Calm Creativity in London with Tea and Crafting

The delightfully named Tea and Crafting is a company which was set up  in 2009 with the goal of  showing people that  many crafts are far easier to learn than you might think, and that often the basics can be taught in a single evening.  Jane who set up Tea and Crafting acknowledges that  committing to a six-week course can be difficult for some to realistically fit into a busy lifestyle.

In normal times, the Tea and Crafting classes take place in studio conveniently tucked away in London’s Covent Garden, just minutes from the tube station.  I have been to a couple of water colour painting classes there which have both been an absolute joy. The studio is bright and full of colourful creative projects.  Balls of wool, cheerful pom poms, paper flowers and embroidered wall hangings all serve to inspire those creative longings. The classes are intimate and well run, tea and cake usually seems to feature and they are simply a lovely way to find some calmness and creativity in the middle of the city.  Leaving the evening with something you have created gives that same sense of childlike pride felt as a child leaving primary school, with creations held proudly aloft for all to see.

On Line Courses

Of course the pandemic has meant that classes have not been held in the Tea and Crafting studio for some time.  Instead they are being held online via zoom.  This has been such a good thing for so many people, as it means you do not need to live in London to attend.

The programme of courses has remained varied, including the more traditional knitting and crochet to perhaps the less well known paper piecing, and latch hook. Lampshade making, quilt making and book binding have all been on the programme too, as has Bargello the craft I chose for my first online Tea and Crafting Event.

A few days before the class was scheduled to take place I received a box containing all the necessary materials, and then a zoom link was sent the day before.

Prior to this I had not even heard of Bargello, and if I’m honest I chose it as it looked relatively easy and something I might be able to follow along with online. I was a little anxious as I am not perhaps the most confident crafter, enthusiastic yes but competent, not always!

Bargello is an amalgamation of cross stitch and embroidery.  Upright, flat stitches follow a mathematical grid pattern to form motifs and repetitive shapes.  It originated in Florence  where a series of chairs were found in the Bargello Palace which have a “flame stitch” pattern.  It is much bolder than traditional embroidery and often used for seat coverings and cushions

The class I attended was led by Maddie and there were just 4 of us.  With Maddies careful guiding and instructions, together we followed a pattern to begin creating either a coaster or a wall hanging.   Once I had got the hang of it I was able to relax and enjoy the repetitive process. Especially helpful for me was the recording of the event which was sent to us a couple of days later.  It enabled me to watch the bits I needed to go over again and finish my wall hanging in my own time at home with that all important cup of tea.

 

I loved what I was able to make, as much as for the creative process as for the finished article itself, although I am of course pleased with that too.  Taking time  out to create something and become lost in the flow of that is a lovely calming thing.  I look forward to being able to go back to the Tea and Crafting studio in due course, as for me sitting around a table with other people and the teacher on hand is much more convivial but in the mean time I certainly would not hesitate to do another online crafting event.

You can find the current Tea and Crafting  programme here.