Tag: embroidery

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Fun Ways To Celebrate National Embroidery Month

February is recognised for different things, Valentines Day, Black History Month or if you’re into food, Nutella Day (the 5th if you’re interested). However, did you know, it’s also National Embroidery Month?

So just for fun, here are 20 ideas to help you celebrate National Embroidery Month!

1.  Work in Progress:  Select one embroidery project that you have in progress and finish it by the end of the month.

2.  What about trying stitching on something other than fabric – have a go on paper.

3.  Re-organise all your threads, needles and notions.                      

4.  Make something new with your embroidery, if you normally frame your work, what about stitching on a pillow or tote bag.

5.  Treat yourself.  Buy a new tool you’ve been wanting.  A new pair of scissors or needle minder.  The Hemline Gold range is created with environmental consciousness in mind.  No plastic and fully recyclable packaging.

6.  Set yourself a time just for you to stitch.  Don’t be distracted.  Make it a quiet moment for you.  Listen to your favourite music, have a glass of your favourite tipple.

7.  Challenge yourself to learn about different types of embroidery.  Have a go at counted, gold work, blackwork, traditional embroidery or sashiko.

8.  What about experimenting with some freehand embroidery.

9.  Invest in a sit-on embroidery frame – perfect to free up your hands.

10. Maybe present your work in a different way.  If you always display your stitchery in a hoop, maybe frame it or stretch it over a canvas frame.

11.  Have a go with different threads, have a go with silk ribbons or tapestry wool.

12.  Embellish a garment or bag.  Or cover a stain or tear.

13.  Enhance a project with sequins, beads or crystals.

14. If you have time, what about setting yourself a challenge – stitch a new project each month.

15.  Join an embroidery class.  Learn new stitches and meet new people.

16. Have a crafting evening at home and invite over a few friends for a get together.

17.  Create an embroidered gift for someone.

18. If you’re travelling, carry a small project with you and have the pleasure of stitching anywhere.

19.  Experiment turning your work into mixed media by adding painted details to your project. 

20.  Choose a new pattern to stitch from our shop.

Finally, come and visit us in store, admire our display celebrating National Embroidery Month.  Find a new kit or even a new skill and have a go!

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New Products For January

Amazing new products on our website for January, including DMC kits, Prym haberdashery, and the now classic book ‘Edward’s Menagerie’ by Kerry Lord.

DMC kits

4 wonderful kits added to our huge selection – blackwork butterfly, poppy Flower Fairy, The Kiss, and the whimsical ‘You Make My Heart Smile’

Find all our DMC kits here

Bumble Bees and Honey Bees

Everyone still seems to be slightly bee crazy, so we’ve added two new applique trims – cheerful Bumblebees and stylish gold Honey Bees.

All our trim

The cute animals in Edward’s Menagerie are made using simple crochet techniques and the step-by-step instructions enable a complete beginner to get hooking straight away. Each animal also has a universal pattern where you can change your hook and yarn to create four different sizes, making 160 different animal possibilities.

Purchase a copy

And don’t forget our large selection of ever-growing quality Prym haberdashery!

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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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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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Joy’s March Update

What’s been happening since my last update?

I mentioned I was crocheting mad – still am, nothing has changed there. I’ve lost count of the WIPs. There are presents for family and friends, tasks to encourage my mum back into crochet and of course, things that I just must do for me. And there’s a blanket CAL starting soon that I’ve got my eye on too. Never enough hours in the day. And I’m sure that’s the same for all of us.

My mum’s been unwell and needed to get her groove back. She tried to teach me to crochet when I was 8, then as a teenager. I was 43 before I asked her to show me again. I’ve come on leaps and bounds since then but she needed a helping hand. So I found us a lovely blanket of squares we could work on together and I’m pleased to say she’s enjoying herself again. And it’s been great that I could give her something back.

Since my last post, I attended the first beading class with our new tutor and that was a huge success. A lovely group of ladies just having a lovely time together, like minded but from so many different backgrounds and walks of life. I’m very much looking forward to our next class at the end of March. Sue Stallard proved to be a super tutor, our group is a mix of complete beginners, some of us with a bit of experience and a couple of ladies who have been beading for donkey’s years. I’ve already been shopping for our next two projects. It does help that I know what’s coming next and what we have in stock. Come and see our new beads and crystals all the way from Czechoslovakia.

I do enjoy sewing and quilting but as a busy mum I spend a great deal of time driving and waiting for children. The portability of crochet and beading just lend themselves to being picked up and put down. I sit in the back of the car sometimes, with my laptop on the seat next to me, watching the latest drama or documentary, a pile of wool around me, a pattern fastened on to the headrest in front of me and a flask of tea. It’s actually not a bad way to spend a few hours really, truth be told. However, roll on the longer nights, because beading to the illumination of a car light is quite hard work on the eyes.

At work, I’ve been working on a sample embroidery. It’s a stitched and stump-worked kit that we may stock in the future. But I have needed a magnifying lens and lights, as the piece and stitches were so tiny. And that was in broad daylight. Keep an eye out on our social media and website for the kits.

 

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February Progress

Nothing much has changed, the weather is still dismal and grey.  Sad to say but I still haven’t finished my lovely big crocheted throw.  Nearly there, 180 rows done, just the edging to do.  Getting quite excited now the end is in sight.  It has been quite nice spending a little time each evening on the sofa in front of the TV with my ever-growing blanket keeping me warm.  Spent the day out with my son and 10 other 14 year olds over the weekend paint balling.  Well they were paintballing, I sat in the car and crocheted, jumped out into the rain, fed them, sent them off again, jumped back in the car, crochet and repeat.  They all had a brilliant time and were exhausted by 4 o’clock.  I had a marvellous time being able to crochet without feeling guilty that I wasn’t doing housework/ironing/vacuuming etc etc.

