Hello and Welcome!

Hello and welcome to the Craft Café blog! I’m Aisling, a HLF-funded Education and Outreach Trainee working across the Oxford University Museums and Collections and currently placed at the Pitt Rivers Museum. To conclude my year-long traineeship I’m required to devise and run a final project with a theme of my choice.

The Craft Café will run on the following Sundays 8, 22, 29 March and 12 April from 2pm until 4pm. So, what is it?

The idea for Craft Café developed when I recognized the potential to develop opportunities for adults to get together and get creative. I noticed that at Alice’s Day in Oxford, a day when the city is transformed into a wonderland of activities and events, there were very few creative activities I could join in with as an adult – and adults like getting crafty too! But it also works the other way round… at an evening event at the Ashmolean, when the crafts designed were primarily for grown ups, adults were sometimes a little reluctant to get stuck in unsure of if the activities were meant for them, with a couple actually asking if they were allowed to participate! Adults do want to get creative as ‘knit & natter’ and ‘stitch & bitch’ groups springing up across the UK testify – it’s just about spreading the crafting love!

By creating Craft Café I wanted to provide a space for adults to come, relax, have a chat and do crafts – without needing the excuse of having a child with them. It just so happens I’ve also got access to an amazing museum crammed full of over a quarter of a million inspiring objects! The sessions will be informal and suitable for all adults - no previous skills or knowledge needed. Each session will start with a short tour of some objects in the galleries, before heading to the Museums’ Annexe to relax, chat and make a craft to take home.

After an initial meeting with the Pitt Rivers team I managed to pin down some of the most important details.

I thought a lot about various activities we could do in two hours on a Sunday afternoon. Craft Café is about creating and exploring together, and so I wanted activities that would allow us to do this – something not too complex that will still produce a nice quality piece. I also had to think about practicalities. I was really excited to run a ‘cheat’s batik’ using glue instead of hot wax – but then I remembered we would have to wait for the glue to dry and we don’t have much time…

I finally opted for:

8 March – Make handmade posters and cards using simple printing techniques

22 March – Customise a canvas bag to become the envy of all eco-shoppers

29 March – Create beautiful painted wooden Easter eggs inspired by those in the Museum

12 April – Recycle paper to make stylish rolled paper jewellery and drinks coasters

This blog will trace the development of the project – from its initial stages, through the sessions themselves.

Tickets cost £3 and can be bought here. You can also keep up to date on our Twitter account and Facebook event.

We hope you can join us!