Ray Stitch

Founded by Rachel Hart in 2008, Ray Stitch started life as an online store, offering a “one-stop shop
for fabrics and haberdashery”. A narrow but immaculately presented store in Islington quickly followed in 2011, with fabric upon fabric folded two meters high, like the well-organised wardrobe of a sultan.

Ray Stitch offers a good selection of fabrics, from felt to flannel, organza to organic wool. They have a wide selection of designer and sustainable fabrics, offering both the “virtuous and the beautiful”. They also have classic vintage-style haberdashery staples such as tape measures and pinking shears from Merchant and Mills Notions, guidance books and magazines, embroidery patterns focusing on themes including Chihuahuas, cow girls and voodoo skulls, and an almost inexhaustible selection of thread and ribbons.

Perhaps the biggest draw of Ray Stitch, however, is the vast selection of patterned fabric they offer in a variety of interesting, attractive, usual, and most importantly of all modern designs. Anyone who has studied textiles or attempted forays into the world of dress-making will tell you it is hard work sourcing quality materials in modern patterns. All too often a visit to a fabric shop yield little more than dreadfully old fashioned, garish prints fit only for caravan curtains in the 1970s. Patterns from Ray Stitch however are attractive, cute, and most importantly wearable - the Japanese prints in particular are utterly divine, featuring themes as broad as rodeo scenes, birch trees and anthropomorphic mice. There are also large print patterns ideal for upholstery, some of which literally take up meters of space.

 

In addition to the sale of their wears, Ray Stitch hold a range of sewing classes for anyone from children through to advanced adult. Classes focus on a variety of innovative and useful concepts, from a beginners guide to the sewing machine, to creating roman blinds and curtains, teenager after school dressmaking and how to recreate your favourite garment. Classes are held regularly in store with sewing machines, drinks and snacks. One to one classes are also available. 

Ray Stitch is open Tuesday to Sunday, and has very reasonable delivery charges for online customers. They have a constantly revolving stock line, with new items in most weeks (a new favourite of mine being the elegant French patterns from Deer and Doe). And like all good places, they even have an in-store café, which sells coffee and homemade cakes throughout the day – fabulous.

http://www.raystitch.co.uk/

Technology Will Save Us

Fully ensconced in the hippest part of the East London scene is Technology Will Save Us – a bright new company that works to encourage people to be more creative with technology through interactive products and workshops.

Technology Will Save Us are essentially a hard-wear kit company, but with a fun twist that aims to inspire and encourage better relations with technology. Founded 18 months ago by wife and husband team Bethany Koby and Daniel Hirshman, the idea behind Technology Will Save Us is to offer a “haberdashery for technology” providing all the tools you need to make devises from scratch.

 

Koby and Hirshman developed the company ethos after being shocked to find a fully charged, useable laptop in a skip. The pair cleaned it up and donated it to charity, but were incensed by the throwaway culture many of us now have towards what is still marvellously impressive technology. They determined that in our modern, post-recession society we often cherish our own creations, while consuming and disposing of purchases rapidly. Giving people the tools and knowledge to create and fix technology (much like many already do with sewing or baking) would make people much more likely to reuse rather than repurchase.

 

Technology Will Save Us offer kits that will allow you to create a variety of clever technological feats, included DIY speakers, plant thirst detectors and synthesisers, as well as vital “make to and mend” basics such as soldering kits. These kits provide the equipment to create cool, clever devices that you will want to own, use, or even better create yourself.  

As well as offering the tools to create hardware from scratch, Technology Will Save Us are dedicated to helping people with the on-going process of learning how to create this technology for themselves. They hold regular workshops and events at venues throughout London, from House of Wolf to the Google Campus, to their own HQ in South Hackney. Workshops offer a fully integrated classes, providing attendees with a kit alongside the perfect combination of guidance and independent learning. Sessions usually last an hour or two, and mixed abilities are welcome. And you even get a cocktail to enjoy throughout the session.

 

Technology Will Save Us kits start from a very reasonable £12.50. Each kit is fun to make, presumes no prior knowledge, and are available to buy online or through various outlets in East London such as Rough Trade East and TWSU HQ. Remote help creating your technology is readily available through FAQs and downloadable user guides.

http://technologywillsaveus.org/