The British Quilt & Stitch Village

Hello lovelies!

Happy St.George's Day!

In celebration of all things British I thought it would be a good time to post about my visit to The British Quilt & Stitch Village last weekend...

It was my third year of attending and I have to say I always love going as it is one of my favourites in the calender of sewing events here in the UK.

I know each event has it's own merits but I love this one simply because

it is such a gentle one despite the crowds...

The sort where you can meamble around at your leisure, stop for a cuppa comfortably,

find a decent loo and more importantly receive some friendly smiles and chatter from the exhibitors.

There are always loads of exhibits, competition entries and workshops of differing abilities to see and do, where you can gain a plethora of inspiration regardless of your interests.

If you've read my previous post you will know that I entered another exhibit this year 

called 'Mercia', 

depicting life in the Fens with all their Myths and legends...

I gained a rosette which I was super chuffed with!

(excuse the shocking photo!)

My competition neighbour was this amazing coat which was an incredible piece of art

...totally my cup of tea!

It's been a few years now since I've made myself some wearable art like this simply due to time constraints but I love it and it reminded me to get sewing for myself!

Here is the winning entry in our category...

perfect for a Spring day!

A gorgeous cushion full of daffodil gorgeousness.

So what else was on offer?

Well a little bit of this...

And a little bit of that....

and loads of these....

Textiles, quilts, embroidery, slow stitching,

mixed media and so much more...

It really is like being in a sweet shop full of stitching smiles just waiting to be picked.

The hours of work put in for the show by exhibitors was outstanding.

I'm sure that there would have been many frazzled hours of frustration, pricked fingers,

ragged broken nails, torn cloth, tangled threads, and many a few 'blue' moments for many...

Do you ever think that

someone has stitched their little heart into that piece you are staring at?

It may look odd or not reach the standard of a City & Guilds certificate but do you know something?

That person was brave enough to enter a competition to exhibit their work.

They were brave enough to stand up and shout out their love of cloth and thread.

Something I so applaud!

Happily or sadly however you look at it I only heard a couple of negative comments.

The majority and I really mean the VAST majority of the visitors 

loved seeing the inspiration of offer.

It was so lovely to hear sentences like

 "how did she do that?"

"wow look at all that hand sewing..."

"look at that beautiful fabric..."

Wow I love her patterns.."

Now, lovely reader have you ever considered entering a competition?

Don't be put off...

In order to make an event fresh and exciting we need sewers like yourselves to be like those brave peeps above.

Will you consider giving it a go just for little 'ol me?

If you are interested in entering for next year, the theme is 'The World About Us'

A fabulous scope for so many beautiful things!

There are numerous categories you can enter covering a multitude of skills.

I just know so many of you would be able to create some gorgeous pieces.

I have to say I am very excited. I have my thinking cap on already!

I will post all other photographs on my Facebook page so if you fancy a nosey you can click on the link below ...

Tilly Rose - Textile Artist

Before I go, I must say a HUGE thank you to everyone who visited my stall, took part in a Tilly Rose workshop or simply stopped by to say hello...

I hope you enjoy stitching with the goodies you all purchased and 

create some lovely memories whilst doing so especially if you are dabbling in to the world of mixed media!

I am so blessed to be doing a job that I love and part of that is connecting with so many like-minded peeps who adore some form of stitching, one way or another.

Without you all, there would be no show so thank you for travelling and dropping by.

There are too many of you to mention names and I would probably miss out someone even if I tried...

Just rest assured I very much appreciate your love and support.

Here's to next year at Uttoxeter...

They simply stitched...

Good morning lovelies!

A cold start to this November morning greets me...

So, slippers are keeping me warm, cuppa in hand and I have five mins

of saying hello before my busy day ahead.

My week has been a very mixed bag of moments...

English Paper Piecing.

Family History.

Hospital.

Travelling through The Fens.

Slow Stitching.

Reasearch.

Of course, if I was to sum up all of my varied days it would look like a jumbled patchwork throw...unfinished at that.

I guess the same as anyone else!

In our modern times life just seems to travel so flippin fast don't you think?

I wonder if our ancestors thought the same or even had time to think of such thoughts?

Slow stitching helps to ground me when I am needing some downtime.

When it is time to step off that hamster wheel of normality.

Isn't it strange how the thrill of a simple piece of metal and a snippet of thread can bring such joy....

I decided in the summer that my project over winter was to finally get around to

cutting out and then stitching my hexies back together again to produce

a snuggly lapquilt.

I have so many FQ's that are too small to add to a project but too big to waste.

English Paper Piecing has always been welcome in my heart since learning how to make a cushion whilst at Junior School.

I diligently stitched with eagerness each and every little small piece of cloth waiting for my jigsaw to appear.

of course in practise it was a really good way of introducing children to stitching and even wiser a good way to get them to practise their stitching without it becoming a chore.

i owe a huge thank to Mrs Walters for that...

Of course real English Paper Piecing (EPP) has a history something very different to what we perceive today...

It evolved from sheer necessity, like many sewing crafts.

Every tiny scrap of cloth able to be saved was added to the bag of scraps

and housewives would sit and stitch whilst hubbies were toiling the land 

during the summer months to produce a 'new' bed blanket quilt to keep their families warm

in the grueling hostile winter months.

I'm sure they didn't see it as therapeutic as we do today.

they simply stitched....

