Get Stitched Up At Southbank Centre

Laura Reynolds
By Laura Reynolds Last edited 115 months ago
Get Stitched Up At Southbank Centre

Stitch picnic

If you thought that Southbank Centre's Festival of Love was all mush and gush, think again. Each weekend has a different theme celebrating the different types of love, and next weekend (9-10 August) is the turn of Philia. That's the love we feel for people when we share a goal with them.

In order to bring out the Philia in all of us, there's a series of team events taking place. One such activity is The Big Stitch Up, where you can get involved in creating the biggest ever handmade picnic blanket. The project has been going on since 2013, with contributions from local schools, businesses and festivals. Join in the sewing and decoration on Saturday and Sunday.

The weekend culminates in The Big Stitch Up Picnic, taking place on Sunday. Although the blanket is currently in several pieces, to allow many people to work on it at once, they will be attached to each other for the picnic, so people can see the progress made. Everyone who was involved in the making of the blanket is invited to bring along some food to enjoy while enjoying the feel of their work underneath their posterior on the floor of Clore Ballroom. We give it ten minutes until ketchup/wine/Ribena finds its way onto years' worth of work.

After the weekend, the project will continue, in a bid to beat the current record for the biggest picnic blanket, which stands at 1,760 m².

Not around that weekend, or not a strong sewer? You can still get involved. Southbank Centre is asking for people to donate used textiles which can be recycled to become part of the blanket. You can donate at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer until 8 August.

Festival of Love is at Southbank Centre until 31 August. Philia Weekend is 9-10 August

Last Updated 01 August 2014