 

I have however also been working on a couple of my many UFOs.  Just a few…

 

Having finished this lovely little piece, I have rediscovered my love of handwork, I started this stumpwork piece in a class with Kathy Laurel Sage about 18 months ago and I completed it last week. Just waiting for a frame now.  And of course, I’ll have to find a home for it.  It has reminded me how much I enjoy cross stitch and embroidery.   And goldwork… and tapestry… and jewellery making in its various guises.

I’ve joined a monthly group starting next month here at Tudor Rose Patchwork with our new tutor Sue Stallard and I’m very excited about the projects we’ll be doing in class.  The samples for each class are lovely and I’ve had a wonderful day ordering in the beads and crystals we’ll need.

The shipment of Czech delicas arrived on Thursday.  Huge amount of work involved getting them ready for you all but actually thrilled about new projects that are ahead of us.  Not to mention a couple of UFOs too… along with a bracelet and a necklace that need attention.

Help!  There’s just too much to do and not enough time.  Maybe if I didn’t sleep, eat, work or have to do anything with the children.  And I keep finding more to do.  I belong to a couple of Facebook groups and every day there’s a new pattern I’d like to make or new products I’d like to try.  A good job I don’t belong to any other social media.  It’s just madness.  How do you decide which project, piece you’re going to work on next?  Do you try and finish something a section a week whilst working on several others at the same time or just wing it, work on what you feel like that day?

 

 

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Gold Work by Hand or Gold Work by Machine

 

Which one works for you?

By Kathleen Laurel Sage

Hi everyone,

We are now well into the New Year and many of us have already signed up for classes that inspire us to learn a new technique and make that stunning project. The weather is cold and dismal so it’s an ideal time to keep busy during the day with your machine projects whilst keeping cosy and comfy in the evenings with some hand stitching.

One of my favourite winter evening pastimes is my Gold Work embroidery as I can sit in my comfy armchair and stitch it when watching the television and being with the family. I can even manage it at a push with my dog on my lap.

Traditional Gold Work can seem so very intricate and people can be put off by what is actually a very easy to achieve technique when you are shown how. The simple stylised designs are accentuated by a couched cord sewn around them, then infilled with seed beads, leather and a whole host of lovely shiny gold work wires and cords that are available from the shop.

If you’re not a hand stitch kinda girl don’t fret because I like to push the boundaries to try and emulate the look of traditional stitching using my sewing machine. I have spent several happy days in my studio working out just how to do this and bring this stunning gold look to those of you who prefer to use your sewing machines.

What’s the difference?

First of all the embroidery hoop went and a stabiliser fabric was introduced to support my design. A quick gathering of all things gold such as cords, machine thread, ribbons and beads and I was ready for the challenge. Now all that I had to do was experiment with how to emulate my lovely gold work using only my trusty old sewing machine! With a little practice and a good look at what my basic machine had to offer I soon realised that it was no big deal, just use the machine stitch to accentuate the design and to couch the cord. Simple really… What about the leather though? Well the machine didn’t like going through such small pieces so back to the drawing board, but not for long. Tudor Rose Patchwork has a new and sensational product called Fusible Glitter Film and wow it does a grand job of replacing the padded leather of the traditional method. So away I went again. With the use of a few utility patterns and a dab of gold paint, I had soon created my new machine version of traditional gold work and wow I was pleased with it. Plus it took me much less time to complete and finish than the hand stitched version. A real plus when time is short.

I love the fact that it can be done both ways and I invite you to come along to my machine embroidered, ‘All that Glitters is Gold’ workshop on the 18th February and have a go for yourself.  Whether you’re a hand stitch girl or a machine stitch girl, you can both do gold work.

And for those of you who love your hand stitched version don’t forget to book a place on the Gold Work sunflower on Monday 26th June.  We have also opened up another date for the popular Gold Work Bumblebees on the 22nd November. So hurry and book your place as they are going fast!

Hand embroidered Gold Work

Machine embroidered Gold Work

 

You can book a place on Kathy’s upcoming courses, and find out about our other courses HERE

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Not Christmas Already?!

Well no, but panels and fabrics are arriving thick and fast so that we can all be ready in time. Gifts
created and decorations made.
Today, I’m at the sewing machine making Christmas Stockings.
It’s a bit of a chore, however, to find inspiration when the sun in beating down and the temperature
is topping 26 degrees C. Not that I’m complaining about the sun at all, just finding it hard to think in
terms of Christmas and the Winter season.
What embellishment will enhance the stockings? Do I go for glitz and sparkle or something more
subtle? It is a Christmas stocking after all so maybe sequins and seed beads. The panel I’m using has
a Scandi feel to it so perhaps embroidery with a bit of glitzy DMC. Watch this space.
Jon has already been busy putting together an incredibly simple “folded” advent calendar. We are
all amazed by how quick and it easy it was to make and customers are loving the end result. Proving
popular already.
Who else has started getting ready for the festive season? Tell us about the projects you’ve got in
mind. My mum is making bags for her friends this Christmas, it was cushions last year, and already
has 2 completed. Only 5 more to go!
Delighted with the finished result. Only took a couple of hours, computer had to be worked at and
customers had to be looked after in between!
I’ll be in touch with my next sewing challenge….Joy