So in February 2013 I promised myself that I would write regular blog posts and yet here I am again!  My only excuse if that things have been frantically busy at The Make It Room with workshops, courses, children's parties and hen parties.

Summertime in our courtyard

So a quick whizz through the year here! There are lots of images of our workshops and what's been happening on our facebook and twitter pages too

In March  I taught felt making at the Knit & Stitch Show at Olympia, a perfect excuse to have a look at all the lovely stuff on offer and spend a fortune on yet more fabric, my favourite being a piece of handpainted silk.

Making felt bowls at Olympia

This year our cushion and lampshade making workshops have been really popular and it seems that interest in sewing has been on the increase following the Great British Sewing Bee and Kirstie Allsopp's craft programmes. Screenprinting, jewellery making and our new art classes have also been very popular.

Lovely lampshades

Cushion Making

So we had lots of lovely workshops all over the summer and paid a visit to the NEC at Birmingham for the Festival of Quilts which was amazing, we all came back buzzing with so many ideas for new projects.

Children's stitch and stamp holiday workshop

Mums and daughters summer sewing

There are so many more things to write about but instead of posting all in one go, I'm going to try and be good, pace myself and write blog posts on a regular basis - we'll see!

Keeping up to date!

Feeling slightly guilty that I have not written my blog for over six months, I thought I had better rectify the situation!  My only excuse is that I have spent most of my time trying to get The Make It Room off the ground and I am glad to report that my hard work is paying off.

I have run lots and lots of workshops - sewing, knitting, crochet, lampshade making, rag rugging and many more.  Andrea has run silver clay, copper clay and jewellery making workshops, all very well attended and very enjoyable.  We have plans for many more new workshops for the new year and as well as running our regular classes, such as polymer clay beads with Jess and bookbinding with Jo Gross, we now have lots of lovely silk screenprinting workshops with Candice Wren. We've also been joined by The Cake Lady who is running fabulous new cake decorating classes, if you need cakes made for a special occasion, she should be your first port of call.

Chainmaille Jewellery

Lampshade Making

Handsewn Patchwork

Decopatch

Lovely Lampshades

Owl Cushions

Vintage Apron

Valentines Cupcakes

Vendor Apron

Pearls and Flowers Bracelet

Rag Rugging Workshop

Party time!

Understanding Sewing Patterns

The Make It Room Courtyard

From one extreme to the other!

Usually I forget to write my blog for weeks on end and yet, here I am, three posts in two days!

Over the jubilee weekend my daughter Jessica of Time for Tea Beads and my friend the lovely Jo Gross of Floating on the Breeze, both had tables at Spitalfields Market in London, they both sold plenty of their beautiful makes and I went along with Blooming Felt's Sarah to browse!

Jess looking slightly apprehensive but gorgeous as always!

Some Time for Tea Beads

Jo's Floating on the Breeze handmade books

It was a really lovely day and we managed to squeeze in lunch, coffee and cake and a visit to Brick Lane as well!

I also taught a lovely group of ladies about sewing patchwork cushions by hand, this workshop took place in the Richmond Room at Hylands Stables Visitor Centre, where I have a studio space as one of their Resident Artists

Finally, I must mention a pretty little shop which has opened selling handmade crafts made by local people.  It is called Handmade High Street and is at 6 Sir Isaacs Walk in Colchester town centre.  I have some felt flowers and decopatch hearts for sale and there are lots of other lovely crafts to see and buy.

Exciting Stuff

Workshops seem to be taking up all my time at the moment, not only do we have an absolutely fantastic selection of workshops at The Make It Room and at Hylands House but I have been invited to teach wet feltingat the Knit & Stitch Show at Alexandra Palace.  I am running this in conjunction with the very lovely Sarah from Blooming Felt who has lots of exciting stuff going on at her Shedquarters!

I have spent today listing new sewing workshops on The Make It Room website, have a look!http://www.themakeitroom.co.uk/epages/587985.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/587985/Categories/Workshops/Sewing

Beginner's Sewing

Summer Top

Sewing Workshops

S

I went on a trip to Snape Maltings with my lovely friend Pauline, such a beautiful place, really inspiring - galleries and lots of interesting little shops plus Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth sculptures, I can highly recommend a visit.

