DIY POMPOM CHARM NECKLACE TO WEAR AT GLASTONBURY (& OTHER SUMMER FESTIVALS)

With less than a week to go until Glastonbury gets the UK festival season kick-started there’s a deluge of articles about what to wear, buy and what beauty looks to create for Glastonbury across the blogosphere. Now I for one am not in a position to buy clothes every season and for every occasion, my trick is changing up my accessories to make it look like I have a never-ending wardrobe. Truth is if you make just one change like swapping a necklace or scarf, it automatically looks like you have a new outfit.

Glastonbury like many festivals has become one giant moneyfest. Once you’ve added up your ticket price, travel, food and expenses you’re looking at spending around £500 and that’s without you even starting on your wardrobe. Save a few pennies instead because you’ll need them, by making DIY accessories that look awesome and keep with the original roots of the festival which was never about commercialisation.

Pompoms & smoothie bowl

As I said it’s less that a week away so you clearly won’t have much time to spend on making, so here’s a super simple idea that doubles up as fun jewellery while being super useful and best of all, it can be knocked out in less than an hour.

POMPOM Chain necklace

You will need:

Pompom maker (I used a medium and a small one from Fabrications you’ll find in most craft shops)
Yarn
Chain
Scissors

To make pompoms
Pompom makers vary slightly so these instructions are for the most common type.

Start by opening up the pompom maker by separating the two sides.
Wrap yarn across the full surface of one side.

Ensure there are no gaps. The more you build it up, the fluffier your pompom will be.

When you get to the end, cut the yarn and repeat winding yarn on at the other end.

When you’ve done both ends, close up the pompom maker.

Take your scissors and cut through the yarn in the centre where you’ll feel a slight ridge in the pompom maker.

Cut a separate piece of yarn and tie it around the centre of the pompom maker, tying it really tightly, then wrap around and tie up a couple more times.

Pull the pompom maker apart to release the pompom and gently whack it on a table to help it fluff up into shape.

Attaching the pompoms

You’ll be left with the two ends of yarn which you tied around the centre. Feed these through the chain and tie up so that you’ve got a ‘pompom charm’ and continue all the way around tying on as many as you want – use a mirror as a reference point to ensure the balance and pompom positioning is right.

Finishing touches
Go full swing with the charm potential. The chain allows you to attach anything you want onto your necklace so as well as pompoms you could attach small charms, beads, ribbons and tassels. You can also sparkle up the pompoms by gluing gemstones and sequins directly onto the pompoms and of course during the initial pompom making stage you can also mix up colours so your pompoms are multi-tone.

You can also double it up into something super useful like dangling keys off your chain and any other small things you might need which in my case is usually lipgloss.

About the pictures…

Earlier this week I went along to Palm Vaults, the hip East London vegetarian eatery which has been named the most Instagrammable café in London (and is in the running as the pinkest!)

Design is everything inside this mint and pink themed pastel heaven so here’s a few more photos and yes the food and drinks are pink too…

If you can get to Palm Vaults in the week you’ll have a more relaxing experience, at weekends you’ll need to book ahead.

Expect yummy concoctions like lavender latte, dragon fruit breakfast bowls and pink wafer sponge cake.

I am most definitely going to be coming back here, it’s a great place to photograph crafts projects and there’s plenty more on the menu I still want to try!

Festival fashion shopping
If you are doing some festival shopping then forget the high street. Check out online store Purple Mayhem instead which specialises in handmade festival fashion…their tassel shrugs are about as perfect as festival fashion gets.

Visit Purple Mayhem. 

Indian Clay Bangle Making

 

A mesmerising watch.

I feel naked without bangles. They are the one accessory I have to wear and on the rare occasions I’ve accidently left my house without wearing any, I’ve gone to the nearest shop and bought some: that’s how bad my addiction is.

This demonstration of clay bangles was filmed in Jaipur. Every single bangle in the set is different but made in the same way by melting and moulding clay and tree gum. The colours are so vivid but the result is very delicate. I bought this set but shortly after, dropped a few on the floor and they broke into small pieces, so if you are going to buy clay bangles wear them and handle them with caution.

The great thing about buying direct from a demonstration is that you’re giving money directly to the maker and with that in mind, because I saw him at work these are currently the most precious bangles I own. I’m so shamed I broke some of them so early on but the ones I still have are very special.

Given a choice I encourage you to shop similarly – why give money to a store when it’s the maker who’s done the work? I know it’s not always possible but it beats buying something quickly from a shop which may not even have been made in the country you’re purchasing it from, even though it’s labelled a ‘handicraft.’

Don’t worry about price either because in actual fact it’s cheaper to buy direct. These clay bangles were a complete bargain!

Have you bought anything from your travels that you watched being made? Share your story in the comments, we’d love to know. 

Nepal: Felt Crafts

When visiting Nepal, one craft you can’t fail to fall in love with is their colourful, creative and full-of-character felt crafts. There is no shortage of wool in there parts, knitters and knitted goods are everywhere but felt is a speciality. In Thamel, Kathmandu and around the shopping streets of Pokhara (both of which are busy tourist hubs) there are felt boutiques filled with wonderful woolly creations.
Products to look out for include bags, soft toys, snuggly slippers and felt ball items like coasters, rugs and necklaces. In terms of prices, in the aforementioned tourist shops they are quiet steep but store owners expect some haggling so don’t give in too easily. Having said that don’t underprice them if you know it has a fairtrade guarantee. There are some fixed priced shops to help gauze an idea of how much you should pay.

