Sew Smitten

SewSmitten Christmas Craft Market Dates

2011-11-03T11:38:00.000Z

Got Craft? : Tooting Tram & Social : Tooting Broadway : London : Sunday 27th November 2011 : 11am - 5pm : Map

Craft Guerrilla Christmas Market : Vestry House Museum : Walthamstow : London : Saturday 3rd December 2011 : 11am - 4pm : Map

Crafty Fox Christmas Market : The Dogstar : Brixton : London : Saturday 10th December 2011 : 11am - 5pm : Map

Duckie Christmas Market : Barbican Centre : Islington : London : Sunday 11th December 2011 : 2pm - 9:30pm : Map

Got Craft? London Craft Market

2011-09-28T09:49:00.001+01:00

This November we are excited to be joining the launch of a new Craft Collective to London & in a brand new location for us too!

The savvy event organisers from Vancouver launched Got Craft? in 2007 & have since been hosting home to many crafty shindigs, this November the 27th they will be setting up shop in London's Tooting Broadway at the Tooting Tram & Social Bar on Mitcham Road.

The event will be featuring over 20 talented designer makers, food, a DJ, a D.I.Y table & free swag bags for the first 30 people through the door!

This event is sizing up to be a great opportunity to do some bespoke handmade Christmas shopping so why not come down & spend your Sunday browsing, drinking & socialising amongst the many creative stall holders.

For more info:

Got Craft website

Got Craft Facebook Event

Map

Vendors

SewSmitten @ The Thames Festival Craft Trail

2011-08-25T12:29:00.000+01:00

We are very proud and excited to announce our participation in this years Mayor's Thames Festival taking place on the 10th & 11th of September which will be our biggest event to date. We at SewSmitten will be there selling our handmade wares amongst many other talented crafty designer makers in the launch of the very first Craft Trail!

Logo design by Sanna King

(Craft Trail website)

What is the Craft Trail I hear you ask?

They are a group of independent craft collectives who have joined forces to promote London's handmade crafts scene at this years Mayor's Thames Festival.
The team includes:

Over the weekend vistors will be able to follow a map along the festival route to discover & meet a huge variety of designer makers, browse all their handmade goods, learn & take part in some crafty activities and have a super fun day out along the way!

The map will be available in print and online, along with a reward card, goody bags and other exciting stuff to be announced nearer the time! For more info visit the Craft Trail homepage or you can follow updates on the facebook page too.

Here are some more links to follow which detail particular activities on the day:
Of Cabbages & Kings have teamed up with Creative Biscuit to host a Mad Hatter's Tea Party: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144486162306550
Craft Guerilla will be hosting crafty workshops: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=222853004427950

Other stall and workshop hosts include:
Crafty Fox Market: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=219131128134847 to check out their full list of sellers follow this link: http://craftyfoxmarket.blogspot.com/p/thames-festival-pop-up-stall-holders.html
We Make London: https://www.facebook.com/event.phpeid=262191287143453&ref=notif&notif_t=event_invite to check out the full list of sellers follow this link: http://wemakelondon.blogspot.com/p/thames-festival-designers.html

So we hope you can make it down. We will be at the event on Saturday 10th from noon till 10 pm, residing residence with the We Make London team situated outside of Southwark Crown Court, by The River Thames & just by HMS Belfast (zone 4 on map).
The nearest station is London Bridge but there are a number of other travel options to get there, plus the festival will be extending the river from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge so it'll be hard to miss out!

(click on map for webpage)

For more info about the festival as a whole you can visit their home webpage: http://www.thamesfestival.org/ or follow their facebook event.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

2011-08-11T15:09:00.000+01:00

This August we will be celebrating our 2nd year Birthday! So in true celebratory style we will have launched a limited edition fun goodie bag lucky dip of SewSmitten products.

We have routed through our stocks especially to bring you a little selection of our collection; within the bag you can expect to find things like:

Oyster Card Holders, Greeting Cards, Jewellery, Hair clips, Brooches, Purses and some other sneak surprises too...

Each bag will contain a random selection of 4-5 products worth over £35 but you can purchase it for just £20!

There will only be 25 of these Lucky Dip bags up for grabs so make your purchases fast!

Craft Guerrilla Summer Craft Fair

2011-06-29T11:30:00.000+01:00

This Summer on Saturday the 30th July we are proud to announce our participation in the amazing Craft Guerrilla Summer Craft Fair.

Held in the gorgeous Orford House Social Club in the mighty ballroom the Guerrilla team have hand selected the best,most talented designer makers (which includes us!) in order to curate a shopping event that will have you swooning for all things hand made!

So if you fancy coming to one of East London's finest fairs get on down to Walthamstow Village.

£1 entry (under 16s free)

Fully licensed bar

Parking (limited so arrive early)

Make Easy table- join in the hand made movement and tons of beautiful and chic shopping!

