Louise Batten

Stitch your own satchel

2011-12-24T13:11:00.001Z

Check this out.... a leather satchel kit!
The company Simple Way provide everything you need. The leather is pre cut and pre punched. Best of all there is a range of colours and you can mix and match to create something unique.
Thimbles at the ready....

The killing - Free jumper pattern!

2011-11-22T08:41:00.001Z

Get your Lund on!

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2011-11-18/the-killing-knit-your-own-sarah-lund-jumper

Uk handmade's 3rd birthday

2011-11-21T13:46:00.001Z

I was honoured to be invited to UK Handmade's 3rd birthday party.
Hosted by The Create Place it had everything a party should, balloons, a ton of cake and three craft workshops!

Craft Guerrilla present.... The First Steps Lounge

2011-10-07T08:28:00.000+01:00

Here we are at the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace.
Twisted Thread have very kindly invited Craft Guerrilla to run an area dedicated to beginner crafters.

So far so crafty.....!

Craft trail day 2....

2011-09-11T14:06:00.001+01:00

Thames Festival Craft Trail

2011-09-10T19:25:00.001+01:00

Today was day one of the Thames Festival's Craft Trail organised by Craft Guerrilla, Etsy and We Make London.

Bye bye Derry, Derry bye bye!

2011-08-28T15:22:00.001+01:00

We came, we crafted, we conquered..... almost!

When in Rome......

2011-08-27T23:32:00.001+01:00

Make, tea and tell

2011-08-27T14:55:00.001+01:00

We are all set up in Derry's craft village, come down from 4pm for free beginner crochet or dorset button workshops.

On the way....

2011-08-26T16:32:00.001+01:00

Lisa and I are on the way to Derry!

Meet us for some free workshops at cafe del mondo in the Craft village, tomorrow from 12pm.

Screen printing

2011-08-22T18:01:00.002+01:00

Hurrah! At last I got my arse in gear and did some screen printing.

I bought two pre burnt screens from Thermofax Screens and two pots of their ready mixed screen inks.

Now I've just got to work out what do with the fabrics!

Festival of Quilts 2011

2011-08-21T18:54:00.002+01:00

There was some incredible work at the event this year.
Here are a few favourites (stupidly I didn't write down the artists names)....

And the winners are......

2011-07-26T10:44:00.008+01:00

Craft Guerrilla are proud to present the winners of this years Knitting and Stitching show competition.

Each of these lovely folk get a free stall at 2011's K&S show, worth £600!

Zinc White

Amelia Sunshine

Little Wren Pottery

Jessica Jewellery Design

Clare Knox-Bentham
Little Nest Box
Lost Emporium
Tugba Kop Illustration
Rhea Clements Designs
Zeena Shah
Linen Tree

AMAZING new craft shop in Camden!

2011-07-23T21:06:00.002+01:00

I stumbled across this great new shop yesterday.
They have a massive range of craft supplies including paints, felt, papers and tools. They specialise in wooden items stocking everything from teeny clothes pegs to cut out trees.

They are currently translating their website from Bulgarian to English,in the meantime you can contact them on 07586251594 or slanchohled@gmail.com

Find them at 66 Chalk Farm Road, London.

Ice cream man

2011-07-23T17:32:00.001+01:00

This guy just really cheered up my cloudy Saturday.

We are sat in the park and up he rocks with an old fashioned ice cream churn, peddling his home made coconut and spice ice cream, winner!

I'm getting almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, lime......

Summer holidays

2011-07-20T17:24:00.001+01:00

I've been lucky enough to have two holidays this summer. These snaps are from the second holiday spent in the Cotswold's.

Stash boxes

2011-07-19T16:27:00.001+01:00

Like most creative types I am terrible keeping my desk tidy. I have unfinished projects and paperwork everywhere.

I also have a terrible habbit of picking up junk from the streets. Happily one problem has solved the other.....

I found four of these oyster boxes on Columbia road, lined them with some gorgeous printed linen and taa daa..... a different box for each unfinished project!

Summer loving

2011-07-19T12:10:00.002+01:00

Weather wise this summer has been the worst on record (my record anyway).
Thank goodness it was sunny the day Carter's Steam Fair came to town!

Carter's steam fair is AMAZING! All the stalls, rides and vehicle's are genuine 1950's. The Dodgems are all named after 50's rock and rolls stars, baggsey Big Momma Thornton!

Bunting bonanza

2011-05-29T17:10:00.001+01:00

I've been meaning to make some bunting for our flat for ages......

Cakey bakey

2011-05-29T17:02:00.003+01:00

A typewritter cake to celebrate Lisa's birthday/graduation/hard editing work.

Rob Ryan eat your heart out....

