The craft world is going Queen crazy this Jubilee bank holiday weekend, with all sorts of royalty-inspired events popping up all over the country. And with a whopping four whole days off work, do you really need any more excuses to get stuck in to some making and creating?

Avid stitchers in the west can indulge their passion at Bristol's first ever subversive cross stitch get-together on Monday 4th, hosted at craft cafe Paper Village. Like a stitch and bitch with tapestry rather than knitting needles, just bring along your own materials and enjoy a cup of tea and a chat with other stitchers. The focus is on creating witty, quirky projects - our mini corgis or retro owl would be just the ticket!

If you want to try out some new skills beyond the world of stitching, Brighton's Artist In Residence hotel is playing host to the slightly scary-sounding Jubilee Bootcamp. Billed as an event for 'hardcore crafters', you can learn how to build a corgi pinata stuffed with retro sweets, create no-sew bunting and bling rings, and even bake cookies with edible Royal portraits in the middle.

Just like the rest of the country - or should that be world? - we're really getting into the Jubilee spirit. We just can't get enough of all things regal and British at the moment... think crowns, Union Jacks, Beefeaters, London buses. We're loving it all. And, from what we've heard, you are too!

In CrossStitcher 252 (on sale until 15th May), we've gone all patriotic with this exclusive Jan Constantine crown cushion to celebreate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June. It's stylish enough to grace your home all year round, but royal and detailed enough to become a family heiloom in years to come!

We've stitched ours onto a subtle blue evenweave for a tactile finish that's almost identical to Jan's original design, but that's not the only design we've been cooing over this month.

To get you in the mood, we've scoured the internet for a few more of our favourite Jubilee designs to get you excited about this royal event.

Take a look at our patriotic line-up below and see what takes your fancy...

Click read more to find out how to get hold of these patterns...

We love being inventive with our stash, after all, it's what us stitchers do best! What better way to kick-start your creativity than with your FREE GIFT - a mini patchwork cards kit with perfectly sized stash busting charts. Plus, our beautiful sewing gift set and clever storage jars with pincushion tops will certainly help you make the most of your crafting space. 

With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee just around the corner, don't miss Jan Constantine's irresistibly patriotic crown cushion. It's guaranteed to become the centrepiece to your home.

Don't miss our thrifty issue (252) - on sale now!

It seems like only yesterday that we were packing up boxes of pretty fabrics, hoops and stitching to take to the Stitch & Craft Show in London. Of all the annual crafts shows we visit, this remains our favourite and this year we think we had the best time ever.

Not only did we get to decorate our stand with lots of red, white and blue designs (to kick-start our Jubilee celebrations of course), but we also got to meet lots of lovely readers and designers along the way. Visit our facebook page to see more behind-the-scenes photos.

Lucie Heaton joined us on the stand on Friday to showcase her portfolio, meet readers and hand out these cute Jubilee designs (left) created especially for the show. We love the mini phone box!

If you missed these at the show you'll be pleased to know you can download the Jubilee postcard for free and stitch some up for yourself. 

They weren't the only Jubilee designs we had on show. Oh no. We got to show off some new patterns coming-up, including a Jan Constantine crown design (due to appear in issue 252) and our exclusive Emma Bridgewater cushion from last months 20th birthday edition (250) shown at the top of this post.

Did you go to the show? Let us know what you thought of it or click here to see more photos on our facebook page... we love hearing your comments. 

This spring, the Queen will be celebrating 60 years on the throne with her Diamond Jubilee and to mark the occasion, we've collaborated with pottery designer Emma Bridgwater to create this fabulous future heirloom piece for our 250th issue!  

Ever wondered how we do it? It's quite a complicated process, turning an original piece of artwork into a cross stitch chart, but it's worth it when you see the end result. Click read more to find out how we did it...