Living North London: Get Stitched Up In Stoke Newington
Written by: Sophie Taylor
The devil makes work for idle thumbs. So if you’ve forgotten your opposable thumbs are for more than wrapping round a cold pint, put them to use before Satan himself does. Whether you’re a sewing novice or your stitch bitch routine is a little rusty, get back in the game with a sewing classes in Stoke Newington. You’ll be winding that bobbin, sewing round corners and mastering patterns in no time.
The Thrifty Stitcher, Claire-Louise Hardie is the Sewing Producer to “The Great British Sewing Bee” and Author of “The Great British Sewing Bee- Fashion with Fabric”. She’s also a professional Costumier and Guest presenter on Create and Craft TV. Claire is now offerig small sized, friendly sewing classes and courses in Stoke Newington.
Her mission is to de-mystify the art of sewing and clothes making, and show you just how easy and fun it can be. It’s not all wonky hem lines and pin pricks. The Thrifty Stitcher offer a range of contemporary sewing classes, suitable for adults at all levels. Fitting is their passion, and they love to help students make clothes that fit.
Go and get all inspired by their beautiful working studio and leave with a passion for sewing.
Whether you want to learn to sew and get dressmaking in one day or you need a refresher to get sewing again, then the Ultimate Fast-Track day or 2 week evening course is for you. All tools and materials for the cushion are included, just bring yourself and some PJ fabric. (No judgements, all prints are welcome you raging Hello Kitty fanatic). At the end of this day you’ll leave with two completed projects.
There is boundless amounts of tea, coffee and biscuits provided all day, but do bring a sandwich or elaborate homemade personalised sushi box for lunch.
10.30 am – 6 pm- weekends or 6:30 – 9:30pm weeknights over 2 consecutive weeks (remember to arrive early though as sessions start promptly).
Get more info and book here.
10/01/2017
My First Night at Green Rooms Hotel
Staying in a hotel one mile from where you actually live feels strange enough, but doing it on your own is even stranger. These photos are a visual record of me wandering the lonely corridors of a new boutique hotel between the hours of 10-12pm. I would describe the decor as handmade but not cheap, minimal but not clinical. It has the feeling that money has been spent on the things that matter.
You Feta Brie-lieve it: Cheese Festival Comes to North London
The rumours are true: a cheese festival exists and it’s coming to North London. This Sunday. Be there or be … cheese-less I suppose. But you’ve gouda get there early: If you’re as keen as brie and one of the first fifty fromage fondlers to show, you’re in the running for a free bottle of Black Cow’s pure milk vodka. Traders will be setting up stalls along Islington’s Chapel Market: from the Raclette Brothers and Mac to the Future to La Fromagerie and The Cheese Truck.
Dream Talk: Sound Art for Your Commute
Dream Talk. It’s like Dream Phone, but not at all. Artist Emma Alonze and musician Andy Becker have joined forces to collaborate on a (possibly prophetic) new sound art project. Londoners are invited to take a moment out of their daily commute, routine or journey and immerse themselves in a narrated collection of dreams. Taking three years worth of forty winks, Alonze has gathered and narrated a chosen few to be set to an ambient soundtrack by Becker.
Between the Sheets at the Underbelly Festival
Holy smoke, her nipples are on fire! Somebody pass the woman an extinguisher. Wait, why is she climbing into that giant margarita glass - does she not know it's highly flammable? She's going to need to be doused with a sizable portion of aloe vera gel at this rate, the poor lamb.
Top Four "Keeping it 💯" Workshops
If there's anything the new moon today has told us, it's that it's time to be our true selves. That's what my horoscope told me today anyway. But what does that mean exactly? It means that if you want to eat honey loops for lunch, you 100% can. It means if you feel like learning how to make a bouquet instead of working on your tax forms, you 100% can. It also means if you want to learn how the deep throat (singing technique) you don't have to explain yourself. You're keeping it .
Who is Behind Eroc the Skateboarding Dog?
Our exclusive meeting with Eroc: the Beyonce of the skateboarding dog world. Eroc the french bulldog is making waves. With fans like Tony Hawk, BBC Radio and over 30k followers on Instagram (and counting), Eroc has also become something of an online sensation. His viral status comes and goes, randomly popping up on online social media channels every now and again to generate hundreds of thousands of views and clicks via the likes of Buzzfeed, Time Out and rogue iPhone filmers.
