make believe cafe is about community and craft

This is a place to learn to make - to make gifts, to mend and make do, to make time for each other, to share and to inspire

events

Make Believe Café pops up as and when needed for community based projects.

Our events are diverse - from monthly craft evenings to day long workshops.

Learn traditional craft skills in a relaxed and lively space.

Scroll down to see our calender of forthcoming events.

Tattoo Parlour _ Wickle

Due to the cold weather this event has been postponed. Please watch this space for future dates.

Wickle , 24 High Street, Lewes BN7 2LU

01273 474 925

Tattoo your true feelings on your underwear for Valentine's Day.

The shop will be open, offering 10% discount for the duration of the evening.

£15 per ticket - booking essential

Craft at Wickle - Felt Collar Making

Thursday 13th October(new Date)7.30 - 9.30pm

Wickle , 24 High Street, Lewes BN7 2LU

01273 474 925

Join us for our monthly craft evening at Wickle. We will be making wonderful felt collars that are an wimsicle alternative to a necklace and add twinkle your T-shirt! As usual materials, tea, coffee or wine and a selection of little eats are included in the price.

The shop will be open, offering 10% discount for the duration of the evening.

£15 per ticket - booking essential

Craft at Wickle - Stocking Advent Calender

Thursday 3rd November 7.30 - 9.30pm

Wickle , 24 High Street, Lewes BN7 2LU

01273 474 925

Join us for our monthly craft evening at Wickle. Back by popular demand, we will be making and embroidering little felt stockings to be hung on a string, containing a gift for each day of Advent. A lovely alternative Advent Calender. As usual materials, tea, coffee or wine and a selection of little eats are included in the price.

The shop will be open, offering 10% discount for the duration of the evening.

£15 per ticket - booking essential

he Big Knit Making Winter Warmer for older people

The Big Knit

Lewes Football Ground

Kickoff is 3pm Sat 12 Nov. Tickets for the match are £10/£5 with kids going free.

Details of how to find the footie ground can be found here http://lewesfc.com/home

On Saturday 12 November, visitors to Lewes FCs match against Bury Town will be encouraged to bring knitting needles (4mm) and double knitting wool to the match. The aim is to get people knitting small red and black Rooks hats that will perch on the top of Innocent Smoothie drinks bottles. These will in turn be sold across the country, with 25p from each bottle sold being donated to Age Concern.

We will be on hand in the designated stands armed with spare needles and knitting knowhow to help struggling beginners and experienced knitters alike.

We want to bring two traditional pastimes together. Our hope is Rooks fans and newcomers to the Dripping Pan will enjoy the art of knitting whilst watching the game ... and if we can help raise money for charity whilst enjoying ourselves then we will be doubly pleased.

Since 2003 Innocent smoothies have been urging communities to knit small hats for their drinks bottles. In 2011 Innocent aim to hit the £1 million mark of total money raised over the campaigns history.

If you want to have a sneak preview at the pattern or get knitting in advance then check out the Innocent website for beginners, intermediate and advanced patterns.

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/bigknit/get_knitting/Patterns.pdf

Craft at Wickle - Porceline Tree Decorations

Thursday 1st December 7.30 - 9.30pm

Wickle , 24 High Street, Lewes BN7 2LU

01273 474 925

Join us for our monthly craft evening at Wickle. Our friend Sam Reece has kindly offered to show us how to make these beautiful porceline decorations which are ideal for the tree but wonderful all year round. As usual materials, tea, coffee or wine and a selection of little eats are included in the price.

The shop will be open, offering 10% discount for the duration of the evening.

£15 per ticket- booking essential

tattoo parlour tattoo poster 72.jpg

Tattoo Parlour

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED.

PLEASE CHECK WEBSITE FOR FUTURE DATES

Tattoo your true feelings on your underwear for Valentine's Day.

Bring your undies and we will show you how to paint tattoos onto them with fabric paints and sparkles.

football

Kickoff is 3pm Sat 12 Nov. Tickets for the match are £10/£5 with kids going free.

Details of how to find the footie ground can be found here http://lewesfc.com/home

On Saturday 12 November, visitors to Lewes FC s match against Bury Town will be encouraged to bring knitting needles (4mm) and double knitting wool (Rooks colours, if you like)to the match. The aim is to get people knitting small red and black Rooks hats that will perch on the top of Innocent Smoothie drinks bottles. These will in turn be sold across the country, with 25p from each bottle sold being donated to Age Concern.

