Quill London Beginners Calligraphy

Last weekend, I popped along to the Quill London Beginners Calligraphy class over in Islington in a side room to The Blacksmith & Toffeemakers pub (which  by the way is very lovely).

I have never done any calligraphy before and so it was a great afternoon to try my hand at something really different.  Our teacher was Imogen Owen for this class and Quill London founder Lucy was there to start us off and let us know where the cake was!  Very Important to keep us going.

Imogen, started us off by showing us each step before we then went off and practiced back at our tables.

The First practice was to learn the up and down lines and practice shape and some lettering.  We were given ruled paper to put under our paper to keep us straight too.

Next up was to practice lettering, we were able to trace over Imogen's practice sheet first and then do our own on other sheets, following the style.

The last task was to practice writing words and joining up those letters.  I found this part difficult as I was working with someone else's handwriting style.  I think a bit more practice with the calligraphy pen in my own style is in order, but that's the great thing about learning a new skill hey, practice makes perfect.

H,xxx

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Top 10: Crafting Trends you need to know about in 2015

Talking about trends is always a tricky thing, However there are always some trends each year which you can rely on to be top of the class. These are my Top 10 Crafting trends you need to know about this year. If you are planning new ideas for your makes, blog projects or gifts if you go by these themes they are sure to be a winner.

Tropical - Pineapples were everywhere last year and they are not budging from the top spot this year, joined by their pink pals Flamingos they will once again be everywhere this year. From fashion to homewares be sure to include them in your crafty endeavours.

Blues - four of the ten Pantone colours of 2015 are this cool tone. From minty blue, Lucite green (totally a blue!) to Classic blue, pastel to bright - blue will be the shade of the year despite 'the colour' of the year being the warmer rusty pink Masala.

Origami- or any kind of paper folding, including glue or not, trust me you will see a-lot of folded paper and fabric around this year. This paper star was a free download from the lovely Oh Happy Day.

70's Crafts - Loom weaving and Macramé made a big comeback last year and will be hanging around now that fashion is following suit.

Mixed Metals Silver is making a comeback, Gold and rose gold will still be hanging around but silver is joining the party again. Mixing the three is where the trend wins. Also keep an eye out for metallic foils. A new foiling machine the Minc is on its way from the states and means we will all be able to create those lovely foiled prints we have been seeing all over Pinterest for ourselves

Paint Splatters, dribbles and marbling - Geometric patterns will still be big this year, but we will see looser, softer prints coming through.  Free running painting techniques like watercolour, paint splatters and marbling will be the prints of choice to soften all those geometric edges. Oh and keep a look out for lots hot air balloons, total mini trend alert!

Tassels - Pompom fringe has been on everything over the past few years, it was only a matter of time before the tassel made a comeback too. Think rows of little tassels on everything from cushions to jewellery.

Calligraphy handwriting - I know that one of my goals this year is to brush up my calligraphy skills, and I won't be alone as a new generation are discovering the art of creative handwriting and making it their own. In general 'handwriting' type prints on textiles will be big in 2015.

Dinosaurs, with two Dino films being released this year, Disney's 'The Good Dinosaur' and 'Jurassic World' expect to see a lot of prehistoric themed crafty stuff flying around.  H's Dinosaur hoodie from last year would be a great alternative to all the mass produced merch.

Confetti - because we all love a bit of confetti, brightly coloured paper, sparkles and poppers it's not a party without some!

What are your tips for the top crafty trends this year, What colours are you really in to right now and what materials can you not get enough of ?? What tutorials are you yearning to see from us this year? Let us know in all the usual ways.

Have a lovely weekend
Sammy xx



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Link for the week: Improve your Handwriting with Heart Handmade UK

 

I have always wanted to get my handwriting a little neater so that when I am making cards or writing anything for my crafts it looks like a normal person has written it, rather than a scribble - which is usually what it ends up looking like, years of writing notes in meetings and in lectures.

So, when I found this little beaut of a link, from Heart Handmade UK I thought I would share it will you all too.  It helps you to practice your handwriting and shows a few tips for practice as well as finding some inspiration for how you want your typography to look!

Also, this is quite a nice website to look at anyway, so it's a winner both ways!

Love it

H