Have a crafty Autumn

Thomas Baldwin takes a look at events for lovers of arts and crafts this autumn.

THE evenings are drawing in, the schools are back, and, while we have hopefully not seen the back of the good weather for this year, thoughts are starting to turn to autumn. For Church of Scotland congregations, that means the start of a new church year, and with it the beginning of a new session for Guilds, Sunday Schools and other organisations – including church craft groups.

Crafts are a social mainstay of many churches, giving people a chance to get together while sharing and developing their talents – and, in these days of high energy bills, to be in a warm space for a couple of hours. It can also be a non-threatening first experience of church for someone who is unsure about attending worship.

For many craft groups there is a charitable element, such as knitting baby hats for maternity units or to be sent overseas in Christmas shoeboxes. For others, there is a religious aspect: several Scottish churches have prayer shawl ministries, sending out shawls to recipients in need of comfort for any reason, with the assurance of the prayers and blessings of the congregation.

For craft-y people, this season offers opportunities all over Scotland to be inspired, to pick up ideas and supplies, and to buy unique items for themselves or as Christmas gifts.

Probably the largest is the Creative Craft Show at SEC Glasgow from October 26-29, described as ‘a haven for knitting, crossstitching, paper crafting, jewellery making, dressmaking and stitching enthusiasts, offering all the very latest supplies, ideas and innovations in the hobby world… everything from kits, charts and patterns to fabrics, yarns threads and buttons plus opportunities to glean advice from industry experts’.

That is running in tandem with Simply Christmas, The Crafty Christmas Show, ‘a seasonal dream with exhibitors showcasing exclusive ranges of bespoke and unusual gifts including glassware, jewellery, art, candles, ceramics, clothing and more’. One ticket gets you into both events. 

Continuing the yuletide theme, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall has a Christmas Craft Art and Design Fair on November 25-26, and Edinburgh Assembly Rooms are holding a Christmas Fair on December 2-3.