Derbsyhire – Page 2 – The haberdashery Blog.

It’s All About Events

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Ami

Hi everyone,

Wow what weather …….. Perfect weather for events this weekend.

You can catch us at Sainsbury’s this Saturday morning working with Hubbub to get little stitchers sewing and adding embellishments to clothes…..find details here

It’s also Derbyshire Open Arts this weekend. This year is my first year of taking part of this festival which covers Derbyshire. The festival starts on Saturday and runs until the 4th June.

I will be here on Sunday and Monday to talk to visitors. I’ll be showing you my inspiration, techniques and methods.

We are also open as usual on Saturday where you can view my work.

Hours are….

Saturday – 9-4pm

Sunday – 10-3pm

Monday – 10 – 3pm

There is also a craft market running on the Saturday hosted by Curly Magpie & Friends.

Ok so events that have already taken place over the last week or so……

we had the lovely Maria Dent, Felt Artist with us to run a full day workshop in Landscape Felting.

We had an amazing turn out with lots of beautiful results. We will be talking to Maria very soon to arrange more dates…..

On Saturday we had our long waited Young Quilters Event.

We invited children between 6-18yrs to join us in the Sewing Studio to take part in this great event which allowed them to get free membership to the Quilters Guild. Again we had an amazing turnout. We shall be adding more dates to the Guilds list very soon….

As you can see we’ve been so busy and I apologise for the lack of blog entries.

Thank you for your support. I couldn’t have be able to do this without you.

Hope to see you over the weekend.

Ami

xxx

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It’s An Amazing Time !

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Ami

Hi everyone,

Its been an amazing time for us here and even more exciting things ahead.

So it’s been half term and my little man has had to put up with all things Haberdashery related. He’s been a lovely little helper and we’ve had board games to keep us entertained……I’m sure my mum was cheating though….

Half term in the sewing bee has consisted of appliqué and quilting on the selfies …..

Some super hand sewing to finish the rag dolls……

Also further updates on the quilting entries….

My younger group have started to piece together….

And my older group are free motion quilting….

Now it’s time for the adults…..These ladies have been an absolute pleasure to work with. They have cut, pieced, quilted and binded their quilt and the results are amazing…..

There’s still a couple of spaces available on my May quilting course.

You can see full details of this course and other courses here

The deliveries this week have been huge…

A whole new collection of sewing boxes, tote bags and knitting bags arrived and have been very popular….

And an even bigger delivery from Stylecraft….

I’ve been busy prepping for exhibitions and getting a bit nervous.

The stands arrived….

And I’ve been busy, designing and stitching a wall hanging of Swadlincote history which is finished and ready to hang.

Dyed fabric, free motion sketching, hand stitching, thread painting and a ridiculous amount of threads…..

Over the next week or so I have two exhibitions lined up…

Firstly Belper Art Trail this bank holiday weekend

Details here

and Derbyshire Open Arts in May

You can keep up to date on all events and news on

http://Www.simplyneedlecraft.com

http://Www.amijamestextileart.com

Www.facebook.com/simplyneedlecraft

http://Www.facebook.com/Amijamestextiles

Tweets by SNeedleCraft

http://Www.instagram.com/amijames_textiles

Thanks for taking the time to read and supporting me in my dreams.

Have you lovely Bank Holiday

Ami

xxx

Ami James - Textile Artist, children's sewing bee, City & Guilds, in the haberdashery, New Stock, sewing studio, textile art, Workshop and classes

Happy Easter Everyone – A Quick Catch-up Post x

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Ami

Hi everyone,

A day off and it’s grey weather……. typical 😂

Anyway it gives me a spare five minutes to blog 😊

So let’s start off with my opening hours over Easter.

I’m closed today (Good Friday), open normal hours on Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday and then normal hours resume on Tuesday.

All the Sewing groups are mid way through projects at the moment so I haven’t got many pics to show you.

Monday group – Hanging hearts

Tuesday – Rag dolls

Wednesday – Selfies

Saturday – Quilts are still progressing.

All groups are working extremely hard 😊

I have a couple of places on the Sewing Bee for children 8-12 yrs. Please contact me for further details.

You can now view the details for the Young Quilters Workshop in May.

Here on the Quilters Guild Website

We’ve had lots of quilting going on in the Sewing Studio.

The April beginners course kicked off……. fantastic fabric choices, giggles and cups of tea……

And the follow on course to make a table runner was definitely a fun packed class……

It was time for our Craft & Chat night. This monthly meet up takes place on the first Thursday of every month – 6pm – 8.30pm and cost £5 towards refreshments……..a lovely group of people and a great atmosphere, take a look…..

A few new bits and bobs have arrived in the Haberdashery as well as a restock of the favourites. New in ……

I’ve been extremely busy, working away on coursework the last couple of weeks…… handmade paper and stitchery…….

I’ve also finished off my collection of Fairies (still need naming though)…..

