Crafting4Fun
Crafting4Fun
We are a group that has varied interests and varied abilities. So far our activities have included knitting, crochet, paper crafts, sewing and we are always open to learning something new - one of our Group recently taught us to crochet. Of course, we have a good chat and a laugh too.
We meet on the 4th Wednesday in the month at 10.30am.
At the moment our group is running at full capacity, however due to increasing numbers of requests from members wanting to join a crafting group, a second group has now been set up and we are looking at forming a third group. If you would like to join this group or would like more information about the new Craft and Natter group, please contact Penny, see below
Our next meeting will be on 28th June when we will be having a second Decoupage session.
If you would like more information about joining a craft group, please contact, Contact Liz Westworth or Penny Chatfield for more details
MAY 2023
This month we tried decoupage. This is the art of gluing coloured paper or fabric onto surfaces to create a decorative effect. There are many things that can be used including paper, cotton fabric, paper napkins, magazines, newspaper and lots of items can be decorated in this way.
Everyone bought along a item to cover and as usual there was a diverse collection! We had a flowerpot, card boxes, wooden boxes, glass bottles and polystyrene balls.
The images on the chosen covering can be cut out or torn, layered or glued singly on the item to achieve the chosen effect. With the thinner coverings e.g paper napkins (which are split down to a single ply) it can be quite fiddly to place onto the item particularly after one has done a few pieces and fingers are sticky!
Amid much laughter (as usual) and coffee and biscuits, everyone achieved some beautiful results and enjoyed it so much, we decided to carry on with decoupage again next month.
APRIL 2023
This month we turned our hands to making macrame feathers. With our ever patient expert to guide us, we started by using macrame string to form a centre 'stem' onto a cardboard mount. We then knotted strands of macrame string to either side of the stem to form the feather. Once we had knotted enough strings to fill the stem, we removed the cardboard mount and cut round the strings following the outline of a template in the shape of a feather.
Once we had finished shaping, we used flat wire brushes to separate the macrame cords and create the look of a feather. Then, to stiffen the feathers, they were sprayed with several coats of extra hold hairspray.
We were all delighted with our feathers and as usual, we had a great morning of crafting, laughing, drinking coffee and enjoying a home baked blueberry traybake.
MARCH 2023
We began our March meeting by showing the glass work that we had enjoyed creating during our last session. Each piece was entirely individual and it was interesting to see all the different designs.
This month, we focused on craft activities with an Easter theme , either decorating eggs or making Easter decorations using felt. We used a combination of appliqué and embroidery to decorate our felt eggs, chickens and birds and had some great results. With coffee, homemade carrot cake and plenty of laughs, a good morning was had by all.
FEBRUARY 2023
This month the Craft Group was invited to a glass fusion session run by one of our members. Before we started, we enjoyed coffee and cake (necessary for kick starting the creative processes!) before moving into the studio.
Our project was to create a design using pieces of glass to decorate a larger square of glass for use as a coaster, sun-catcher or picture. We heard how it is necessary to use only one type of glass at a time, in a project because a mix of different types won’t fuse successfully. We also saw the beautiful pieces of jewellery, pictures and decorations that can be created and the many colours of glass available.
Next, onto our projects! We practised scoring and cutting the glass pieces into straight edges and curves and also how to grind pieces on a machine for a softer edge. The next step was to draw our designs on paper and then cut the pieces of glass we needed. This required complete concentration and at times the studio was silent. Not something that happens often at our craft group!
