Looking for a free or low-cost activity with friendly people in Seattle? The Seattle Coffee and Crafting Club is a monthly meetup that is free and welcoming to all! You don’t even need to bring a craft. We spoke to the club’s founder about how it all got started and what you need to know to join.
Read on for all the details!
Seattle Coffee and Crafting Club has been meeting monthly at local cafes for almost a year now. The Sunday morning meetups are always free (other than the cost of a cup of coffee) and open to anyone. Sometimes the club offers an evening gathering of crafting and cocktails for $15 per ticket. For the free monthly meetup, however, all you have to do is show up.
One of the most common questions club founder Isabella Foxen gets is if attendees need to bring a craft. “You don’t have to bring a craft and can always come check out what others are working on,” she said. You also don’t have to be into knitting or crocheting. Foxen says she sees a wide range of activities every month: “Some people collage, work on Legos, draw, embroider, and I’ve even seen some work on jewelry or carve spoons. Any portable craft is welcomed.”
Foxen—who is a knitter herself—started the club last winter out of a desire to connect with other crafters on the weekend. In her own words: “I posted on my Instagram stories and asked if anyone was interested in meeting up. Ten people said they were. So we decided to meet at All City Coffee in Georgetown. Over 60 people showed up. Some people even had to go to other coffee shops nearby. At the event multiple asked me to make this a monthly event, so I said yes.”
Foxen said that although the number of attendees varies, the monthly meetups typically draws around 40 people. That said, as many as over 200 people have shown up in the past! The club can be a great way to meet people in Seattle. According to Foxen, “We get a mix of small two-to-three person groups that come but most people come alone and sit with others.”
Foxen’s monthly challenge is to find coffee shops that are big enough to host the club. Past locations for the club include Chuck’s Hop Shop in Seward Park and Bonito Cafe in Capitol Hill. Foxen chooses locations by reaching out in advance to ensure they’re not overwhelming the cafe or conflicting with another event. “I love that there are so many incredible coffee shops in Seattle and want to be respectful of their space and staff,” she said.
In that spirit, Foxen asks that participants remember to “leave your table better than you found it” and tip the baristas because “they work hard so you can craft hard.”
The Seattle Coffee and Crafting Club also partnered with Seattle Art Museum this past summer for their Summer at SAM events. “We had so much fun meeting at the Olympic Sculpture Park. I truly hope we can partner again next summer because it was such a great experience.”
Other than that, Foxen’s goal is simple: to keep the Seattle Coffee & Crafting Club going and to find more cafes that can host the club. “I’m always open to new ideas and would love to incorporate some fun themes,” she added.
“I’m always so thankful for every person who shows up,” Foxen said. “I always tell people I just help pick the locations but it’s the people who show up that truly make the event.”
The next Seattle Coffee and Crafting Club meetup will be on Sunday, December 8, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The location for this December’s meetup will be Chuck’s Hop Shop in Seward Park. If you’re interested in joining, be sure to follow along on the club’s Instagram page for updates!
Seattle Coffee and Crafting Club
When: second Sundays of each month
Where: rotating locations
Cost: Free to $15