For travel information please visit: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

Nearest Tube: Walthamstow Central (Victoria Line)/Walthamstow Central Train Station (From Liverpool Street Station)

A hop and a skip from the station!

For more info visit : http://www.craftguerrilla.com/index.htm

Limited Edition Handprinted Cosmetic Bags - SALE!

2011-06-08T10:09:00.000+01:00

All our limited edition handprinted and handmade fabric Cosmetic Bags are now only £18! (usual selling price £22)

To ensure you snap this deal up whilst you have the chance please place your order before the end of June

Also coming up this June:

This Saturday 11th June we will be heading down to the South of London to Clapham to take part in the Of Cabbages & Kings market being hosted at the lovely Bread & Roses pub - 68 Clapham Manor Street London SW4 6DZ from 11am till 6pm.

So come along and say hello, sip a pint or few, eat a lovely pub roast & do some handmade gift shopping all under one roof! & here's hoping the weather is on its best behaviour too....

New Stockist; Style Chapel

2011-05-22T19:51:00.000+01:00

I am excited to announce and use this post to introduce you to our fabulously new stockist - Style Chapel.

An online gift shop currently holding a home for our cute fabric Mod Bow necklaces and brooches, along with a host of other beautiful gifts from many more designer makers which have been specially selected and sourced to give you a unique online shopping experience.

We definitely recommend you go have a gander at this stylishly put together website as there are many a great purchase to be found!

SPRING SALE!

2011-04-07T07:39:00.000+01:00

So the clocks have changed & the weather is starting to heat up again which can only mean we've officially hit Spring! So in true house wife style we thought we'd have a lil Spring Sale to celebrate more daylight & the ever fast approach of the Easter holidays!
So until the end of April or until stocks last we will be selling all of the products featured on our Accessories page HALF PRICE! Such goodies include our Ice Cream Necklaces, Domino Brooches & Strawberry Muffin Earrings....& much more... Grab yourself a bargain as once they're gone they're gone!

We would also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our new Animal Letter Oyster Card Holder range:
Due to the success of our Animal Letter Greeting Cards we have now adapted & recreated each letter so now you can have your chosen letter on your very own Oyster Card holder!

Horatia Sunday weekly Fayre

2011-03-23T10:23:00.000Z

Horatia Sunday weekly Fayre : The Horatia Pub : Holloway Road : London : Sunday 27th March 2011 : 11:30 - 6 pm

This Sunday we will be taking up a stall at the lovely Horatia Pub (formerly The Lord Nelson) on Holloway Road selling a selection of our wares at their new weekly Sunday indoor market event which hosts a room of other upcoming crafters, vintage hoarders, music spinners plus there will be yummy Sunday Roasts on the menu & a great selection of alcohol too!

This will be our first stall of the year so we are welcoming the warm approach of Spring with open arms & booking ourselves in for more events around London soon too.

So come pay us a visit, it's free to attend & to see more details just follow the link to view their facebook event profile: CLICK ME!

Another stall holder at the event will be our very creative friend Liz from Blank Inside Designs selling her selection of quirky & whimsical illustrated greeting cards & prints, which are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face... & just in time for mothers day too!

All I can say is what better way is there to spend your Sunday, so why not come & grab some interesting & unique goodies & hang out for a pint or two......

The making of our Mini Bow Necklaces

2011-02-23T14:32:00.000Z

Check out our new cute mini bow Necklaces available online now!

Back by popular demand we can proudly introduce our brand new collection of mini bow necklaces. Due to our Mod Bow range selling out over Christmas we decided to go out on the prowl & source some new & exciting fabrics to make up a sparkling new collection. The likes of which include; Stargazer, Seagull Frenzy, Skeleton Jive, Checkered, Roses of love & many more....

Visit the Bows Bows Bows page to see the full range!

All fabrics used are reclaimed vintage fabrics sourced as scraps of fabrics as well as forgotten items of clothing! Which we have up cycled & put to good, fun & fashionable use. Below you can view snap shots of the making process in action right from the machine stitching, to the stuffing, to the bow assembly & finally the jewellery making.

Hug Me, Kiss Me, Love Me

2011-02-02T12:49:00.001Z

Hello All!

We hope that everyone has been having a good new year so far... It's been a fair while since our last post as the mad rush of Christmas and moving home took it's toll on the running of things here. We apologize for the neglect but it is safe to say everything is starting to fall back into place now, and so we thought we'd take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Valentines Day as it seems that January has just evaporated into thin air once again! It's Scary stuff how time flies but what can I say the Love bug has returned to brighten up our very cold February and welcome it we shall.

We've never been fans of designing things especially for commercial holidays (apologies if that sends negative humbug messages) but if you are stuck for a gift for your loved one this year & want something inexpensive but striking then why not send someone you love one of our animal letter cards, signed or from a secret admirer they add a personal touch to show you're thinking of them!

