Year: 2018

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National Needlecraft Awards 2019

Last year was the first year for the National Needlecraft Awards, and it was such a success that it’s being presenting in 2019! The awards celebrate the most talented needlecrafters and designers, and entries are now open for next year. Awards are presented at the Knitting & Stitching Show, Kensington Olympia on 28th February 2019.

There is over a £1000 worth of prizes up for grabs including products from DMC, Purelite, Immediate Media, SewandSo, and the Royal School of Needlework. All shortlisted entries will receive a ticket to the Knitting & Stitching show.

Entries close at midnight on 4th January 2019. There are 11 categories – 9 for needlecrafters to enter themselves or nominate an entrant, and 2 Designer of the Year categories. You can enter here: www.nationalneedlecraftawards.co.uk

How about nominating your favourite hand embroidery tutor?

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Crafting Holiday at Home

Every now and then I get asked to write the blog for Tudor Rose Patchwork.  I’m not a great blogger, my daughter knows more than I do and she’s only 14.  But then you expect a 14 year old to be a technological wizard.

I might not be a technological wiz, but I can craft.  In fact I love to create and make.  So much so that I decided to treat myself to a week off work.  The children were still and school and the husband was out at work and I had the luxury of 5 days to please myself crafting.  The washing machine did go on but there was not one garment ironed – apart from the quilt I was working on.

As well as having my sewing machine out to work on my quilt, I had yarn on the coffee table to crochet, my Pfaff Creative 1.5 embroidery machine was running 1400 stitches per minute and I finished a beaded parure.

According to Wikipedia, a parure typically consists of a combination of a matching necklace, earrings, brooch, bracelet and often a diadem or tiara.  Well mine was a mini or demiparure:  necklace, earrings and bracelet.  It was a huge project but the feeling of joy when I completed the last beaded toggle was immense.

 

So you have an idea of what my living space looked like.  The dining table, which when extended seats 14, was piled high.  It was so nice being able to leave everything out ready for the next day, knowing that I was coming straight back to it and not having to put things away until who knew when.

I loved being able to leave the embroidery machine set up.  It does take up quite a bit of room and I don’t have a dedicated crafting space so leaving it on the dining table for a week was marvellous.  Christmas is coming and I treated myself to a few Christmas designs.  I now have a set of 8 pristine, white napkins, each with a different design and in a different colour. 

My daughter chose purple as the colour scheme for our Christmas tree this year so we now have 5 white and purple embroidered felt decorations.  And finally, I nearly burnt out the engine creating lace bookmarks and a lace lantern.

It was a really wonderful week.  The downside, all the house work to catch up on.

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Camelot Fabrics – Star Wars

A collection of fabrics inspired by the eighth installment in the Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi. The film follows Rey as she trains with Luke Skywalker in the hope of defeating Kylo Ren, and her attempt to lead him away from the dark side. We also see Carrie Fisher reprise her role as Leia post-humously.

The craft cottons in this range are perfect for any Star Wars fan, featuring Kylo Ren, Stormtroopers, Captain Phasma, and Rey. How about making a rather terrific tablet cover for the Star Wars geek in your household (or for yourself, which is even better!)

This clever little device wallet can be made with 2 x 1/2 yards from any of the fabrics in this collection. See what takes your fancy here.

Download a copy of the Star Wars Soft Shell Tablet Case designed by Michelle Lopez of Hypernoodle exclusively for Camelot Fabrics:

P-007_StarWars-TheLastJediDownload
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Lewis & Irene City Nights


A collection inspired by the city. All cities but specifically a city close to our hearts, London.
Lights twinkling from tall buildings and the bustling roads with their shiny black cabs. When the day comes to an end the city sparkles. Designed with metallic elements …

Lewis & Irene have released their stunning new collection, enhanced with subtle metallics, along with another winning themed quilt pattern.

This collection includes city buildings, black cabs, and an underground inspired graphic, along with both an architectural and pavement blender, with a selection of coloured backgrounds that blend well with the silver and copper tones running through all the fabrics.

