Summer Loving....

Hello lovelies!

There's something special about summer living don't you think?

Time seems to pass that little bit slower whilst we while a few hours in the golden sunshine...

Summer brings so many smiles for me...

...beach

...picnics

...sea

...dreams

I'm a day dreamer as it is and summertime makes it even worse!

My little camera is always at my side for photos...you know...just in case...

I LOVE capturing my day with a series of pics regardless of what I will use them for!

My poor hubby is so used to hearing me say "textures..." "..patterns..." "..look at the colour of that!..."

I try to use my pics for inspiration for future projects or doodles in my sketchbooks or even adding to my Pinterest boards!

You can find me here...

The simple things in life do make me smile!

I don't know about you but I spend many hours in the darkness during winter wishing my time away until the lighter evenings, warmer weather and wanting to spend time outside in my garden.

I'm not really a summer girl when it comes to the hot sunshine as I go a gorgeous shade of scarlet which really isn't attractive!

So I enjoy the balmy evenings when I can sit and chill in the honeysuckle hues or enjoy watching the sun set over a sandy horizon.

My absolute of summer though is making all those gorgeous homemade goodies from the seasonal produce.

I'm going to be doing a few of my traditional recipes in future posts but in the meantime I 

do hope you enjoy this little gem to get you started with a little summer living....

This recipe is based upon a traditional Fen recipe which I have adapted and added my own take on it...

Tilly's Rhubarb & Ginger Cordial

* Stewed Rhubarb

* Orange Juice

* Ginger preserve

* Brown sugar

-Chop rhubarb into 1" pieces and stew with a little orange juice and a few tablespoons of ginger preserve

-Add some brown sugar to taste

-When soft, drain rhubarb through a sieve and save the juices

- Use stewed rhubarb for any recipe...crumbles, pies and tarts

-Allow rhubarb cordial to cool and keep in fridge.

* add rhubarb cordial to tonic water or lemonade with loads of ice to create a gorgeous refreshing summery drink!

Enjoy!

Tilly

xxx

Summertime is here...

Hello lovelies!

How are you all?

Are you excited?

Another season has left us and we are embracing a lovely new one....

....well in theory that's how it goes!

In truth and in reality we are actually still battoning down the hatches, wearing our thick bobble hats and sipping hot chocolate when we should be basking in the gentle sunshine.

I must admit that despite the coldness and grumbly clouds I do still love this time of year really.

I know 'Ol Blighty can be very unpredictable and provide us with torrents instead of 

gentle dribbly showers to cool us down but us true Brits always soldier on don't we!

Summer always makes me think of times gone by as I love watching all the different coloured blooms appear in my garden day by day and absolutely adore the short season for picking peas, strawberries, summer fruits, and so much more....

Every summer I love filling my  home with my homemade edible creations using homegrown delights just as my Nans would've done...

Jams, curds and jellies

Ice-creams, fools and stewed fruits

herb butters, flavoured oils and BBQ spice rubs

There is nothing more exciting than getting out all my books and deciding on which recipe I'm going to be using again or maybe an old favourite that comes out every year.

Sadly the weather is howling  like crazy outside while I write this and living in the Cambs Fens always makes things seem much worse....

The Fen winds whip across the flat lands creating eerie sounds which is certainly not what summer should be like!

But don't worry I'm undeterred....

my list has a gorgeous array of delicious delights so I will be ready for lazy summery days !

Fingers crossed the sun will return very soon and we can all enjoy some free Vitamin D, summer smiles and happy lazy times...

In the meantime a girl can dream :)

Happy Summer folks!!!

Tilly

x x x

What Do You See?

Hello my lovelies!

Friday already?

I am always amazed at how quick time flies!

Aren't you?

I used to hear adults say that as a youngster and think what on earth were they talking about...

At the grand ol age of ..... you know what, I now know!

Life seems so busy and stressful to so many in such a variety of ways.

The toils of every day living is often seen as a struggle to just get through each day and the thought of being creative in any way seems a distant dream

I'm a firm believer in finding the simple things in life to keep us grounded and in touch with what really matters...

Social media is now a huge part of our lives that we can either enjoy or really detest.

For some it rules their lives.

It can take up SO much of our valuable down time if we let it and yet can be so inspiring

if you know where to look.

Be selective in exactly where you actually look and spend your valuable time....

As crafters we all need inspiration and often use social media as our first point of call.

We beg, steal and borrow as they say but mainly borrow ideas from others

to help us create our own projects.

As a textile designer, celebrity crafter, TV personality...call me what you will,

I am no different!

But......

I LOVE nothing more than seeking out new ideas provided to us by Mother Nature to play with...

I know I maybe push the boundaries a little more daringly than some with my projects and ideas but in doing so....

it makes my heart happy, my eyes sparkle, my lips smile and my soul sing.

I try to fill my days with happy smiles when I can 

and tap into some positivity when the time arises, borrow some me time and be creative in amongst the busy world we call our everyday lives.

With the weekend approaching why not take five mins out for yourself

and do the same?

