New Class Launch!

Hooray! Another Makery Mill workshop to come and enjoy! Fabric decoupage. This one is suitable for young and old alike – children will enjoy being let loose with our fabric supply – getting to cut squares or shapes out, getting sticky with the glue and having something special to take home and decorate their room with. For us adults, it’s a calmer and more mindful activity, after (possibly) the same excitement over selecting your fabric(s), you can set to work on a methodical task with your hands, while enjoying the background music or a natter with friends.

We have a beautiful range of fabrics that you won’t find in the shops, and so you have no option but to create something gorgeous and unique to you.

We’ll be offering different bases to work on, which you should select at the time of booking. The picture frames and boxes are an easy decorative addition to the home (or a thoughtful gift), as are the heart pendants. You can also choose to decorate a letter of your choice (early booking essential). 

Hen parties can have the addition of making decoupaged pendant hearts or a MR & MRS (or MR & MR or MRS & MRS) sign for the wedding day itself, and a keepsake for the married couple.

If this sounds like that unique experience you have been looking for, email us to arrange a date to book your workshop.

Fabric decoupage heart shaped box

 

Fabric decoupage picture frame

 

World crafts – back to basics, Nepal

I really hope you have enjoyed our series of blog posts on world crafts. For me, the journey was enlightening, educational and inspirational. They say that travel broadens the mind, and my world tour certainly did that. I came back so full of ideas, and it was thanks to communities and individuals everywhere I went who were so creative with what they had.

A great end to the world crafts is the final stop in Bhaktapur, Nepal. It is a small heritage town which is protected by UNESCO due to it’s beautiful old buildings, and the traditional ways of life maintained within the walls. Visiting very much felt like stepping back in time, daily power cuts and blackouts mean that you can’t rely on modern technologies, so everything is back to basics. I stayed in pottery square, where every spare space, and even the rooftops are covered in drying pottery. Around the town, I also came across evidence of other crafts being a part of daily life – such as ladies spinning their yarn in little hidden courtyards, and dyed yarns hung out to dry in the sun. Not to mention the tourist stores selling yaks wool blankets and locally screen-printed prayer flags.

"Pottery Square"

“Pottery Square”

Poised to spin the wheel

Poised to spin the wheel

Helping with some yarn spinning

Helping with some yarn spinning

Dyed yarn hanging to dry

Dyed yarn hanging to dry

World crafts – weaving, Nepal

In the small lake-side town of Pokhara, Nepal, behind a shop filled with fantastic displays of bags, you will find a women’s weaving co-operative who are producing a wonderful range of materials and products.

The group set themselves apart by designing their own weaves, and they offer to create your favourite bag style in your chosen weave. Hand-made and personalised – we love both at Makery Mill.

Ladies at the looms

Ladies at the looms

World crafts – glass art, Udaipur

In the Red Fort, Jaipur, there is a room in the palace which was covered in concave mosaic mirrors, which would reflect candlelight in the evening and create the illusion of a starry night sky for the princesses. Those skilled at this craft have been sought after ever-since!

I went to visit a workshop where they design make their own glass and mirror art, and I also bought a piece to take home. Just like the stone-inlay work seen elsewhere in India, each piece is cut and filed to a very specific shape. However, instead of being positioned into marble, they are laid on top of wood, and then surrounded by plaster to hold them in place. A finish is then applied to make the artwork suitable for the outdoors (although I’m not sure they would withstand the British weather!) Each piece is unique, and some installations cover whole walls and work in 3D!

Checking the shaped glass to the design template

Checking the shaped glass to the design template

World crafts – henna, India

It wouldn’t be right to write about Indian crafts and not include henna. It is fascinating to watch a henna artist at work. A steady hand is required to use the piping bag, and a big imagination full of complimenting designs is needed to quickly decide what detail is coming next. It is rather like a doodle, but with a deliberate creativity and theme. The dye lasts for a week or so, before it starts to fade, so it is important that the wearer likes it. I was delighted with mine, and would love henna to be a more popular trend here in the UK. It is great for people like me who change their minds too often to risk the permanence of a tattoo!

I’m going to get Becky to have a go at this – her cake piping is so controlled, that I think she would make a perfect candidate for an in-house Makery Mill henna expert. What do you think?

Henna in action

Henna in action