Patchwork and Quilting at Millie Moon

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Its that time of year when we start looking for that winter project. The one to do whilst we hibernate away until spring.

Now, not sure if this will be the same this year, as we have all been in a forced hibernation for too long, but if you are looking for the winter project, how about having a go at patchwork and quilting.

Caroline our patchwork tutor is back with a one day workshop in October. Perfect time to learn the basics and then carry on at home.  The one day workshop, “a quilt in day’ is exactly as it says.

 

 

You will learn how to cut, piece, join, boarder, layer and bind so you take away a finished simple quilt in a day. Plus Caroline will be on hand with lots of little hints and tips!

The finished quilt will be approximately 1mtr x 1mtr, a great little lap quilt. (Maybe the perfect Christmas gift for someone?)

£120

The workshop includes all the materials and lunch is provided.

Machine and equipment are available to use but if you prefer to bring your own please do.

The workshop is 10-4pm Sunday 24th October. You can book online or call into the shop.

 

If you don’t feel like signing up to a workshop but would like to have a go at home, we have lots of patchwork and quilt materials in stock including.

  • Pre-cuts charm packs, Jelly rolls and layer cakes from MODA
  • Wadding in 100% cotton and ‘supersoft’ polyester
  • 505 Spray
  • Rulers, rotary cutters and cutting mats
  • Cotton thread and Perle 8
  • Quilt clips, curved safety pins, quilt needles (machine and hand)
  • Quilt in a box kits

So why not have a go!

 

Book online here or pop into the shop for more details.

The Great BIG GREEN week in Frome 18th-26th September 2021

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Great Big Green Week is a nationwide event celebrating how communities across the country are taking action to tackle climate change and protect green spaces. Frome has a fantastic range of events lined up from art exhibitions and guided walks to performance poetry and foodie events.

 Everyday there are activities taking place around the town. Composting, bat walks, river walks, siren poets, kids bike ride, film screenings, healthy eating and even plastic free tea in the park. For more information on events taking place go to the Frome Council Website,

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/frometowncouncil/557084

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At Millie Moon we are keen to do our bit for the environment where we can. One of the biggest goals in sustainable or ‘slow‘ fashion is to buy less and use things longer. By repairing and adapting clothes, and using recycled materials where possible we can help towards reducing the impact of production, and ultimately disposal of clothing and it’s impact on people and the environment. Did you know we sell Gutermann recycled sewing thread, recycled toy stuffing and a selection of ribbon made from 100% recycled material?

We are holding a Mending & Alterations workshop on Thursday 23rd September. This provides an opportunity to get help and advice on altering and extending the life of clothing with professional dressmaker Anna Vickery.

4.30pm-6.30pm – Millie Moon – £20

Bring along a selection of un-loved, once-loved, handed down or just not quite right clothes and see what’s possible.

The workshop will cover a combination of hand and machine sewing, whichever is most appropriate for the task – you’re welcome to bring your own sewing machine or use the ones at the shop, extra materials/ haberdashery if required will be available to buy on the day. *this does not include materials. You are welcome to purchase these from Millie Moon with a 10% discount.

BOOK NOW

(Booking essential with minimum numbers needed to run)

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COVID Safety :

  • small groups of 6 people (depending on current restrictions)
  • Machines and equipment available to use but you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer.
  • Mask to be worn (depending on current restrictions)
  • no refreshments provided, but you are welcome to bring a drink and snack
  • all equipment and surfaces are wiped and cleaned each class
  • maintain social distancing where possible

Festival season is here! … isn’t it?

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It’s that time of year when we would be packing up our tents and heading to Glastonbury festival!

We’ve have been festivaling at Glasto since 1992. We bought tickets from the little record shop in Bath corridor, no hours of internet queues then, there was no internet!  Becki had just passed her driving test and we set off in the brown mini metro packed with everything including the most massive tent! (not realising how far we would have to walk and carry everything) How things have changed since then!  Over the years, our group of festivallers grew as the kids came along, and the grandparents joined the fun too. Camper vans replaced the tents, toilets became compostable, ticket sales went online, the Park and the ribbon tower arrived at the festival.  Every festival was different, from the music, the entertainment, the kids field, (which became an important stop of the day), and of course the weather. We have survived floods, storms, mud and the heat. All extremes in one day at times! But we always had the most amazing time. Dancing with 1000’s of people, singing at the top of our voices, watching the kids faces light up at the circus tents with the most skilled acts, the food… delicious food, plus seeing some incredible artists perform.  We were there for David Bowie in 2000, it was little Millie moon first Glasto at only 6 months old. Incredible moments, amazing memories.

 

As there is no festival again this year, we have decided to pay homage to our usual pilgrimage by decorating the window in Glasto style!

