My Secret Affair.....

Hello, my name is Tilly Rose and I have a little secret to share with you…..

Twenty odd years ago I started a love affair that I just can’t seem to let go. I am still in love all these years later….

There, I’ve said it out loud…

Little ‘ol Tilly Rose has a secret love affair… 
I know that may shock many of you but I feel now is the time to reveal all…

Roll back the years to 1990 and my story begins…

I had stolen a precious half hour of ‘me’ time with a much needed cup of tea, a packet of ginger nuts and Pebble Mill for some much needed adult company, whilst my little one sat amusing himself with his toys in front of the TV screen.

It was my regular slot of switch off time just before my son drifted off to slumberland for his daily afternoon nap.

Does anyone remember Pebble Mill?

For those of you in the know, Pebble Mill was the daytime equivalent of The One Show (my apologies at this point for any readers not familiar with either shows…)

On this particular day the presenter, Alan Titchmarsh (I think!) was interviewing a young actress (whose name I’m afraid I have since forgotten). The purpose of her visit was of course to alert viewers to her new book, film, play etc and she started telling Alan about her absence from the limelight and mentioned that during that time she had recently lost her beloved Grandma and like many of us, unfortunately had had to tackle the daunting task of clearing her home.

She went on to explain to viewers how she had unearthed a wooden trunk containing many of her Gran’s treasured items including a pair of hand sewn patchwork curtains that the actress remembered being in her Gran’s kitchen. She had struggled to understand why they had been kept as they were so faded by the sunlight as well as being very tattered and torn in places. And yet, despite being in such a poor condition they had been washed, pressed and neatly folded away in the wooden trunk for safe keeping…

After asking her Mum and other members of the family she had managed to unearth the story behind them...

Her Gran had married young in the late 1920’s when times were very hard and they had moved into a house with very little. Their home had been very close to Liberty’s in London and each season she had collected many free fabric samples on offer to customers until she had enough to put together as a small pair of curtains. She had then lovingly hand sewn each patch together to create a pair of beautiful patchwork curtains to hang in her kitchen window which had remained there for the next forty odd years….

I was totally smitten…not only with such a beautiful tale of handmade thriftiness to turn a house into a home with very little but the fact that each patch had been so treasured and hand sewn with such love made me smile. The curtains must’ve meant so much to her every time she stood at her kitchen window and looked out. How proud she must have felt.

It was at that moment my love affair began as I had fallen head over heels with patchwork… but not patchwork as we know it today. I loved the whole idea of a family heirloom made from golden treasures and full of beautiful memories... 

Until that day, patchwork had never really caught my eye although I had dabbled a little at school but the idea of collecting snippets of fabric from nowhere to turn into something beautiful captured my heart and I fell in love with the history and making of traditional patchwork there and then…

I have since made numerous projects for my own home as well as making many gifts for friends, orders for customers and teaching others the joy of patchwork.

Traditional patchwork evolved from sheer necessity and whilst I love all the beautiful patchwork designs now available my heart always sings for the traditional way of doing things created from the Make Do & Mend ethos from years gone by. 
Any fabrics available were used, all colours were chosen and all designs gelled to form one enormous explosion of joyfulness.

I get so annoyed when I hear people being told they can only use certain fabrics, certain styles and perfectly cut shapes etc 

Our mothers didn’t have those choices and yet they still managed to create the most amazing items against all the odds. They kept their homes cosy, full of warmth and saved themselves loads of pennies in doing so.

I too now have my own patchwork curtains hanging in my kitchen just like the lovely lady in the story. They remind me of the day my love affair began and the beautiful story behind my own journey of getting to know patchwork.

My home is now one big collection of fabric scraps lovingly sewn into every day designs that I cherish dearly.I always try and add a little more like a crochet edging, a little hand enbroidery, maybe some vintage buttons or even lace but most of all every piece is always hand stitched with love...

 I do often wonder if anyone will find my patchwork curtains in a wooden trunk and wonder why?

Whatever style of patchwork you prefer have fun stitching my lovelies...

Any handmade loveliness will always bring a smile...

Enjoy your day!

Tilly

xxx

Big Bertha...

Hello lovelies!

Many of you have asked to peep inside my little hideaway so I've dedicated this post entirely

to Bertha... my little hideaway studio

Let me tell you her story...

Six years ago we bought this little cabin to have as a summerhouse at the bottom of our garden with the view to me being able to move off the dining room table and do a little sewing in there also...

