Fabric – Page 2 – The haberdashery Blog.

behind the scenes, children's sewing bee, Christmas, City & Guilds, Fabric, in the haberdashery, textile art, Workshop and classes

Merry Christmas Everyone x

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Ami

Hi everyone,

Its been insanely busy here and next year looks like a huge year…

Lets fill you in with what’s happening.

We had our monthly Craft and Chat evening but with a twist… it was our Christmas party night. A fab evening and a big thank you who has become part of our group….

Our craft night start again in 2017….. come and join us. X

It was also the last of our children’s sewing bee of 2016. All the little stitchers have had an amazing year, I really can’t wait to have to back in our new Sewing Studio in January.

I still have two spaces open to join me in January on a Tuesday ….

Please look at a website for details Children’s Sewing Bee

Our new adult classes for 2017 are now available on the website. We are being guest tutors too. The amazingly talented Emily Notman (mixed media) and Maria Dent from Creative Bumblebee (felting and embroidery.

Workshop Dates

http://www.emilynotman.co.uk/

http://www.creativebumblebee.co.uk/

A quick shop update…

We having started to pack away the Sewing Studio…

Mum, Dad and hubby have been a big help…

And the new sign is now up….

We have a massive Christmas fabric sale on now….

And lastly I have been working hard on a coursework project, making a new quilt and a little bit of hand stitchery….

I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas, thank you for following us it really does mean the world to me.

I’ll blog again between Christmas and New Year to update you all on the shop move.

Merry Christmas

Ami

children's sewing bee, Christmas, City & Guilds, Fabric, New Stock, Six Penny Memories, textile art, Workshop and classes, www.simplyneedlecraft.com

Oooops Forgot To Blog…..Lots Going On x

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Ami

Hi everyone,

I apologise for the lack of blogging. Lots going on here so I have plenty to tell you and lots of pics.

Ok let’s start with my little stitchers. They have been busy bees creating festive decorations, Christmas gifts and learning new skills.

Lets start with the decorations

Then on to the gifts…..

My older group have been mastering the skill of free motion embroidery. They are part way through a Christmas gift project but I’ll show you what they have been up to…..

We’ve also had a birthday party here in the sewing studio. It’s was a tote bag themed party…..

They are so talented that I decided to hold an awards evening for them all but with a twist.

Most of them were aware they were coming…..but I had a secret that only me and their mums knew.

We had a guest, the lovely Jade Earley from this years The Great British Sewing Bee. Jade was live via link to all the children, she has signed all the certificates personally and if that wasn’t enough, jade had made them all gifts to say well done. We had an amazing evening of certificates, food and fireworks.

A huge thank you to Jade x

The adults were busy too last week when their challenge was to make a Christmas appliqué cushion. Four lovely ladies joined me in the sewing studio for tea, biscuits and lots of sewing…

It was time for the yarn bombing to start too….told you we’ve been busy. I would like to thank everyone who donated their time and skills on this project. The town looks fab…..

Mum’s also been busy decorating the window for me as our Sue just stood there looking like a turkey 🙂

We’ve had some lovely new fabrics in from Kaufman and Dashwoods….

In between all of that I have managed somehow to fit in some sewing…

Victorian style Christmas tree decorations

Now I know many of you have heard….I’ve tried to tell as many as possible. We are moving in the year and sooner than I thought. We are moving to 66 High Street.

I am closing on Christmas Eve until the 4th January I hoped to be moved in that time. The plan was not to move until February and its difficult to do when I have classes and an open shop. Hopefully everything we be in place for the new year. I’ll keep you updated as we go. My contact details will still be the same.

Thanks for reading and following.

keep warm.

Ami

xxx

behind the scenes, Butterick patterns, children's sewing bee, Christmas, Crochet, Fabric, in the haberdashery, New Stock, sewing studio, Workshop and classes

The Bird & The Hare !

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Ami

Well hello and happy Autumn to you :).

I can’t quite work out where this week has gone……time is flying by which means we are close to Christmas now (in a crafting sense). So it was perfect timing to increase our Christmas fabric range. Not only have we got the gorgeous festive prints from Timeless Treasures now we have these yummy ones in stock too.

AND we’ve also had a new range of fabric paints in…… 24 different shades which become permanent after ironing.

It’s that time of year again where Butterick drop the price of their sewing patterns. Patterns are now half price until the 15th October. Over 3000 patterns in stock.