We chose a mixture of clear, opaque and iridescent glass and created abstract and traditional designs. The final step was to lightly glue the pieces to the clear glass base to hold them in place during the fusing process in the kiln. The finished pieces were beautiful.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our session and learnt a lot from our experienced and patient expert. See photos on our Facebook page, after 22/3/2023
JANUARY 2023
This month we spent a very enjoyable morning making some pretty felt items. One of our very talented members took the lead and brought along a selection of templates to help give us our basic shape. We used hearts, flowers and circles, but other shapes would work too. After cutting out two of our chosen shapes from felt, we used a selection of embroidery threads, various stitches and small buttons to embellish one of our shapes. Small beads could also be used. Once decorated, the embroidery can be sewn onto the second shape and a clip or thread added to make brooches or hanging decorations. As an alternative, two pieces of felt could be first sewn to first create a 'pocket' and then filled with wadding to make other items such as a pincushion or by adding a loop, it could decorate a key ring. The possibilities are endless! We are hoping to carry on with these in March. As usual there were lots of laughs and our lovely hostess made sure we were well looked after.
2022
DECEMBER 2022
There was a lot of fun and laughter this morning when we met together for a good natter and to wish each other a Happy Christmas.
NOVEMBER 2022
At our November meeting we made macrame gnomes and paper stars.
The Crafting4Fun group had another great morning, this time creating Christmas decorations. Our Christmas gnomes were made from macrame string, a circle of cardboard, a wooden bead and wool. We had a very patient teacher and there was, as usual, lots of laughter. We think our Gnomes look great! Next we moved onto 3d paper stars made from wrapping or craft paper. The group thought they looked really effective and came up with a variety of ways to use them - threaded individually for a tree, as a garland or bunting or piled into a bowl with baubles or tinsel. Our lovely host kept us going with coffee and mince pies and we also had delicious breakfast muffins to nibble - all are essential crafting requirements! If you would like to join a craft group, please contact Penny Chatfield via this page.
OCTOBER 2022
This month we decided to each bring ideas for Christmas decorations to make at our November meeting. Planning in this way means that we have time to get any materials we need.
There was a varied selection including floristry ribbon flowers, macramé string decorations, folded paper stars, knitted Christmas trees, hanging felt figures and fabric covered polystyrene balls.
As usual it was a very lively meeting with lots of laughs helped along by coffee, cake and warm mince pies kindly supplied by our host.
‘We continued with our Quilting which some members had been busy embroidering, others have started quilting, and some brought their completed projects to show.
SEPTEMBER 2022
This month the Group carried on with the appliqué patchwork that we started at our last meeting. We began adding borders by cutting strips of contrasting material. We used a rotary cutter, a tool that some of us had not used before. We also looked at examples of different stitches that could be used to appliqué our designs to the material. These included chain stitch, running stitch and blanket stitch and we discussed whether these would be sewn by hand or by using a close zig zag stitch on a machine. We were shown how stitching can also be used to add texture. We also welcomed two new members to our Group and it was lovely to meet them and hear about their craft skills and interests.
AUGUST 2022 NO MEETING
JULY 2022 Quilting
At our meeting this month, we each started a quilting project with lots of help from our expert, group member Pam. We each chose a template and 3 or 4 pieces of similar and contrasting material. Chosen designs included love hearts and tulips. We were introduced to bondaweb and interfacing. These were new to some of us and were used to give some strength to our 12’’ piece of backing material and to fix our cut out shapes to our backing material. We were shown a few different stitches - chain, blanket and running - which can be used to attach and decorate our designs. By the next meeting, we hope to have added our chosen stitches. The next stage includes adding wadding and then quilting.
As usual, we had a brilliant morning - good company and plenty of laughs! We were also lucky enough to see a wonderful array of Pam’s quilts that she brought with her.
JUNE 2022 Quilting - postponed
MAY 2022 Bunting.
The crafting4fun group spent a busy and enjoyable morning this month making bunting in readiness for the Jubilee party. It was a case of many hands make light work and between us we managed to produce bunting fit for a queen!
APRIL 2022
Members of Crafting4Fun met in April to develop our crocheting skills.
A group member had previously introduced us to the basics of crochet and, by popular demand, agreed to lead another session. Having learnt a couple of basic stitches, this month we enthusiastically set about making coasters and bowls. After much concentration and effort, together with a great deal of laughter, we were able to produce our first crocheted items!