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Cracking crafts! Our favourite online crafting workshops for lockdown
Posted by Claire Boote, on January 26, 2021.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s)
We’re still in lockdown so we’re keeping ourselves busy by going doolally for doodling and getting nifty with the knitting needles. Virtual crafting is go!
Creative activities such as sketching, pottery and embroidery are the perfect pastimes for long, dark evenings spent at home. Crafting’s repetitive nature makes it a wonderful stress-reliever, and by keeping our minds focused it’s a great way to drown out the constant stream of bad news and negative thoughts we may be experiencing right now. Learning a new skill can also give us a confidence boost, as well as something beautiful to use or admire at the end of it.
The crafting world has come into its own during lockdown with a wealth of talented artists and makers offering workshops and courses online. Join a live session with some tea and cake to hand and it’s also nice way to socialise, albeit virtually. Here are some of our favourite online craft workshops (let us know on social media if you have a recommendation, by using the hashtag #CraftywithRoyce):
Tea & Crafting
Book a workshop with Tea & Crafting and they’ll send you a kit including everything you need before joining the class online. With many aimed at beginners, in a couple of hours you could make a set of vegan candles, create origami fairy lights, or dye your own yarn.
City Lit
This London institution is offering a few contemporary craft courses online including how to make beaded jewellery, loom weaving, and bookbinding. We also like the look of their course ‘Drawing and mindfulness: morning meditation’ – from 1st to 5th February you can start the day with an hour of drawing exercises designed to help settle your mind and begin the day looking at the world with fresh eyes.
Natural Soap Workshop
Learn how to make your own Covid-safe hand sanitiser soap using natural ingredients at home. This self-paced course comes in easy-to-learn modules featuring demonstration videos suitable for beginners. You’ll end the course with seven gorgeous soap formulas including ‘caramelised mint and honey’ and ‘grapefruit and shea butter’.
Wild Life Drawing
Billed as a drawing class with a difference these sketching workshops, involving real-life animals to encourage an appreciation of the natural world, has moved online during lockdown. Via Instagram Live and Zoom you can (virtually) meet your animal subjects from city farms, aquariums, sanctuaries and nature reserves. Learn about the creatures themselves as well as receive tips and advice from experienced artists. Class fees include a donation to the relevant charity/sanctuary. Next evening classes include ‘Cats’ (27 Jan, free but donations welcome) and ‘Horses’ (4 Feb, £10 with 50% donated to The Right Step).
Anchor Crafting + The Barmy Fox
February is National Embroidery Month so get involved by joining Anchor Crafting and The Barmy Fox on Instagram for their annual ‘Stichalong’. Simply choose your pattern (buy the template or download a free version), then start stitching by following the daily Instagram Lives or catch-up via IGTV or YouTube at your leisure. We recommend joining in with as many live sessions as you can for the full social experience – learn new stitches, have a chat, share your progress, and end up with something lovely to hang on the wall. Suitable for beginners and upwards.
Hold your own Crafternoon
If these workshops have given you a taste for online craft courses, why not host one of your own and raise money for a good cause? Mental health charity Mind offers all you need to hold your own virtual Crafternoon – choose from their selection of craft projects (have a go at felt animals, fake calligraphy or pom-pom charms), set-up a JustGiving fundraising page, invite participants, and get crafting!
And don’t forget our own (occasional) craft series which began before Christmas – our first project introduced us to magnificent macrame. More craft projects will be posted soon. Happy crafting!