This week was the end of our last quilting course of the year 😦 I just love tutoring these courses. It’s a daunting task to people new to quilting but every single one of my ladies have done me proud. The evenings and day courses have been fun, relaxed and productive so it’s a definite that I will be running courses again next year.

The kids in the sewing bee have been busy (as always). At the moment when have two groups making patchwork bags, a group starting to make a rag doll, two groups making doorstops.

On Saturday we have finished off appliqué cushions and book covers.

The book covers are a great project, it allows to pick you own colour scheme (and is great for using up scraps). Then designing the layout followed by thread choice and the most exciting part……picking and experimenting with stitches.

Our Sue and her lovely ladies from the crochet workshop have been following the Stylecraft crochet along……..the crochet workshops run every Saturday 10-12pm. Beginners very welcome.

Lastly, I’ve been experimenting again with raw edge appliqué …..neither of these are finished but I’d thought I’d share pics to prove I’ve been busy 🙂

That’s all my news for this week, it’s been another busy and vibrant week here. Thanks for following.

see you next week

Ami x

children's sewing bee, Fabric, home makes, New Stock, sewing studio, Workshop and classes

More Summer School Creations and a New Class !

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Ami

Hi everyone,

it’s been a fun packed week with summer school.

This weeks been all about our young stitchers and this week we tackled the dreaded zip. However as usual nothing phases them and they coped with it fantastically. All zips fitted and working perfectly.

Then their challenge was to make a pillow pal. This has been a great project for them as its requires different textures of fabric, yarn, machine stitching, hand stitching, decorative stitching, buttons, beads and ribbon…… they took to it like a duck to water.

On Wednesday and Thursday afternoon I opened up the Sewing Studio to invite new children to join me. We started off with a bit of hand stitching then it was on to practising and learning about the machines. I had a couple of projects in mind and they went down a storm.

Sadly my Summer School has come to an end, but I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who join me. You’ve all worked really hard and your so dedicated.

But Sewing Bee still continues on Saturdays and we’ve got lots planned. Alongside other projects we will be planning for a homemade Christmas with gift ideas and essentials……so excited.

The Sewing Bee is growing with my Saturday classes full and a new class about to begin on a Monday and I’ve got plans to open another class on a Wednesday. If anyone is interested please get in touch.

More exciting news….

We are now stocking a gorgeous range of hand dyed yarns by the lovely Debbie at Down Sheepy Lane. They are so soft and the quality is amazing.

And lastly in between classes this week I did manage to fit in a little bit a sewing time in.

A mini art quilt. It’s a great way to relax when you drawing with your machine…..what do you think?

As you can see it’s been another fantastic and eventful week. Thank you for reading and supporting me, I couldn’t do it with out you.

Ami xx

children's sewing bee, Crochet, Fabric, in the haberdashery, My Favorite, sewing studio, Workshop and classes

It’s been a fab week…….take a look!

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Ami

Hi everyone,

These weeks are flying by so quickly and it’s now week two of the Summer holidays here. I had a day off on Wednesday to spend some quality time with my little man which prepared me for the HUGE fabric order arriving. Yes we had our delivery from Timeless Treasures and I’m so pleased with the fabric……..

I love them all but my favourite has to be the snow scene with the trees.

So the three part quilting course came to an end this week with gorgeous results. Our quilting courses are very popular and I’ve added the dates for the rest of the year to our website Here.

I love everyday in the haberdashery but my favourite day is Saturday where I spend all my time in the Sewing Studio. It’s a full day of seeing people and children get creative….this Saturday was no exception.

But I have summer school to look forward to over the next two weeks as I have my stitchers and some new children joining us. Plans are that my older group will be quilting and my younger stitchers will be making a pillow pal.

I’ve been finishing off and framing my latest piece of textile art……using complimentary colours, mixed media and free machine stitching….

That’s it for this week, please note I’m closed on Thursday due to being at the quilting festival at the NEC.

Thanks for reading.

Ami xxxx

children's sewing bee, Crochet, Customers, Fabric, News, Workshop and classes, www.simplyneedlecraft.com

What a Washout !

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Ami

Hi Everyone,

Well what a wash out of a week….But not all bad because you’ve downed your gardening tools and reached for your crafts…..hence its been another busy week here.

But with the lack of sun I decided to cut some Christmas Fat Quarters…yep thats right.

Lets show you what else has been happening here….