When she arrived I have to say  I didn't immediately fall in love with her as she was 

this huge blob of ginger staring back at me from my kitchen window and stuck out like a sore thumb in my lovely garden full of flowers!

We had had to clear a large area of our garden to accommodate her and our lovely garden suddenly

seemed very barren and very angular if you know what I mean!

You see I'm a curvy girl in more ways than one and straight lines and geometric shapes really don't sit well with me...

I like a little prettiness and plenty of soft floaty edges...

We were advised for the first summer to just paint the inside but leave her ginger until the following year...

I wasted no time...

Five coats later of brilliant white I still only had a beach combed look inside as the wood just seemed to soak up the paint like a guzzling teenager drinking fizzy pop!

So now, not only did she look a sunburnt ginger on the outside with a faded white glow on the inside but she had the most dreadful smell of paint!

We gradually moved some things in there during the first summer and she became affectionately known as our 'Gingerbread House' at the bottom of our garden...certainly not the little retreat I had dreamed for hours about!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roll on six years later and just like the Ugly Duckling, she has now blossomed into a beautiful swan who I LOVE spending time with!

Like me she is now bursting at the seams in more ways than one with so many things...

She is packed to the rafters with vintage loveliness!

I have so many gorgeous things surrounding me whilst I work in there...

buttons, lace, fabrics, books, beads, cottons, wool, patterns...you name it and I'm sure you'll find one in there somewhere!

My Mum's cabinet houses all my little treasures and trinkets which I love delving into for some inspiration...

My two vintage beauties share the space along with the modern ladies but they all seem to get along nicely which helps for a happy family :)

As a presenter now on Create & Craft TV I have loads of shows to prep for with a variety of subjects to cover so Bertha is now my little work studio where I am often seen at 6am or even 10pm sitting in my PJ's whirring away on these little beauties!

I love sitting watching the sunlight stream through the windows as I work and listen to the birds chattering away...

Bertha is now nestled between loads of beautiful flowers at the bottom of our garden and is such a joy to visit at the end of a long day out at work...

My comfy armchair awaits to rest my weary bones with a glass or two!

Even on days when it is miserable or very rainy I love just sitting and listening to the rain beating down on the roof (it reminds me of caravan holidays when I was younger!) 

I drift and daydream and  lose so much time going through my vintage gems...

But then on days when I need a little quiet to simply sit and sew Bertha is always free to help me out...

I know I am doubly lucky to have two work spaces to choose from....my Vintage Workshop and Bertha.

Like many of you I also worked on my dining room table for years with children around my feet and with limited snatched minutes in between hubby's football matches and school runs which is why I smile every time I work in either of my two locations.

Do you have a special place to craft?

Do tell....

I hope you've enjoyed getting to know Bertha!

Tilly

xxx

And they call me an expert???

Hello lovelies!

how are you all?

Gosh what a busy time of late it's been for little 'ol me...

I haven't had time to write for a little while.

I'm not complaining at all as I know I'm a lucky soul to be able to do what I love everyday of my life and actually call it work....

but just like the rest of you I have good days and bad and sometimes days that really should be left at the starting line!

Monday was one of those days if I'm being honest with you...

You see it takes a lot to get this old Fen bird flustered...

I am very patient 

I am very calm

I am as quiet as a mouse for most of the time

My years of working with children and young adults of all abilities and special needs has made me a very mellow girl who usually glides through life like a graceful swan with a huge smile on her face even when I may be a little flustered under the tides...

So what happened on Monday???

Well I'm taking a gamble telling you this little treasure because you all think I'm the expert and I would hate to dampen your illusions ...but this is why....

Create & Craft TV - Singer Sewing with the lovely Dean Wilson.

The show started fab and was all going brill until I got to doing one of my rehearsed demos,

a tiny little buttonhole attachment....

just that word makes me shudder now!

Live on air in front of thousands of lovely peeps my little buttonhole foot decided

not to play ball despite having practiced our routine all weekend just in case there were any glitches.

I had tried various sizes, various styles and I had it all sorted....

what could possibly go wrong?

I can't even begin to tell you how many buttonholes I've sewn over the years without even blinking and giving it a thought...

BUT...

this little fella decided to play a wee little joke on me and just wouldn't do what 

I wanted it to do!

