April 2024 – Faeries In My Garden

Welcome to our April 2024 Newsletter

Dear Stitching Friend

With the beautiful month of May just around the corner, our thoughts turn to the privilege and wonderment of motherhood. Whether you are a new Mum, Grand-ma, or, in some cases, Great Grand-ma, or someone who has taken on the role of mother, without giving birth, you know the joy that springs from this truly amazing miracle of life. I love that in England, they call it “Mothering Sunday”. This brings up images of warmth, fertility, scone-baking, spring picnics, and happy times with those we hold dear. We recently welcomed to our family, a beautiful new grand-daughter to our son and his wife, living in London. While we won’t have the pleasure of growing with this little scrap of life daily, it is much easier now to communicate, video chat, and even visit. She already has a cousin, born to our daughter six years ago now (shown in the photo) ~ hopefully these two little girls will meet and get to know each other as the years roll on.

Big News! Our First OPEN DAY at the shop!

It’s just over a year now since we closed our shop and transitioned to a fully online store. So it’s about time we opened up on selected days to allow our local customers to visit in person.

Announcing our first OPEN DAY:

FRIDAY 3rd MAY AND SATURDAY4th MAY 10 am – 2 pm both days.

New Fabrics, Specials, Fat Quarters, Fat Eighths, Baker’s Dozens, Kits, Patterns ~ all are available for personal shopping on those two days. We will be offering some specials ONLINE as well on that weekend, so, if you are far away, keep an eye out for these!

We have a SPECIALS TABLE so make sure you check that out when you come.

We look forward to welcoming you back ~ old and new customers alike.

Heavenly Stitches

A glorious collection of sewing accessories, based around a beautiful Lecien panel, “Heavenly Stitches” is true to its name. The collection includes a large embroidery pillow, large satchel with handy zippered pockets, a pretty tote bag with drop-down sides for handy storage of needlework items, a needle-book, and pincushion. This set is an elegant and beautiful way to store your sewing accessories. You could keep them all yourself, or give them away as gifts, individually, to special friends.

We have some places left in the Block of the Month if you would like to join. Click on the photo for all the details and to join.

Alternatively, if you would like to have the full kit, click here.

We also have some spare PANELS if you would like to make something else, or a second set, using the patterns in your BOM or kit. Click here for the Panel.

If you wish, you can also order the Extras Pack, containing all the threads, laces, thread-rings, rat-tail cord, buttons, lace zippers, and everything you need to embellish your project. Click here for these.

My Happy Place ~ Pre-Order Your Spot in the BOM Now!

Stitchery, embroidery, patchwork, quilting and general sewing ~ these are past-times that bring us so much joy and pleasure. I don’t know of anyone who has such a hobby or interest, ever feeling bored. Not only that, the idea of a new project, working on a current one, or remembering a past one, gives us a burst of endorphins in just thinking about it.

This new BLOCK OF THE MONTH programme is set to start in JUNE 2024. We have a large number of people on our expression of interest list, and we will be contacting them for sign up very soon.

If you know now that you want to do this BOM, for the first time ever, we are offering you the opportunity of PRE-ORDERING your spot as a DEFINITE PARTICIPANT. Just write, in the Comments Column when you order “Count Me In” or something similar, and we will contact you for payment details, so you can be in the very first intake. This design is in very high demand, so now is the time to secure your spot.

Click on the photo for all the details, and to pre-order.

Our Latest Bags ~ the Tote Trilogy

We have three new bags to entice you, all the same basic pattern, but with three variations. The Teaparty Tote features a lovely tea-set themed fabric, teamed with a pretty little print ~ both of these fabrics are from a vintage collection by Concorde, produced in the 1990’s and are no longer available. We have a very limited amount of this fabric for our kits.

Lady Elizabeth is an elegant version with an outside pocket, Nottingham Lace, and is made in a beautiful Lecien black and pink rose fabric.

The embroidered version is Emma Jane, and this one incorporates a pretty embroidery design, teamed with a lovely print fabric, in a choice of cream or green.

If you prefer, you can have all three at a very special price. Click here for this set, or click on the photo for all our bags.

Side Note: For a very limited time we are including the embellishments needed to make the bag in our kits.

The Happy Gardener

Recently, we had the privilege of having one of our new designs featured in Homespun Magazine 25.1 ~ “The Happy Gardener”. This lovely wall-hanging seemed to hit the spot beautifully for many of our quitlers whose other passion is gardening. Some made it for a special friend or relative, or just for themselves to hang in their sun-room, kitchen, family room, or sewing room.

The quilt has an appliqued centrepiece, and is surrounded by simple piecing. One of the highlights of this design is the use of broderie perse applique ~ using sections of a lovely floral fabric, and appliqueing these on to the background, producing beautiful bouquets. The technique is explained in detail in the pattern.

We have patterns and kits of this quilt. If you have the magazine, you can purchase just the fabric pack, as the pattern is in the magazine. Homespun 25.1

Scraps & Snippets Baker's Dozen Packs

The two Baker’s Dozen packs that were used to create “Scraps & Snippets” are now available separately. Incorporating 26 individual fat eighths, in a mixture of pink and cream, these packs are identical to the ones used in the quilt.

You can also choose to make the quilt, either as a Block of the Month, or as a Kit.

“Scraps & Snippets” was so named because it uses “scraps” of fabrics, and it incorporates “snippets” of wisdom. Exploring some of the values we hold dear, this quilt is a light-hearted tribute to these values, using applique, stitchery and piecing to express this theme. Hope, Joy, Love, Cherish, Kindness, Happiness, Dream, Inspire, Create ~ these lovely words are stitched into the quilt, giving us inspiration in times when the world, or our own world, may not be ideal.

In Conclusion ...

In thinking about home and family, as we tend to do around Mother’s Day, our thoughts turn to the blessings and joys these things bring to our lives. If we were privileged to grow up in a happy home, we are incredibly fortunate, and, depending on the cards we have been dealt since then, we have the tools to go on and recreate those values in our own lives and circles, whether we have children or not. Unfortunately, some of our memories may not be all that kind. It can be quite a challenge to rise above a difficult childhood and to create the life we want. I am often aware of just how the human spirit strives for happiness, despite all the obstacles. I feel this has much to do with gratitude. Living a grateful life is a choice, and one that can enhance our experiences every day, every moment of our lives.

Whatever you are doing, I hope you enjoy your Mother’s Day, and I will try to do the same. I am indeed, very fortunate, as I hope you are too!

Until next time,

Happy Stitching,

Lesley & Kevin

April 2024.

Faeries In My Garden

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