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Emma Mitchell

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Basic Crochet Stitches

January 27, 2015 By silverpebble 20 Comments

The Big Comic Relief Crafternoon

It’s April 2013.The excitement of the Red Nose Day Dolls project has died down and I’ve just about got my head around the astonishingly ace total (£4200) Ros Badger, 22 designers and I managed to raise for brilliant causes through the love of handmade. Then Jodie, (RND doll designer and felt-wrangling genius) and I exchange a few emails. ‘PDFs’ she writes. ‘Downloadable PDFs of patterns are what we need next time’. ‘Yes!’ I reply, ‘that way everyone can join in’.

The idea rumbled and simmered. I wondered if we could make a whole magazine full of patterns for Comic Relief. Last May I emailed Jane Toft, She co-invented Mollie Makes and won a Big Fancy Prize in 2013 for being its brilliant editor-in-chief. Sometimes we tweeted eachother about Giorgio Locatelli. She answered my email and we met in a cafe in Bath. She agreed to help to try and make the plan a reality. I was so thrilled by her enthusiasm for it. She didn’t tell me I was barking, which was very kind. She pitched the idea to the Mollie Makes team in September. They said yes. We told the Comic Relief team. They did an excited dance. We were off.

Ron and Audrey the felt guinea pigs are designed by Jodie 

On Thursday the magazine we have made will be on sale in Sainsbury’s. It will also be on iTunes and Google Play (this may take a day or two extra to happen).

We nearly didn’t manage it, several times. Securing sponsorship to fund the at-cost printing and distribution was, ahem, tricky. At 1.30am on Tuesday 6th January I was proof reading patterns and wondering what the foof I was doing. I may have strayed into the realms of overexhausted lunacy and done a bit of crying. Jane did the work of four members of an editorial team. She missed college field trips so we could meet the print deadline. My hair has been utterly terrifying for five months. I think there’s a weasel living in it. I’m certain my children want to throw my laptop down the toilet.


Liberty floral French knickers by lovely Lynda Lewis from last year’s Great British Sewing Bee

The magazine is called The Big Comic Relief Crafternoon and has over 50 patterns, tutorials and ideas including felt guinea pigs, bacon and egg wristwarmers, crochet red noses, dancing felt chickens, foldable doodle books, knitted beards, Liberty floral moustaches, fancy handmade pants, craft-themed DIY crockery and a cross stitch Mexican wrestler guinea pig.

I cooked up a necklace tutorial (below) and Monica helped me to bring my first crochet pattern to life – crocus wristwarmers in the mosaic above.

If you fancy giving £5 to Comic Relief and bagging a collection of gorgeous original patterns and tutorials into the bargain then pop off to Sainsbury’s or your nearest internet (I’ll post the link to the digital version here as soon as it’s available) on Thursday and bag yourself a copy.

The cover price is £7.99 and £5 from each magazine sale goes straight to CR to help people leading incredibly tough lives in the UK and Africa.

Illustration from The Big Comic Relief Crafternoon by Emma Carlisle

I’ve written a full guide to running a craft fair in the magazine. It would be wonderful if people used ours or their favourite well-hooked and stitched patterns to make some lovely things to sell at a fair. Sometimes tiny fairs are the loveliest – I’ve bought some beautiful items from friends’ coffee tables whilst being plied with wine and cake. If you plan to meet up with other makers, knit/crochet/sew some ace woolly or fabric gear and sell it to raise a some handmade pennies before the Big Day on March 13th then the donation page for our project is here.

Here’s a blog button if you’d like to grab it and spread the word:

I may need a little lie down now.

Many many people have given their time for free to make this magazine and the films that go with it. In random order: Kerry Lawrence, Kate de Quidt, photographers Alun Callender and Shane Rumsey, Nina Camacho, Barley Massey, Lara Watson, illustrators Emma Carlisle and Rebecca Cobb, Trevor Witt. Evie Franks, Emma Freud, Iain Russell, Anne-Cecile Berthier, ace pattern tester Lesley Moogsmum and our wonderful designers: Florence, Haafner, Clare, Lauren, Lucy, Moose Allain, Jamie, Oh no Rachio! Tif, Tania, Marna, Messyla, Lynda, Monica, Zoe, Manda,  Pygmy Cloud, Jenny, Twinkie,  Gretel, and of course, Jodie. I hope I haven’t missed anyone off this list.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nadia says

    January 27, 2015 at 9:18 pm

    Well done! I am really looking forward to the magazine. There can never be enough crafty things.

    Should you ever have the energy to do it all over again, I would love to contribute a free knitting pattern or clay charm tutorial.

    Wishing you much success with the magazine!

