It started with just a little thread...

Morning lovelies!

What a gem of a morning...

The birds are nattering while the bees are meandering.

A delightful day if ever there was one!

It seemed like the perfect time to share the news with you all

that soon my book Stitched Memories will be available to purchase.

I am beyond delighted to say the least.

Never in a million month of Sundays did I think that this little 'ol Fen bird who

is as as odd as the most quirkiest being about, 

would be lucky enough to write a book...

You see....coming from the Fens...well it's not something you usually do is it?

Now if you had said when I was growing up that

I would be the owner of a potato picking firm or 

a tractor driver, well you'd probably be much nearer the mark!

But as I've already mentioned I'm an odd bod.

I like to look for the unusual in the ordinary.

Someone who loves to capture those everyday stories and turn them into a treasured

marriage of cloth and thread...

So how did I get to write a book?

You may well ask...

Like everything in life, it's simply the luckiest thing of

being in the right place, at the right time,

talking to the right person indeed.

I've dreamed of writing a book since I could read and write

but this frizzy haired wild bird was rubbish at school. I got bored easily.

Science and Maths dumbfounded me and still do at times. And yet they totally fascinate me.

The only subjects that grabbed my attention were Needlework, Art and English, oh and Cooking (to which my waistline showcases very well!)

But you see, those subjects have done me proud...

As many of you know, my background was in Education.

I am a trained Visual Impairment Advisor, specialising in Early Years.

Over the years, I have been privileged to help support and teach many

beautiful children and young adults with additional needs and disabilities.

Knowing my own struggles has helped me really sympathise in understanding how a One Size Box does NOT fit all sizes.

 Alongside my teaching days, I always crafted.

It was a passion of mine from an early age

and eventually it has ended up that I am now teaching the joy of being creative through stitching full time.

What's the secret to inspire others?

It's easy....

Simply show the beauty and wonder of the world that surrounds us in every minute of every day and help others to see it's Ok to not be perfect.

Not to be precise is considered a No No in sewing and yet...

Our Mums and Grannies often didn't look at things that way.

Sewing was more often than not a necessity and so with it came the responsibility

of making things work with warped cloth, using not so perfect thread, piecing together scraps to create a whole.

I'm afraid, for me that is what sewing really entails....

When it was suggested a couple of years ago by Search Press, (the world's finest art and craft book publisher I might add) that I write down my ramblings to help inspire others in the form of a craft book, I jumped at the chance.

I was totally blown away.

The fact that someone thought I was capable of writing a book...

As I've got older and wiser, I truly believe that everyone has a gift in some way or another.

Mine is simply to share my love of cloth and thread and use my skills as a tutor

to inspire and guide you...

And so through many many stressful hours of writing, a book evolved.

Two thirds of it was left on the cutting room floor because I had written too much information due to space constraints...something that took a while getting my head around to be honest

but now I've seen the final copy I totally forgive my editor!

I've decided to write those snippets here on my blog so you don't miss out...

So, where to get hold of my book?

Well there are a variety of ways...

I shall be doing lots of book signings with Search Press at some of the big

Needlework Shows this year as well as some smaller events at some of my favourite

workshop venues which will include some scrumptious vintage tea parties...

You can find details here on my website

I will also be offering the chance to get a signed copy of the book on my website with a little extra surprise gift as well

as appearing on the Sewing Quarter Channel with a Book Launch on 30th July.

Lots going on!

I will of course be shouting from the rooftops on my Facebook page also.

So for now I will simply leave you counting down the days to Mr Postie arriving....

Thanks for dropping by and saying hello!

Stitched memories with cloth and thread...

Hello my lovelies...

Today saw me trundling along the dual carriageway towards 

the NEC in Birmingham for some serious coffee meetings.

Stitches is one of the biggest trade shows for the creative craft industry, 

held annually at NEC, Birmingham.

Anyone working within the industry, traders, retailers & suppliers all get together 

to look at current trends, new products and supplies... and loads of coffee drinking!

