Instagram story viewer> @utilifolk> Tagged

Beccy Evans / UtiliFolk

@utilifolk

642

followers

1914

following

Garments, patches & fabric things from unwanted textiles. Rework commissions, repair & community stitching.
For design consultancy see @feralcrayon

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Why did I open my mouth 😒

I challenged Chemmy Alcott to "A ZIP Off !!!!! " I mean I should just keep my mouth shut ⛔️

Can I teach an Olympic Downhill Skier to change a Zipper slider in 60 seconds?

I mean I love zips, but this is probably ridiculous as Chemmy can ski downhill at 148 Km per hour 👀

Any tips welcome
Katy
Xxx

Thanks to Chemmy who is an Ambassador for Protect Our winters uk

#ziphack #brokenzipper #zipperreplacement #diyculture #zipchallenge

262

22

A huge welcome to our newest pledge, @utilifolk !

Utilifolk is a social sewing group (currently at Wood Street Bear) - they also run StitchHikes (short walks into local green spaces to sit and stitch in nature). Aside occasional age restrictions (when things are not for kids) all their events and workshops are open and welcome everyone.

The told us:

“Since starting the Wood Street Sewing Bear I’ve met so many new people and realised how valuable it is for humans to have a wide variety of ways to come together. Stitching is such a useful skill, as well as great pastime and a wonderful way to spend time with others and strengthen our sense of community”

#Walthamforest #walthamstow #thisiswhatcommunitylookslike #trans #woodstreet

20

0

So much amazing input in the last week in Chapel End #E17 at our community picnic last weekend and Walthamstow Central Library for the Future Walthamstow Forest neighbourhood assembly last night.

So many great conversations, all taken down and will be collated to help @lbwalthamforest plan with residents’ views firmly included.

Brilliant to meet you all!

21

0

** Be more Festival - Part 1**

Festivals are wonderful liminal spaces. The usual rules loosen. People who'd never normally sit in the same tent find themselves doing exactly that - all drawn toward a future that feels more possible than the one we read about every day. 🌍

That's why I love hosting Darwin's Den at @thebigretreatfestival - my Cymbrogi space for difficult conversations - now twice a year, most recently in Cambridgeshire.

Why Darwin? The original beyond-horizon thinker. His real insight was never survival of the fittest - it was the most adaptable. Not certainty. Adaptability.

Some come to a wellbeing festival for personal fitness…yoga mats, breathwork in the woods. Focus on body and mind. Darwin's Den is the natural extension: building a collective mental fitness too, taking a room of strangers beyond the sum of their parts. Because underneath "am I okay?" sits a quieter anxiety ‘are we okay?’ Can we build safer, fairer, cleaner, greener…together?

In fitness terms: Futures Literacy built rep one. @twcrowther, rep two - hope as science. @benrawlence, rep three - letters to his children from a changing planet. Jillian Reilly @thetenpermissions named it directly: adaptability is a skill, rep by rep. Dr Ash Brockwell trained us to sit with complexity via LIS's Mindshifts. The @re_action_collective got us Finding the Others. @nebriefing kept us honest, no room for denial. And Beccy @utilifolk took us into the woods on a StitchHike - a revolution starts with a single stitch.

Poetry and storytelling threaded through it all - a muscle is nothing without emotional buy-in.

We exist to build changemaker mindsets and climate-smart skills. So imagine my delight when someone told me: "I came with a yoga mat and plans for deep breathing in the woods… but ended up in your tent most of the time - it gave me a bigger sense of wellbeing than yoga ever could! I found my tribe!"

Personal and collective fitness are just a sequence. A tent full of strangers - now friends - built something none of us could alone.

Who's joining us round the campfire next year? 🔥

#FuturesLiteracy #ChangeMaking #ClimateHope #TheBigRetreat #DarwinsDen

16

1

It was lovely to spend time with other stitchers outside last Saturday, stitching next to the river Ching in Epping Forest. Beccy Evans @utilifolk led us on a ‘Stitch and stroll’. She provided scraps of cloth and shapes to appliqué. I added some strips of curtain fabric from my scrap bag when I got home.

Beccy’s embroidered coat is on display at Hale End Library, along with the work of other artists who have all responded in their own way to the river Ching. More details of the ‘Wild ways along the Ching’ exhibition can be found at @artillery_arts

#slowstitch #slowstitching #stitchingoutside #stitchingoutdoors #simpleappliqué

22

1

Local Green councillors and artists @cllrkerr and @sue.wheat at the opening of the @artillery_arts @lbwalthamforest supported Wildways along the Ching exhibition.

Over 40 delightful works by local artists inspired by the River Ching, check it out this month.

Hale End Library, Castle Avenue, Highams Park, E4 9QD
Friday 4 September - Saturday 3 October during library opening times

Please DM if you I haven’t yet managed to find and tag you in your artwork.

54

10

Summer go-slow part 2
Eclipse watching, and Gower trip!