Our crochet group have been busying away to make these gorgeous tops…

Well done ladies they look great, can’t wait to see you next project.

A new group of ladies joined me on the June’s quilting Course which started this week. First week was all about picking fabrics, using a rotary cutter and mat, setting up sewing machines ready for piecing and joining our strips ready to layout the design…..busy week.

There’s nothing better than having a former student come in with a finished project that she started in class. Lynette joined our Textile Art – Textile Canvas Workshop back in April/May. And finished her canvas at home…..Looks brillaint Lynette, so proud of you..

I’ve not had my crafty mojo much this week but I have managed to make this lil girls summer dress ( I don’t normally dress make )…..

Next some general info for you to keep you informed.

Our Online Summer Sale is on for one more day SEE HERE

We have a few spaces on our children’s Sewing Bee due to new groups forming and a shuffle about. Please contact me ASAP if you are interested.

Also I’m please to announce we will be taking part in this years Sew Saturday in October. Were planning goodie bags, discounts and demonstrations but keep your eyes peeled for more details along the way.

Thats all for this week……Hoping for a dryer week next week 🙂

Thanks to everyone that follows and reads this blog. I love writing/typing it.

I’ll see you next week

Ami

xxxx

children's sewing bee, Fabric, New Stock, Workshop and classes

Get Creative !

Posted on May 7, 2016May 6, 2016 by Ami

Hi everyone,

I hope you’ve been enjoying the sunshine and had a lovely bank holiday weekend 🙂

This week I want to start with my little stitchers first.

Sewing Bee!

I’ve not had much to show you over the last two weeks as all of the groups are mid project but I can assure you I’ve got lots of great pics coming your way……however we did have some more socks teddies finished off.

Aren't they cute…..well done girls — Aren’t they cute…..well done girls

At the beginning of a new month I plan the next months projects ( it never goes to plan but its a good starting point).

So my 8 -12yr groups are concentrating on tote bags, bows, hand bands and rainbow clouds. My 12- 16yr group are going to be learning beautiful bunting, stitch collage covers and a project of their choice.

The Sewing Bee has proven to be a great success and it really is so rewarding. With that in mind I have decided to set up an extra session on a Wednesday 4pm-5pm which starts on the 1st June. Click Here For Details

New Stock Alert.

Yes we’ve had more fabrics delivered. This time poly cottons which are priced around £3.10 per metre. I try to stock a good range of fabrics that range from £1 per metre up to £14.99 per metre…..but any way here’s the new arrivals.

Workshops!

Next up are the pics of Thursdays Textile Art workshop – Textile Canvas.

In this workshops the ladies had to design and create a vase of flowers. Using free motion machining and different textiles and textures. I had so much fun on the workshop, the creativity and enthusiasm was so inspiring.

To book on to any of my workshops please Click Here….I’d love to see you there.

Thats it for another week. Its been so much fun as always. The haberdashery just keeps getting busier, the workshops are absolutely fantastic and the Sewing Bee…well what can I say.

Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week.

Ami xxx

Fabric, I Made That Campaign, in the haberdashery, Uncategorized, Workshop and classes

Posted on April 30, 2016April 29, 2016 by Ami

Hi everyone,

Its been another great week here in the Haberdashery & Sewing Studio. So let’s crack on with this weeks gossip.

Monday…..well what can I say. We had a meeting with Stof Fabrics. The company rep turned up with hundreds and hundreds of samples of their range. Absolutely gorgeous designs and the quality of the cottons are outstanding.

I’m happy to say we are now officially Stof stockists and our first delivery is arriving mid May…..So excited.

Carrying on with the fabric theme. I actually managed to get time to play with some of our fabrics from Dear Stella.I warn you now this concept is cute, unique and extremely addictive.

Wee Garden – Dear Stella Fabrics.

So the idea is, you have both fabrics. One comes full of outfits, shoes, hats, glasses….everything you could think of. The second is printed with the garden scene filled with adorable animals that need dressing up. So you pick your outfits, cut them out and dress your animals. Whether it by hand stitch, machine appliqué, free motion or simply glue.

These fabrics are available on our website (our new look website). …..

Next topic of conversation is the beautiful on 100% cotton from Stylecraft and patterns.

We have this is six different colours…amazing quality.

The Sewing Studio has been busy again this week…..

The lampshade workshop was first up on Monday evening –

Followed by the new workshop – Thread painting on Thursday evening.