Three different designs in the free quilt pattern will help you to co-ordinate your colours to maximum effect, while creating quilt blocks reminiscent of city buildings.

https://www.lewisandirene.com/portfolio-items/city-nights-quilt/

Find Lewis & Irene’s City Nights here

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Mad As A Raggedy Eared Hare

I

n the Spring I popped in my newest sample to the shop – Raggedy Eared Hare. He’s a cheeky wee chap with a jaunty scarf and beautifully textured ears caught in the wind. He proved so popular in the office that we had to add an extra session in for all of the staff and tutors to have a go.

It was a great day and at the end of it, as you can see, each hare is totally individual with little tweaks such as straw hats and bows in their hair.

Joy wasn’t very happy with the colour she created on her scarf and we couldn’t have her going home disappointed so we worked together to redo the colouring – this is actually really easy to do and one of the many wonders of Powertex.

I wonder if any of the hares have found their final homes on doorsteps and beside flowerbeds yet?

Like what you see. Follow this link to learn more about up and coming Powertex classes. The next Ragged Eared Hare is in September. Not long to go.

Purple Boots x

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Sewell & Savill Experience

 

What an amazing day!  Jon, Beccs and I joined two other ladies in a class with Laura from Sewell & Savill using embroidery machines.  We sell embroidery machines here at Tudor Rose Patchwork and although we knew the basics, we really didn’t know how wide a range of techniques there are and how many different things can be made so simply.

I’ve been blown away by how much an embroidery machine can do.  We looked at 10 different projects.  We made a fancy button hole, complex designs using metallic threads, we discovered the tricks of the trade for lettering.  We used embroidery designs to quilt, we learnt how to make a log cabin pattern.  We made lace flowers and attached them to our sampler cushion.  We explored applique and created a pretty reverse applique adding sequin embellishments.  We made chenille trim and a decorative pattern using eyelets.

The whole day was a lovely experience.   Not just because we were learning from a highly experienced tutor.  The day was run in easy sessions broken up with tea and biscuits, a nice lunch – although we did find it hard to tear ourselves away from the machines.  And just when we were starting to flag, we were treated to tea and cake.

Not only do you get everything during the day, but Laura sends all the tips and tricks to you by email so you have them to refer back to at your leisure.

If you have any questions at all, whether it be about buying an embroidery machine or attending a class with Laura to learn how to do more with a machine you already own, please get in touch.  You can visit us in store, give us a call on 01234 824983 or email us on info@tudorrosepatchwork.co.uk

Click here to see more about Laura’s classes.

 

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Meet Mr Raggedy-Eared Hare

I have been guilty of some skip diving this week! I was invited though. A friend is clearing her house ready to move and I have come away with a bag of t-shirts a stack of picture frames and all sorts of other bits and bobs to recycle into Powertex wonders. She was even throwing out some Christmas decorations so that’s got my head thinking of a ‘Christmas in a day’ class where we will use a range of techniques to create a set of Christmas items to include a wreath, a bauble and a decoration of some sort. Its all whirling around in my head but first….figures!

I have had a LOT of fun over the Easter break working with my daughter on some new Powertex ideas. I have also been trying hard to come up with a way to use Powertex that doesn’t involve getting covered in it. I personally love the feeling of working with my hands covered and daubs on my cheeks but I know its not for everyone. Watch out for an amazing Seahorse class. This project can be created with a brush. I can’t guarantee NO MESS but there will be less.

So my daughter and I created the Raggedy Eared Hare which will be coming to a Tudor Rose Classroom in the autumn. Here’s a cheeky peek of his little face!

More about him later though.

In the coming months I have three classes which will teach you how to make beautiful sculptures for you gardens just in time for a few days of the British summer. I have created a seated figure that would look superb amongst your flower beds or kneeling by a tree. I also have a standing figure class which could be a Halloween sculpture too if witches and ghouls are your thing.

 

The last of my new classes is the Fantastic Fairy. You may have seen my Bronzed angel in the store last year, well my fairy is a more delicate version of  the angel and is currently sitting on top of our display cabinets guarding the coffee shop.

We will be using ivory Powertex and subtle colours to highlight all of the gorgeous textures in the fabrics that make the figure.

