Children's craft kits, sewing kits for children

Two lovely ladies from Liberty spent the morning at Buttonbag last week filming Sara, Anna and Mel making an Advent Calendar.
You can watch the brilliantly edited result -thanks to the talented Liberty lasses, Sian and Tash here ……..

If you happened to be walking down Upper Street this morning at 10 o clock, you might have wondered why Islington was heaving with impeccably turned-out, beautifully groomed ladies marching in determined formation towards the Business Design centre when they looked like they would be more comfortable sitting on a horse or fund raising for the local Conservative Party Asssociation.
The answer is the first day of Country Living Christmas Fair. – Even if you are not a horsey-type, let alone a Tory-type, do come down – there’s loads of hand-made stuff and beautiful things. As well as special Buttonbag offers -we are on stand P61 – and you’ll almost certainly meet my dad and stepmum, Murray and Wiz, who are brilliantly running the stand for the fifth-year. (thank-you!!)

Much excitement at Buttonbag HQ. The sight of police cars streaming into the yard on Wednesday afternoon immediately made us think more riots were heading our way – we’re a stone’s throw from one of the recent trouble spots in Hackney.
However, who should step out of the car but Prince Charles and Camilla! Had they run out of craft kits at Clarence House? Alas, they had not popped in for a Love Hearts Sewing Kit, but were visiting Fairbridge – a charity that is part of the Prince’s Trust and occupies the floor below us. But as they were leaving, Sara had the foresight to grab a Fairytale Peg Doll Kit – (which is after, all based on a a royal wedding!) and an Adventure Peg Doll Kit and offer them to the Duchess. She was, i can honestly report, “delighted!” “How marvellous,” she said. “I’ve got the grandchildren visiting this weekend – they’ll be perfect.”
Well said, Ma’am.
Despite my fervent republican tendencies, i have to admit they were very charming.
I do hope they make their peg dolls.

I love this new kit.
We had a making day at Buttonbag HQ when everybody sat around sewing. The brief was freaky friends and cute animals.
Ines’ creation looked so French we immediately christened her Madame Jolie. Meanwhile Sara beacme so mesmerised by her little dogs it looked at one point as if she was trying to recreate Battersea Dogs home. In Felt.
Anyway, Madame Jolie and Friends was the end result and it will be available from our website, John Lewis and other stockists from September.

Oxfam is going to start stocking a small range of Buttonbag craft Kits from September onwards which is very exciting. What we didn’t realise when we started working with them is quite how big a presence on the high street they are – over 200 high street shops across the country. They are taking the Jungle Jumbo, Winter Hearts, Felt Jewellery and Mouse House. We just waved goodbye to the first consigment – it pretty much filled a lorry. Hope the Oxfam shoppers like them.

We are recovering after a pretty exhausting but exciting few days at Autumn Fair where, among other things, we finally launched our knitting kit for children.

This is the culmination of six months of design and research and we are really thrilled with the kit we have produced.

Read the rest of this entry »

We have been working hard on our big project for autumn; the Buttonbag Knitting Kit. Mittens, hats, purses and bags are all included in the instructions, but someone thought it would be fun to use up all the left-over bits of wool making dolls clothes – afterall – that’s what we were doing 30 odd years ago. So  Sara’s Sindy and my Sasha and my sister’s Action Man were resecued from various attics and cajoled and poked into these fetching little knitted numbers. We were going to put them on the back page of the Knitting  Book but Dan the photographer was so disturbed by them – particularly Eagle-Eyes, whose posable rubber hands  have disintegrated into stumps (that’s why he’s standing like that! ) – and said they were far too scary for children!

Read the rest of this entry »

Craft in Hackney

Have you noticed how many new funky craft, sewing and knitting shops are opening up? Loop in Islington has long been a top destination  for wool and Fabrications on Broadway Market – a stone’s throw across the park  from Buttonbag HQ –  specialises incontemporary textiles and  really beautiful handmade crafts and  runs fantastic sewing and quilting courses too.

Read the rest of this entry »