I Was Starting to Think it Wouldn't Happen...

After getting the opportunity to host my first ever punch needle workshop in March 2024 for around 20 people, I had since been on and off toying with the idea of trying to host more. The March opportunity came to me, I didn't go looking for it and you can read all about it here.

It was mostly the logistics of hosting my own workshops that would hold me back: Where could I physically host them, how much would it cost to rent the space, do I have all the supplies I need to provide, how will I get people to sign up etc etc.

Initially my self-confidence in teaching others the craft was not an issue, that came a bit later...

I first approached a local coffee shop to enquire about using some space to host workshops, I set up a date and started to promote it all myself, the closer we got to the date I was becoming less and less hopeful that anyone would sign up - and nobody did. However as I was promoting this workshop I had a lady reached out to me on Facebook and asked if I'd like to host workshops at her local craft shop (they already host a wide range of workshops). I took her up on this offer and got some dates pencilled in. This seemed like a great opportunity because there was already a client base there and all of the bookings and advertising are done by the shop - with my promotion being extra.

Nobody signed up to this workshop either and as time went on I started to think maybe my craft wasn't fit for the area. This also knocked my self-confidence in my ability to teach, and I questioned whether it was even worth pursuing. But as I always say, it just takes one person to get the ball rolling, and there’s always going to be at least one person locally who will take an interest. Plus, I had only just started properly looking into and promoting workshops, so I couldn’t give up just yet!

My next workshop at the local craft shop was pencilled in for 28th July and I woke up that morning finding out 2 people had booked on and it's safe to say I was shocked!

A few weeks prior to this date I had gone round local shops and dropped off posters promoting the workshops, which was definitely out of my comfort zone and I'm very proud of myself for doing this. I have done this again since and had such an amazing time getting to know shop owners and building my confidence.

The workshop was so lovely, as were the crafters who attended and the shop owner. I set the workshop for 3 hours and I think that was the perfect amount of time for both crafting and chatting. Both crafters went home with lovely pieces of punch needle art that they created themselves and I believe they were both very proud of themselves - as they should be!

Workshops are definitely something I want to continue doing. I love bringing people together to craft and chat. It creates such a sense of community no matter where we are, and it’s beautiful to see people creating art. Oh by the way... It looks like I have a good few people signed up to my next workshop 👀