We will be on hand in the designated stands armed with spare needles and knitting knowhow to help struggling beginners and experienced knitters alike.

If you want to have a sneak preview at the pattern or get knitting in advance then check out the Innocent website for beginners, intermediate and advanced patterns.

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/bigknit/get_knitting/Patterns.pdf

free tea & cake

The Big Knit

Lewes Football Ground

Saturday 12 November

bon bons

We are excited to announce the arrival of the Make Believe Café Bon Bon.

A cross between a piñata and pass the parcel, the Bon Bon is made by winding crepe paper streamers around a central gift. Each paper layer contains a small present. The small gifts are a mixture of kitch and craft, hand-made and vintage.

Our Bon Bons are themed around events Advent, weddings, Easter, birthdays; but they can also be created for a particular person a charm bracelet for a best friend, layers of seeds for a passionate gardener or lego bricks in every layer for the child in us all.

You can learn how to make one at our classes in September or you will soon be able to buy them direct from us. In the mean time they are available at Wickle 24 High Street Lewes BN7 2LU 01273 474925 Please contact us for more information.

gallery

paper caper
pimp your pants
pimp your wardrobe
crochet at Much Ado.jpg
UNA MANO

paper caper
pimp your pants
pimp your wardrobe
crochet at Much Ado.jpg

about us

Make Believe Café is about community and craft.

We all make - we make the bed, we make friends, we make babies, make dinner, make do. So, we have decided to pop up in shops, offices, bars, studios, trains and other odd places to make it easy for everyone to make craft part of everyday life - to make beautiful things to use everyday or something celebratory out of the ordinary; to make gifts; to make anything from a crocheted corsage to knickers, newspaper bunting, blankets, knitted beards and origami stars; to make time for each other, to share and to inspire.

We teach traditional craft with a contemporary twist and a café vibe. Our events are diverse from an hour in the park to monthly craft evenings and day-long workshops.

We knit, crochet, fold, embroider, stick, stuff, cut up and sew. Its all offered with a bit of humour and food, great coffee and sometimes a cocktail (or two).

We believe that we can all be part of a creative community and invite the kind of creativity that makes a difference to our daily lives. We want Make Believe Café to be a small but very significant diversion, a resource, a place of inspiration on line or in our local community; an excuse to bunk off, to get together to create and chat and eat.

There are three of us:

Emma is always making something or thinking about the next thing to make. It fits with her definition of happiness which is when you are totally absorbed in doing something. Since Bristol and Brighton Art Schools she has had a career spanning design, illustration, textiles and millinery. She has designed for companies such as M&S, Habitat and Harrods and further a field for Ikea, Barneys and Crate and Barrel.

Her love of craft was re-focused when she ran the parents craft group at her sons school. Being part of a group and watching peoples confidence grow was hugely inspiring and this is one of the things she most enjoys about Make Believe Café.

Lou has been itching for more time to make since she was a little girl. She has spent years gathering ephemera - bits of fabric, bones, photos, wool, driftwood, string, feathers and bottle tops just in case. For her, craft is about creativity, community and comfort. She comes from a line of Danish women who make beautiful, practical things. And talk. A lot. The simple act of slowing down for long enough to craft and to listen to each other is often the still axis at the center of their busy lives. She wants to broaden the circle and share whatever she is learning.

Through her life with too many children and her work as a writer, blogger and tribal belly dance teacher, she is currently crocheting - in the bus, in the pub, on the beach, in bed.

Look for her at thehyggeblog.blogspot.com.

Kelly is a craft novice, a journalist by trade. Make Believe Café is her Mr Ben escape hatch it provides a break from real life; a chance to play around with creative folk and eat cakes.

MBC was born from a daydream on a commuter train. For Kelly it's about marvelling at what we can do when get the ingrediants right and not waiting to embark on a project until it's all perfect but just getting on and doing it.

friends

Diana Uprichard

Diana is and old friend of ours. She can turn her hand to any craft and is a regular contibuter to Making Magazine.

You can often find her at the Patchwork Dog and B asket where she runs very popular sewing classes. At 4pm on Tuesdays she has a sewing class for the under 10s and at 4pm on Fridays she teaches a sewing class for children aged 10 and up. For further details you can email her here .

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