with the Festival of Britain 60 years ago. One of our first pennant makers described very similar reasons for wanting to join in, and that made us very happy!
Souvenir pennants made at Vintage at Southbank
The fabric brooch making also went down brilliantly, our big round table was constantly full. It was loads of fun for us to see people coming up with new innovations in this workshop, as it’s a very popular one that Fabric Nation has run for a few years. We really liked the little clusters of buttons, multi-layered centres, and combinations of colours that were chosen to compliment outfits. Making the brooches is quite a relaxing thing to do and good conversations sprung up around the table as people sewed.
Fabric brooches made at Vintage at Southbank
In both workshops we used our vintage and recycled fabrics stash, but we were also delighted to use the offcuts generously donated by Sanderson, from their 50s fabric collection. A lot of people got seriously excited by these beautiful upholstery textiles!
Sanderson's 50s fabrics range
A big thank you to:
Louise Kamara of the Eco Design Fair and Barley Massey of Fabrications, who curated and organised the Upcycling Workshops at Vintage. Thanks so much for working with us!
Wayne & Gerardine Hemingway and their team for having such excellent vision, coming by to personally see to some of the logistics of setting up our area, and generally being fantastic.
Susan Backhouse of Fashion Antidote, our lovely workshop neighbour who lent us an excellent sewing machine when our vintage one decided to have a huff.
Leona Thrift-ola, for bringing us beer and blogging until her fingers nearly caught fire.
Although we were too busy running the Seaside Sisters stall and workshops to get a proper look at everything going on, we did get some nice glimpses on mad dashes away from our post. Crazy dancing on the Style Studio balcony, great vibe and stories in the Down The Back Of The Sofa bar and museum (loved the unlucky dip!), hilarious Bad Art Salon, roof garden area / rooms / balconies we’d never discovered before, the wonderful London Printworks Trust who were doing amazing prints with transfer dyes, and we enjoyed seeing the backstage area where we chatted to famous folk in the lift.
Seaside Sisters stall at Vintage 2011
The Upcycling area had stalls set up on vintage furniture supplied by Out Of The Dark. We weren’t sure what to expect, but it worked really nicely. The Seaside Sisters stall was mainly on a pretty 1950s upright kitchen cabinet. We were selling vintage souvenirs to compliment a big theme in our work, and it was lovely hearing the stories that were triggered by them for our customers. Adam Ant stopped by the day he played in the Vintage Revue, to buy an Elvis bag and some beauty spots. We’re not sure if he wore any on stage but would love to find out!
Visit our Souvenir Shops…
August 4, 2011 at 3:23 pm | Posted in Events, Workshops | Leave a commentTags: exhibition, Kent, lightship, London, seaside, workshops
Seaside Sisters will be celebrating our love of seaside souvenirs, haberdashery and mid-century modern design with two exhibitions this summer.
First we’re returning to Craft Central with a selling show of our work, a fine display of our fabric and ephemera inspirations, and a souvenir shop of vintage collectibles.
Then it’s off along the Thames to Medway, where our show opens on the beautiful lightship LV21. This 40 metre ship is great fun to explore and will be full of our work and installations made specifically for the spaces.
An exciting programme of workshops accompanies both shows.
CRAFT CENTRAL, 33-35 St John’s Square
, London, EC1M 4DS Map
Tue 16th – Sat 21st August
Exhibition & shop: 11am – 5.30pm. Free
Workshops:
Wed 17th, 10am – 5pm, Vintage Inspired Fabric Printing Summer School £45 Details & booking
Wed 17th, 6.30 – 9.30pm, Print Your Own Souvenir Tea Towels £25 Details & booking
Thu 18th, 6.30 – 9.30pm, Make Pin Cushion Jars & Haberdashery £25 Details & booking
Fri 19th, 6.30 – 9.30pm, Gocco Screen Printed Cards & Notebooks £35 Details & booking
LV21 LIGHTSHIP, Gillingham Pier, Pier Approach Road, Kent ME7 1RX Map
Exhibition, pop-up shop, activities & a chance to explore this stunning lightship.