2011-05-02T14:51:00.004+01:00

I made this for Mr B's birthday last year. I was so scared of tearing paper that I cut it from thin card! Think i'll stick to sewing.....

Have we got a show for you.....

2011-04-24T13:27:00.003+01:00

Fancy a free stall at the UK's largest textile showcases? Read on.......

Once again we're launching the Craft Guerrilla NEW* Designer Makers Competition! We'll be working with Twisted Thread the organizers of the Knitting & Stitching shows to showcase the best new talent in British and Irish Arts & Crafts!
We're looking for talented Designer Makers who are passionate about all things hand made, have a high level of craftsmanship and make beautiful, modern, high quality, hand made Designer Maker items!
We have 6 stall spaces up for grabs in each "Knitting & Stitching" shows in London, Harrogate and Dublin.

If you're looking to start your own creative hand made business then this might be the launch pad you need!
One of last year's winners Lindsey O'Harrow of BooBou Designs said:
"Good luck to anyone who enters, I won a place last year and my business is thriving! I'm going back this year so I'll see you there!"

What do you need to do?
To apply simply e mail Louise (louise@craftguerrilla.com) a short description of your hand made business, send a few images of that work (or a web site address which stocks your wares) and a brief covering letter on how this opportunity would help you.
*note: When photographing your work please take clear images, do not use fussy backgrounds and use good lighting. I can't stress enough how important it is to have good shots of your work! Don't send in anything which you wouldn't be happy being used as a representation of your work.

Criteria,who's eligible?
We're excepting applications from British and Irish based Designer makers and also you must work with in the area of the show or near. For example for the London show we're excepting people from London and the South East.
If you've applied last year and weren't successful you are welcome to reapply.

What's on offer?
You'll get a highly coveted stall at the Knitting & Stitching show. With so many visitors we expect you to sell and promote your creative company to thousands of people!

How much will it cost me?
Nothing! All you need to pay for is your own transport (getting to and from the show), your own expenses (like hotels, parking,meals etc), any stall decoration, stall staffing and any personal promotional materials like posters,business cards etc.
Please note that if you were paying for this stall it would cost you over £600 for the four days!

How do we chose the winners?
We'll chose 6 successful applicants to exhibit from all entries for each show. We will choose only designer maker items which we deem to be of outstanding quality and originality. Please do not be offended if you're not chosen. We get lots of applications so we're choosing only items which we think fulfill the brief and represent the ethos of Craft Guerrilla.

What are we looking for?
Though it's called the "Knitting & Stitching" shows Twisted Thread is very keen for us to introduce other craft disciplines like ceramics, papercraft and jewerly but all your work must be hand made! No mass produced tat thank you!
Indie crafters, designer makers and artisans this is your chance to take your work from a hobby to a business!

When will we let you know?
We're working on that! The deadline is yet to be announced but...you can start applying now. A full schedule for the competition will be announced soon.

Good Luck!

Also please pass the opportunity onto your friends and fellow crafty colleagues as we want to spread the word far and wide!

*NEW as in non established,in the process of taking your craft business into the next level or even if you've been making for years but you've never taken the step!

Hand made wedding

2011-04-13T07:26:00.006+01:00

It is easy to put together the perfect hand made wedding when you have an exceptionally talented family!

Here is what we constructed for my sister in-law's recent wedding....

These signs were individually cut and whitewashed by the brides father, I hand painted them and the brides brother constructed the stands.

I wrote the table plan on three antique sash windows using a chalk pen. I loved using the chalk pen so much that I now use it to write my shopping list on the kitchen window!

When the evening party kicked off I wiped one window clean, attached the chalk pen to a piece of string and hey presto.... the window became a song request board!

This chalk board was made 30ish years ago by the brides dad!

Apparently someone suspected that the groom did not have much to do with the wedding planning!

Super cute music video

2011-03-31T10:41:00.002+01:00

My Camden Crawl research led me this this little gem by Lulu and the Lampshades. Gorgeous, and filmed just around the corner from my flat!

Camden Crawl!

2011-03-31T10:17:00.003+01:00

Woo hoo! This year the East London Craft Guerrilla have our very own event as part of the annual Camden Crawl music festival. If your idea of a perfect afternoon is a pint in one hand and sissors in the other, come on down (first aid will be avavilable)!

Sunday 1st of May
2pm-6pm
The Black Heart Pub,3 Greenland Place,
Camden,London W1 0AP
After the huge success of the first Craftivista Social Club* we'll be offering another date this time part of the Camden Crawl Festival.
We'll be sewing and making while The Obscuritones provide the live music and DJ Jake Dragons and Handsome Betty spin the tunes. It's a welcome return to our D.I.Y. Craftivista roots! *Open to Camden Crawl Ticket holders only.