The Egyptian wall hanging has been finished ……

And I’ve tried something a little different for me…….

You can keep up to date with all my makes by visiting

My own Facebook page

http://www.amijamestextileart.com/

I hope you have a fantastic Easter break…..hopefully the weather will improve.

Thanks for reading 😊

Ami

xxx

Ami James - Textile Artist, Butterick patterns, children's sewing bee, Fabric, New Stock, News, Workshop and classes

New Quilts, New Fabrics and New Workshops!

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Ami

Hi everyone,

Its been a busy time here with lots cracking off and some exciting dates.

Lets crack on with Sewing Bee….

Monday group having been stitching lovely wall hangings….

My new little stitchers on a Tuesday have been making needle cases, an essential for any sewer….

The Wednesday group have been working hard over the last three weeks and produced Lolly the Owl and they are very proud of themselves and so they should be….

One of my groups on Saturdays have finished off their selfies…..

And the hard work continues on the quilt entries…..

I have spaces available on the sewing bee due to a reshuffle.

Saturday 11.30am- 12.30pm for 8-12yrs

Wednesday 4-5pm 8-12yrs

please contact if you are interested and need more details.

The quilting course for beginners came to an end this week. Amazing results and gorgeous quilts. It’s been an absolute pleasure having these ladies join me in the sewing studio…..

And carrying on the quilting theme…..

The date for the Patchwork Guild/ Young Quilters Workshop has changed due to double booking ……ooooops

The venue is still the same but is now on Saturday 20th May.

A new workshop has been added to the list. The talented Lace Make, Rachel Patrick will be joining us in June to offer to Course in Lace Making. All details and booking info are now on the website http://www.simplyneedlecraft.com

The Butterick sale has now started and all patterns are half price until 24th April, along with a brand new catalogue….

New Fabric has arrived this week, with many bolts still due to arrive shortly…..

Mum has been a busy bee too. She’s been quilting this lovely cot quilt which has been now sold and has a new home…..

I’ve also been quilting and have finished my kaleidoscope quilt….

All that’s the run down of what’s been happening.

lots still to come on my next blog post.

Have a lovely weekend and I’ll catch up with you next week.

Ami

xxx

children's sewing bee, Customers, Fabric, in the haberdashery, New Stock, sewing studio, Workshop and classes

Omg ………So Much To Show You (warning loads of pics)

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Ami

Ok …….where to start!

Firstly, all the children that take part in our Sewing Bee have all been set a task after Christmas. It involved a block of quilting with their hand print bonded and stitched by hand or machine. They then added their initials…… well it’s now finished and it’s so amazing and I’m extremely proud……

Carrying on with the quilting theme…..my younger group of entrants to the Festival of Quilts have busy preparing……

Whilst my older entrants have also been preparing and dying…..

My Monday and second group on a Saturday have been busy learning to attach zips and making wonderful pencil cases…..

My little tiny stitchers on a Tuesday have been practicing straight lines by making tote bags, fully lined and looking fab…..

My Wednesday group are focusing on making Lolly the Owl……

And in between that I have another group creating their selfies……

Now for a date for your diary…….

Our first ever event of the Young Quilters Guild.

Saturday – 13th May

9.30am – 12pm – For children aged between 5 – 10 years old
1pm – 3.30pm – For children aged 11 – 18 years old.

£6 for non members – £4 for guild members.

The workshops will be held in the Sewing Studio at Simply Needlecraft, 64-66 High Street, Swadlincote.
Children will participate in sewing projects including hand puppets, pencil cases and felt cupcakes.

Please let us know if you are planning to attend so we can be well prepared.
Children under 8yrs will need to be accompanied by an adult.

For full details please …..

Visit our event page

The second quilting course of the year kicked off this week. Four lovely ladies joined me in the Sewing Studio to get creative and learn about patchwork and quilting ……

My Dad has also learned a new skill ….. Crochet. He promised to make a hat and look………well done Dad……

I also need to share this with you.

A very loyal customer who has become a great friend over the years has made this……… omg I was gobsmacked……Amazing.

We’ve had a few new bits and bobs in ……

Phew…… I think I’ve covered everything.

Thank you so much for reading and your continued support, it really is appreciated.

Have a good weekend

Ami

xxx

Ami James - Textile Artist, children's sewing bee, News, sewing studio, textile art, www.simplyneedlecraft.com

Creative Record Breaking …….

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Ami

Hi everyone,

Its been a record breaking week for the sewing studio. 30 little stitchers (plus 12 more this Saturday) and 14 adults have been to learn new skills.

The stitchers entering the Quilting Festival this year have started to make up their designs that need to be in the theme of ‘free’.

First the younger group are focusing on hot air balloons……

Whilst my older group have picked animals and seasons….

My second group had chance to finish off the scrappy book covers they’ve been working on….