I have been making felt pods this week (as well as lampshades!), lovely Sam from the WI came to a felting workshop last week and having made bowls with her, wanted to make more!

So a big thank you to Sam, for making me start felting bowls again, I hadn't made any for a year!

We had a lovely polymer clay workshop on Saturday, taught by my daughter Jess of Time for Tea Beads (see the link at the side), the two Mums and daughters who attended had a wonderful time and were surprised by what they were able to create!

More news tomorrow!

Busy days

In the last month, I have been all over the place!  My daughter Jess and I went to the absolutely amazing Living Crafts show at Hatfield House.  We had a wonderful time, met some really lovely ladies from the Mid-Herts Guild of Spinners who taught us how to use a drop spindle, so of course, we had to buy our own to practise at home - next stop a spinning wheel!  The show was brimming full of fantastic crafts and unusually for us, we spent a whole day there (and the sun shone) - we came away full of ideas and enthusiasm.

There have been lots of workshops taking place at The Make It Room, we spent a lovely Creative Felt Day making needlefelted mice and nuno felted scarves

 The workshop bookings are really picking up and we have many new and exciting crafts to offer.  From July we have Lampshade Making workshops available, you will be able to come along and will learn how to make your own drum lampshade in your own fabric.

 

 

This workshop can be booked online http://www.themakeitroom.co.uk/epages/587985.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/587985/Categories/Workshops/Lampshade_Making

Two posts in two days!

While yesterday's Vintage & Makers market is still fresh in my mind I'm taking the opportunity to post a few images instead of leaving it for months on end!

The market in the Shire Hall in Chelmsford was run by the lovely Jo Meadows  and was a very successful day despite the horrible weather!  Jess and I shared a stall with the very talented Jo Gross who had a first outing for her new venture, Floating on the Breeze, It was also the first market for Jess and her Time for Tea Beads.

Off to my studio at Hylands House today to put everything back in its place, if you have time, come and visit us - we're open in the Stables Visitor Centre, upstairs above the cafe!

Busier still!

Well,I did it again, so much going on completely forgot my blog!  I have a good excuse though, many excuses in fact!

I have had some of my felt and decoupage in A Passion for Fashion a vintage shop in Maldon High Street thanks to Julie, its a shame but the shop has closed its doors this week having been open as a pop up shop since before Christmas.

As well as this, I have had lots of my bits and pieces in the Chelmsford Community Pop Up Shop in High Chelmer, thanks to Cherry Ann Hall, this has been a fab opportunity with masses of people frequenting the shop and lots of exposure for the many artists involved. The shop has stayed open much longer than expected so has been a real success, last day tomorrow.

My youngest daughter, Jess and I went to Kew Gardens to visit the orchid exhibition there, of course as always, we left it till the last possible minute and so did everyone else it seemed!  Nevertheless the flowers were absolutely amazing and we came home inspired to make a new range of felt flowers in similar colours

These flower corsages are now completed and on sale in the Handmade on the High Street shop which opens tomorrow in St. Isaac's Walk in Colchester, and much as I would love to be there, I will be having a stall at the Vintage and Handmade Market in the Shire Hall in Chelmsford.  Everything is ready to go and I am sharing the table with Jess who will be selling her fabulous polymer clay beads from her Etsy shop, Time For Tea Beads,  and also with the lovely Jo Gross whose new enterprise is named Floating on the Breeze, stocking beautiful handmade books.

Jo and Jess both teach workshops at www.themakeitroom.co.uk at my home in Howe Green.  We have had a full programme of workshops over the last couple of months - multiple workshops running in Art Clay Silver with Andrea Neale, wet felting and needlefelting in conjunction with www.bloomingfelt.co.uk, bookbinding, jewellery making, sewing, knitting as well as a two week programme of children's Easter workshops which were very successful.  I had a lovely chat with Etholle George on BBC Essex explaining about these and giving the other guests the opportunity to have a go at some decopatch!

Another lovely workshop today with Andrea, Pearls and Flowers Bracelet

So all in all, a busy time, but this didn't stop us making trips out to our favourite places and the celebration of multiple birthdays at home over the Easter weekend - lots of cocktails and sore heads the next day!

If you have a chance, come along tomorrow and visit us at the Shire Hall!