We also offer a straight to recipient service so you need not blush in person as we can write and send your message straight to their door! (Just email your message along with the order info@sewsmitten.com)

Plus why not give someone one of our aptly themed Love Heart sweets Oyster or Passport holder which feature the sweets with many playful phrases; Kiss Me, I Love You, Be Mine, Dream Boy, You're Fab.....

Xmas Fair Dates for the Diary!!!

2010-11-20T09:24:00.000Z

Last Wednesday we took part in ECCA's Creative Fair in Islington's Candid Arts Centre. Here we launched our brand new Animal Letter Greeting Cards which were positively received, the night as a whole was a great experience & we met some lovely people there too. Including some possible new SewSmitten stockists in the pipeline.. so watch this space!

So now November is scarily coming to a fast end that means Christmas is on it's merry way too which also means Christmas Fairs are in full swing!

Get those date diaries at the ready and your shopping arms & feet on because this year we will be setting up shop at 3 different venues around London!

First up it's the fabulous Panto themed We Make London Christmas Fair on the Saturday 4th December in Chelsea Town Hall.

This event will be our biggest fair to date with over 80 stalls selling a wide range of unique hand crafted goodies, fancy dress competitions, xmas themed craft activities, yummy festive nibbles & much much more for a fun day out & a great shopping experience. Entry is just £2 but the first 80 customers through the door will receive a bumper packed We Make tote bag stashed with lots of handmade booty & promotional material from some of the stall holders on the day. (SewSmitten included!)

For updates on the fair & to find out more about the other stall holders be sure to visit the We Make blog

Date: Saturday 4th December 2010

Venue: Chelsea Town Hall, Kings Road, London, SW3 5EE

Time: 11am - 5pm

The following next 2 Saturdays (11th & 18th December) we will be at the Of Cabbages & Kings Xmas Market Days.

First venue is St Mary's Crypt in Islington and the second is the regular spot of Abney Hall in Stoke Newington. At these market you are always guaranteed to find a great selection of handmade wares along with a friendly & warming environment, festive music, xmas nibbles & lots of hot drinks! (fingers crossed for some mulled wine!)

For more updates on their fairs & to find out more about the other stall holders just visit the Of Cabbages & Kings website.

Date: Saturday 11th December 2010

Venue: St Mary's Crypt, Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 2TX

Time: 11am - 5pm

Date: Saturday 18th December 2010

Venue: Abney Hall, 73A Church Street, Stoke Newington, London, N16 0AS

Time: 11am - 5pm

Enterprise Week Party & Creative Enterprise Awards Night

2010-11-10T08:40:00.000Z

Creative Fair Event Date for the Diary!

17th November 2010

5pm - 10pm

Creative Fair – everything under a tenner!

Enterprise Week is a programme of free talks, practical workshops and networking opportunities organised by ECCA - the Enterprise Centre for the Creative Arts at University of the Arts London. It’s part of Global Entrepreneurship Week with over 7.5 million people taking part worldwide. There are over 30 events with partners and sponsors designed to help you work for yourself, go freelance or start your own business. You can see the full programme of events online on their website at: http://www.ecca-london.org/events/viewevents/

So fortunately for us being graduates of UAL we've been offered a stall at their Creative Enterprise Awards night in Islington which will be a night of networking, drinks and celebration!

The award winners will be announced on the night and there will also be the chance to sample some products and services from other enterprising UAL students and graduates who will be selling you something very unique and handmade for under £10!

Date: Wednesday 17 November 2010

Time: 5pm – 10pm, Awards ceremony at 7pm

Location: Candid Arts, 3 Torrens St, Islington, EC1V 1NQ Click here for - MAP

Cost: Entry is Free but if you book a space via the following link you are also entitled to a Free drink! http://www.ecca-london.org/events/eventdetails/?eid=1045

It’s a great chance to pick up a bargain in time for Christmas as well as seeing at firsthand the entrepreneurial talent of the University’s students and alumni.

Here are some of the creative products and services available:

• Design and illustration magazines

• Portraits and photography prints

• Fortune telling

• Vintage-style customised clothing, jewellery and accessories

• On-the-day photo shoots and handmade frames and cards for photos

• Handmade cushions and bags, Oyster Card holders, hair clips and coin purses

• Self-published books

• Artisan food

At the event we will be selling a small selection of our wares, among our handmade stash you’ll find; Greeting Cards, Tea-towels, Oyster Card holders, Brooches, Hairclips & Handprinted Coin Purses. All for a nifty £10 and under!

Bold & Colourful New Card Range

2010-11-08T18:30:00.000Z

On this staggeringly fast approach to Christmas we here at SewSmitten Hq are proud and excited to upload and present to you our fabulous new greeting card range.

