Here at Ragged Life, we’re on a mission to bring the joys of rag rugging to crafters all over the U.K. We started off running workshops in London and Hertfordshire, but our real aim is to run workshops far and wide, so that everyone can get involved and enjoy a great day out learning this craft that we’re so passionate about.

That being said, we’ve had a few new workshop locations pop up over the past year, including Oh Sew Ditsy in Brighton, The York Makery in York and… drum roll please… our most recent venue – Crafty Sew & So in Leicester.

Leicester Rag Rug Workshops at Crafty Sew & So:

So what makes Crafty Sew & So sooooo great? 

1. The Location:

One of the reasons why we chose for our new Leicester rag rug workshops to be run at Crafty Sew & So is for the obvious reason that this cute craft haven is brilliantly located, right in the heart of Leicester city centre. Not only is it central, but Crafty Sew & So is also nestled in St. Martin’s Square – the quirky, creative quarter of Leicester, which means that there are plenty of cute cafes, art galleries and independent shops to explore before and after classes. Below you can see the exact location of the shop… you won’t get much more central than that!

Not only is Crafty Sew & So a great location for Leicester locals, but it’s also easily accessible from surrounding areas. Below we’ve listed the distance from a few nearby towns and cities, so you can get an idea of how easy it is to make the trip over. If you’re from any of these cities or towns, we do hope that you join us as it’s always fun meeting new people!

Distances and travel times from nearby towns / cities: 

Loughborough – 13 miles – 34 mins drive (10 mins train, then a 14 minute walk)

Coventry – 26 miles – 50 mins drive (1 hour 10 min bus (X6 towards Leicester) then a 4 minute walk)

Nottingham – 29.3 miles – 1 hour drive  (26 mins train, then a 14 minute walk)

Northampton – 39.1 miles – 1 hour drive (1 hour 17 min bus (X7 towards Leicester) then a 12 minute walk)

Derby – 32.6 miles – 1 hour 10 mins drive (22 mins train, then a 14 minute walk)

Peterborough – 41.6 miles – 1 hour 15 mins drive  (54 minute train, then a 14 minute walk)

Birmingham – 44.8 miles – 1 hour 15 mins drive  (1 hour train, then a 14 minute walk)

2. The ambience and craft vibes

As well as location, an important criteria for us when choosing a new Ragged Life location is to make sure that it’s pretty. If you’re making gorgeous rag rug creations, you want to be inspired by the space around you. We believe that when working in a bright, colourful, open and well-decorated space, you feel enthused to make something original and fun 🙂

3. Our excellent Rag Rug Teacher in Leicester:

It doesn’t matter how good a venue is if the workshop itself isn’t any good, and here at Ragged Life, we pride ourselves on delivering the best rag rug workshops out there. One of the hardest parts of expanding our workshops across the country is finding excellent tutors who are able to teach rag rugging to the high standards that we expect. Well, we’re lucky enough to have found and trained up a truly excellent rag rug tutor in Leicester, so without further adieu, we’d like to introduce you to our Crafty Sew & So teacher, Emma:

Leicester Rag Rug Workshops Teacher Q&A:

Hi Emma, welcome to the Ragged Life team. Would you mind telling us a bit about yourself?

Sure, I’d love to. I’ve lived in Leicester all my life, so have a real fondness for the city and its arts and crafts scene – there’s nowhere else on Earth that I’d rather live right now. I’ve always been very hands-on and I’ve always been interested in making all sorts of things using different art forms… take this woven rag rug below, for example, which I made out of old clothing and a hula hoop:

Or this bag that I made out of an old t-shirt:

I already have a lot of experience teaching as I run art and craft workshops at festivals across the Midlands. I enjoy meeting new people and making friends at the fairs and festivals, then dancing to great music afterwards 🙂

And how long have you been working with Ragged Life and Crafty Sew and So? What is it about working here that you enjoy?

I’ve been working with Ragged Life and Crafty Sew and So for a few months now and have loved every minute of it. I feel so lucky that I’ve managed to turn a new, fun hobby (which I personally find relaxing) into a job teaching others about the joys of rag rugging.

One of the main reasons why I enjoy running the Ragged Life rag rug workshops at Crafty Sew and So is the people that I get to meet. It’s so nice seeing how happy people are when they go away having learned a new skill and it’s great fun hearing all about their hobbies and experiences whilst crafting together. Who wouldn’t want to meet like-minded people?

What is it about rag rugging that you enjoy?

I’m a keen Eco-Warrior, recycling and reusing all that I can. I love rag rugging because you are making creations out of unwanted scraps of fabric, particularly those left over from other craft projects. I never throw things away when I know that they could be useful for something else and rag rugging is a fantastic outlet for my creativity. Here are just a few of my creations so far…

As a rag rug teacher, what do you find is the most useful tip you could give to a beginner?

The one tip that I would give to beginner rag ruggers is don’t rush; take your time to get the technique right first. Once you get past the point of thinking about what you are doing, then it will flow easily. Everyone feels cack-handed at the beginning but everyone finds their rhythm eventually, and once you do, it’s one of the most relaxing crafts out there.

What would you say to anyone thinking about coming to a rag rug workshop? 

I would say come and along and give it a go. You never know, you might catch the rag rug bug like I did! Both the half day and full day workshops teach you all you need to know to get started and everyone is super friendly and welcoming. Also, there’s coffee, tea and biscuits… Crafting, conversation, refreshments and biscuits… what else would you want?

And why is Crafty Sew & So, in particular, a great space for these workshops?

Crafty Sew & So is in a great location in the middle of Leicester city centre. It has parking close by, friendly and helpful owners and a spacious, airy and light workshop space. I always leave feeling rejuvenated.

Thanks Emma! 🙂

So, there you have it. We hope you enjoyed our introduction to our new rag rug workshops in Leicester. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you there soon.

Book your onto a Full Day or Half Day Rag Rug Workshop at Crafty Sew and So here: https://www.raggedlife.com/pages/book-a-class or if you have any questions, you can get in touch with Elspeth via email at hello@raggedlife.com

If you’d like to be the first to hear about new workshops or to see our new creations first, why not join our Rag Rug Community on Facebook for advice, resources and gorgeous rag rug photos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RagRugCommunity/

Or connect with us on social media at:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raggedlife/

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