I met with many fab people, all of whom are going to be

supporting my book 'Stitched Memories'

I have to say I am a tad excited....just a teeny weeny bit!

It's becoming a little real now....

The wheels are beginning to turn in motion.

We all add a little stitch here and there to our own life's quilt, 

full of precious memories as time goes by.

 In my book, I want to give you all some ideas

and inspiration as to how and what you can actually do with those memories.

As a textile artist I work with a huge variety of fabrics, trims, notions and found objects.

I LOVE pushing the boundaries to see what can be achieved...

As time ticks by I will tell you a little more but thought I'd leave you with some snippets

to introduce my book for now...

If you are a lover of traditional needlecraft then hopefully I can bring a little smile or two for you... 

obviously when I've actually written it that is!

But in the meantime I am off to put my feet up for a well earned rest...

Remembering a Generation of Brave Souls...

All over the country this weekend, we will see celebrations and parties taking place to mark the end of the Second World War in Europe in 1945....

VE DAY

I'm sure all of us in some way or another have relations that can remember the war or have heard tales of family stories etc.

I have always admired the generation of brave men and women who fought so very hard to keep this little island of ours to remain in British hands.

Often their small acts of bravery went unnoticed, unmentioned and unrecognized but each and every

citizen played their part to make our homes safer for our future generations.

I can only imagine what it must've been like for all those women left back home whilst their menfolk fought their own battles.

My Nan often told me tales of how it was for her bringing up three children in the Fens next to the second largest marshalling yards in Europe and being under threat each and every day of their lives...

My Nan & Grandad, George & Phyllis, were married only two weeks before war was declared in order that she could receive a married woman's allowance, as they knew he would be called up for active duty.

There was a queue at the local church to have a service and so their marriage was a rushed affair with a very simple afternoon cup of tea that followed...no grand celebration like today.

She didn't even get a photograph of her wedding.

Like many others their lives had been thrown into turmoil when war had been announced and the carefree days of courting were simply gone forever...

Reality had hit home in more ways than one.

George, was a meek and gentle man who had served an apprenticeship as a nurseryman at the local plant nurseries, Greens of March, Cambs.

The nursery specialised in supplying the posh houses of Chelsea with Chrysanthemums which were shipped to London daily on the steam trains which regularly left March Railway Station.

He loved spending time in the glasshouses with the seedlings and plants.

"He hadn't got a bad bone in his body" Nan often said and he found it really hard to think he would have to go and fight for king & country so to speak...

He hated the thought of having to leave his family and venture into the unknown.... I guess like so many others at the time.

The furthest he had ever travelled was to Hunstanton for the day...

a day out by the coast on the train, some forty miles away.

He was simply a Fen man through and through who loved his homeland and had never felt the need to move to pastures new.

George was injured during the bombings of Coventry Cathedral which blew up his army truck and killed his best friend whom he had known from the age of five.

He spent a lot of his service in medical wards recovering from the bomb blast that evening with a broken spine...unfit for purpose.

Eventually nearing the end of the war he was medically discharged.

He never saw active service as his regiment had been shipped out to Singapore whilst he was recovering in hospital.

I've often wondered if Nan saw that as a blessing in disguise in some bizarre way

knowing how he was terrified of having to fight?

This weekend will no doubt bring loads of similar tales by so many families of hardship, courage, bravery and yet immense pride of their loved ones.

let us always remember those brave souls who gave their finest years...

We owe them all so much...

Tilly

x x x

Ada...

Hello my lovelies!

Thank you for all your beautiful comments following my last post.

It's really lovely to know that reading my ramblings makes some of you smile.

When I started this new blog I was adamant it was to be just about my work, but, knowing the chatterbox that I am I'm sure you're not surprised to hear that I felt I wanted to share this little gem of a story with you all...

The Little Things...

As many of you know I live in the Cambridgeshire Fens... an area of the country that is well known for it's eerie Fen mists, folklore and flat arable farming land.

It is the backbone for producing a variety of arable goods and all my ancestors have all worked on the land and been Ag Labs ( aka farm workers)

I haven't moved very far from my birth town (all of twenty miles) but to the rest of our family we were considered as the rebels of the family for moving so far away!

