Strange Times
In February of this year my hubby and I went skiing, as is usual for us. How were we to know the week after we got back the world would stop, lives were to be changed forever and we had to get used to a new way of living. Many people were now confined to their homes, those that had to work, had to change everything they did, the air became cleaner, the birds sang louder and new friendships were created through necessity. Everyone now had time, but we were isolated and many were lonely.
For me I had to stay at work. Driving to work I very few if any vehicles on the road, car parks were empty, my lunchtimes were spent sat in the middle of a deserted town. No shops were open and I couldn’t sit in a coffee shop drinking coffee watching people go by. Coffee shops were closed and there were no people, even the pigeons had stopped visiting the town centre, why should they visit when there was no food left for them?
My Tuesday night classes started back up in February, only to then stop in March. As an essential worker, I continued to work and was still waiting for redeployment to another position. This happened in May. I now work Monday to Friday and have the weekends off. This was exactly what I wanted, so that I could continue with my sewing teaching and to start selling on the markets again. But with so many restrictions, this wasn’t to happen just yet.
New Beginnings
I decided to go online, I have transferred all of my fabric, haberdashery, tools and kits to Ecwid, an online selling platform. This is linked to this website and can be found in the Shop page. But this was not an easy thing to accomplish. My website (this one you are reading) went down in March and only came back online on 3rd August. I’m now going to be super busy putting content on this website.
As lock down has begun to ease, I have signed up for the Craft Fair at Fox Valley in Sheffield. The first one I attended was on the 2nd August and, for me, was a huge success. The next one is Sunday 6th September 2020, so hope to see you there?
Going forward
For me, my life is filled with sewing and making. So it won't be any surprise to you that I intend to sew more next year and to bring you more workshops and classes.
As for my own sewing, this year I have completed (some items started life some time ago) 38 sewing projects, these are 4 quilts; 2 cushion covers; 12 items of clothing; 6 bags; 2 items of kids clothes; 5 sunglasses cases and 7 other miscellaneous items.
But for me it is not the quantity, but the value they bring. I have found that the crafty community are a generous bunch and we tend to make things for other people. Of the 38 items I have made 7 went to other people as presents.
Many of you know that I have had a challenging year, and I am so grateful to you all for sticking by me. Part of my future plans are therefore to get classes back up and running, but this won’t be easy. Due to my ill health I am currently under scrutiny in my day job. I am being monitored for my capability to perform my current roll. This takes time and I need to devote my energies to it. This will mean that my usual Tuesday evening classes will be not, unfortunately be starting in January 2020. But, don’t worry, they will be back and I will let you know in due course.
One thing that has gone from strength to strength and, I for one really enjoy, is the now monthly Sunday Sewcials. These are every third Sunday of the month and are for sitting and sewing. I do not provide tuition on this day, as I will be sewing myself, but help is always available. Due to their popularity, these are now a ticket only event and will be published monthly on Eventbrite. Best thing to do, is to log onto Eventbrite, search for Sewcial Sunday, then like me and choose to have updates when I publish a class.
I am presently seeking alternative places to hold classes and workshops and hope in the near future to bring you tailored classes, hopefully in bag making; patchwork and quilting; soft furnishing; and of course, garment making. Again these tickets will be going on Eventbrite.
I have just one more fact to tell you. In 2019, you bought 15 miles of thread from me. Which is the equivalent of me travelling to Barnsley and back. Thank you so much for your continued support and custom over the last year.
All that is left for me to say is:
May your heart be joy-filled
and
your life sew-blessed
Skye Wrap Making Weekend
Skye Wrap
For those of you wanting to make a Skye Wrap on our next Sewcial Sunday, I have some tweed and wool fabric in my stash that I am offering for sale. The tweed and wool fabric I would like donations for and the charity that I am supporting this year is The Woodhead Mountain Rescue. The prices below are for three coconut buttons and lining fabric.
The first is a camel coloured felted wool and I have enough for only one wrap.
Here it is teamed with sky blue buttons and a batik, cost £10.50
Red buttons and Blue Floral from Art Gallery Fabrics Sonata, cost £15.00
The second fabric is a beautiful tweed with autumnal colours in a grey background. I have enough of this for two wraps.
Here it is matched to natural buttons and Liten Ditsy from Art Gallery Fabrics, cost £15.00:
Bright Red buttons and Makower Linea, cost £12.50:
How about going more autumnal with orange buttons and orange Linea, same cost of £12.50:
The third fabric is a multicoloured tweed (I have enough for 4 wraps), this zingy fabric deserves to have a bright lining, these are all from the Linea Makower range, so the cost for 3 buttons and the fabric is £12.50. Here are just three colour ranges that I can think of:
Which one would you choose?
Remember, the cost is for the buttons and lining and not for the tweed or wool fabric. I am looking for donations for the wool and tweed fabric and all donations will go to the Woodhead Mountain Rescue. So even if you give a donation of £5.00 for the tweed or wool fabric, you will have a beautiful wrap for £20.00 or less.
Happy Skye Wrapping
Claire
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I haven't been inactive
I haven't been inactive
I have been very busy over the last couple of months.
My time has been taken up researching and buying fabric, then designing things to make. Then building and launching my online shop.
Researching fabric was hard, have you seen how many fabric types there are available. Then to find the right supplier, then what to have. The decisions were endless, and extremely hard for me as I am Piscean.
Hopefully I have now found the right fabrics and suppliers and can bring some great things to you; whether that be through my classes, at my Saturday market or, on my online shop.
At the top of this page you can see that next to the home button is a shop button, click on this and it will bring you to an almost blank page, This page has a button with Shop Now on it. This will take you to my online store. Not everything is on at the moment, but I am updating weekly, so please come along every now and then and check it out.
Discount
To help launch my online shop, I am giving a 10% discount to all my customers. For every £25.00 you spend you get 10% discount, use the code Summer18 online and this is valid until 31st August 2018. (This does exclude the cost of lessons.)
Tutorial
Over on my tutorial pages I have put the instructions on how to make this quilt:
A very simple quilt to make and it measures 44" x 49.5". Great weekend project and great gift to give away.
Great Barnsley Bunt Off
The sewing machines and overlocker will be in great demand.