Grab a quiet cuppa and sit amongst the billowing blooms in your garden

Watch the clouds create designs in the sky

trace the outline of a piece of bark with your finger and feel the textures

watch children play

discover new shapes on the beach

They all sound very simple when you write them down in a list like that don't they?

But those simple things in life help us to be in the moment and seek inspiration to be creative...

I know that if you spend a few precious moments indulging you will be inspired to be creative to.

Be kind to yourselves this weekend folks....

be creative in a small way...

Toodle ooh for now!

Tilly

xxx

My Little Vintage Workshop...

Hello my lovelies!

As many of you  know, as well as appearing on Create & Craft TV as a guest presenter 

I run Tilly's Vintage Workshop and teach a variety of craft workshops. craft events and 1:1 tuition...

So, as a Monday morning treat i thought I would welcome you to my humble abode...

I have been at Hill Farm for nearly five years and have loved every minute of it.

As I trundle up the hill on my way to the barn I feel I always feel I am leaving the city life behind me and entering into the dream of living in the countryside.

This is the view from my barn window as I work...

I love to watch the seasons come and go and the changing colours

they bring...

My workshop is my home for many hours while I sew, embroider, crochet, embellish and create.

When you arrive you are immediately taken back in time to a bygone era of simpler times and the wonderful ethos of 'Make Do & Mend'...

I have tried really hard to make it a home from home environment to help people relax when they visit instead of a sterile classroom often associated with workshops.

I want my customers to kick off their shoes, grab a cuppa and spend a few hours putting the world to right while enjoying some much treasured creative time...

I'm a firm believer that everyone should do something creative every day to help soothe our souls in our fast society of modern day living.

Creativity is SO much more than just getting a project done from beginning to end in a set amount of time using a set amount of resources.

It is about exploring...

It is about developing a style that reflects your passions...

but most of all it is about learning a little more about yourself.

I am lucky that I can change the setting around to suit each session making events something different each time...

Over time I have catered for a wide range of fun events other than just sewing.

Birthdays...

Afternoon Teas...

Charity Craft Workshops...

Children's Craft Sessions...

Family Personalised Workshops

As you all know I am a lover of all things vintage & handmade and my little workshop is filled to the rafters with snippets from that golden age of vintage...

Anytime you fancy popping by do come and say hello...

At the moment due to family commitments I am only open on Fridays 10.30-3pm

I'm hoping to run some more workshops as soon as time allows...

In the meantime I will be on Create & Craft TV soon, writing on my blog, offering tutorials and loads of inspiration as well as sewing my little heart out to keeping me busy.

You can also find out more details on my website here

In the meantime toodle-ooh for now...

Will be back soon

:)

Tilly 

x x x

Cherry Blossom - Free Motion Embroidery Tutorial...

Hello lovelies!

Don't you just love this time of year?

Springtime  is always a welcome visitor for  me bringing loads of beautiful colours after the grey dreary days of winter...

I took some photos of some pink cherry blossom trees recently in readiness for when 

I had five mins to myself to dabble with some Free Motion Embroidery.

Free Motion embroidery is also known as Free Machine Embroidery and allows you much more flexibility to draw with threads, colours, patterns and textures.

I love it!

It gives the freedom to create designs in an organic way.

You can choose how small or large you want your stitches and in what direction

you want them to lay.

I thought it would make a nice tutorial for those of you wanting to have a go...

Free Motion Embroidery Tutorial

Firstly you need to decide on a design to work out your basic shapes...

If possible take loads of photos to help decide the angle you want to concentrate your design on.

Originally I was going to try and recreate the whole cherry tree but then decided to scale down the design for some more detail.

I wanted it to be a medley of fluffy marshmallows!

The next thing is to use your photos to help draw some simple shapes...

* To get your machine ready you will need to thread it up for straight stitching.

You can have the top thread the same colour as the bobbin thread or experiment with a mixture of the two to create various blending options.

* Change your machine all purpose foot to a Free Motion foot. This allows you freedom to move your fabric around freely.

* You will need to lower your feed dogs (the gripper teeth below the presser foot). Check your instruction manual if you are unsure how you need to do this. 

You can add a darning plate if your machine is unable to drop the feed dogs.

* Set your stitch length to a medium length

* Place your fabric inside a wooden embroidery hoop to prevent puckering. 

You can cover your hoop with a cotton fabric to create an even tighter fit if you wish.

Next comes the exciting part....

Playing with threads!

You can use ordinary cotton or polyester sewing threads or treat yourself to some machine embroidery threads that add a special silky finish to your designs.

You can either work directly onto your fabric or add extra fabric shapes to add additional colour to your designs...

As you press your machine pedal down move your hoop around slowly to get used to the needle moving up and down. It is a different way of sewing and it will take a while to feel confident with moving your hoop.

Build your design slowly...

Experiment with different colours to form the various elements of your picture.

When you feel more confident why not have a go at writing with your sewing machine?

The possibilities are endless...

I do hope you enjoy experimenting...

I know you'll be hooked when you do eventually work out what style you enjoy.

As an extra try changing fabrics, threads, colours and designs...

Don't forget you can embellish your projects on top of your embroidery with beads, sequins, buttons, lace etc

Have fun being creative my lovelies!

Tilly

x x x