The creative hub at the heart of Birmingham’s booming crafts resurgence Nationwide we’re seeing a resurgence in that make-do-and-mend spirit. You can blame it on the recession, you can blame it on Etsy, but whatever’s behind it, retro hobbies and crafts are back with a bang. From curtainmaking to tailoring, knitting and crochet, DIY groups are popping up up and down the country, some (Stitches & Hos, Stitch ‘n’ Bitch) clearly with tongues firmly in cheek. As a city that played a central role in the creation and development of the original 19th century arts and crafts movement, it seems fitting that the trend’s revival is going strong in Birmingham more than 150 years later. If you are staying at a hotel near the NEC such as the Crowne Plaza, it is relatively easy to get to the centre of town via bus or taxi. Once in Birmingham proper, stroll down past the Bullring and St. Martin's church, cross over Park Street, and you’ll find yourself right slap bang in the middle of Birmingham's new cultural hub. Once called Digbeth, now known as Birmingham’s Eastside, this creative enclave is brimming with artists, crafters and creative types transforming old warehouses and storefronts into shops, ...