A Wonderful Week with Aitor and Tomomi

Goodness what a treat it has been to have Aitor Saraiba and Tomomi Mimura at Loop this week! The sheer creative joy these two have brought has been incredibly beautiful to watch.

We have been looking forward to our visit from Aitor and Tomomi (aka Mimstermade) for months, and it has been every bit as good as we hoped. From the playful shop window painting they collaborated on to the gorgeous communal feeling they’ve built in their workshops to the truly thrilling goodies they’ve brought along with them, we’re just totally overcome.

It’s so lovely to have the iconic Mimster Rabbit Kit back in the shop, featuring Tomomi’s signature mosaic-style embroidery. She has also brought some very exciting Mimster Assorted Yarn Packs. These include 10 mini skeins of Tomomi’s gorgeous hand-dyed yarns. They are honestly so special, and it’s rare to be able to buy these. Whether you’re planning some Tomomi-style mosaic embroidery or another project that requires small amounts of lots of colours, these are just exquisite.

Aitor brought wonderful kits, including some we’ve never had in the shop before! These got snapped up in a heartbeat, but we’ll have more over the coming weeks, and lots more this autumn (more on that below). If you hurry you may still be able to take home one of Aitor’s Mini Quilt Swans, and we’re pleased to say his super popular Amulet Kit should be with us in around three or four weeks, so keep an eye out for that — and don’t forget you can click “notify me when available” if you want to be the first to hear about new stock!

And it’s not even over yet! There are more workshops this weekend at the gorgeous Crafts Council in Islington and so many more stitches to share. (Psst — a very small number of places are still available in the Embroidered Bear Workshop on Saturday, and one in Tomomi’s Embroidery on Knit Class on Sunday!) Thank you Aitor and Tomomi!

Selvedge London Textile Month and an Aitor Exclusive!

Selvedge London Textile Month returns for a second year this September! This is a stunning event that brings together this wonderful city’s creative people for a celebration of all kinds of craft. We’re chuffed to be hosting a Textile Month event at Loop, and over the moon that our guest of honour will be Aitor!

On Friday the 18th of September we’ll host a Book Launch for the English translation of Aitor’s book Embroider, Mend and Sew: Creative storytelling through textile art. This is extra special, as the book won’t officially be released until October. The copies we’ll have on the night will be the first available anywhere in the world! The launch will feature a meet + greet with Aitor, a book signing, and more Loop-y joy. We’ll have loads of Aitor’s gorgeous kits available to purchase as well. This is a ticketed event and limited to just 50 people. We expect this to sell out quickly, so make sure to get your tickets through Selvedge early!

We’ll also be hosting workshops during the weekend following Aitor’s book launch. Stay tuned for more details on those!

Happy weekend!