Nepal is famous for it’s yaks, you’ll find them on bank notes and inevitably there are numerous woolly yak products like yak wool scarves for sale but felt crafts are 100% sheep! Unlike felt sheets you can typically buy in craft shops, Nepali felt has a thick, substantial feel and is strong and sturdy. Felt itself is produced by matting, condensing and pressing wool and the colour choices are endless, something Nepali crafters use to its advantage.

When I visited Nepal in January 2014 I was particularly interested in finding out more about the Nepal felt industry; seeing it being made and meet artisans but it wasn’t possible on that trip…another excuse to return me thinks!

If anyone else out there knows some more about the felt craft industry please do get in contact.

Images: CraftandTravel

Queen’s Gallery, Bangkok: Crafts from the Hands of the Hills…to the Hands of the Queen

Colourful, character-filled and creative, Crafts from the Hands of the Hills…to the Hands of the Queen is a textile-based exhibition which opened at The Queen’s Gallery in Bangkok on August 1^st 2016 as part of the auspicious celebrations to mark Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 84^th birthday. Combining the techniques of hand-weaving, sewing, hand-embroidery, hand-stitching and patchwork, each piece of work on display represents different elements of life in the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand, a region that’s rich in arts and crafts.

There are approximately 22,530 hilltribe artisans from across 620 villages who are members of the Queen’s support projects whose aim it is to help rural people earn a living through craft skills, many of whom were involved in the creation of the exhibition.

In theory it seems like a commendable project, in reality it is so much more. Visiting this exhibition is a treat for all the senses. Spread across five levels you are led through a rainbow of beautiful work, each one is imaginatively composed with minute details showing intricate craft skills. This isn’t just an exhibition for those with an appreciation for ‘crafts’, it’s art of an exceptional level where you’re constantly surprised by the quality of the work.

Being an appreciator of all things colourful, the first thing I noticed when I walked into the exhibition was the use of colour. It is intrinsic to every piece. They aren’t all made up of vivid hues – it’s more that there are clever colour schemes and palettes at work that together create a remarkable effect.

From a distance the pieces look like interesting examples of textiles but look closely and you’ll uncover stories and depictions of real life. The King and Queen of Thailand spent time together in the hills and during these trips were able to get an understanding of the needs of the rural community, such as the need to improve agricultural techniques, which they addressed, and it’s these visits and moments that are captured in the stories to such a beautiful effect.

Looking around I was taken back by the charm of each piece. I love textiles but I’ve never seen such passionate work before. I’ve been thinking about the exhibition a lot since visiting it. It’s so easy to go somewhere on holiday with a long to-do list and then forget to do everything but if you’re in Bangkok this exhibition will be one of the memories that stay with you.

Here are some of my favourite pieces on display – if you get a chance, go and see  them in real life:

Peaches: a way to conserve forests
Peaches are a cold climate fruit and their cultivation in the hills was tested and proved successful.

Live-changing sturgeon
Because of the cold climate in the hills it’s hard for aquatic animals to survive. The queen initiated an experiment to raise Siberian sturgeon by purchasing fertilised eggs in Russia. By 2014 the project proved successful and led to the first caviar being produced in Thailand.Royal provision of coffee plantations
The royal couple encouraged the hill tribes to grow Arabica coffee in substitute to the narcotic plants they used to grow. They grow in shady areas and benefits contribute to decreasing deforestation.

Symbols of forest conservation
The Queen initiated a project to protect forests from deforestation. Communities with outstanding conservation are awarded with flags inscribed with the motto ‘ Conserving the forest in order to protect our lives’

Fireflies

Rajini Tomatoes
Cultivation of tomatoes have helped increase income for the hilltribes that grow them.

Rainbow trout farming
Trout became a food source and can generate income for hill tribes.

Production of honey
A special hive was built for Indian honey bees where they were able to forage for food which benefited fruit and vegetable orchards.

Details & close ups

Hands of the Hills…to the Hands of the Queen runs at The Queen’s Gallery, (near Phan Fah Leelart Bridge), Bangkok, Thailand runs from 1 August – 11 October 2016. Open 10.00-19.00hrs every day except Wednesdays.

There is an activity programme to accompany the exhibition including handicraft training workshops from the six hilltribes, performances and dressing up in hilltribe costumes, running every day:

Lisu tribe: making Lisu cords

Mian (Yu) tribe: Mian embroidery and making Mia cords

Akha tribe: Akha embroidery

Karen tribe: Weaving with waist loom and Karen embroidery with Job’s tears

Hmong tribe: Hmong applique, weaving of hemp cloth, wax drawing on hemp cloth

Lahu tribe: Lahu embroidery and Lahu bamboo basketry

Pop into the shop of the top floor of the gallery to buy some handmade Thai crafts too:

Momtaz Begum-Hossain
Editor-in-Chief, CraftandTravel.com visited the exhibition on the opening day

ALL IMAGES: CraftsandTravel.com

Indian Horse Toy

Too good to be a toy we have a complete crafty crush on this textile trojan. Hand-crafted from block-printed Rajasthani organic cotton and draped in finery it’s based on traditional Indian wedding horses, upon which the grooms usually arrive upon. Just look at that pink mane, you need it in your life!

Priced £15 and available from Postcards Home.