Protest is Dead! Long Live Protest!
We all have our own ways of dealing with life when things get shitty. Having a big cry and getting it all out can be incredibly therapeutic, and even more so when we find ourselves repeating the same line over and over through the tears. “He’s a dick!” or “I’m not a bad person!” These little lines of reinforcement help us push through the crappy feeling. Sometimes we might even revert to a hearty little stamp on the floor / kick of some unsuspecting object. It feels surprisingly satisfying when the rage sets in and we feel helpless.
Contemporary Malian Sounds in Stokey
This Friday sees the release of Malian master musicians, Trio Da Kali’s new album Ladilikan. Fusing rich, expressive vocals with traditional instruments like the balafon and bass ngoni, this is a beautiful mix of ancient Mande culture and contemporary Malian sounds. Luckily for us North Londoners, we have the opportunity to see the trio play live in the rather fitting ethereal surrounds of Stoke Newington Church next month.
On your Doorstep: Inside Sylvanian World
Walking along Monsell Road in Finsbury Park, we spy the charming exterior of a shop looking like something out of a children’s book circa 1932. Beneath a green and white striped awning, a whimsical new world of mini animals awaits. Once inside we stumble about the store in hushed awe, reaching over a book of minuscule carpet samples/ family of miniature otters to tap a tiny bell.
Kids and Big Kids: Pizza, Curry and Open Air Cinema
Whether you’re looking for something to entertain your kids, your friends’ kids or that particularly large man child in your life, you might just have lucked out. Snug are hosting an open air screening of The Incredibles next Saturday evening. There will be tasty sourdough pizzas from Sodo Pizza (Upper Clapton) and ultimate authentic curries from Rice n Spice, Northwold Road.
Ceremony: A New Take On Veggie Cuisine
Coming soon to a Tufnell Park near you is a whole new vegetable patch of delights / wheat field to run vicariously through. It’s time to get excited for Ceremony: a brand new bar/restaurant serving modern British veggie cuisine. Although the website remains tantalisingly mysterious, you can glean more info from their well stocked insta.
Top 4 Weird Things to do This September
Sound baths, pit parties, fake cheese and nipples, these are a few of our favourite things, said no one ever. Bored of drinking down the pub every evening? Unlikely, but bare with me. Sometimes you just want to let down your hair, shake it off and do something down right odd of an evening... followed by a pint at the pub.
Dating North London: IRL vs Textlationship
It’s been a few months since the last instalment of Online vs Offline. I deleted Bumble, Happn and Tinder, flirted with the idea of match.com, went to a friend’s wedding, heard the vicar call my name instead of the Bride’s and reflected briefly on the crushing inevitability of my own spinsterhood before realising everyone was laughing in the pews and I should probably join them.
Stroud Green Market Opens This Sunday!
Gluten-free cake consumers, vegan cheese enthusiasts, craft beer connoisseurs, lovers of pies and drinkers of tea; your time is now. Buy food of a quality & variety you can’t easily find in the shops, from organic meat to vegan cheese, fish caught that morning to pickles which have been fermenting for months, at Stroud Green market.
Free Cake and Gin Soaked Folk Pop
Who’s up for free entry, free cake and free folk (except for a jaunty little hat that is passed around for donations)? Get down to The Finsbury this Wednesday eve for a little mid week hootenanny and celebrate some of the best in new live music from the ‘acoustic, singer-songwriter & indie-folk scene’. Host with the most, Zoe Konez (“Ridiculously talented, Konez handles her guitar like she was born with it” - For Folk's Sake) will be deftly introducing each act from gin soaked folk popster herself, Penniless Cove to German indie band, Kalon.
Lamps, Records, Frenchies: The Big London Flea
What if you could mix the joys of your local Sunday car boot and all it’s dog perving potential with your favourite vintage clothes shops and high end antique markets? Within the sparkling depths of Dalson’s former ABC cinema, you’ll find The Big London Flea: London’s largest indoor vintage market.