For tickets please visit: www.thecamdencrawl.com

The line includes some awesome band names such as: DANANANANAYKROYD, EAGULLS, MUMS OF DEATH, TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS, BANJO OR FREAKOUT, THE HISTORY OF APPLE PIE, CEREBRAL BALLZY and LU LU & THE LAMPSHADES.

Full festival details are avaible here.

2011-03-29T19:41:00.004+01:00

Some more sneaky peeks at my projects in the forthcoming Craft Guerrilla book.....

Turd is the word

2011-03-22T21:50:00.003Z

Check out this great blog, but be warned you'll need sunglasses.....

Bubbly cakey goodness

2011-03-22T21:27:00.005Z

What could be better than stuffing your face with cup cakes? Getting to wash the cakes down with free champagne of course!

Fiona from Save Our Shoes managed to sneak me into not one but two Hummingbird Bakery events.

The first was the grand reopening of the Brompton branch. The modestly sized shop is now sleek and glossy, feeling more like a bar than a bakery, perfect really as we were being served 'Cocktail Cupcakes', Mojito, Pina Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri.

The second event was at the Wardor street branch, I was hoping for a Guinness themed cake as it was St. Patrick's day, sadly I was let down but after many, many cakes and a few glasses of bubbly I soon cheered up!

Wouldn't my teachers be proud....

2011-03-22T21:15:00.003Z

if they knew I was about to be published. In fact I went to such a crappy school that it really is a genuine achievement. They should name a class room after me....
But seriously, a real actual book is being published by a real proper publisher (you can see why I'm not editing it). So here is a sneaky peak at our baby (it will have a new and improved front cover soon), published by Black Dog.

Stitch and Craft 2011

2011-03-22T20:40:00.003Z

Last weekend was my first trip to the Stitch and Craft show, a three leved extravaganza of cross stitch, knitting and paper craft.

I was lucky enough to teach three workshops as well as two live demo's on the Stitching live theatre hosted by Cross Stitcher magazine. Thankfully no photos have surfaced of me grappling with the Madonna stylee head mic!

Being on the same bill as Emily Peacock and Charlotte Liddle was a bit of a shock as both are well know in the stitching world, but I think I rose to the challenge and I certainly enjoyed myself.

One of the techniques I taught was Dorset button making......

Which will be one of my project in the forthcoming Craft Guerrilla book!

Vintage charity shop gold volume 2!!

2010-03-09T04:14:00.002Z

Did I mention that I love New Zealand? All this for £2!

Maybe baby...

2010-03-09T03:56:00.003Z

I love making baby things! The following are destined for my nephew, due in five weeks....

My fox/dog hybrid!
Baby shoes made from this great free pattern.
Matching bib and burp cloth.

Indigo Quilt

2010-03-04T21:28:00.004Z

I bought these hand printed fabrics in Shanghai, and knew I wanted to make something special with them.

After much thought I decided on a patchwork quilt...

Which I made without using a rotary cutter and mat, quite an achievement for me! I'll have to wait until we get back to the UK to quilt it as I think I'm already over my luggage limit.

New Zealand charity shop gold mine!

2010-03-04T04:59:00.004Z

We've been in NZ for a few weeks now and I have been a busy bunny. I found all these fabrics in a single hour in one small town..... happy day!

I'm dreaming of a hot Christmas...

2009-12-20T09:10:00.007Z

Let me explain the recent lack of blogging... I've been traveling since October 30th (and am extremely lazy).

So far me and Mr B have conquered northern India, zig-zagged across China and are currently half way down Vietnam.
Here are some craft related photos of the journey so far (I'll bore you all with the general holiday snaps when I return)....

Sapa, Vietnam. A member of the Black Hmong tribe.

Cat Cat village, Sapa, Vietnam. Freshly dyed cloth hanging out to dry.

Sapa, Vietnam. Black Hmong women haggling over the price of looms.

Sapa, Vietnam. Hand dyed and embroidered cloth on sale in the market place.

Yangshuo, China. Straw bundles.

Shanghai, China. Hand printed blue Nankeen fabric.

Xi'an, China. A terracotta warrior up close.

Beijing, China. Prayer tag strings.

Beijing, China. Work made by the concubines of the Ming Dynasty in the palaces of the Forbidden City.

Jodphur, India. A traditionally dressed Rajasthani man.

Jodphur, India. A turban winding demonstration.

Jodhpur, India, Terracotta pots.

Sew to post...

2009-08-11T21:11:00.004+01:00

Ding ding, round three!
Here are the contenders...

The darkly delicious Deborah Daniel

Queen of crayons Gemma Corell

Princess of prints Amanda Luke

The eight armed beast that is Garudio Studiage

illustrator extraordinaire Megan Tucker (This web banner was designed by her own fair hand)

Sultry Scot Siobhan Lawson

and me!

