Whittle while you work

Whittling. Not a concept many of us have probably given much thought to, but it’s something that can apply to time, self-esteem, general well-being and, on a more practical note, wood.

For the uninitiated, whittling is the art of carving shapes out of raw wood with a knife. Unlike carving, which employs the use of chisels, gouges, and a mallet, whittling involves only the use of a knife. Hence the bleeding thumbs.

Tonight the Bleeding Thumbs Whittling Club descends on B-Store in London’s Savile Row, for all those looking to broaden their whittling horizons.

There will also be ready-whittled items on display in the store to give people something to aspire to.

So, get your Elastoplasts at the ready and re-live your school days by making rudimentary gifts for your family, or just enjoy carving something for keeps.

Tools are provided, alongside, we’re assured, coffee and, er, pickles.

The Club claims that it looks to explore ‘the role of craft versus alienation in the advanced industrial age’, through the medium of fashioning things with knives out of wood.

Whether or not this conundrum has been solved, some of the work produced I stunning: there’s been birds made of peach stones, a Bauhaus graveyard, and even a banjo.

Bleeding Thumbs Whittling Club is tonight, 6 -9pm at B-Store, 24A Savile Row, London W1S