ReCraft – Turning second hand stuff into beautiful things
At High Tea Towers, we enjoy a bit of Sunday afternoon craft. Co-Editor Lea has just learnt to knit, and you can find Michelle, Jenn and Fran writing about their crafty endeavours on the Craft This column right here, and on their own personal blogs. I have been known to get my hands covered in glitter and glue on occasion too, with one of the best presents ever gifted to me by my husband being my glue gun. Everyone needs a glue gun.
So it was with huge excitement that this week we went to the launch of ReCraft, a brand new craft book in a sea of resurgence for the past time. Jumping right on board the “make do and mend” trend, ReCraft has projects for every level of crafter from novice to expert, and does it with things you have lying about your house. We were sold.
The book includes 50 projects which essentially give old things a new lease of life – instead of chucking away that old shirt or tie you have languishing in the bottom of your wardrobe, you are encouraged to craft with them. And with fantastic results too. In that way, ReCraft is both a really awesome craft book and a fun method of recycling things you’d probably throw away without a second glance.
Do you have holey jumpers, old shirts, dusty books, chipped cups, battered spoons, floral curtains, scratched records and broken games? Well ReCraft has the answer – secret boxes, cushions, toys, beautiful jewellery and bags can all be made from these unwanted items – and they look pretty good too. On display were many of the items made in the book, and many wouldn’t look out of place in your favourite high street shop.
The book is split into a range of projects for the home, friends and family – including fashion and accessories, home wear and toys and games for children. All the patterns, basic techniques and templates are includes, so the book really is a one stop shop for creating everything you need for a beautiful home (and beautiful friends too!). As an aside, the photography is absolutely stunning too, and we were told that the ladies behind the book had taken themselves and their props off to the beach to get the look right themselves.
The book is the creation of Sara Duchers and Sarah Marks, the brains behind Buttonbag. The company started as a stall in Greenwich Market and now has a studio in the textile district of the East End, showing what demand there is for easy to do crafts and the supplies that go with them. Buttonbag produce fantastic craft kits (which I had purchased before for younger family members) which contain everything needed to make the finished item, including soft toys, decorations and other cute little things for little hands.
At the launch, we were encouraged to get involved in some of the crafts included in ReCraft, including making a little purse from a tie and sewing a soft toy penguin (which I am definitely getting on as soon as I find the time). We opted for the fabric and button corsages which required little sewing skills and would make beautiful presents for friends and family. As someone with lots of material scraps and a button box, this would be an excellent way of using up my stash.
We were also treated to gin cocktails (because drinking and craft go hand in hand of course…) and some beautiful button cupcakes, as well as the chance to talk in detail to the authors (who were lovely, and who we hope to get on High Tea Hoxton soon) and other crafters. Taking place in the Oxfam on Camden High Street, this was a launch which was delightfully thought out and a pleasure to attend.
At every turn of the book, I could find a craft suitable for a family member or friends for both gifts and activities. With Amazon selling the book for under £10 right now, this is the perfect Christmas gift for any crafters you know, or for yourself – so you can make all those presses in a sustainable and money-saving way. There are plenty of craft books out there, but this is innovative and sweet and accessible all at once. Oh, and if you are picking up a copy of the book, you could do worse than grab this awesome sewing tin from Buttonbag themselves!
**We were invited as guests of Buttonbag for the launch of ReCraft and were gifted copies of the book, but were not paid or sponsored to write this post.
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[...] I was very pleased with my work: a dear little brooch make from scraps of fabric. I was gutted that there was no space on the penguin table, but made up for it by chatting about myself (a bit) glue guns (a lot) and nipple tassles (incessantly. I am practically an authority on the subject now) with Sam and Lea from the High Tea Cast. [...]
[...] http://www.thehighteacast.co.uk/2012/09/23/recraft-turning-second-hand-stuff-in-beautiful-things/ [...]