The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court

The highlight of my day today was buying tickets to The Handmade Fair, a brand new craft fair presented by Kirstie Allsopp, sponsored by Hobbycrafts, and in association with Mollie Makes!

The fair takes place on 19th-21st September at the beautiful Hampton Court Palace in Surrey. The best thing about the fair is that you can tailor your experience to your craft preferences!

When you book, you’ll have the chance to select the specific Skills Workshops and expert talks that you want to attend (as below), and they all look fantastic! There’s a fab line-up of experts from Cath Kidston to PaperPoms, as well as an on-site Etsy Business School – sounds pretty cool, right?

Ticket includes:

• A Skill Workshop of your choice
• A session in the Super Theatre with an expert crafter
• A Grand Make with 250 fellow crafters
• Access to The Handmade Fair Shopping Village

Take a look below to find out the kinds of activities and talks you can be involved in. Choosing was incredibly difficult, as they all look so great! If this doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what will…

Skills Workshop (1 hour):

The Skills Workshops offer the chance to learn a completely new skill or refine one you already know and love. All of the experts leading the workshops have been hand-picked by Kirstie and the Handmade Team. Classes are split into six skill tents, as follows:

• Food Decoration – this yummy tent will give you the chance to perfect your icing skills, create fun marzipan characters or add beautiful flowers to your cakes
• Jewellery – the jewellery tent is hosted by the London Jewellery School, who will be on hand to show you how easy it is to make beautiful and unique jewellery in under an hour!
  
• Papercraft – from whimsical pompoms to intricate papercutting, experts will show you the pleasure of working with paper, making beautiful things of your own
• Seasonal – the seasonal tent is there to help you on your sleigh – create unique gifts for friends and decorations for your home from christmas crackers to glitter baubles
• Textiles & Yarning – covering knitting, crochet, sewing and cross stitch, our Textiles & Yarning Tent has a workshop to suit every level of crafter
• Upcycling – learn how to recover tired items of furniture that could be lying around your house right now, or create a unique wooden toy present.

Despite being drawn to tissue tassles, I’ll be in the Jewellery tent making Chandelier Ear-rings for my sister’s birthday! It will be great to hear other peoples’ experiences in the other tents too.

Super Theatre (45 minutes):

The Super Theatre, hosted by Kirstie, will bring together the amazing people she’s worked with over the years. The sessions provide the chance to hear the latest craft trends, find out insider secrets from experts, and see how some gorgeous designer products are made. Options include:

• Mollie Makes Mash-Up – Mollie Makes, the leading title in the craft market, will be bringing two crafts together to mash them up and see how they both collide!
• Pinterest Super Pinners – meet the ‘Super Pinners’ who have hundreds, thousands, even millions of followers and will inspire you to up your game
• Crafts Council – join Kirstie in conversation with Annie Warburton of the Crafts Council, about the importance of Craft and Design in education and its critical impact on future generations
• Kirstie in conversation with Cath Kidston – your chance to hear Cath’s inspiring story, from humble beginnings to global fashion & interiors super brand
• Kirstie Allsopp, Nick Ashley, Sasha Schwerdt and Cath Kidston – Kirstie hosts a panel discussion with three key people about their days working with British interior icon Laura Ashley

Despite being a huge Pinterest fan, I’ve elected to go to the Mollie Makes Mash-Up!

Grand Makes (30 minutes):

There’s nothing better than learning and sharing crafts with fellow enthusiasts. In the mass makes tents you’ll be taught how to craft something in a few minutes for your home, for a party, or as a gift.

Choose between #WorldPomination with Rosy Nicholas, or Gift-Wrapping with Jane Means. I’ve opted for #WorldPomination which promises to teach you how to make pompoms in minutes and inspire you with ideas on how to use them. We’ll also be trying to set a new world record!

The fair looks to be more interactive than the Hobbycraft fair at ExCel that I recently attended, so I can’t wait to be inspired! I found out about the fair via the Hobbycrafts Club newsletter. You can also get exclusive pre-sale tickets by signing up to the The Handmade Fair mailing list. When you sign up, you’ll be sent a free downloadable craft, courtesy of Mollie Makes – a lovely touch!

Pre-sale tickets are available now until 27th April (£29), however there’s a limited number available, so do book early if you don’t want to miss out! Normal tickets will be on sale from June.

I really can’t wait! Bring on September! #HandmadeFair