Each design features an array of characterful creatures forming a letter of the Alphabet, making it both personal and interesting to give or receive. Letters are available in a variety of colours, comes blank inside, printed on 100% recycled card and comes with a coloured envelope.

'A is for...' includes Albatross, Alligator, Anteater and Armadillo

'Z is for...' includes Zebra, Zebu and Zope

Visit our Greeting Cards section to view the whole collection!

Our SewSmitten Designer Feature for We Make London

2010-10-14T20:19:00.000+01:00

About the SewSmitten Team:

Hi I'm Penni P; the designer maker & head Honcho of the crafty website SewSmitten.com. I graduated from a Surface Design degree in June 2007 & from as early as I can remember I have always had a keen interest in the creative arts. Being practical is what I thrive at most, so whilst working part time as a studio assistant for other designer makers I decided to set up SewSmitten to make, sell & display my handmade wares.
Hello I'm Gnome; a freelance graphic designer, print & book maker, boyfriend & the second half to the SewSmitten team. I graduated from a degree in Book Arts & Crafts in June 2008, I have always loved drawing & I am an avid printmaker so I was very keen to get involved & contribute to SewSmiten & the creative side of things.

Our collection of goodies include handmade oyster cardholders, bags, purses, accessories, cards, prints & kitchen-wares all featuring original artwork designed & printed by our own crafting hands.

Inspirations:

We've always enjoyed working with different mediums so our inspirations stem from many sources & we are constantly looking out for new ideas. I especially have a fondness for the 50's, kitsch themes, bold imagery & antique machinery. But I'm always eager to learn new skills & create new things so you can be sure to expect unique & exciting designed products from our collections.

Best Sellers:

Our best seller by far has to be our Oyster Cardholders, which were actually the first thing I started making when I finished University. The idea came to me when I started to think about what useful products I could make, & the bonus of living in London meant that the birth of the oyster can almost guaranteed that everyone used one.

Since making them I have provided many a design.. starting off with the recycling of my old 80s comic collection which included such favs as Batman and My Little Pony, vintage sewing patterns, retro penny sweets and most popular of all London street maps. We also have made a fair few custom made cardholders too! (lookonline for more details)
This product has proved to be our best seller because we’ve provided many different designs over the years, they are fun, appealing, durable, useful, and also a great gift to give others.

We Make Christmas:

SewSmitten will be selling our full range of handmade goodies at this years We Make Christmas fair, it will be our debut at the event so we will be offering lots of fab favs as well as some new stuff too.
Among our handmade stash you’ll find; Oyster Cardholders, Passport Holders, Framed Coin Purses, Clutch Bags, Cards, Tea-towels, Aprons, Gift Sets and many more fun Accessories.

It was also recently our 1st birthday so in generous appreciation we will be offering lots of exclusive special offers and maybe some surprise treats too!

But if you can’t wait till then we are still running our amazing 2 for 1 offer online now on some of our stock so get shopping early to receive a great bargain!

Website:

http://www.sewsmitten.com

Follow Us On Twitter:

http://twitter.com/sewsmitten

Find Us on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SewSmitten/306849530470?ref=ts

Follow Our Blog:

http://sewsmittenblog.blogspot.com/

View more designer features on all the other lovely crafty people participating in the We Make Christmas Fair on the We Make London blogspot

Magnificent Maps

2010-08-31T10:54:00.001+01:00

In true Bank Holiday Monday spirit we took a trip to the wonderful building that is the British Library yesterday to visit the must see Magnificent Maps exhibition they have showing there until the 19th September.

I was thoroughly taken aback over the massive scale of the maps on display and amazed at how much intricate detail they held, all in all the day left me feeling cultured and a little light headed from the shear concentration it took to peruse all the contents of each map.

I would definitely recommend a lengthy visit to this exhibition as it will take you a fair bit of time to look through them all but it is well worth it, plus it is free to go and see!

Some of my favorites of the day were the more decorative and lavishly painted maps with stunning colours which had sea lines that reminded me of wood carvings.

Fra Mauro World Map c. 1450

Also we did have some great fun trying to spot the eccentric sea monsters which feature in most of the earlier maps, now these were probably what the explorers thought they saw at the time when really they were probably just dolphins or whales!

Some of the later maps in the last rooms brought on big crowds, like 'The Island' (below) by Stephen Walter 2008 which expresses quite a comedic view of London by altering the names of places with regards to how he and the average Londoner lives everyday life.

The Island 2008

So if you have a spare morning or afternoon why not go and see this exhibition for yourself and marvel at 80 of the most impressive maps dating back from 200 AD up to the present day.

The gift shop is full of great treats too, but unfortunately for us I think we missed a SewSmitten opportunity there by not contacting them sooner as I think they would have loved to stock some of our London Map Oyster cardholders there too!

