4600 Gifts, produced by Craftspace as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, is an invitation to the people of Birmingham to join in welcoming athletes to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Working with artists and participants from across the city, Craftspace are making 4600 hand-
embellished gifts, upcycling locally-sourced materials into messages of welcome, made with love in Brum.

The artistic team for 4600 Gifts is made up of a mix of product designers, artists and designer makers including Pottinger + Cole, Laura Nyahuye, Mahawa Keita and Kalandra McFarquhar, all based in the West Midlands.

A second mass-making opportunity will take place in Cathedral Square in Birmingham on 13, 14, 15 May, full details on all the locations and current available bookings can be found here: craftspace.co.uk/4600gifts

Deirdre Figueiredo, Director of Craftspace said: “We are working with a fantastic team of artists to deliver 4600 Gifts, a project that re-thinks the idea of Birmingham as the workshop of the world, demonstrating that craft can be a powerful tool for bringing people together to share skills and stories and to ultimately create a personal gift for another person, a visitor to our city.

“Participants don’t need any experience or know-how to take part; we provide everything needed to
wrap, knot and stitch. Each gift will carry a message of welcome with the finished gifts and personal
messages presented to each visiting athlete when they arrive for the Games in July.”

The gifts themselves are made from metal washers which are upcycled by wrapping, stitching and knotting with yarn. All materials are sourced locally, the yarns are sourced from The Scrapstore, Birmingham and chosen to reflect the flags of the Commonwealth nations and territories, and the metal washers are from Oldbury based Stephens Gaskets.

Workshop places are free and all materials are provided, each making session lasts between 1hr and 1hr 30mins. More details can be found at craftspace.co.uk/4600gifts or follow us on twitter @tweetcraftspace, facebook @craftspace, Instagram @craftspace_ #4600Gifts #B2022