garter stitch 100 this sunday

Back to Basics would like to invite you to go along and join in their event this Sunday 20th (2-5pm) in support of Garterstitch 100's 100 million stitches for 100 million women initiative linking to International Women's day. You'll find Back to Basics at 29 Old Ford Road, just along a few doors from St Margaret's House.

It is estimated that 100 million women are missing from the world due to gender discrimination. Each stitch will represent a woman "missing" for reasons including gender provoked infanticide or abortion, sex trafficking and complications in childbirth.

Please take along your creativity and a cake to share if you'd like to. They will provide, tea, needles and yarn (but if you'd like to bring your own you are very welcome!). If you haven't knitted before they can give you some coaching. Crocheters also invited!

It's a lovely space with lovely people - you'll have fun.

(The photo comes from a little knitting session that Elizabeth was asked to run for a women's group at the Osmani Centre last week.  We really enjoyed our morning.   It was great to work with such attentive students and share the knitting love.  It's what we're all about, after all.) 

february meetings, in and out

Hope you can join us for our meetings and outings this month.  Inspired by the new film exploring the challenges faced by King George VI, we are kicking off with a night out to see The King's Speech this Thursday 10th February.  Meet us at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA.  The show starts at 8.30pm, but we'll start assembling just after 8.

At our evening meeting on on Tuesday 15th February, we'll be following up with a talk on stammering by Julia Ammon from the British Stammering Association.  Meet as usual at St Margaret's House, 21Old Ford Road, E2 9PL,  7.30 for 8pm start.  We'll provide tea, coffee and more fun, though feel free to bring a bottle too if you wish.  Non- members welcome (suggested £3 donation).

Our coffee morning on Friday 18th February is a little further afield, this time to the Foundling Museum, Brunswick Square to see their exhibition 'Threads of Feeling", a display of the fabrics mothers left to identify their children when they left them at the original Foundling Hospital.  There will also be a chance to see other exhibits at the museum.  We'll be meeting in the cafe at 10.30 and our group visit will start at 11am.  Please note that there is an entry fee of £5 per person to pay.

Finally, don't forget that we'll be serving tea and cake at the WI Crafts Day this Saturday 12th February at the Women's Library, Old Castle Street, EI (just round the corner from Aldgate East station) , 11- 4pm.   This family event will bring together WI members from different federations to provide a historical context to WI crafts and the role that the WI has played in saving traditional crafts.  It will demonstrate some of the contemporary work of the WI and provide an opportunity to learn more with stalls, display and demonstrations, including patchwork quilting, knitting, lacework and rag rugs.  YOu'll also be able to see Handmade Tales, the current exhibition.  It would be lovely to see you there supporting the WI and the Women's Library.

Busy, busy, busy....

lovely times

Thanks so much to Ella for being our official photographer on our night out at the Olive.   It was such a lovely evening. Attentive service, great food and first class company- thirty three of us!  Loved it.

swished!

Oh my goodness.  What an exhausting evening that was.  So many of you bringing in your unwanted goodies to swap with some really generous contributions,  and so many swishing bargains to be had.  Lots of happy faces at home time as people left with their newly acquired treasures. 

Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun with such good humour, especially those of you who worked on valuing stuff, setting up the stalls, collecting the tokens and making the tea (lovely cake again, Elizabeth).  I've been making the most of my new red cardi - just right for the cold snap that's coming up this weekend.  Hope you are enjoying the additions to your wardrobes too.  Let's do it again sometime.

Off now to get my gladrags on for our EEWI supper at The Olive. xx

get swishing!

If, like me, you've adopted a "one in, one out" policy to manage the amount of stuff in your cupboards, you might want to take advantage of our swishing session at our next meeting on 18th January. The idea is you bring good quality, unwanted clothes and Christmas gifts and exchange then for a token or tokens and then once we have taken in all the goods you can use your tokens to buy back something for yourself. You can bring any clothes or gifts as long as they are in good condition and you REALLY don't want them any more. We will "price" them up -please don't get offended if you feel we have under-priced your items - we will be trying to get the pricing done as swiftly as possible so we can get the shopping started!!! We may also have a system for purchasing tokens if you don't have any stuff to bring along - you don't have to come armed with swaps to come along and take part!

7.30pm start - we will attempt to get all your items in and priced up by 8.30pm then the shopping will commence.

Tea and coffee provided, please feel free to bring a bottle.

Free for members , £3 for visitors at St Margaret's House 21 Old Ford Road E2.

www.stmargaretshouse.org.uk

For our coffee morning on Friday 21st January we are going to visit the Museum of London in Docklands at West India Quay for coffee. Entry is free, so you can go straight in to the cafe to meet at 10.30am, then if you fancy it, catch up on local history at the museum with a visit to the Siege of Sidney Street exhibition.  Or something less worthy...

To help us get through the rest of January, don't forget too that we're having our post Christmas supper at the Olive on 26th January.  Let Niki know if you are coming so that we can book in advance.

See you soon.

christmas starts here

Our traditional Christmas Craft evening this week was a cracking finish for our meetings this year.  It's always such a pleasure to see everyone looking so pleased with the things they made.  It was lovely too to see our "We Heart EEWI" tree surrounded by the generous gifts members brought for our friends at U-Turn.

Mulled wine, mince pies and our first Christmas Craft Market added to the hubbub.  There was so much tempting gorgeousness around.  Special thanks go to Jill for generously making the screen printed and hand painted bags - wonderful designs and an absolute snip at £4 a bag - there are a few left if anyone's interested, but be quick.  (You'll find a link to all of our stallholders details here shortly.)

Congratulations to the winners of our annual mince pie bake off (sorry - only crumbs left when I thought about taking a picture), the Christmas Quiz and Guess the Weight of the Queensland Blue (!) competions.  And many, many thanks to Jo, Elizabeth and Veronika for leading our flowery, hearty and chocolatey activities and our heroic and flu-battered Clare for her alchemical skills at mixing mulled wine.  

The last word goes to , Niki who puts so much seemingly endless energy into making EEWI such a vibrant community of women:

"One of the best moments for me was seeing one of the U-Turn staff struggling down the alleyway with an Ikea bag filled to the brim with presents. Your generosity never ceases to move me and U-Turn is so grateful to us for this gesture - it means an awful lot to them so thank you from me, the committee and from Rio Vella, Project Director of U-Turn.

Our coffee morning today was so great and as the snow fell on the garden at the Geffrye Museum we drank tea and ate cake watching the landscape outside become very Christmassy indeed."

Indeed, indeed.  

Happy Christmas to you all.

we heart EEWI

If you are in Bethnal Green tomorrow,  do pop in and see the East End WI Christmas Tree at the Christmas Tree Festival at Bethnal Green Mission, opposite the Museum of Childhood in Cambridge Heath Road.  There are some charming and quirky creations in there and we heart out little EEWI  tree.  I mean where else are you going to find a tree with icing sugar as fake snow? It's free to get in and you should be able to buy a cup of tea if you need one (as one does).