Not sure what they would've thought of our designs and styles today.

They used any scrap of paper they could get their hands on as templates to 

use to cut out their hexie shapes...

letters from family, telegrams, birthday cards, shopping lists, brown paper from the bacon or cheese they collected daily on their shopping trips to the grocers.

None of our pre-cut shapes back then.

No die cut shapes or machines to help quicken the process.

No fresh sparkling new fabric....

No...

As they stitched by gas light or low evening light, because that was often the only time

they were able to sit and stitch...

they would simply stitch, slow and steady but methodically to get the job done.

Would their mind wander as does mine?

I really would love to sit and chat with the women in my family who are no longer here that 

sat quietly and did the very same...

What do you sit and think about whilst stitching?

All our vintage whispers of thread will become hierlooms of the future.

Do you add special memories to your projects or are you happy to simply stitch also?

Do tell..

I love to hear your tales...

My Love Affair with Ally Pally...

Hello my lovelies!

how are we all?

So as I write this, I am looking at a suitcase filled full of clothes, stitchy goodies and my train tickets... ready to venture off on my next little crafty jaunt.

Where am I going???

Well...let me tell you a little snippet of gossip...

I am trundling down by rail to the big smoke..aka London, for a fantastic event held in

a fantastic venue....

The Knitting & Stitch Show 2016

I fell in love with this event over fifteen years ago and have always loved it ever since.

I am SOOOO excited :)

So, what am I going to be doing?

Well...I am going to be spending the next five days working my little socks off chatting with viewers of  Create & Craft TV, other artisans, craft companies, bloggers, publishers, crafty peeps and many textile students.... as well as hopefully meeting loads of inspiring people with loads of crafty smiles.

My first visit to Ally Pally (of course officially termed as Alexandra Palace)

introduced me to a world of so many ideas alongside the crafts I was doing at the time.

I was enthralled by all the many designs on offer in so many different fields of craft.

Even if you are an amateur crafter I can guarantee you will find something that will bring a smile or two...or three or four.... you get the idea!

There are loads of retail opportunities to help stock up your stash of goodies as well as loads of exhibits, workshops, demos, free shows and tons of inspiration everywhere you look in every nook and cranny.

You will NOT be disappointed!

I shall be demoing on the Create & Craft TV stand with a fabulous Singer machine showcasing some

Free Motion Embroidery, decorative stitching and hopefully sharing some of my very easy tips & techniques for making your sewing journey a little easier...

Do come and say hello if you are visiting...

I'd love to meet you all!

Toodle-ooh for now...

Happiness is simply stitching from the heart....

Hello my lovelies!

How are we this lovely Monday?

I hope you all had a fab weekend...

Let me tell you about my mine...

Why this weekend in particular?

Well my lovelies, this one was a little extra special.

You see because of my lovely hubby being ill this past year, I haven't really done

any workshops.

I've had to prioritise my time of late, but with hubby now having been given the all clear so far I feel a little happier returning to doing some workshops again...

So, on Saturday I did my first workshop in a very long time but not in my little Vintage Workshop. Oh no indeedy, I was asked by my lovely friend Julie to do a workshop at Bee Crafty based in Ellington, Cambs.

The theme for the day were these little gems....

'Patchwork Hexies'

So what were we making?

....An envelope cushion full of gorgeous vintage loveliness Tilly Rose style!

Many of the ladies had never encountered English Paper Piecing before, so it was lovely to be able to introduce them to this calming traditional craft.

I'm a firm believer in calming your soul and for me simple stitching is always a winner.

Every stitch adds a little love to any project and always reminds the owner of a piece of work just how much time and effort has been put in.

Hand stitching transports you back in time to a much simpler and quieter way of living.

No IPads and internet to disturb you, no flashing images in front of you but more importantly, a time when life seemed a little slower in pace.

Like many of you I value all of the modern technology that our Mothers & Grandmothers were never able to access as we do today, but I do think there is a time and place for everything and that includes modern technology also.

There is nothing more important than well being and for me that means quiet time, stitching, procrastinating over ideas and enjoying the process of actually making something albeit useful or not.

Saturday's workshop was very much centred around this ethos of enjoying the processes...

The ladies started making their hexie pieces then decided on their designs...

Sewing machines cane into action as the whole project came together...

By the afternoon we were on to some gorgeous lazy daisies to embellish our designs...

again more simple stitching to soothe the soul :)

By the end of our day of vintage sewing, we had some very happy bunnies filled to the brim with tea and cake, loads of happy smiles and some beautiful designs incorporating loads of traditional stitching...

As for me...

Well what can I say?

I left beaming like a Chesire cat, may just sum it up a little!

I have SO missed offering workshops and Saturday had only reminded just exactly how much...

A BIG thank you to Josie, Joy, Sue, Anne, Peggy & Allie for joining me and making my day so lovely.

Hopefully life will deal a better card than of late so I can start offering more workshops soon...

Only Father Time will be able to tell me that one.

I will be back at Bee Crafty in the New Year for some more Tilly Rose workshops, so if you do fancy joining me on one simply click here for more details.

In the meantime, I will simply carry on stitching at home or on TV and make my heart smile and keep my soul happy...

I do hope it does the same to you when you stitch every time?

have a lovely week folks....

Toodle-ooh for now my lovelies!

Tilly

x x x