I have been exploring my family history for a few years now, and with the fabulous bonus of the internet I have been able to find out some wonderful snippets of every day information that are priceless to me to add to my collection of memories, tales and photos.

So why am I writing all this?

I was blessed with two sets of Grandparents but sadly I never got to know one of my Nans.

I was this age the last time I actually saw her and so know very little about her....

(I'm the gorgeous one on the left!)

Doing the research I managed to find out all the facts about her....you know her birth date, her wedding date, her death date etc but I've always wanted more....

I firmly believe you are the person you are because of your background, your genes, your memories etc but more importantly your soul carries those blood lines onto a new generation.

I only have a couple of photos of my Nan...

Here she is at my parents wedding in 1964.

She is the lady next to my Dad (on the left of the picture)

I follow a few groups on Facebook and when a lovely stranger posted the following photograph at Christmas asking for more information, I was convinced that my Nan was in the group as I so look like her....

I didn't have a lot to work on as she is the lady on the end of the photo wearing a beret.

After sending a message to the lady who posted it I received such a beautiful present....

She had asked her Mum (who was in the picture also) if she knew my Nan and if so what memories....

I was delighted with her reply!

She told me my Nan was a cheerful lady who was well known for her hard work.

Nothing seemed to bother her and she would muck in with what needed to be done.

Following that news feed for a couple of days, another two photos were added by another stranger...

Now I could see my Nan and get to know her a little more...

She is a little older than I am now in these pictures.

Apparently she was well known for wearing a beret at work and in winter I live in mine too!

***

Hopefully I can capture her strong Fen spirit and create a beautiful collage to add to my family history collection that highlights the every day delights of her Fen life. 

I want to do her justice in highlighting her ethos for hard work and getting on with things no matter what....something I know I've inherited from both of my Nans!

I know life was never easy for her and she endured many hardships making her a tough old boot as they would say now but i know that family was her number one priority.

She loved nothing more than having everyone round a table of home baked food

 Often the simplest of details can lead to so many questions being answered by future generations....

I'm going to write down as many memories I have of her and include them in my collage with some hand embroidery alongside my treasured photographs printed onto fabrics.

It will be a long term project, a labour of love you might say that I can indulge in whenever I have some 'me time'

I am so  delighted at having found a small snippet of her life's patchwork simply through the kindness of a stranger's uploading of photos...

My only sadness in this tale is that I would love to have chatted with her as an adult and told her that her little curly haired granddaughter now appears on TV...

wears a beret just like her...

and has inherited her recognisable chubby cheeks, square chin and untamed wild Fen hair!

Watch this space my lovelies for my little collage 

which will be aptly named .... 'Tales of a Fen Spirit - Ada'

Ada Davison (nee Marshall)

 aka my Nan I never got to know...

Tilly

x x x

Creativity...

Hello my lovelies!

I do hope you are all having a fab week so far....

Yesterday while chatting to one of my lovely customers, I was asked if I 

ever get bored of having to be creative all the time, especially now I 

do TV work?

My reply was simply "No" without even thinking about the reply to which she smiled.

I can't remember a time when I wasn't creative in some way or another either in my fashion sense as I was growing up (not that many people would think I've actually got any now!), my home decor, my garden, through my love of cooking or simply through writing...

I guess I was born with fidgety fingers as my Mum would've said.

I find if I go a day without doing something I miss it....

my fingers itch to get creative and I'm restless to go and explore...

So what is it?

How do you define IT?

What is it about being creative that actually makes me smile?

With so many crafts that I love to do I can't really say it is any one thing really.

I do know I am rubbish at sticking to the rules, following a pattern or reading any guidelines given...

My teachers used to write in my needlework school reports ..... "she needs to follow a pattern and not venture off on her own journey"

I'm sure I was a teachers nightmare really if the truth be told!

I guess I was just a square peg trying to fit into a round hole and failing miserably!

