After half a year of anticipation, I was over the moon to hear that tickets were once again on sale for the second of Kirstie Allsopp’s Handmade Fairs at Hampton Court Palace.

My sister and I attended the inaugural event last September, and have been keenly awaiting tickets for the 2015 event ever since – which promises to be just as good, if not better!

As soon as I received my discount code from the Hobbycraft Club, I was on the phone to my sister asking her to consult the schedule, for at the Handmade Fair you can book yourself onto your choice of workshops. Last year, we attended the Mollie Makes mash-up, attempted ‘world pom-ination’ with Rosy Nicholas, and make chandelier ear-rings with The London School of Jewellery.

This year the programme did not disappoint, with plenty of variety for keen craft-bods, and craft newbs alike. In the Super Theatre, you can observe masterclasses in everything from bread baking to upcycling. In the Grand Makes tent, you can try your hand at tibetan poetry bunting making, and block printing, and in the Skills Workshops you can learn new crafts spanning Papercraft, Textiles, Upcycling, and Seasonal Workshops. New to the skills line-up this year is the Wedding workshops, which includes everything from stationery marbling to creating DIY flower crowns.

Whilst it’s lovely to sit around in the sunshine at Hampton Court and grab a coffee, last year we found that ‘busy is better’, and as such, this year’s schedule is more jam-packed than ever. Here’s our proposed line-up (providing we can book additional places at the Skills workshops on the day):

10.00 – 10.25: GRAND MAKES: Wirework with Lucy Elisabeth
11.00 – 12.00: SUPER THEATRE: Chiara Perano and Calligraphy Sign Writing
12.30 – 13.30: SKILL – Upcycling: Upholster a drop-in seat with the Ministry of Upholstery
15.15 – 16.15: SKILL – Wedding: Flower Crowns with Kitten Grayson
16.45 – 17.30: SKILL – Papercraft: Lino Printed Stationery with Zeena Shah

Believe it or not, this still leaves time to book additional workshops (don’t worry, Origami, I’ve noted that we can squeeze you in after lunch). But on top of all this, there’s also the excellent shopping villages and stalls packed with craft suppliers (by golly, did I spend a lot last year!).

In conclusion, I wanted to spread the word that The Handmade Fair is back, and urge you to book your tickets if you haven’t already done so, as it’s set to be another genuinely brilliant event.

Pop the date in your diary now: Friday 18th – Sunday 20th September. Will you be going?