Check the Flickr site for photos of previous swaps.

Home town glory

2009-08-05T21:25:00.004+01:00

King's Lynn, Norfolk.

INDIETRACKS!

2009-07-29T17:21:00.007+01:00

Craft Guerrilla were thrilled to be invited to participate at this years Indietracks festival in Butterley, Derbyshire. It was a weekend packed full of indie bands, craft, cider and steam trains! We put on a Craft Guerrilla 'DIY Crafternoon' in the workshop wigwam, debuting our new 'Mix tape' felt badge which went down a treat (thanks for all the lovely feedback Indietrackers)!It was great to see old friends and make lovely new ones.
Here is what we got up to:

Craft Guerrilla at The Make Lounge

2009-06-20T12:25:00.004+01:00

It was another great night at the Make Lounge on Tuesday. We met loads of new craft enthusiasts and ate plenty of amazing home baked cakes!
Big thanks to Jennifer for hosting us, and for these great pictures...

Check out those amazing drinks coasters make from my new kit!
Our next night at the make lounge is Thursday, September 24. Hit The Make Lounge web site early to book a place, we always sell out!

Sewing Green

2009-06-20T12:17:00.003+01:00

I first saw this book on the spool sewing blog, those lucky ladies had Betz herself come and hold a workshop. This morning my very own copy arrived in the post... woop woop!

Clothes Swap

2009-06-20T12:14:00.002+01:00

It's time to join us at 93 feet east again...

Time to sew...

2009-06-04T17:17:00.006+01:00

I've just had three days off work, it was bliss! And it gave me time to do some 'just for fun' sewing. Here's what I've made....

A coffee cosy for my friend Alice, inspired by these beauties from Spool Sewing (their blog is always worth looking at if you are lacking inspiration).

A clutch bag from the 'bend the rules sewing' book by Amy Karol.

A dress based on American Apparels 'Le Sac Dress'.

A birthday present for Mr B using this gorgeous stripey fabric.

And last but by no means least....

a big fat squishy chocolate cake!

The official start to summer...

2009-05-28T20:47:00.001+01:00

Come one, come all

2009-05-04T19:22:00.002+01:00

Myself and the other East London Craft Guerrilla gals are getting very busy, come and join us at any of the following:

Tuesday the 5th May PINK BAR 93 Feet East Brick Lane.
A veritable evening of fun,craft and cloths swapping! Our washing line will be up and ready for all you fashionable folk to hang your unwanted apparel and once we give the go ahead you'll be able to swap for other funky wear!!! It's recycling with a twist.
We'll be on hand to teach you the basics on how to hem,applique and transform your choices into a clubbing outfit! You must bring at least one piece of clothing (accessories,shoes etc. also welcome) in good,clean condition.
Guest DJ's and the Craft Guerrilla crew will be spinning some yarn and some tunes.From 8pm to 11pm. £5 cover charge to participate in the cloths swap. Free entry.

Saturday 9th of May "Crafternoons" at the Old Queens Head Essex Road.
Join us for our first diurnal D.I.Y. craft event. Set in the upstairs room of the lush Old Queens Head pub in Islington the CG gals will be there with the usual crafty goodness. Craft packs, vintage board games, in house tutors and guest DJs.From 2 pm to 5pm. Free entry.

Wednesday 20th May "Put the needle on the record" The Castle 15 Grosvenor Rise East Walthamstow
Our monthly E17 d.i.y. craft night. Crafty pleasure in the suburbs! Craft packs, in house tutors, DJ's, vintage board games and an ale or two to get you stitching. It's a stitch and pissed kind of thing! From 8 pm to 11pm. VENUE TO BE CONFIRMED!!!! Please check back closer to the date!
Free entry.

Saturday 30th of May Craft Guerrilla monthly Craft Markets Beautiful Interiors 34 Orford Road Walthamstow Village
Summer's here and we're itching to get out in the shop garden! A selection of hand picked designer makers will be bringing quality art and craft to the good people of Walthamstow. Products range from : jewellery, perfumes and cosmetics, clothing, accessories, toys, illustrations, home wares, soft furnishings,art work and more! Come check out the handy work of the Craft Guerrilla guys and girls. Also there's a cocktail or two and some lovely home baked cakes for all you sweet folk!
Free entry.

Bimonthly residency at the Make Lounge. Next event: Wednesday 10th June 6.30 - 9.30PM
The Craft Guerrilla will be back at the Make Lounge in Islington for a summer craft night. More details including how to book tickets to follow. Please check the Make Lounge web site.

