Party People - Top 5 Hen Party Pit Stops in Manchester

There's a whole ton to do in Manchester if you're planning a hen party. So much so that I fear you may be crushed by the weight of indecision. So here's my top 5 things to do to get your party started...

#1 MINISTRY OF CRAFT
It's so simple! Bring your girls (and guys, of course!) to your own private crafting session: you can sew personalised wedding bunting, make vintage-chic fascinators, craft tea-party-inspired fimo jewellery or sew up a sassy snap frame purse. You can hold your party within the industrial-chic-pegboard-paradise of our Fred Aldous classrooms, or you can take afternoon tea at Rosy Lee (on the opposite side of Stevenson Square) and craft with us upstairs in the decadent Fitzgerald suite. We're very popular (if we do say so ourselves) so book your date as early as you can to avoid disappointment.

#2 Fred Aldous: visit the Vintage Photo Booths
How many hens can you cram into a photo booth? I genuinely don't know, but I hope we're about to find out. Bring a purse brim-full of pound coins and visit both the black n white and colour vintage photo booths on the ground floor of Fred Aldous. This is a MUST DO for any Manchester hen weekend and you can share your photos using the #FAphotobooth hashtag.

#3 Home Sweet Home
If it's cake you're after (It is. Of course it is.) then take a look at Bake-o-Rama cakes at the delightful Home Sweet Home. If Lady Gaga baked cakes, they would look like this. HSH doesn't take reservations, so speak to them about the best time to go. They do great food, awesome shakes and you can get the cakes to go if they can't squeeze you all in!

#4 Breakout
Something completely different. 'Breakout is a live escape room game located in Manchester. You are locked in a room with friends, family or work colleagues for an hour and have to solve a series of puzzles and mysteries to escape. You will have to search high and low for clues and work together if you want to escape. You have 60 minutes to escape using only your brain...' It gets a 5 star review on Trip Advisor and lots of our hens are doing it!

#5 Ginger's Comfort Emporium
Ginger's started life as a cute pink ice cream van, selling Chorlton Crack (an unbelieveably good salted caramel and peanut butter ice cream) at the local food markets of South Manchester. But the masses demanded greater access to the dreamy creaminess so they opened an ice cream parlour on the first floor of the infamous Afflecks Palace. If you don't mind pushing past the Saturday crowds of teenagers choosing goth jewellery and day-glo rave gear then it's really worth a try. A fabulous place to people watch PLUS you're ideally placed to start a tour of the Northern Quarter's cocktail bars. Now go forth and party!

 

Top 10 Ministry courses to put a Spring in your step in 2015

This is your year: 2015 is going to be great! Disposable fashion and mass produced homewares be gone: this year why not make your own clothes or furnishings, save money in the process and learn a host of new creative skills into the bargain?

The trend for Make Do and Mending continues to grow and at Ministry of Craft we are proud to help our customers take their first steps into the Craftiverse. As well as learning useful and practical skills, social crafting makes you happier! Whether it’s joining a local knit and natter group, or taking part in the virtual shared hug that is #MeMadeMay (a social media celebration of DIY dressmaking), getting together for a spot of making en masse is proven to be relaxing, therapeutic and it’s a whole lot of fun too!

So this January why not dust off your knitting needles, seek out your old sewing machine and make a New Years resolution to join the crafting masses?

We’ve got courses galore on our website, something for everyone no matter what your level of ability or crafty preference: sewing, knitting, printing, jewellery making and much, much more. Our most popular course has always been ‘Conquer Your Sewing Machine’, the perfect way to get started with sewing or to rekindle your love of stitchery (which may have lain dormant since your school days), but we’ve upped the ante in response to our dedicated customers’ calls to offer bolder and more challenging courses (Fair Isle knitting anyone?!).

We’ve got super cool classrooms at FredAldous (a brilliant art and craft supplies store, recently voted one of the top 5 indie shops in Manchester) which is located in the heart of the Northern Quarter. So after a morning of crafting with our expert tutors you’re perfectly placed for a bite to eat or even a fancy cocktail if you’re so inclined.

Here’s my top 10 pick of the courses we’ve got coming up in 2015 (between now and April), these are courses I have either been on myself or would like to try this year. For the full complement of all courses go to www.ministryofcraft.co.uk. We look forward to welcoming you into the fold!

1. Sew your own tunic dress or top
Saturday 24 January
Wardrobe staples have a special place in every girl’s heart, and you NEED to make this one! Trust me, I have made two and I'm about to start my third.

