Tag: Hobbycraft

Hobbycraft teams up with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for The Big Bedazzle

A WEEK OF GLITZ, GLAMOUR AND CRAFTING

In tribute to the late country music legend, Hobbycraft has teamed up with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for a special week of bedazzling workshops across 105 stores, with donations supporting children’s love of reading.

In honour of Dolly’s love of rhinestones and commitment to children’s literacy, Hobbycraft has thrown its support behind Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library by creating a joyful week of bedazzling that’s as unique as she was.

Available exclusively at Hobbycraft, The Big Bedazzle Workshops will take place in several stores nationwide with one workshop per day between 9-5pm (subject to availability), starting from Monday 21st September, and culminating on Give Like Dolly Day, Friday 25th September.

The workshops are £6 per person, with £2.16 donated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, covering the cost of funding one book for a child in the UK.

The sessions will be led by Hobbycraft colleagues and Artisans – who are no strangers to the sequin – giving families and local communities the opportunity to come together and support a cause close to Dolly’s heart, helping her legacy live on in rhinestone-studded glory.

Everything can be bedazzled. From sunglasses, cowboy hats, backpacks, phone cases, trainers, denim jackets, or even get a head start on your Christmas jumper. Hobbycraft is encouraging people to simply bring an item from home or pick one up in store, before customising it with DDotz Freestyle Dotz, gems and sequins in a riot of colours. Gem-maxxing is positively encouraged, because when it comes to sparkle, more is more.

Emma Pickworth, from Hobbycraft’s Workshop team comments: “The Big Bedazzle brings together two things we know our customers love – creativity and community – while helping us support the incredible work of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

“For one week, we’re inviting everyone to put on their Stetson, pull up their cowboy boots and channel their inner country star with in-store workshops. The bigger and flashier the better – just think, WWDD (What Would Dolly Do?).”

Clare Cook, Fundraising and Communications Director at Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library comments: “We’re thrilled that Hobbycraft is supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library by bringing families and communities together for a week of creativity.

“Every donation will help us put more books into the hands of children and give more little ones the opportunity to discover the joy of reading. We hope everyone gets be-dazzling and, in true Dolly style, adds a little more sparkle to the world!”

Customers can book their place online, via the ClassBento page. Additional donations to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will be available to consumers in-store on Friday 25th September.

Donations will help support the charity’s work providing free, high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five, helping to inspire a lifelong love of reading and support early childhood development.

Bedazzling ideas to get started:

  • WWDD? (What Would Dolly Do?) – Give an everyday item the ‘Dolly’ treatment. Think cowboy hats, handbags, and sunglasses or even a pair of socks
  • Bedazzle a Dolly-inspired look – Take inspiration from her iconic stage style with rhinestone-heavy collars, cuffs, hems, and accessories
  • 9 to 5, but make it sparkle – Transform a plain workwear piece into something that takes centre stage on the commute Jolene-worthy denim – Bedazzle a denim jacket, jeans or bag with a little extra country glam
  • GemMAXX – Go all-out with the biggest, sparkliest design possible. The more gems, the better
  • Dolly-fy your accessories – Skincare, stationery, phone case, hats, hair accessories… anything goes!
  • Spread the sparkle – Bedazzle something to gift to someone else and pass on a little Dolly-inspired joy
  • What would Dolly wear? – Pick an iconic Dolly-inspired outfit and create your own craft version using gems, sequins, and embellishments

Hobbycraft: The Great British Sewing Bee is sparking a sewing revival

DIY fashion is having a major moment, with a new generation turning to sewing, customisation and upcycling to create more individual and conscious wardrobes.

With The Great British Sewing Bee currently airing its latest series, sewing is reaching a new generation of makers – with TikTok and Instagram helping to make everything from upcycling tutorials to handmade fashion more accessible and aspirational.

#Sewing has racked up a huge 3.5M searches on TikTok, while Google searches for “sewing” have soared 235% since The Great British Sewing Bee returned in July, compared with the same period last year.

Rather than following fast fashion trends, younger consumers are increasingly looking to make, customise and transform clothing themselves, creating pieces that feel more personal and unique. From styling concert outfits to altering vintage finds, sewing has become another form of self-expression. And with growing interest in extending the life of clothes, upcycling and repairing are also giving sewing a fresh relevance.