Check the blog for updates and futher info. xx

Quilted patchwork cushions

2009-04-18T16:50:00.000+01:00

Someone special will be receiving these in the post soon....

Easter weekend...

2009-04-18T16:46:00.003+01:00

Vintage book covers

2009-04-18T16:39:00.004+01:00

They don't make them like this any more....

I'm a happy bunny....

2009-04-04T17:03:00.002+01:00

Because this lovely shop has opened on Columbia Road, not far from where I live. Hurrah!

Gates, roofs, bell pulls, doors and windows.

2009-03-16T21:25:00.006Z

I've developed a bit of a facination regarding the afore mentioned. Here are some of my favorite from recent trips to Bruge and Slovenia.

Holiday

2009-03-11T13:15:00.006Z

I'm coming to the end of my two weeks off work, what luxury...! I could get used to being a lady of leisure. My in-laws have been over from New Zealand, we all took the Euro Star to Bruge for 4 days which was gorgeous. I particularly enjoyed the city's 'Face of Lace' art installations which are all around the area, designers, artists and fashion designers used Belgium's lace making heritage as inspiration for new art works, I came away thoroughly inspired!

As per usual I have gotten behind with my blog so here are some of the other things I've been up too, and will be doing in the near future....
My work is now being stocked in Hooper & Shaw a lush gallery in Cornwall! Check out their page for more details...

The next edition of the East London Craft Guerilla DIY Craft Night is next week, It our one year anniversary so there are FREE GOODIE BAGS!!

The ELCG crew will also be at the Make Lounge again for another DIY Craft night, visit the blog or here for more details.

Clothes swap! Come and support my friends Zac and Anna as they head off to do some charity work...Join us at 'the horse' pub* for drinks, cakes and a new frock or two.
All proceeds go towards helping fund development work in Africa: fair trade fashion and construction projects (See website for more details www.aaco.org.uk).
Please bring at least one item of clothing. Accessories and shoes welcome. (Must be clean and in good condition)
Cover charge five pounds per person. Invite your friends.
*the horse pub 122-124 Westmister Bridge Road.
Lambeth North tube station
Saturday 21st March
3-6pm

Busy busy busy...

2009-02-18T17:47:00.009Z

The East London Craft Guerrilla have been in high demand over the last few weeks. As well as our usual craft nights at the Castle pub in Walthamstow we have been at the Bethnal Green Working Mens Club for their wonderful pre valentines 'Love-a-Fayre', and at 'The Make Lounge' in Islington. Here are some pics.

LOVE-A-FAYRE...

CRAFT GUERRILLA AT THE MAKE LOUNGE...

The best Monday ever, fact!

2009-02-02T12:17:00.007Z

No work for me today! This was London Fields and the canal at 7.45 this morning (the snow was five inches deep in places)...

Trains and buses have been canceled, school are closed and so far everyone I've met has been in a great mood! There are loads of communal snowball fights in the Fields and all the coffee shops are full of people. This is the best Monday in the history of the world, ever!

2009-01-25T13:34:00.008Z

The East London Craft Guerrilla are starting our own Zine! I bravely volunteered to produce the first issue having never really seen a Zine in my life. So yesterday my friend Jo accompanied me to a 'Zine Fest' at the Women's Library in east London. First of all I didn't realise London has Women's Library, they has a great exhibition on called 'between the covers' with some beautiful vintage and retro magazines on display, I particularly enjoyed an article from the 1950's about 'Mothercraft' (nothing to do with spaceships).
Then we went upstairs and browsed the eclectic selection of zines on sale. Here are my favorites.. (I mostly choose style over substance as I was looking for layout inspiration).

A good place to start... I love the wool!

By Sarah.

I love Ricochet's random jumble of type/handwriting/photos/collage and general mayhem...

Check out Ricochet.

Beautiful use of patterned papers, simple type and photography...

by Emma Jane Falconer

But this is by far my favorite... Beautifully layed out and an incredibly honest account of living with mental illness.

By Bettie.

I love the fact that you can produce a Zine about anything you fancy, and some one out there is going to be delighted to pay 80p for it!

Last weekend I was mostly making...

2009-01-25T13:18:00.003Z

This...

and this...

and this...

(inspired by this).

Round our way

2009-01-10T17:29:00.004Z

Some times I forget how lucky I am to live in such an interesting part of the UK. Hackney gets a lot of bad press (mostly from people who don't live here), but I love it! This is London Fields and Broadway market, just across the road from my house...

You give a little back...

2009-01-10T17:18:00.005Z

For a while I have been thinking about doing a bit of 'Guerrilla Advertising' and during a walk in the park I decided today was the day.
I have quite a few small toys which I made some time ago, I have never sold them as they were kind of my trial run, before I honed my skills and decided on a range of fabrics to use.
So today with a couple of assistants we hid the creatures around our local park.
I'm glad to say when we walked back a couple of hours later they had almost all found new homes!

