Happy Friday from Stitch. It is with a heavy heart I have to announce that we have made the difficult decision to stop running our teaching workshops from June, due to finances. 

Our dearest, brilliant crafting community will continue to meet for our friendly and free knit and natter on Tuesdays and Stitching Circle on Wednesday evening and we always welcome newcomers. Try and stop us! And we still have teaching workshops running up until the end of the month so it’s not too late to learn with us.

We are as a team so thankful for the last 6 years, it really has been such a fun, creative adventure. So many highs and a few lows of course, like all small community businesses. From finding a landlord who was open to the idea of an initial pop-up in the fabulous (but a little cold and draughty let's be honest!) historic Grouts building. Then Covid hit and we had to close and move shops not once but twice, first to the post office then around the corner to our quirky space in Hazelwood Lane. A lot of change and upheaval but ultimately all worth every moment. To have met so many wonderful people, to teach & introduce so many of you to different crafts & skills, to craft and laugh together and create community projects like our Platinum Jubilee collage; working with local schools to teach them about upcycling; to running creative wellbeing workshops for members of our local community who needed support with their mental or physical health and creating post office toppers for everyone to enjoy. To each and everyone of you who visited our shops, bought supplies and had such lovely chats about what you were making or came to one of our many workshops a massive thank you - without your support in the last 6 years none of this would have been possible. 

Personally I am incredibly grateful to all the talented, patient teachers and staff that have worked with Stitch over the years. I raise a glass to the brilliant, creative talents of Pat, Kay, Anna, Susan, Carol, Denise, Sharon, Tricia, Jill, Alison, Nadira, Alex, Hattie, Sam, Jennifer, Freny, Jacqueline and Hilary. We have always had such lovely feedback about our workshops and that’s down to them. A very special thanks to Liz whose creative enthusiasm has been inspirational, not only is she a very talented crafter and organiser but also an all round fabulous human being. She has always been up for the unusual challenges we have faced with humour and perseverance; from helping me set up a whole crafting shop and workshop in the space of a bank holiday Monday, to determined drilling of makeshift curtain poles to display our magnificent Platinum Jubilee collage that refused to behave and hang 30 minutes before we were presenting to our awaiting public. Fabulous memories…

All of us involved with Stitch believe in the power of crafting for good, it is so much more than just knitting a jumper or mending a skirt, it is a beautiful, emotive, artistic legacy that helps self expression, well-being, our community and social connection. It is incredibly sad we can’t carry on as we are but we are so proud of what we have achieved and the close creative community we have become. 

We still have workshops running up until the end of the month and would love to see as many as people as we can at them and go out on a high. All our remaining workshops are listed below including our kids half term workshops. Our website will have our teachers contact details and social media tags on them by the time we finish for you to stay in touch with them too.

Have you seen our VE Day commemoration topper on the post box at the Green Lanes Post Office? Very proud and grateful to everyone in our stitching community who helped make this. Enjoy Palmers Green!



 WORKSHOPS TO BOOK 

Ever struggled to find the perfect matching buttons for your knitwear? If so we have just the workshop for you! Using a simple template, an ordinary button and the yarn from your garment you can achieve the perfect match. Alternatively you can experiment with different yarns to make stunning buttons to add the perfect finishing touch to any garment. In our Covered Button Class with Alison you will learn how to make your own template for future buttons and the wrapping and weaving technique for covering a button. No special knowledge is needed for this workshop, just basic sewing skills, full booking details below.

Patchwork and Quilting workshop for beginners and improvers, Saturday 17th May, 10.30-12.30, £48

Sew a Summer Skirt (Sewing Machine workshop) Saturday 17th May, 10.30-1.30pm at Holy Trinity Church Hall, N21, £55

FULLY BOOKED! Beginners and Refreshers Crochet, Saturday 24th May, 10.30-12 at Holy Trinity Church, N21, £48

NEW! Mend it May Sewing Surgery, Saturday 24th May, 10.30-12 at Holy Trinity Church, N21, £15

NEW! Learn to Make Covered Button Class! Saturday 31st May, 10.30-12 at Holy Trinity Church, N21, £48

NEW! Sewing Machine Workshop for Beginners & Refreshers, Saturday 31st May, 10.30-12 at Holy Trinity Church, N21, £48

KIDS HALF TERM

Kids Half Term Sewing Lessons for Beginners and Improvers (Age 10+)

Wednesday 28th May, 10.30-12.30pm, Arbeit Studios, 310c Green Lanes, N13 5TT, £25

Kids Half Term Crochet Class, (Age 8+) Thursday 29th May, 10.30-12 at Rita’s Cafe, 3 Alderman’s Hill, N13 4YD, £13.50

SOCIALS

Weekly Knit & Natter! Current venue @ Kiva cafe, 346 Green Lanes, Tuesdays, 10-12 (free but refreshment must be purchased)

Stitch & Knit Social! @ The Fox pub every Wednesday evening, 7-9pm, also known as Stitching Circle (currently weekly)

Have a good weekend everybody. Keep spreading the joy of crafting and please stay in touch with our community. 

Thanks again for the support and happy memories. 

Love Suzanne & the team at Stitch! X