    Absoknittinglutely
    @KnittyNadia

    Reply
  2. CJ says

    January 27, 2015 at 9:26 pm

    Wow Emma, that's utterly amazing, you are an absolute star, you should be very proud of what you have achieved. The magazine looks fantastic. I laughed out loud at the guinea pigs movie, they're gorgeous. I'm sure the magazine will fly off the shelves, well done to you all. CJ xx

    Reply
  3. lp_ lisa says

    January 27, 2015 at 9:39 pm

    Wowsers, what a fabulous achievement! So looking forward to seeing the finished article. I shall buy lots and gift them to crafty friends. Share the craft joy. Share the love. Well done to you all x

    Reply
  4. driftwood says

    January 27, 2015 at 9:48 pm

    well I think you're barking, but I'm also enormously proud of you xxx

    Reply
  5. Twiggy says

    January 27, 2015 at 11:56 pm

    I can't wait to buy my copy Emma. I intend to take it into school next week and request we have a little event of some kind. Well done you.
    Twiggy

    Reply
  6. Frances says

    January 28, 2015 at 12:25 am

    Emma, I do think that you should take a bow, and accept many Bravos for putting this together. I admit to recognizing a few other folks' names amongst your credits and thank them, too.

    I am guessing that this is something that those of us on the other side of the broad Atlantic might also be able to aid. I'll keep an eye out. Promise.

    xo

    Reply
  7. Mrs. Micawber says

    January 28, 2015 at 3:20 am

    Wow. I would like to say Congratulations but it doesn't seem big enough. What a wonderful effort on your part and that of all who participated.

    Here's to many sales for a good cause! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Country Rabbit says

    January 28, 2015 at 10:35 am

    what a great way to raise money for a great charity! and all the wonderful creations! 😉 wonderful blog x

    Reply
  9. smandage says

    January 28, 2015 at 11:59 am

    Hoorah! I read about this in Mollie Makes and am so glad to find your page. I'm waiting not so patiently for the book launch tomorrow and am planning my own crafternoon to get everyone together. Love your article – I had to re-read the cross stitch mexican wrestler guinea pig bit a few times, but of course I need to make some felt cavies – rude not to. Best of luck with it all x

    Reply
  10. jackie says

    January 28, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    Congratulations! You must be really proud. I can't wait to buy my copy 🙂

    Reply
  11. saffa says

    January 28, 2015 at 6:13 pm

    Wow, well done emma to you and all that have made such an inspiring magazine! And it's great the money goes to comic relief 🙂 I love the video of the guinea pigs 🙂 I shall look out for this mag in my sainsburys shop this week, can't wIt to have a look inside 🙂 Safxxx

    Reply
  12. Jodie says

    January 28, 2015 at 10:41 pm

    YOU YOU YOU !!!! Without you it could not have happened.
    You truly are an inspiration (and I hope you kept the weasel)

    Reply
  13. flowerpress says

    January 29, 2015 at 8:23 am

    What a beautiful thing!
    I will be lining up at the digital newsagent for my copy.
    Looks beautiful!

    Reply
  14. Rachel says

    January 29, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    I hope it is a great success. I shall go down to WHSmith and have a look!

    Reply
  15. thehouseatnabend says

    January 29, 2015 at 1:28 pm

    Congratulations! I'm hoping to pick up a copy this afternoon!

    Reply
  16. Gina says

    January 30, 2015 at 8:39 am

    Well done Emma. I got my copy yesterday. It looks good. xx

    Reply
  17. Madelief says

    January 30, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    Congratulations Emma. That is a huge amount of money! Such a good idea and fun too.

    Happy weekend!

    Madelief x

    Reply
  18. angharad handmade says

    January 31, 2015 at 7:05 pm

    That is a brilliant achievement, and I'm sure it will be a big success. I was hunting down a copy in town this afternoon – now I see that I need to pop to Sainsbury's, so will do that asap as I'm sure it will sell out quickly! Look forward to getting hold of a copy!

    Reply
  19. Cate says

    February 2, 2015 at 8:58 pm

    Wowzers, jolly well done! You must be so happy to have accomplished such a massive acheivement! I'm going to hotfoot it to Sainsbury's as soon as possible! Lets hope that your book raises a whole heck load of money! x

    Reply
  20. josiekitten says

    February 5, 2015 at 1:56 pm

    What a brilliant idea! I went to a huge Sainsbury's today and there was no sign of the magazine. No one was able to help me track one down or even knew if they'd had them in and sold them all!
    🙁 So I am hoping to be able to get a digital version and will keep my eyes peeled for information about it. Thank you for sharing your creativity for such a great cause. I am hoping that I might be able to get some parents to come into school for a crafty afternoon and then hold a sale. So all I need now is the magazine to inspire them!

    Reply

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