A lesson in papercuts at Homemade London
Homemade London
I have this amazing lampshade in my East End abode. It probably looks quite average to visitors but the shade is made with Liberty fabric and it was the first thing I ever made for the flat that didn’t involve sticking photos in a frame or album so I like it a lot (I asked Mr Man and he said he likes it to). Years ago I had won a Stylist magazine competition to attend a lamp shade making workshop at Homemade London and loved my session there.
Over the years, mostly due to busyness, I haven’t had the chance to return so I was delighted when they invited me to attend another of their workshops. It was tough to choose but I’ve always admired those paper cutout pieces of work ala Rob Ryan so picked that over a perfume making afternoon tea or screen printing which were the other two I was super keen on (Mother Cake has tried and failed to teach me to knit and sew many times over the years, though she did succeed on teaching one to be a safe and aware driver when Dad lost his patience and vowed never to sit in the passenger seat with one of his girls ever again).
Making my Liberty lampshade years ago
Anyway, I digress. Homemade London is neatly tucked away in Marylebone on lovely little Seymour Place, close to Marble Arch and Selfridges. It’s very near one of my favourite London cafes – Daisy Green of Portman Village so you could make a proper day out of a trip to Portman Village if you started with brunch then an afternoon of making things.
Here’s a few things they made earlier..
On my evening of paper cutting, I learned how with the help of a craft knife and a template that you can easily print out, you can pretty much cut out anything, stick it over some pretty paper, frame it and make something nice for your flat. It was aimed at basic beginners so even us cackhanders of the world can make something rather cool.
This is the result:
Yes, I made this!
I enjoyed the workshop a lot. Nancy, our teacher, was really friendly and one of those true creatives that could put her hand to anything. We had a few sweet treats on hand and the class was nice and small. I think it would be really fun to attend one of these with a friend, perhaps as part of a hen-do or baby shower, or just on your own to learn a new skill.
They have a range of classes coming up – from basic knitting, to perfume making with afternoon tea, to Christmas baubles and card making (more paper cutting I think!), jewellery making and mystery craft workshops. It’s a fun way to spend a chilly evening or winter’s day and you get to go home with something you can be proud of – always a bonus!
Homemade London can be found at 21 Seymour Place, London W1H 58H. Nearest tube is Marble Arch.
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*I was a guest of Homemade London, normally the paper cutting workshop costs around £30.