Felty felty....

2009-01-07T17:00:00.004Z

It's nearly time for the next East London Craft Guerrilla 'Craft Night'. That means I've had to get busy with the craft kits (and alot of felt)... this month you can make these:

or these:

And next month we will be at the Make Lounge is Islington, tremendosly exciting! You will be able to make these:

Plus of course a host of other exciting kits from Debbie, Ellen and Lisa.
Check out the ELCG blog for details or drop me a line...

Sack Boy

2008-12-17T19:40:00.008Z

I haven't done any interesting knitting in quite some time, just scarfs and stuff. So when my sister in law commissioned me to make one of these for her her boyfriend I was excited and slightly intimidated at the same time.

I searched for a pattern on line and discovered that the only one around had recently been published in Simply Knitting magazine a few weeks before, but to be honest I wasn't that impressed with it.

I figured it was a good place to start though so tracked down a copy and used it to make the body, arms and legs (I never would have figured out how to shape the fingers!). I used Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds wool on 4mm needles. When it came to the head I made my own adjustments to the pattern by casting off 20 stitches then casting them back on again on the following row to create the open mouth. When putting him altogether I made a 'mouth insert' from stiff card and covered it with black felt. The pink tongue was then glued in place and the mouth insert stitched to the cast off stitches. The rest of him was then stuffed and constructed according to the pattern.

I did a dam fine job even if I do say so myself!

In 10 minuets...

2008-12-09T17:52:00.001Z

I'm leaving the house to see this!!

Craftacular indeed

2008-12-09T17:05:00.011Z

The Bust 'Christmas Craftacular' was a great success... even busier than I expected (this may have had something to do with the free goodie bags, or the bar).

The thing I always like best is how friendly all the stall holders are.
To my right was Jess Turnbull and her boyfriend.

And to my left were the 'Fine City friends' including...

Hello Memo

I like pens

Gemma Correll

and their entourage (including the dead squirrel).

Big Bust news (which is ironic)

2008-11-29T13:31:00.002Z

Battenberg (aka me) are having a stall at the first ever Bust Christmas Fair, Hurrah! check this page for all the details. It is a great venue, really central and open stupidly late!

'Shop, dance and be Merry! BUST magazine brings you an all-day, all-night shopping and music extravaganza featuring the nation's hottest DIY talent. Down some drinks as you learn to craft and listen to DJs while you brwose the handmade wares, from jewellery and clothing to home decor and cards. Don't miss: Learn to Stitch and Knit! // Tatty Devine Craft Clinic! // DJ Sets from Vinyl Vendettas, Golden Shivers, Shellac Sisters and Sheila B! // Goodie bags for the first 100 attendees, raffle, and more! Admission: £ 2'

Moonlighting

2008-11-29T13:00:00.003Z

It is that exciting time off year when part-time craftsters venture out to sell their wares. Here are some of the folks I met at the east London craft guerrilla 'Designer craft market' and the craftwerk 'Craftmas fair':

They are:
Julia Pott
Edwyn
Alexandra Ashby
Sophie Allen
Little Clouds
Karoline Rerrie
Zoe Darnell
Deborah Daniels
Leah Sutton

What a thoroughly talented bunch.

As per usual...

2008-11-29T12:47:00.006Z

I've left it too long in between blog posts. Here are some reasons why...

Christmas shopping and present making...

Charity shop bargin hunting...

Half finished projects...

Glamourous Granny

2008-10-30T12:41:00.004Z

I'm very interested in 1940's British history. My Grandparents married in 1940 so I decided to dig out some photographs from that period. My granny trained at RADA and must have had this photo post card made for self promotion purposes...

This is the message on the back to her Aunt:

The message reads: 'This isn't conceit-I haven't another card. please would you send the little blue dress you were doing the hem of, for Friday. We're going to a dance! I mean the dress that goes with the stripey jacket. Love Miriam.'

I found loads of family photos from the 1940's and 50's but this is by far my favorite...

I think I'm going to have a large copy framed!

Long time no see...

2008-10-30T11:43:00.006Z

It has indeed been a while. Here are some of my excuses:
My PC died, it has been replaced by one of these
I was busy with the East London Craft Guerrillas Craft night
I had to make stuff for Clare and keren's 'Old Lady Party'
I've been preparing a mail order catalogue for my loyal customers at Shell
I went to see these guys
I had some screen printing lessons with my Mum
I've been keeping an eye on 'Sew to Post'
etc etc...

Here are some pics from the screen printing extravaganza:

A basic screen print using a Thermofax screen, my Mums design.

Lining up the next print.