Later on Saturday we had the mother and daughter workshop. The challenge was complete a stitch test and make a cushion in pairs.

Each pair did a fab job and left with new skills and a new cushion….

On Wednesday evening the Sewing Studio opened up for the Textile Art Workshop. Four ladies joined me to learn about free motion and raw edge appliqué to make and design an art canvas….

Please visit the website to see all available dates and bookings.

Its been our anniversary to this week. It’s been three years since we opened our bricks and mortar shop in Swadlincote….

A huge thank you to everyone that has supported me along the way. It’s overwhelming how things have turned out.

Heres to the next three years x

see you soon

Ami

xxx

Ami James - Textile Artist, behind the scenes, children's sewing bee, Crochet, in the haberdashery, textile art, Workshop and classes

A Quick Catch Up ……..

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Ami

Hi everyone,

Welcome to this weeks blog post from a windy Derbyshire.

It’s been a lovely week here planning, organising and workshops.

we start this week with the crochet workshop with our Sue. At the moment it’s all about the socks and virus shawls….

This week in the Sewing Bee…… finished selfies, zips and an important job of designing the quilts for the quilting festival in August.

We had fun on Monday evening….. the free motion for beginners workshop.

We started off with wobbly lines and pointy curves but by the end of a fab evening …….look what happened 🙂

I’ve been putting my machine to good use this week. Textile collage art that are getting ready for exhibitions…..

All the new dates for April and May workshops are now online along with a new gallery and exhibitions…

That’s it another week, another blog post.

thank you again for your support, it’s proving to be quite a year for us…..stay tuned.

Ami

xxx

children's sewing bee, in the haberdashery, sewing studio, textile art, Workshop and classes

More Workshops On The Way……

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Ami

Hi everyone,

The workshops have continued to be a huge success again this year with so many of you wanting to learn a new skill. With many workshops being fully booked I’m sitting down on Monday to plan more dates for April, May and June. You can subscribe to my mailing list on the website http://www.simplyneedlecraft.com to be first to see the dates.

We’ve had a few workshops over the last week…..

first up was the Hand embroidery workshop –

Then my ladies finished their quilts on the quilting course. They have cut, pieced, basted, quilted and binded a lap quilt…….

Then on to the lace bowls workshop where the ladies used dissolvable fabrics with sheers and stitching. I can’t show you the finished products yet as they went home to set, however I can show the process…..

The children in the sewing bee have been busy too……

my older group have finished their text art pictures. They have Hand dyed fabrics, designed, added appliqué, quilted, blinded and framed…..

And then had a go at stitching with oil cloth and made these fantastic makeup bags…..

My new Tuesday group are starting to get more confident with the machines and made bows and headbands…..

The Wednesday group have been practising curves with hearts and clouds…..

It’s definitely been a creative and fun packed week.

Thanks for reading and supporting me in my dream job.

See you next week.

Ami

children's sewing bee, City & Guilds, Customers, Fabric, in the haberdashery, New Stock, textile art, Workshop and classes

Get Creative

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Ami

Hi Everyone,

This week has certainly been a creative week with fabrics.

Firstly my older group are using their hand dyed fabric to make text art….

Whilst my younger groups are in the middle of making patchwork book covers….

And selfies…

My new group of little ones (are that little they need steps for the pedal) have been getting used to our machines and have made pin cushions….

My Monday and Wednesday groups are all half way through projects so I’ll update you more next week. 🙂

The love of fabric continues with the 2nd part of our quilting course. This week it was all about piecing the top layer and organising the design…..

Following the popularity of the quilting g course and them being fully booked I have released another date and can be booked online Here

Our Craft and Chat night was back this week and I can honestly say we have a lovely and extremely talented bunch.

Ive been doing a little bit too this week and putting together some quilted textile collages using Hand dyed and batik fabrics…..

That’s it for this week….lots happening again next week again next week.

Thank you following and supporting us.

See you next week

Ami

children's sewing bee, Crochet, Customers, News, sewing studio, Workshop and classes

Well What A Week It’s Been…….

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Ami

Hi everyone,

It’s a bit bloody cold but it’s been a lovely week here…..lots to show and tell you.

This week it’s the adults turn to go first….

Monday was the start of our first quilting course in the new Sewing Studio.

The ladies picked out their fabrics, cut out what pieces they needed and started to piece together. A great start and I can’t wait for next week….

Then on Wednesday evening we had the beginners sewing workshop. We had a lovely time and everyone went home very pleased with themselves and with beautiful cushions….

The crochet group also loving the new Studio have been busy. I can tell you there’s a huge project in the pipeline ……more details to follow…

Now let’s crack on with the little ones….

Firstly our joint quilt project is coming along nicely, we still have a few more hand prints to collect…..

My new little ones got to grips with the machines, they learnt to thread, wind a bobbin, practice straight lines and curves……it was only fair after they’re hard work to let them play with decorative stitches…