Happy 1st Birthday to us!

2010-07-14T15:53:00.001+01:00

It will be our 1st Birthday this August & we cannot believe we will be a year old already! During our first year we've enjoyed attending lots of craft events, meeting fellow crafters & of course making oodles of handmade goodies for our customers.

So to celebrate & thank all those that have supported us since our launch we are offering an amazing 2 For 1 sale offer on some of our products!

Come & enjoy our special Birthday Offer in our 2 For 1 deal.

We have created a Mix & Match page in the online store so go have a gander & grab a bargain whilst stocks last. Simply choose at least two products from this page & the cheapest will be free!

All you'll need to do is email us with you're order & we'll send you an invoice with the discount! Send all enquiries to: payment@sewsmitten.com please title your email '2 for 1'

Alternatively just purchase the dearest item then email us which one you've chosen as your freebie.

This offer will last throughout August or whilst stocks last! So happy shopping!

.....& lets hope we will have many more exciting years of making to come as we have many more ideas that we wish to share & new products to launch very soon......

July Craft Market

2010-07-05T14:18:00.000+01:00

Last weekend (3rd & 4th July) saw us at our last craft event of the summer as we take a break to concentrate on designing and making new products ready for the upcoming winter & christmas events which we will post details about in the coming months.

Here's a few pics from the event:

To see more photos from this event why not visit our SewSmitten Gallery

Upcoming Summer Fairs

2010-06-20T08:14:00.000+01:00

Join us on Saturday 26th June at Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney where we will be holding a stall and taking part in their annual summer fair! Click here to view the MAP

Check out just some of the fun stuff they've got going on:
Take part in the Penalty Shoot-Out organised by a professional Arsenal Coach
Win brilliant Arsenal prizes & goodies.
Make your own badges
Shop at the Craft Stalls
Live music from the school Samba Band as well as Band Slam Winner and band contestants

Also there will be a RAFFLE! With some amazing prices:
A family Tour of the Emirates Stadium
'Have-a-go' riding lessons at Lee Valley Riding Centre
Rio Cinema & Hackney Empire Panto tickets
Rowan Bowling Lane Vouchers
Tickets to a Wembley Saracens (rugby) fixture
Spa London York Hall 3 hour thermal treatment
Signed original print of Arsenal Footballer
Pages Bookshop £10 voucher
Photographic portrait shoot

Plus you'll be able to indulge in sizzling burgers on the Barbeque, delicious noodles, various international delicacies, cakes & ice creams.
+ much much more!!
So why not bring your friends and family and join us there for some summer fun!
Visit their website to read the flyer

Can't make this date then why not come down to our regular haunt in Stoke Newington's Abney Hall on July the 3rd & 4th!

Entry is always free & there is always a great cafe serving hot & cold drinks and a wonderful selection of cakes and savory goodies on hand.

Plus lets not forget the other wonderful stall holders selling all kinds of handmade goodies from designer knitwear and hand-printed stationery to glitzy jewellery and gorgeous home wares, each weekend a different selection of designers and makers will be peddling their wares.

For more info visit their site website

So get those dates in the diary now and see you all in a few weeks time!

Original Lino Prints now available to buy online!

2010-05-19T19:11:00.000+01:00

Check out our amazing limited edition Three Colour Reduction Block Lino Prints now available to buy online!

These bold prints merge iconic themes from WWII posters with images from Cult Cimema classics such as Darf Vadar, the Mad Hatter, Batman, Topgun, Titantic and the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz.

Luke produced these prints following a dissertation he wrote on the rise of mass production propaganda and public access to free media during the Russian Revolution. Taking historic images from mass produced war posters and teaming it with images he grew up with Luke has created a novel yet sophisticated and striking series of lino cut prints.

There are six different prints in the series available and all are limited editions from a run of 10 in each set. Below are three in the set:

Check out the full set online where you can also find these prints features on our greeting cards and our tea towels and aprons too!

May Stall & World Map Passport Holders

2010-05-10T13:25:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday was a miserable day; the weather was gloomy and the temperature felt like winter again! But thankfully that didn't stop people from visiting us at the Cabbages & Kings May market and so a good day was had by all!

We also launched our new Passport Holders at the event and got some great feedback on them too, so why not go check them out online now. Also recently uploaded to the site are some World Map Passport Holders in addition to the colourful Sweet ones we launched last week...so get your travel documents into order with our latest accessory.

There are four different varieties available:

Sweetie Passport Holders!

2010-05-04T10:14:00.000+01:00

Summer is fast approaching which can only mean Sun, Sea, Sand and holidays!! (if you like hot places that is!)