More dye paste was screened over to create the back ground colour

My turn with another of my Mum's therofax designs.

Some of my freezer paper prints in the dye bath.

Some of my freezer paper screens

A breakdown print

Sew To Post #2

2008-10-01T18:51:00.004+01:00

Woop Woop, I am very excited at the launch of the second craft swap extravaganza!

Here are the participants:

Danielle

Amanda

Annalisa

Siobhan

Sarah A

Andrea

Helen

Deborah

Sarah S

Mandy

Wendy

Megan

and of course my good self.

Here is the 'circle of swap' (which works in a clockwise direction), randomly picked by Mr B.

Let craft commence!

POO

2008-09-10T18:02:00.002+01:00

I just found out my friend Rachel is pregnant. Rachel is the only person I know who is genuinly interested in and excited by excriment (she is a nurse so maybe it is a professional matter). Anyway I decided to make the baby a little friendly poo, problem is now I want to keep it.

Bargain

2008-09-10T17:43:00.002+01:00

Check out these bargains, 50p for the lot from one of my favorite charity shops....

A home of my own

2008-09-10T17:39:00.003+01:00

What to do with a small amount of pretty pattened fabric?

A log cabin baby quilt of course.

This week I have been mostly....

2008-09-10T17:36:00.002+01:00

trying to finish this jacket

The gorgeously soft plaid came from the festival of quilts...mmm snugly.

These are a few of my favorite things...

2008-09-10T17:27:00.006+01:00

from the festival of quilts:

Big Specs

2008-07-30T18:46:00.002+01:00

I just made this glasses case for my stupidly huge Vera Wang sun glasses. Complete with matching I-Pod case.

I am so in love with the anchor print fabric... I only have a tiny bit left now.

Singer Lovin'

2008-07-30T18:37:00.004+01:00

My lovely friend Keren bestowed this gift upon me recently...

There are several of these gorgeous sketch/collages

and many 70's fashion shoots.

Hat tastic

2008-07-30T18:31:00.002+01:00

Ages ago I mentioned to my uncle that I would like to learn some millenry skills. He was obviously listening as on saturday he picked up this hat block for me in a second hand shop off Brick Lane.

It is for stretching hats and expands as you turn the metal rod in the centre.

Shaftsbury Avenue

2008-07-30T18:15:00.003+01:00

Check out what I found lying amongst a pile of rubbish!

It is a bit of a mystery as to why it was dumped in central London.... It had this tiny tag attached (I know it is a beauty but £38 seems a bit steep to me).

Sew To Post fun begins...

2008-07-12T14:42:00.002+01:00

Look what arrived today...

It's my parcle from Danille at Glowing Doll. There will be another 'Sew To Post' craft swap soon. If you are interested email me at 'sew to post @ gmail.com'.

Time flys..

2008-07-05T12:48:00.006+01:00

I can't believe it is already a week since June's East London Craft Guerilla'.
Here are some photos of the Battenberg stall:

This new 'Patchwork' Bib design was the best selling Item of the day, I hope I can find the time to replenish the stock!

The best thing about the Craft Guerilla is all the lovely people you meet. In May I met Moxie, Glowing Doll, Mrs Elliot and Munano.

This month I met Krafty Kat and Lisa Margreet.

CRAFT SWAP

2008-06-30T18:16:00.007+01:00

Trumpet sounds please...

Here it is, the swap list for the first ever 'And sew to post' craft swap (big up to Andrea for the great name suggestion).

Names were pulled from a hat to ensure random swapping...

As there is an odd number of us it works in a circle with us bestowing a gift clockwise (follow the arrows!).

Here is a little run down of the participants..

Me

ANDREA, Who is a proper artist! (excuse the exclamation mark but I only just realised).

MICHELLE One of my favorite etsy store holders.

AMANDA who has fantastic taste in fabric.

SIOBHAN A textile designer for the high street.

DANIELLE who makes all kind of amazingly quirky frippery (my favorite new word).

HELEN who not only produces beautiful items but beautiful children.

ANNALISA who works with this guy, which should give you an indication of how talented she is.

ARIANE, who makes gorgeous leather purses and more.

So ladies (I apologise for the lack of gents, I did try), the dead line for parcels in the post is Saturday 12Th of July.

LET CRAFT COMMENCE!

(P.S you'll receive the postal details of your recipient by email in the next few days).

Air mail

2008-06-20T12:33:00.004+01:00

I love presents, any kind, big small, useful, useless.
The queen of presents is surely my friend Siobhan. Look what arrived for me the other day....

A note book, retro fabric, papers (designed by her own fair hand I think), beautiful!

It's got me thinking... I'd like to start a little craft swap group. If you are interested drop me an email at: info @ hellobattenberg. com and I'll give you an update in 10 days time.