Bank Holiday Mon 29th August - Sat 3rd Sept
11am – 5pm daily. Free
Workshops:
Honestly is there any place cooler than a lightship to do a craft workshop in?
Mon 29th, 2 – 5pm, Print Your Own Souvenir Tea Towels £15
Sat 3rd, 12 noon – 3pm, Gocco Screen Printed Cards & Notebooks £25 Details & booking
All week, Make Fabric Brooches £3 Drop in any time, no need to book
All week, Make LV21 Souvenir Pennants £4 Drop in any time, no need to book
Vintage at Southbank Centre, 29th – 31st July 2011
July 1, 2011 at 10:08 pm | Posted in Events, Workshops | 1 CommentTags: festival, London, vintage, workshops
Souvenir pennants
The Seaside Sisters’ Souvenir Shop is coming to the Royal Festival Hall, as part of Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway’s Vintage festival.
There will be a stall of our handmade wares upcycled from souvenir tea towels, tablecloths and wooden jigsaw puzzles, as well as bags purses and accessories made from retro, seaside-themed fabrics. We’ll also have a collection of sweet vintage British souvenirs for sale, and free drop in workshops with a Festival of Britain theme.
Sanderson have kindly donated offcuts from their 50s fabric range and we’ll be helping festival-goers to craft souvenirs that celebrate the Festival of Britain, or their own vintage!
Use textiles from your favourite era to make a fabulous brooch or hair accessory that compliments your Vintage outfit, or a fancy souvenir pennant to hang somewhere special.
Fabric brooches
Raid our exciting stash of fabrics including funky 70s crimpelene salvaged from the loft, pretty flower power cottons thrifted from car boot sales, and of course the lovely Sanderson 50s fabrics, and create your own unique souvenir of Vintage. If you come along you can also help us to build a seaside town style floral display with flowers made from recycled plastic bags!
See the Seaside Sisters Events page for details.
Vintage inspired fabric printing
June 23, 2011 at 5:55 pm | Posted in Events, Workshops | Leave a comment
If you’ve been inspired by the recent exhibitions of Lucienne Day’s work at the Pallant House Gallery, the Horrockses dresses at the Fashion & Textile Museum and the sixtieth anniversary of the Festival of Britain, vintage inspired fabric printing with Fabric Nationand the Seaside Sisters might be just the tonic for you this summer.
Lucienne and Robin Day at the Pallant House Gallery
Horrockses show at Fashion & Textile Museum
Fabric Nation’s love of vintage fabrics has followed her since her teens when she first unearthed a pair of barkcloth curtains at a jumble sale and stitched them up into dress and more recently informed the launch of a vintage inspired fabric printing workshop which returns this year with a Festival of Britain twist.
Join Fabric Nation at vintage inspired fabric printing workshops for an opportunity to create your own handprinted textiles. At the workshops you will explore and handle vintage fabrics and delve into books on mid-century textile designers. Taking inspiration from these, participants can then design their own lino blocks for hand printing with non-toxic textile ink.
You can create a repeat pattern using your own blocks or in combination with readymade printing blocks inspired by designs from the 50s, 60s and 70s. At the end of the workshop, everyone will have created their own handprinted vintage inspired fabric suitable for making up into a cushion, bag, lampshade or even a pinny. No previous experience is needed, and in small groups you will have one-to-one tuition to guide you through each stage. Have a look at past workshops to see what can be created by people using lino printing for the first time.
Fabric Nation workshop
The next workshops are in July at CraftyPint North and the We Make London pop-up boutique. At longer workshops, participants can create their own designs and print a large piece of fabric. At the shorter sessions, ready made blocks are available to create your own vintage inspired fabric.
Fabric Nation workshop
More workshops are planned for Seaside Sisters shows at Vintage Hemingway, Craft Central and LV21 in late July and August. If you would like to find out about our workshops, please do get in touch by email, leave a comment, or check the events section of this blog.
Museum of '51 at the Southbank
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