Oh yes.. It's that time of year when the travel bug starts to hit and all you can think about is getting on a plane and jetting off for a relaxing holiday away from all the hustle and bustle of the everyday working week. Whether it be a lounging sunbathing holiday on a beautiful beach or a sightseeing picturesque mountain we all need a little time to drift off to another world to unwind.

So in aid of your holiday preparations we have made up some fabulously bold and colourful Passport Holders to help you remember your important documents!

Available in Jelly Bean, Dolly Mix, Love Heart or Smarties design:

Holder measures 14cm x 10cm closed (14cm x 20cm open) and includes two sleeve pockets inside to hold passport, ticket and boarding card. Visit our store to get yours!

Freebies!

2010-04-28T11:55:00.001+01:00

We here at SewSmitten HQ love the summer so to celebrate the heat we are now giving away a free IceCream keyring with every order over £10!

So go visit the store now to claim yours!

Market Dates for your Diary

2010-04-28T09:26:00.000+01:00

Come and join us on Saturday 8th of May as we return to the lovely Abney Public Hall in Stoke Newington for the monthly craft market held there by Of Cabbages & Kings.

We will be selling all of our products at special stall rates as well as having some brand new goodies on sale too!

Entry is FREE to the public. 11am - 5pm Nearest BR: Stoke Newington or Rectory Road Buses 73,393, 476 stop outside Abney Hall.

New Dates for 2010

Of Cabbages & Kings will now be hosting this great craft market at Abney Hall, Stoke Newington every month throughout 2010!

So jot down these dates in your diary and pay them a visit!

May - Sat 8th & Sun 9th June - Sat 12th & Sun 13th July - Sat 3rd & Sun 4th

11am - 5pm, Abney Hall, 73a Church Street, Stoke Newington, London N16 0AS

All things from designer knitwear and hand-printed stationery to glitzy jewellery and gorgeous home wares, each weekend a different selection of designers and makers will be peddling their wares.

Hot and cold drinks and tasty treats available

For a full list of all the designers exhibiting visit the Of Cabbages & Kings website

For directions follow the map link below:

Map

We will be returning to this venue in June & July too so visit our website for more details...(our dates seen in red above)

March Market Day @ Abney Hall

2010-03-08T15:52:00.001Z

Last Saturday (6th March 2010) saw us at our first stall this year down at the lovely Abney Public Hall in Stoke Newington with the organisers of the event Of Cabbages & Kings and it was a good day had by all.

I started off the day feeling quite tired having just spent the last few days preparing stock for the sale, but after a very strong coffee and some yummy ginger biscuits I was ready for a day of selling and socialising...as we bumped into quite a few familiar faces too so we felt right at home! The weather even held off the rain too which was a welcome surprise to be greeted with some sunshine during the day.

Here are a few quick snaps of our stall for those of you that didn't make it down:

Not to worry though, if you missed the sale this month come and check us out on Saturday 8th of May so don't forget to pencil it in your diaries..

This months stall also launched our new Sweetie Cardholders to the public as well as our brand new Animal Happy Family Greeting Cards featuring Mr Bite the Butcher, Mr Paws the Policeman & Mr Toad the Tailor. Visit the store now to see more!

Sweetie Cardholders

2010-02-24T13:27:00.000Z

One of my fondest memories as a child would be the trip to the news agents/sweet shop on the way home from school! Here you would be greeted with all kinds of sugared goodies all in a colourful row, and with empty tub in tow you would start to choose handfuls of assorted sweets which would only cost you between 1&2p! Oh no, there was no messing around with weighing, nope you had your pocket money in hand and would choose accordingly to how much you had to spend. Some of my favourite finds would be white mice, foam mushrooms, strawberry laces and fizzy cola bottles.

Ah those were the days......

So in cheerful reminiscence and because we simply love all things sugar coated, we here at SewSmitten HQ have created some colourful sweetie covered cardholders!

We spent a few days gorging ourselves on some of the classic Pick & Mix sweeties (Ooo isn't our job so hard!!) and have chosen 8 of our favourite to be turned into colourful cardholders.

So tell us which is your favourite sweet?

Here's a peak at just 4 of the 8 we have available online:

Dolly Mix & Fried Egg

Love Hearts & Liquorice allsorts

To view the whole collection go take a look online!

Of Cabbages & Kings Monthly Market

2010-02-16T11:13:00.000Z

The Of Cabbages & Kings Markets are going monthly! and we at SewSmitten have signed up to return to this lovely venue situated on Stoke Newington Church Street to take part in these great monthly craft market events!

Starting with our first stall this year on Saturday the 6th March and returning again on Saturday 8th May.

Stoke Newington Church Street is a great place to hang out, it's full of great little cafes, vintage shops, yummy restaurants and bars and there is also a farmers market every Saturday in the local school just down the road from Abney Public Hall.

So make a day of it and come and say hello and browse all the lovely handmade goodies on sale, entry is also free!