For those looking to try DIY fashion for themselves, Hobbycraft has everything from sewing machines, fabric and thread to scissors, patches and haberdashery essentials, making it easy to transform existing pieces or create something completely new.

Whether adding patches to a favourite jacket, altering a garment or making clothes from scratch, the retailer offers a range of products to help makers bring their ideas to life.

To mark its 175th anniversary, Singer Sewing Machines is offering customers the chance to win a spot at an exclusive workshop with Patrick Grant at its London school.

Customers who purchase a Singer sewing machine before 16th October 2026 can enter the prize draw. Winners will be invited to upcycle a garment or accessory of their choice, with support from Patrick and Singer’s sewing experts, making the workshop suitable for all levels, from complete beginners to experienced sewers.

Hobbycraft also offers a nationwide programme of sewing workshops for all abilities, helping budding makers build their confidence and develop their skills.

With The Great British Sewing Bee inspiring new audiences, DIY fashion is proving that creating your own style is the ultimate way to stand out.

TODAY: Hobbycraft’s Superhero Saturday returns

Capes, crafts and community: Hobbycraft’s Superhero Saturday returns to raise vital funds for children’s hospices

The UK’s largest arts and crafts retailer, Hobbycraft, is calling on the nation’s creative superheroes to get involved as its much-loved Superhero Saturday fundraising event returns to stores across the UK today, raising vital funds for long-standing charity partner, Together for Short Lives.

Hobbycraft colleagues and customers will be encouraged to unleash their creative superpowers, with stores transformed into heroic headquarters for a day of fundraising, fun and creativity. From dressing up as favourite superheroes to taking part in creative activities, bake sales and other fundraising challenges, there will be plenty of ways for customers to get involved and show their support.

Every pound raised will help support Together for Short Lives and the UK’s 52 children’s hospices, providing vital care and support to children living with serious illness and their families.

Hobbycraft has partnered with Together for Short Lives since 2012, with colleagues and customers raising an incredible £3.4 million and counting over almost 14 years. The partnership is built around a shared belief in the power of creativity, art and play to bring joy, connection and precious moments to families facing unimaginably difficult circumstances.

Natalie Amosu, Marketing Director at Hobbycraft, comments: “At Hobbycraft, we believe creativity has the (super)power to bring comfort, joy and connection, and there’s no better example of that than Superhero Saturday.

“Every cape made, every craft sold and every pound raised helps give families facing unimaginable circumstances a little more support. Powered by our incredible colleagues and customers, we are all committed to making this event magical and memorable.”

Nick Carroll, Chief Executive at Together for Short Lives, comments: “Sitting right at the heart of our partnership is the shared belief that art and play have the power to enrich the lives of the children and families we support.

“To them, it’s not just painting, drawing and crafting. It’s a smile, a story and a memory made which that family will treasure forever.

“We’re so grateful to every single caped crusader and creative customer at Hobbycraft who no doubt will make this year’s Superhero Saturday the best one yet.”

Superhero Saturday will take place in Hobbycraft stores across the UK today – Saturday 22nd August.

Customers can visit their local store to take part in fundraising activities and help support children’s hospices and the families who rely on their vital services.

Yarn-Bombed Postboxes Pop Up for David Attenborough’s 100th Birthday

This May, red post boxes across the UK have been transformed into colourful crochet tributes to British wildlife, marking Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.

Launched by Hobbycraft, the nationwide “yarn bombing” campaign sees handcrafted toppers appearing in key locations linked to Sir David’s life – from his current hometown of London to Cambridge, where he studied, and Leicester, where he grew up, as well as Edinburgh, Manchester, Bournemouth and Glasgow; turning everyday street furniture into joyful celebrations of nature.

The toppers will be dropping throughout the month of May.

Each topper features detailed scenes inspired by British wildlife, including bees, squirrels, and woodland habitats, designed to delight passers-by and spark conversations about the natural world.

The postbox topper installations were created by Hobbycraft’s Knitcraft expert Natalie Beard @sewing_the_seeds_of_love, who said: “Each topper is a celebration of Sir David’s incredible legacy and the wildlife he’s spent his life championing.

“We hope they inspire people to get creative and connect with nature. Hobbycraft has everything you need to get crafting.”

At the end of May, the toppers will be donated or auctioned to raise funds for environmental charities.