All of our workshops and courses are available to book online….Click here for further info

Its time for our ‘I made the’ Campaign.

This week I want to introduce you to a very talented lady ….Helen. I’ve known Helen from opening the Haberdashery (so 2 1/2yrs). In that time I’ve seen many of Helen’s creations. However like many of us life sometimes gets in the way and sewing is put on the back burner. But I’m chuffed to bits now…Helen has found her love for sewing again recently and now say I’m seeing her beautiful and stunning creations again 🙂 Can’t wait to see what you do next Helen…..Get sewing 🙂

So that’s been our week in a nut shell. We are closed on Bank holiday Monday next week so I’ll see you on Tuesday.

I want to thank everyone that take time out to read our blog posts. And to everyone that follows us on FaceBook, Twitter or Instagram. Social media can be a mind field so seeing all of you is very reassuring…. Thank you.

Have a fab weekend.

Ami

xxxx

Hi Everyone,

I kicked off the week with a spring clean in the Sewing Studio…..at one point it looked like a bomb had gone off. Fabric everywhere !!!!! But I got there in the end and now it looks slightly more organised.

12809734_1121090591256301_8628940454264418055_n — The Cutting Table

12919634_1121090644589629_4395718772710863977_n — Chill out corner …in comfort with magazines AND the kettle

12920534_1121090604589633_661215088095798061_n — The sewing table where the magic happens …. huge table with lots of space 🙂

12924592_1121090631256297_7005540169632914234_n — The new addition…..the bookcase packed full of projects, wool and threads

After I had finished, my next job was too unpack all of the new stock…..Bliss 🙂

Gorgeous additions to the Haberdashery.

So now its time to get creative….

Our Sue is first up with this fabulous blanket…..

Then the first workshop of the week…..The Knicker Party.

This workshop is great fun, such a laugh and you get to be creative and make your own knickers.

We all had an amazing time and I can’t wait to do it again in May.

The next evening the second workshop began but this time it was the turn of appliqué cushions.

The ladies had to design their own appliqué picture. They designed, cut, bonded the designs before making it into an envelope cushion.

The kids sewing bee is also going great. The younger groups are finishing the tapestry/needlepoint pictures whilst the older group are getting to grips small projects, this time they made fabric headbands and beautiful bows

Its been another great week and it looks like another busy week next week with the workshops and more deliveries.

Thanks for all of your support, have a fab weekend and I’ll see you again next week.

Ami xxxxx

Do you follow our blog? Come and have a look….

Fabric, I Made That Campaign, in the haberdashery, New Stock, Workshop and classes

I’m Ready to Relax…..:)

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Ami

Good Afternoon all…..

Its been none stop this week with days out, loads of new stock and workshops. So here we go …..this is what we’ve been up to!

Monday starts early as Mum & Me make our way to the fabulous stitch international show at Birmingham’s NEC.

We had a great time meeting suppliers old and new, trying out new products and meeting other haberdasheries from all over the country.

Tuesday was fun after my feet had stopped throbbing from the NEC. In our attempt at keeping up with the modern world ……..our video went live on youTube …..

I love it……what do you think?

Wednesday has to be the best day of this week. Finally after 3 months our delivery of Timeless Treasures and Dear Stella fabrics arrived from America. After such a long time between ordering and delivery I had forgotten most of the designs that I had ordered. When I opened the box I wasn’t disappointed.

To see the full range have a look at the fabric section on our website here

Thursday… The deliveries from the NEC started to arrive. Gorgeous new bias, trims and lace.

And as the haberdashery closed for the day the Sewing Studio opened. This time for our monthly instalment of Block of the Month.

This months block was the disappearing nine patch using bold contrasting colours. Everyone made a fantastic job of their quilting blocks.

Friday our new lampshades kits arrived which is great but we are running out of space very quickly…….. I need a bigger shop 🙂

Available in 2 sizes and our available on the website – here

‘ I Made That ‘ Campaign

It’s now time for this weeks ‘ I made that’ campaign.

I would like to introduce you to a customer of mine, Rebecca Andrews. Rebecca set up her company called Becks Bandanas where she has designed cute, fun and quirky dribble bibs and also specialises in older children and adults with special needs.

You can see all of her work and you can also order on her Facebook page – Becksbandanas

So that’s it for another week – But watch out on Tuesday for some special offers because it will be our 2nd anniversary here in our bricks and mortar shop.

Now it’s time to relax and I’ll see you next week.

Ami