Venue: Abney Public Hall
Location: 73a Stoke Newington Church Street, Stoke Newington, London, N16 OAS
Times: 11am-5pm
Date: Saturday 6th March

Here's the map:

View Larger Map

To check out who else will be exhibiting just visit their website

Comic Cardholder Mix any 2 for £10

2010-02-08T20:01:00.000Z

Why not Swag a bargain with our special offer on till the end of March.......

Buy any 2 of our comic cardholders for just £10! (whilst stocks last)

Holders measure 9.5cm x 7cm closed (19cm x 7cm open) includes two slots and can fit up to 4 cards comfortably!

Just visit the store and decide which are your favourites!

Our first in-studio Screen Print Run

2010-01-26T16:48:00.001Z

Back in November SewSmitten HQ was a buzzing hub of creativity as we began working on ideas for new stock in preparation for our xmas markets.

And the one thing we knew we wanted to do was to hand print our own tea towel and apron sets.

With ideas on what images we were going to use and armed with enthusiasm we had a lot of preparation to do to get the job done! And first off we had to gather all the equipment we would need and find a suitable space to print.

After a lot of running around; finding silk screens, ordering stock, preparing images, exposing and sourcing all the little necessities needed for our print production.. We successfully managed to set up a temporary printing studio in the living room of Gnome's flat!

.....And after four days of solid printing, lots of tea drinking (with the dunking of dark chocolate hobnobs of course!) and some minor hiccups along the way we managed to produce a collection of stunning three colour silk screen printed tea towels and aprons.

Here's some pics of the production process:

We first launched our tea towel and apron range in December and we have received great feedback so far, so why not go check them out for yourselves!

These designs are also available on our new greeting cards range too which feature all 6 prints in the series and are ideal for any occasion!

Vintage Comic Cardholders!

2010-01-12T12:34:00.000Z

Now available online is the extended collection of our comic cardholders!!

So go have a gander and reminisce your childhood memories and be thankful for the great cartoons we all grew up with..there's nothing like the classics!

Here's just some of the few available:

Topcat!

My Little Pony!

Batman!

Carebears!

Oyster Card Holders

2009-12-31T09:56:00.001Z

The first thing I starting making when I finished higher education was card holders, the idea came to me when I started to think about useful things that people might need. The bonus of living in London also meant that the birth of the oyster card almost guaranteed that the market for card holders was big and still growing.

I initially thought I would make them out of fabrics that I had designed and printed myself but when stumbling upon my mighty collection of 80s comics from great classics as Mickey Mouse to My Little Pony, I instantly knew I wanted to use these as it meant I could recycle these old childhood memories and put them to good use again.

Equipped with a few good comics I made my very first stack of bus/oyster card holders and gave them to some of my close friends to road test. Once satisfied with their durability one of those friends who happened to own a shop in Shoreditch East London (the shop was called Brag which sadly no longer exists but she is still printing lots of great things, check her site out at bragclothing) was thrilled with hers so began to stock them in her shop and continued to for the next few years! I also gained another stockist for the comic card holders from here for a shop called Boutique Babylon which is situated in South London on Clapham High Street and they still stock them there today.

I was still working part time with LadyLuckRulesOk around this time and thats when the birth of the crafty animal holders emerged....

At that time the craft craze was growing and when asked to make some cardholders specially for the LadyLuck website I wanted to reflect this....and whilst browsing through many vintage annuals and crafty books I came across some cute vintage toy making instructions and became inspired to transform them into a posse of retro looking card holders.

By using the vintage toy pattern instructions this product has two uses as full instructions on how to make yourself your own stuffed animal friend are included within the design..

And in the November of 2007 they were available to buy online!!

Further down the road in the making of card holders I have increased the variety of designs available and other additions to the collection have been:

London Maps; an idea suggested to me by a close friend - Fifi who owns Covet a lovely shop in Islington now also a stockist of them too.. Which have turned out to be a big hit as people love to find the ones with the area or street that they live in!

and another new design uses the images from a vintage dress pattern book which I just love as the dresses are amazing....

You can even customise and personalise your very own design! By sending us your images or designs we can make one up to order making it the ultimate unique purchase.....

When I first began making these holders about two years ago for my close friends and family I never imagined that I would still be making them today!

But they continue to be one of our best sellers online and at craft events too! Someone was even kind enough to write a lovely little blog about them too which you can read on Crafty Crafty.

We at SewSmitten HQ love the fun they bring to our dreary journeys and we hope they continue to brighten up your bus/train or tube journeys too...If not for traveling they can be used to hold student IDs, bank cards, gym memberships, library cards....the list is endless...

Check them out now on our online store and see which design is your favourite.....?