14

0

Last week we had the incredible opportunity to experience Formula E during practice race day with @envisionracing 🏎️ 💥

We received a warm welcome from the awesome team, having an up-close look at their garage, insightful and inspiring conversation, driving simulation in the fan area, and even the chance to witness some racing! 🛞⚡️

Thanks to everyone at Envision Racing for a wonderful day💫

We are ecstatic to soon reveal what we design and create using their deadstock materials kindly gifted to us in the coming month @utilifolk 💫 🪡 👗

Stay tuned!

#formulae #envisionracing #upcycle #deadstock #newworkingclass

15

2

The Summer go-slow part 1
France, Bristol, Wales.
Walking, paddling, stitching, reading, art, swimming and sunsets.
A light sprinkling of work inbetween.
Outside as much as possible.
Lots of family time.
Trying to not be overwhelmed by the perpetual heatwaves.

16

0

FROM THE GRID, TO THE RUNWAY

Yesterday we kickstarted the first session of our Summer Upcycling Workshop - From the Grid, To the Runway☀️🪡 🏎️

After an introduction with Beccy of @utilifolk , we got stuck in looking at different reworking techniques, exploring the deadstock pieces gifted to us by @envisionracing, and even managed to get some ideas to paper ✍️ 👗 🧠

What would you do with these pieces to create a new clothing collection? 🤔

Week 2 takes us somewhere very exciting 😝👀🏎️

#summer #upcycling #newworkingclass #deadstock #workshop

17

0

WHAT'S ON IN EAST THIS WEEK 👇☀️✨

Mon 3 – Sun 9 Aug

August has arrived ☀️ Think family theatre, summer socials, makers markets, workshops and plenty of reasons to stay local.

Your excuse to leave the house:

🎭 Theatre + Live Performance

📍 @sohotheatre – 186 Hoe St E17

Wed 5 Aug onwards — Alice in Wonderland 🌸

Family shows continue throughout the week.

📍 @tradese17 – 61-63 Tower Hamlets Rd E17

Thu 6 Aug — @jazzattrades

Plus regular community events, music and film nights all week.

🎶 Music, Comedy & Summer Nights

📍 @themalthaus

Wed 5 Aug — Dungeons & Dragons Pop-Up

📍 @woodstbear

Wed 5 Aug — @utilifolk x @woodstbear Great Wood St Sewing Bear

📍 @albacaffelondon

Thu 6 Aug — @thecurrymistress One-Night Pop-Up

📍 Across E17

Summer sessions continue at @signaturebrewbh, @40ftbrewery, @fillybrook, @blondiestaproom, @prettydecenttaprooms, @burntfaith, @mothersruine17 and @e17taproomsounds.

🛍️ Markets, Pop-Ups & Local Finds

📍 Across East London

Discover independent makers and exhibitions at @thisishost, @pavement_store_london, @threerooms_e17, @creativeworks.space, @garage_gallery_e17, @gsstudiose11 and @oneofsixdesign.

📍 @claptoncraft

Resident street food from @thecurrymistress continues in Wood Street.

🎨 Workshops & Community

📍 @walthamstowwetlands

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Trail continues throughout the summer.

📍 Across E17

Creative workshops, wellness sessions and community events continue at @arvo.sauna, @skandihus_classes, @misfit_gym_walthamstow, @eastofeden17 and @pausestudiolondon.

🍴 Food & Drink

Summer dining continues across East London with @oldstationyardcafe, @loop.dining, @weirdough__bakery, @swirl_e10, @vinoramica_tap, @gnarlyvineslondon, @forestwinese17 and @stone.minimarket.

🌿 Summer Plans

Long evenings = beer gardens, beach clubs, local markets and exploring neighbourhood favourites across Walthamstow, Leyton & Leytonstone.

✨ East London summer still undefeated.

Save this for later + tag who you're taking with you 👀

#SettleEast #WhatsOnE17 #EastLondonLiving #WalthamstowLife #Leyton #Leytonstone #SupportLocal #LondonSummer

5

0

ON YOUR MARKS…

It’s a week away until we kickstart our Summer Upcycling Programme🤩 🏎️ 🪡

Details below:

FROM THE GRID TO THE RUNWAY

6 weeks. One capsule collection. London Fashion Week.

💥Admissions Open💥

Makers. Merchandisers. Marketers.

Join our upcycling programme to create a capsule collection, reworking garments from Formula E - ready to showcase during London Fashion Week ✨

🪡 Led by designer Beccy Evans of @utilifolk
🏎️ In collaboration with James Mercer & Tilly Wilkinson of @envisionracing

Only 12 places.
Every Friday, 10am-4pm. August 7 for 6 weeks.
Registration closes August 5.

Hosted at NWC Clapham
189 Stonhouse Street
SW4 6BB

Register at newworkingclass.co.uk

We bring the expertise, the materials, the equipment, the space.
You bring the ideas, the talent, the drive.

Let’s go!… 🏎️ 🪡

7

0