2. Tailormade fabric lampshade
Saturday 24 January
If you want a bespoke look when it comes to lighting up your room, but can’t find the right lampshade, why not make it yourself? I made a shade for my baby daughter's nursery and I bodged it. I should've come on this course first!

3. Beginners Quilting: Snuggle or baby quilt
Sunday 25 January, 22 February, 29 March
I REALLY want to do this course in 2015. They say everyone has a ‘book in them’ - well we think every stitcher has ‘a quilt in them’ - and this gorgeous patchwork quilt is the ideal way to get started. Check out photos of our recent graduates here.

 

4. Knitting skills - How to knit Fair Isle
Sunday 1 February
What’s a winter without a bright Fair Isle knit? Come down to Ministry and learn the decorative techniques of Fair Isle Knitting for yourself. I'd love to knit myself a Christmassy jumper this year. FIRMLY on my list!

5. Beginners sewing: Classy clutch bag
Saturday 7 February
Perfect with any outfit, a clutch bag is an essential item of every girl’s wardrobe and now you can sew your own to match every outfit you own! I routinely borrow a bright orange clutch from a friend for all the weddings and parties I attend. It's time to make my own.

 
6. Introduction to curtain and blind making
Sunday 15 February
You can put up wallpaper and paint but can you suss out curtains and blinds?  Nope, me neither. This is the course that saves people HUGE SUMS OF MONEY because bespoke curtains and blinds don't come cheap. I'll be making myself a lovely long pair of yellow curtains this year, after I've attended this course!

7. Sew a gorgeous girls dress
Saturday 28 February
Make a little girl’s day with a gorgeous A-line dress! Perfect for the princess in your life. I've made a Red Riding Hood cape for my little girl, Sylvie, and I'd like to make a dress like this to go with it.

 

 

8. Beginners sewing: Patchwork Pouf
Saturday 14 March
At the end of a busy day there is nothing better than putting your feet up and relaxing, with this perfect handmade pouf. Mine is adored by the whole family. I LOVE this course.

  

 
 

9. Paperperfect: Decoupage jewellery
Saturday 14 March
Loved sticking and gluing as a child? Well now you can try the more sophisticated version as a grown up! Create your own ‘paper perfect’ jewellery and master the French art of decoupage! My next target is a battered old sewing table - I'm going to decoupage it with vintage comics to hide the coffee rings!

10. Sew your own knickers!
Saturday 21 March
Don’t let your underwear let you down – simply sew your own knickers! Bring your knicker drawer to life with these fantastic briefs in our bright flowery fabric and stretchy scarlet lace. I can thing of nothing better for 2015 than sewing smalls with a group of strangers. Bring it on!

Clear Cut: Beginners Paper Cutting

I recently had the pleasure of attending our brand spanking new workshop Clear Cut: Beginners Paper Cutting. I had attempted paper cutting at home and they never quite turned out how I wanted them to. I needed a bit of direction and tutor Jess Panesar was just the lady for the job. She guided us through the best way to approach our designs and had lots of little tips and tricks to get a fantastic end result. The great thing about the course is that you go away with what is essentially a beautiful piece of art at the end of it.

My first successful paper cut

 There are different ways to go with paper cutting and whilst I love the intricacies of tiny nicks and slices I was very impressed with some of the simpler designs that came out looking incredibly accomplished!

Sometimes the simpler the better

I caught the paper cutting bug and after the course I immediately replaced the blade on my craft knife and got to work making bespoke, one-of-a-kind, Christmas presents and birthday cards. I can't wait to give these presents and I'm still thinking up new designs and occasions when I can put my skills to use in the New Year.

A Birthday Card Design

One of a kind Christmas Present

It's a craft that's low cost and elevates a simple drawing to a fairytale level, what's not to love?

And guess what, there's another workshop on the 7th of February (just in time to make a stunningly sweet valentine days card!) and you can book it here!

Home Is In The North

Can you see us?

Last weekend we had the pleasure of running our Tailor Made Lampshade workshop from the fantastic 'Home Is In The North' event at Halle St Peter's in Ancoats.

 
Among the chic stalls and stunning architecture our students created some one of a kind Lampshades and got to peruse the fantastic home wares on offer as well as scoff some cake! We especially loved Lomas & Lomas for their unique prints and patterns and Beth Johnson Ceramics for the beautiful shapes and colours of her porcelain.  

 The atmosphere was lovely and as you can see we had some gorgeous results and

very happy crafters. It's a fantastic event and we can't wait until next time!