Of Cabbages & Kings Xmas Market Pics

2009-12-18T15:01:00.000Z

So last Saturday 12th December saw us at our last craft fair before Christmas at the Of Cabbages & Kings Xmas Market in Stoke Newington and it was an amazing day had by all!

We had Carol singers at 12 'o' Clock which put everyone in a christmasy mood, plus Luke whipped us up a delicious rather large flask of mulled wine which was great to warm our toes up and keep us merry! We sold quite a few of our new range of kitchenware which was great, had a few familiar visitors, sold lots of card holders and also browsed the other great handcrafted goodies on sale.

For those of you that didn't quite make it down here's a few stall pics:

(but I really should start taking more photos of the rest of the events too! Next time!)

The Creating of SewSmitten

2009-12-11T13:08:00.000Z

Hi all!

So this is going to be a post about me penni p as well as a look into how SewSmitten was created and evolved from just a casual idea of me just wanting a website to display my work, to the reality of me needing a website in preparation for our very first stall which took place in Islington late August of this year.

I graduated from a Surface Design Degree in June 2007 taking along with me many useful crafty skills, I thoroughly enjoyed the practical side of my degree so I knew I wanted to pursue a craft based career. I continued working weekends at my current job at LadyLuckRulesOk (a fun fashion jewellery label) and I also started working part time for other designer makers to gain experience.

Later on with the new skills I had learnt I started to make my own products to sell to independent boutiques and gained knowledge in the industry of the selling market.

I still do the occasional internship when I have spare time but mainly I currently work part time freelance as a studio assistant for a couple of very different designers;

Miss Budd - a bespoke leather and silk handbag and purse designer, providing beautiful handmade and hand printed products to order.

Thornback and Peel - a wide selection of hand printed products to order, from cushions to tea towels featuring quirky English Nature themed designs.

...as well as juggle the day to day running of the SewSmitten website, which all definitely keeps me very busy indeed!

So although it had been a thought of mine for a while in mid August of this year, whilst in between part time jobs I decided to create myself a website for a platform to sell my wares as well as place to display my design work. The name took a while to decide as I knew I wanted something catchy yet relevant to what my style of work reflected, and there were many a spider diagram and lists of ideas that followed...strong contenders were: stitch me quick, sew sew studio, crafty sew&sew, penni makes, sew me......but through these came the birth of:

With a name and a website software package I was ready to go, now all we needed to do was design a logo, make lots of stock and take lots of photos..which meant a few very late nights and long days! And on the week of the 10th August 2009 the website was launched, not completely finished but ample enough for our very first stall with Craftaholics @ The Old Queens Head in Islington which took place on Saturday the 29th August. For which you can see some pics of in our Blog on our website!

Since our launch the SewSmitten site has grown lots - including our product range and we plan to continue designing and making lots of great new products. The site is predominately run by me; penni p but I have had lots of help along the way from my boyfriend Luke aka the Gnome who is also now a big contributor to the team and his print work features in some of our new products. We have also attended lots more crafty events around London too and we have met lots of other lovely craft making people along the way.

The website and brand of SewSmitten is still expanding and there are lots more updates to look out for, our aim is to keep growing and providing unique designs and products all lovingly handmade by us.

Of Cabbages & Kings Xmas Market

2009-12-07T20:39:00.000Z

Why not come and join us at our second xmas craft event and buy some great handmade xmas gifts! We will have our full range of products as well as our new hand printed tea towels, aprons, greeting cards, new bags and new card holder designs!

This Saturday 12th in the lovely Abney Public Hall, 73a Stoke Newington Church Street, Stoke Newington, London, N16 OAS.

Put the fun back into Christmas shopping and come and join us for some festive treats.

Hot and cold refreshments will be available as well as Jubilee Carol Singers at 12.15pm to get you in the festive mood!

Entry is FREE to the public. 10.30am - 5pm Nearest BR: Stoke Newington or Rectory Road Buses 73,393, 476 stop outside Abney Hall.

Welcome to the extended SewSmitten blog!

2009-12-07T19:51:00.000Z

Hi and welcome to the expanded version of the blog which currently resides on the SewSmitten website.

I'm Penni P - the Designer/Maker behind SewSmitten; a crafty website set up in August 2009 selling handmade goodies made in London by our own fair hands!

With this additional blog you will be able to find out more information on the setting up of SewSmitten, upcoming products/events and find out more about the designers involved.

It also gives you the reader a chance to give us feedback and stay up-to-date with our going ons.

Why not also show your support and follow us on Twitter too or become a SewSmitten fan on Facebook by joining our Facebook Group & Facebook Page!

Well that's enough of the introductions, hope you enjoy reading our blog and we look forward to reading your feedback and meeting you at future craft events soon!

x penni p

(p.s i hate using capitals in my name! so please do excuse & do get used to the occasional bad grammar, punctuation and the odd mis-spelt word! :) but i promise the content will make up for it)