The Makery, the Bath workshop and party business set up by Kate Smith to pass on her passion for crafting and creativity, has opened in John Lewis’s flagship Oxford Street store.
The creative hub in the heart of the store’s craft department is now staging a series of workshops on skills from sewing, patchwork and embroidery to making clothes, lampshades, crochet and knitting. 
As well as regular daytime slots, it is staging bite-sized workshops during lunch breaks as well as after-work sessions so people can get together with friends and enjoy a shared hobby.
Aimed at both the novice and the seasoned stitcher, The Makery is about making craft accessible to everyone and enjoying the unique sense of satisfaction of hand-making something from scratch.
Founder Kate Smith’s gave up her day job and followed her heart, opening its Bath HQ in 2009 since when it has taught more than 60,000 people a new skill.
The Makery’s Makeaway Craft Kits and haberdashery items are now stocked both nationally and internationally.
Kate is also a regular contributor to craft magazines and has featured on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour and in countless glossy magazines, national papers, blogs and websites.
She called the John Lewis link-up a “match made in haberdashery heaven”, and said she couldn’t have wished for a more perfect partner. The famous retail chain started life in 1864, as a small draper’s shop on the same site in Oxford Street and so boasts a rich haberdashery and craft heritage.
“Principled in the same way when it comes to quality and value for money, The Makery is chuffed to bits to be joining forces with such a national treasure” said Kate.