As a teenager, I would spend loads of my spare time drooling over fabrics & trims in our local haberdashery while others were off chasing the latest hunks. 

I would daydream for hours over the many pages of fashion in my weekly magazine wishing I could be designing and sewing...

My happiest times would always be when I could express myself in a creative way with 

paper, paint, fabric, ink and other mediums and the only time I was really happy at school was in Needlework, Art, Cookery & English

Unfortunately back in the days of being a teenager it really wasn't considered cool to be artistic

and get excited about crimplene!

I wonder how many of you felt the same?

These days I am lucky to be able to share my love of creating & designing with a wider audience

who totally get what being creative means and understand a little of how  I tick as a designer...

For me it is so fulfilling being able to share my love of sewing, embroidery, patchwork etc

with others.

I also LOVE being inspired by all the simple things around us that are sometimes so tiny in detail we often miss them as we trundle past on our travels...

...the tips of petals on flowers in the garden

...the swirly scrolls meandering amongst the mass of stone on our traditional architectural buildings

...the glisten of the pond as we walk our dogs

I'm sure you get the picture...

Even at the grand old age of --- I'm a dilly dally daydreamer wandering through life's path in a very 

Bohemian way in my floaty skirts and scarves and yet

I take it all in...

I like to absorb all the wonderful inspiration around me and hopefully share it with everyone through my designs.

So back to my original question of what is IT?

I would have to say IT is what makes you tick as a person when you craft...

It really isn't about being perfect in that particular craft...

I know some teachers out there will disagree but having taught so many children with additional needs it is much more important to have a go and enjoy than to never participate and always wishing you had given things a try...

It isn't about knowing all the facts...

It isn't even producing loads of designs...

IT..... is learning that creativity is simply an extension of ourselves that we can share with others

and knowing deep in our hearts that it is OK to be different from everyone else

If I do nothing else I would like to think I have inspired others to have a go at various crafts & techniques...

I'm hoping to add some simple tutorials, tips and online workshops on my blog eventually

so do please keep popping by to say hello

Enjoy your evening my lovelies...

My embroidery is calling so I will venture off to my comfy chair surrounded in silks

and play for half an hour before the light fades...

I hope you enjoy your evening...

Happy crafting folks!

Tilly

x x x

Keeping me on my toes!

How was your week my lovelies?

Since braving it five years ago and becoming self employed I never know what life entails...

I feel I have the luckiest job on the earth...

I can sew, crochet, knit, patchwork and craft to my heart's content 

all under the umbrella of 'work'

BUT....

it always keeps me on my toes!

Since becoming a Craft Demonstrator with Create & Craft TV last year,

I have had to delve into the depths of my grey cells to create

inspirational ideas for everyone to have a go with all the gorgeous goodies being sold on each show....

Do I enjoy it?

Oh boy yes indeedy!!!

I'm lovin it :)

I'm loving being able to inspire others to have a go...

I still feel like a rabbit in the headlights on each and every show and haven't quite got my head around that side of things but am absolutely taken with being encased with such creativity

I'm well known for my day dreaming glazed look whilst thinking of projects for each show

and I have hand written notes all over the house...

Never knowing whether I am going to be doing a patchwork show or crochet, or embroidery...

I am such a busy bee simply having to buzz into action and crafting in a frenzy (often at midnight when the rest of the world is resting!)

The world of TV is really not as glamorous as you think it is!

It's quite common to catch me working in my little cabin at the bottom of my garden in my PJ's at some unearthly hour in the morning listening to the birds gossiping all around me.

My darling hubby is so used to seeing me covered in cotton snippets attaching itself to every outfit I wear or pieces of wool hanging from my sleeve these days I'm sure he thinks it's part of each outfit I wear!

And yet I am still smiling... it makes my heart sing and my creative soul is soothed for another day

This week?

Well it has been all about Grannies, ripped paper strips, embroidery floss tangles,

needle felted blunders, miles of bunting and Redwork...

Try and pick the bones out of that lot if you will!

As I say...it keeps me on my toes!

Happy Weekend Wishes!

Tilly 

x x x