Show me the money

2008-06-20T11:38:00.004+01:00

When you have a market stall it is important to have your cash float easily available, which leads to a dilemma...what do I keep the money in?
A tin? sure it is easy to pick out the correct change but it is real easy for someone to steal.
An apron? more secure but you can guaranty the minute you take it off all the money will slip out and roll all over the floor.
well wonder no more for I have come up with the perfect solution.
Behold...

It is inspired by a bag used by Mrs Elliot Books, I liked the fact that it had a wrist strap. I added my own additions like a sleeve you can thread your belt through for extra security, and interior pockets for cash notes, pens etc. It is made from a reclaimed curtains.

Problem solved (Just remember I thought of it first).
Any orders?!

Just the two of us

2008-06-09T18:38:00.000+01:00

A colleague told me about a real psychological condition where people fall in love with inanimate objects, for instance a lady who married the Eiffel Tower (no joke), and another lady who was in love with a fence.

Well, meet my new life partner...

And speaking of Mr B's birthday

2008-06-09T18:33:00.000+01:00

check out this beauty he received...

little does he realise that I honed my tiddly winking skills at a very young age on this bad boy....

CHECK IT OUT! Vintage cloth kits gold. I found it in my parents attic whilst having a clear out. Aint it a beauty?

LET THE GAMES COMMENCE!

Fathers day

2008-06-09T18:02:00.002+01:00

Being as it is nearly fathers day I thought I would share a little of my Dad's talent with you...

This proudly graces our living room wall, Dad painted it whilst at art collage in the 1970's

If you look really closely you can spot tiny details like this...

He painted other larger pieces in a similar style, unfortunately they have been lost to the ravages of time (or given to other relatives).

This is one of his newer pieces on a greetings card (it was Mr B's birthday at the weekend).

2008-06-02T20:26:00.000+01:00

The East London Craft Guerilla on Saturday was great, loads of lovely fellow stall holders and loads of even lovelier customers!
I'm really looking forward to the next one already...

3rd edition Saturday 28th June from 10am - 5.30pm

'Stop me and buy one'

2008-05-18T18:43:00.000+01:00

I will be at the following craft fairs very soon:

The Brompton Art Fayre on 29th May

Set in the grounds of The London Oratory, Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, SW7. With the Victoria & Albert museum sitting next door, and Harrods just a two minute walk away.

EAST LONDON CRAFT GUERRILLA MARKET

Looking for something unusual and not from the High Street?
Join us at our craft markets and check out lots of original creations from our indie crafters!
Our monthly craft markets are taking place in Walthamstow.

2nd edition Saturday 31st May from 10am - 5.30pm
3rd edition Saturday 28th June from 10am - 5.30pm

It's been a while...

2008-05-18T18:04:00.000+01:00

I think this may be a running theme for this blog.
Here is a taster of what I have been up too:

Finding vintage and retro knitting patterns for my etsy shop

I've been adding more items to my range....

Making my Granny a 90th birthday present:

And having photography lessons from John at filtrum.co.uk (see people I like list).

Paris

2008-04-03T17:29:00.000+01:00

Mr B took me to Paris recently, this is my favourite photo of the trip...

ahhh, beautiful.

Birthday part one...

2008-03-09T16:39:00.000Z

From tomorrow I will be too old to use a young persons rail card ever again. I have decided to commiserate is style by having a night out at a 1950's style bowling alley.
For the occasion I have whipped up a 50's frock from this Vouge patten...

I have used fabric i found in a charity shop (a 1970's Marks and Spencer's duvet cover, which weirdly my parents used to have).

Here is a suitably anonymous picture of me in the frock...

Well, you get the general idea....

quilty

2008-03-09T16:30:00.000Z

I have decided to embark on another quilt. This time an 'everyday' quilt which will (hopefully) get alot of use.
Here is the layout so far....

All the fabric has come from my over flowing scraps box, the colours were inspired by a dress on the front of a magazine (the dress wearer was Victoria Beckham, so I'm guessing it was a designer frock).

I'm going to sew it all together on my overlocker(serger), then machine quilt it.

I heart Hackney

2008-03-04T17:49:00.000Z

I live in an interesting part of east London called Hackney. It has a pretty bad reputaton (teenage knife crime, shootings, you know, the usual), but I LOVE it, and I'll tell you why. PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR UNWANTED CRAP ON THE STREET, and once in a while that crap is acutually pure retro joy, check out this bad boy....

It is a singer made in 1910 (we used the singer website to trace the serial number) which I found on the street on my way to work. It's in full working order, bonus!

I also found this amazing retro fabric outside a bar in Shorditch.

Which I made into these note book covers for the friends that were with me that night.

Ahh Hackney.