Oh my what was a girl to do other than smile sweetly at my presenter, perspire a little as us girls don't do sweating do we girls?

 and go a gorgeous shade of freckled scarlet...

and panic just a wee bit!

Did you see the frustration in my face or did I hide it?

You see at home I would probably have just walked away, made a cuppa and come back with fresh eyes to start again.

Live on TV is a different ball game and there is no such option!

i tried reasoning with it, I tried starting over again, I even tried a different button but alas no....

it was having none of it in front of thousands of eager eyed sewers.

Now in the grand scheme of things it really isn't a life or death situation is it?

it's just a button for goodness sake!

In true Blighty spirit of not being defeated I perservered and pushed through it while my lovely presenter carried on regardless until he saw my smile return... eh voila une buttonhole....

It had completely toppled me.

All I kept thinking was "how could something so tiny cause me to gain a few more grey hairs?"

and they call me the expert hey?

Mmmmm...I do wonder at times!

I love to chat for England and sew and crochet and embroider...

I can't stand wearing loads of make-up

I don't do fake tan

all I do is simply smile and be myself!

(not sure they have the right person at times despite my lovely Nan's advice for anything in life...)

Am I the only way who feels a completely dotty old woman at times that bumbles their way through the simplest of situations with a smile ..... no?

just me then...ha ha!

I have no idea why my lovely attachment wouldn't work.

The machine was perfect....

The button was perfect...

The cotton was perfect...

and off air when I tested it again it worked perfectly again...

NOT funny!

the joys of live TV hey?

Until that moment I had managed to cope with all the stress of working in TV throughout the day without a glitch for all my shows . 

The sewing was a doddle and I was in sewing heaven...

~~~~~~~~~~

I'm thinking there should be a book of these tales somewhere!

The Dotty Tales of a Curly Haired Middle Aged Fen Bird (who pretends to be the expert!) 

Today?

I'm hiding with my big floppy hat amongst the foxgloves just in case the Paparazzi

come looking for this famous celebrity... 

If by any chance you did enjoy the programme and fancy some more Tilly Rose ramblings then tune in next Tues for some gorgeous English Paper Piecing.

Surely I can't manage to go wrong with that one do you think?

hand sewing, hand embroidery and loads of ideas

I absolutely LOVE what I do on TV but boy does it add a few more wrinkles on this 'ol girls face!

Have a lovely day my lovelies....

I will see you soon 

Happy stitching...

Tilly

xxx

Solitude by the riverbank....

Hello my lovelies!

how are we all?

Do you think summer may have finally made up her mind to stay?

These last few days here in the Cambs Fens have been an absolute delight!

Like many of you, I daydream all the time about living in the countryside in a cute little thatched cottage with a log burner to make it nice and cosy....

but in reality I live in a 1960's chalet bungalow on the outskirts of a city which I really struggle with on a daily basis....

I make the most of what I have though as I am lucky and know

my time will come eventually, but in the meantime I visit the countryside that surrounds us as often as I can...

Last night we visited one of my favourite spots which is bursting full of Mother Nature's beauty.

While hubby spent some time wandering along the river eyeing up the fish available 

I enjoyed being an old woman sat on the riverbank, with my lovely old basket full of pencils, camera and paper, sketching to my hearts delight!

Have you ever watched a gathering of damselflies amongst the reeds?

No?

Neither had I and they absolutely fascinated me....

They are so delicious and delicate fluttering in the breeze of the evening tide.

I tried so very hard to capture their beauty on my little snappy buddy who travels everywhere with me in my pocket but alas I was only lucky to  photograph this lovely beauty...

I managed to get quite a bit of sketching done and can't wait to transform this into a

free motion embroidered piece when I get five mins...

As I watched the sun go asleep I managed to remember the many colours to work with for my textile pictures.

I'm thinking that this image would make a fabulous book cover...

What do you think?

Maybe in a black and white theme?

With some poetic doodles to accompany the design?

Watch out for it on one of my shows!

If you get five mins to visit somewhere similar near you do make the most of these beautiful late nights...

You too can watch the damselflies dancing in the evening to the tune of the choral birdsong...

You never know but you just might see a special viewing of something rather spectacular that inspires you to get creative...

isn't he so majestic?

Just remember that Mother Nature provides us with such beautiful snippets of happiness if only we take the time to see them....

"...discover the beauty in the ordinary things of life,,,,"

Enjoy your day my lovelies!

Tilly

xxx