The Made In Colchester Summer Fair

On Saturday 4th July I took part in the Made In Colchester Summer Fair at Colchester Arts Centre. It was such a lovely day with a great atmosphere and very busy so I didn't get a chance to take a lot of photos, but I wanted to share a little look back at the day and introduce some of the Collective members and their handmade work, all created in the Colchester area...

Brilliant prints from Lauren Kelly. The hard thing about the day was being tempted by all the lovely work on display!

Ar and illustration from Ella Johnston

Prints, cards, cushions and bags from Daisy Courtauld

A beautiful display from Tracy Owen

Stationery and illustrated gifts by Holly Trill

My display. I'm still enjoying using the vintage suitcases to display my brooches and they seemed to draw attention!

We ran drop in workshops throughout the day and they were all very popular. I taught 6 lovely ladies how to make felt beads- they all said how much they enjoyed it so I got a bit of a buzz from that. It's definitely given me a push to carry on planning a workshop programme- watch this space!

There was live acoustic music playing throughout the day which added to the great atmosphere. The Arts Centre where the Summer Fair was held is a former church that is now used as a music and event venue, so the acoustics are brilliant.

As if that wasn't enough, there was also a pop up cafe run by collective member Caroline Rhys-Lewis, serving lovely homemade cake and savoury goodies. I treated myself to a piece of caramelised apple and ginger cake- it had to be done!

 The Collective members enjoyed the day as much as the visitors and if you came along to support us, thank you very much. I'd also like to say thank you to the founder of The Made In Colchester Collective Lucy Hook-Child and to all the members of the group who put so much effort into making it such a fab day. We're now planning the Autumn Fair for Saturday 19th September!

If you'd like to find out more about the Made In Colchester Collective and keep up to date with news and events, check out our website here

Made In Colchester Summer Fair, Saturday 4th July!

I love being part of the Made In Colchester Collective and I'm super excited to say we are about to hold our first collective event! Come along to the Made In Colchester Collective Summer Fair on Saturday 4th July at Colchester Arts Centre (behind The Mercury Theatre) and meet the more than 20 artists and makers who make up the collective. Shop for handmade clothes, prints, jewellery, artwork and much more, all produced in the Colchester area. There will even be a pop up cafe and live acoustic music- it's all set to be a great day! 

There will also be free drop in workshops throughout the day. I'm busy preparing the needle felted beads workshop!

11am Card animal making with Hanne Mannheimer

12pm Handmade stamps with Daisy Courtauld

1pm Needle felted beads with Louise Dawson

2pm Monotype printing with Lucy Hook-Child

Find out more about the Made In Colchester Collective and the members on our blog here and check out our interview with Colchester Life!

 Hope to see you there!