Why not come along and have a calm day making with all of the mess cleared away by yours truly? One of our lovely customers told me her most recent class was the most relaxed she has been in ages which is exactly how I would like you all to feel after a day in the studio. What’s stopping you?

Purple Boots

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Pilot’s New Pintor Paint Pens

We’ve recently got a whole range of amazing new pens in the shop, and we’ve had a lot of fun experimenting! Pilot Pintor water based paint pens are so versatile and can be applied to almost any surface they come in two tip sizes: medium and fine, and a wide range of 24 vibrant colours including metallic and pastel shades.

Basics:

  • To prime the tip, shake the pen about 20 times prior to use (with the cap on firmly) and then press the tip of the pen 3-4 times onto paper until the ink flows.
  • These pens are not refillable
  • Store pen with tip facing upwards
  • To avoid getting paint on your iron whilst fixing the designs (for some materials see reverse), use a scrap piece of fabric OR grease proof paper between the iron and your creation.
  • We have found that the Black pen tends to spread more than the other colours. The metallic range of pens does appear to spread the least.

Drawing on different materials:

Porcelain/ Glass & Frosted Glass – for best results apply 2 coats; allow the first coat to dry before applying the second. Once you have completed the design put the item in the oven at 160C for 50 minutes. Best compatibility with metallic colours.

100% Cotton/ Linen– apply 1 coat smoothly, Iron at low temperature without steam to fix the design. The ink will sink in easily and will spread because of the fabrics fibres. However we at Tudor Rose Patchwork have had great success applying this product to cotton and other fabrics. We do advise using a piece of paper behind the fabric to ensure you do not mark any other surfaces.

Polyester/ Satin Fabric– apply 1 coat smoothly. The ink will sink in easily and will spread because of the fabrics fibres. We at Tudor Rose Patchwork have found that on this fabric the ink tends to spread more than with other fabrics. We do advise using a piece of paper behind the fabric to ensure you do not mark any other surfaces.

Glitter Film – These pens can be used in conjunction with the Glitter film range. Apply 1 coat and allow to dry on its own for a few minutes before re-ironing to fix the design.

Popeline/ Delicate Fabric –To avoid blotting trace contours and colour progressively with the tip of the pen. We do advise using a piece of paper behind the fabric to ensure you do not mark any other surfaces.

Leather – Apply 2 coats for best vibrancy and coverage.

Blackboard – The marker will apply easily to blackboards. The marker will not be permanent on a blackboard and can be washed off easily using a wet sponge and lukewarm water. However if the blackboard is damaged or scratched it may be more difficult to remove.

Metal / Plastic – Apply 2 layers, allow the first layer to dry before going over it.

Wood – Sand down the wood beforehand to ensure a smooth surface.

Polystyrene/ Paper / Card – Apply 1-2 layers dependant on desired vibrancy, no fixing required.

Mineral / Stone – Apply 1-2 layers dependant on desired colour vibrancy. If this is for outdoor use apply varnish to finish.

 

You can find some great tutorials over on the Pilot Pinter website, and don’t forget to check out our range of colours 🙂

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New Powertex Workshops!!

Another super Powertex class today. We had a group of complete beginners who have created some beautiful pieces and gone home totally inspired. Lots of the gang created steampunk pieces and have incorporated some great little details using old watch parts and recycled keys. Powertex is a fantastic way to recycle all those knick knacks you no longer have a use for. We also have some more beautiful ethereal samples made with butterflies and bows. As you can see the pieces are all totally individual and have been coloured according to all the individual tastes of the artists. Even better Powertex is totally weather proof so these pieces can be used to embellish a garden fence or exterior wall.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the work this talented bunch do at home and inspiring them again at one of the up and coming Powertex courses here at Tudor Rose. We’ve got three amazing new Powertex workshops coming up where you can try your hand at making a seated figure, a standing figure, and a fantastic fairy which would make a lovely summer addition to your garden.

Find the details and booking for the seated and standing figures here. Booking for the Fantastic Fairy isn’t open yet, but watch this space!!