LoveCrafts’ first ever free virtual crafting festival launches this August
The world’s largest crafting community hosts its first free month-long virtual crafting festival this August, packed with craft-alongs and live takeovers with special guests from the UK and US. There will be a virtual Main Stage where renowned makers will showcase their crafts and share their knowledge and expertise, as well as an Introducing stage where up and coming makers will have their moment to shine. Themes for this year’s festival include size inclusivity, entrepreneurship in making and craftivism.
This August, the world’s largest crafting community LoveCrafts will be running its first ever free virtual crafting festival from the 1st of August to the 31st.
The LoveCrafts Festival will see renowned makers share their passion and expertise with members of the public, enabling anyone to take part from the comfort of their own home or garden. Participants can expect to learn a new skill, whether it be how to make a macrame bag or crochet a top, with key themes for this year's event including size inclusivity, entrepreneurship in making and craftivism.
The Headliners
The main stage of the festival will have regular headline acts – established crafters showcasing their talents through live stream videos with Q&A’s and make-alongs, blog posts and podcasts. There will be 14 headline acts throughout the month, here are some highlight acts to check out:
Fat Fashion with @whatlydiamade
Instagram Live on 3rd August
Lydia Morrow is a designer and artist based in Scotland, whose focus is on slow fashion and size inclusivity. She will be live on LoveCrafts Instagram chatting about fast fashion and fat fashion.
How to be a Craftivist with Kaelyn Guerin aka @iiirdwind
Instagram live and Q&A session on 19th August
Crocheter and punch needle artist, Kaelyn Guerin from Eastern Mississippi, will be taking over LoveCrafts Instagram on 19th August. Against a backdrop of an American reckoning - racial tensions, societal unrest and a global pandemic, craftivism gives a voice to the voiceless. Kaelyn will share what it means to be a craftivist today in a blog post and Live Instagram.
How to Host your own Nitflix Party with Bobble Club House
Instagram takeover on 8th August
Samantha Brunson is the founder of Bobble Club House which hosts knitting and crafting knitflix events in New York City. The self-confessed “elderly millennial” will share her tried and tested tips for hosting your very own virtual stitchalong with friends.
Pom Pom Making with Niki Dionne x Craft Yarn Council
Instagram Live on 11th August
Niki Dionne is one of the artists exhibiting at Intangible: A Fiber Fairy Tale, a collaboration between the Craft Yarn Council and The Sweet Tooth Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Niki Dionne aka @actualfootageofme will host a live pom pom making session on LoveCrafts’ Instagram on the 11th August, with a chance to also win a ticket to The Virtual Tour and 360 walkthrough of the exhibition.
Martha from the Great British Bake Learns to Knit
Instagram Takeover 13th August
Martha Collison, the youngest contestant of The Great British Bake Off, will take over LoveCrafts’ Instagram to share her journey of how she learned to knit in lockdown.
Crochet Make-Along with The Queen Stitch
Four part make-along in collaboration with @paintboxyarns on 3rd, 10th, 27th, 24th August.
Katie of The Queen Stitch will guide festival goers on how to crochet the Datura Bloom top from her new and exclusive Paintbox pattern collection, in a four part Instagram Live.
Live workshops with Tea & Crafting
Make a macramé wall hanging - learn the art of macramé knotting to create a stylish wall hanging on the 21st August.
Make beeswax food wraps - learn how to make eco-friendly beeswax food wraps on the 24th August.
LoveCrafts’ Big 8 Birthday Celebrations
A day full of giveaways, freebies and discounts on the 14th August
On the 14th August, LoveCrafts will be celebrating its eighth birthday, and as a thankyou to its community will be giving away eight free and exclusive patterns and will run eight giveaways.
The Introducing Stage
Every Thursday throughout the festival LoveCrafts will introduce up-and-coming new makers, designers and community craft heroes, giving them a chance to shine in the spotlight.
The Mindfulness Zone
Each week festival goers will receive mindful tips and tricks by LoveCrafts’ very own Craft Editor and spokesperson for the mindful crafting movement, Merion Willis. Merion is a firm believer in the mindful benefits of crafting, and she has also created a free mindful making pathway that will be available to sign up to for free during the festival.
The festival will take place from the 1st to the 31st August, all events will be accessible via the LoveCrafts’ website and social channels*. To receive access to the full line up, including event dates and timings, plus five free festival patterns, register for a free ticket here.
To find out more about the festival visit:https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/c/article/the-lovecrafts-festival
LoveCrafts.com is the online home for makers. A place to find inspiration, learn new techniques, shop craft supplies, and connect with like-minded people around the world. Yarn, patterns, needles, threads, fabrics, hooks, craft books and kits can all be found and purchased via the site. Whether someone’s a knitter, sewist, quilter or little-bit-of-everything crafter, they can discover the joy of making at LoveCrafts.com.
Edward Griffith, founder of LoveCrafts, said
“We are thrilled to be putting on our first ever LoveCrafts festival, packed with an exciting line up of events for our community to enjoy. Hosting a virtual festival makes it accessible for makers everywhere to join in no matter where they’re hunkering down. At a time when people are seeking authentic experiences and new ways to connect, we hope this virtual craft festival will inspire new makers, and engage avid crafters alike.”