Becki has made a fabulous colourful patchwork tent for us to camp out in, and of course we are wearing the wonderful buffet dress @fridaypatterncompany wilder gown in pink leopard print double gauze. Plenty of swishing and dancing in that one, (plus you can layer up underneath!)

   buy Patterns here     buy fabric here

         

We also have included trips to the rainbow tower, the pyramid stage and of course the long drops with the amazing cross stitch kits by @thrillingletter  

                            

I will be working on my cross stitch this weekend whilst watching old glasto on the tele. Hopefully the sun will shine and We can have a little dance in the garden.

We have also filled the window with photographs of good times at past festivals, if you are wandering past take a look!

How about you? Are you missing the festivals this year??

Maybe you are staging your own festival in the back garden?

Please post your pics on instagram/ facebook and tag us so we would love to see!

 Oh to dance and sing again!    Hope to see you dancing in a muddy field soon!

take care

Rachel and Becki xx

 

 

 

Local Teacher and Beach cleaner Claire talks Nurdles!

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My name is Claire and I am a teacher, mum, beachcleaner and crafty mess maker!

I shared my Nurdle discovery 2 years ago with my class and with the help of my little Nurdle character we talked about ways we could tackle the problem. I realised that children will be the solution to the problems in our environment as they are so inspirational and indignant about what is happening, so Nurdle became a story I told, which became a book, which was crowdfunded during lockdown 1. I have now written 3 Nurdle books about the problems faced by our oceans and I would love to share them with as many children as I can

  

Nurdles are tiny pre production plastic pellets the size of a lentil that are melted down to make all our plastic products. In the uk alone up to 53 billion pellets enter the ocean every year. If you are heading to a beach this half term check along the tide line under the seaweed and you will probably find some. The are usually clear, but can be any colour and need to be removed as animals mistake them for food. I am on a mission to share the story of the Nurdles with as many people as possible, so with artist Jo Joof we have used plastics from my beach cleans to illustrate a book called Nurdle with accompanying Nurdle sewing kits. The book gently encourages children to think about their use of plastic and how they look after their things.

 

 

 

If you are heading to the beach this weekend maybe take a look and see how many Nurdles you find! If you feel inspired to do a beach clean, or collect nurdles, please wear gloves and wash your hands after. Keep the nurdles in a jam as sadly they cannot be recycled!

We can all do our bit to help the environment!!

For more information please go to nurdlehunt.org.uk

 

Books and kits available from Millie Moon click here 

Workshops are back !

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Well hello everyone! What a year we have all had. We hope you are all doing ok, and managed to keep sewing over the last year. Thank you to everyone for your support. The website sales, click and collect from the shop and all the social media mentions and shares were wonderful. It was so good to see what you were all making.

We are so pleased to be open again. The shop has had a spring clean and a new coat of paint and it’s full of lovely things ready to welcome you all back.

 

Fancy a new skill? Want to learn to sew?

We are slowly and carefully opening the sewing school for classes and workshops again. We have made a few changes to the way we do things in order to keep everyone as safe as possible, but please bear with us as information changes daily.

Covid Safety :

  • Class sizes –  Maximum of 4 people per class to ensure social distancing is maintained
  • Equipment – you will need to bring  your own equipment where possible so people do not have to share.
  • Surfaces and machines will be thoroughly cleaned in between workshops and during classes if necessary
  • Tutor and students to wear visors/ facemasks as appropriate
  • Hand sanitiser is available
  • We are no longer able to serve you refreshments but please feel free to bring your own
  • Workshops and 1-1 sessions will only take place when the shop is closed. These will now be on Sundays and evenings.
We are also offering 1-1 sessions. These can be tailored to meet your requirements so whether you are a complete beginner or a more experienced sewer we can help. For example:
  • learn to use a sewing machine
  • learn how to use your overlocker
  • struggling with zips and buttonholes
  • adjusting a pattern
Please drop us an email and we can arrange a time and date suitable for both you and the tutor.

New Workshop Dates: 

Teach me to Sew with Angela

    Wednesday 16th June  4.30-8pm £60

Wednesday 25th August 4.30-8pm £60

 

Beginners Dressmaking with Anna

 6 weeks starting Tuesday 29th June 7-9pm £150

 

Dressmaking Masterclass with Anna

    8 weeks starting Thursday 8th July 7-9pm £200

 

 

Need a particular topic, maybe help with your overlocker?

Anna  is also doing 1-1 sessions £60 for 2 hours 

 

To book workshops or to find out more information, please go to our website

or give us call at the shop. We are open 11-4 monday to friday and 10-5 on Saturdays 

 

 

Lucas Loves exclusive fabric

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Hello there, my name is Steph Driver.
I am the owner, designer and screen printer of LucasLoves.

 

I create bright, fun, colourful eco-friendly products for your life
and home; I like to think all of my products bring joy into every day.

I was thrilled to be asked by   Mille Moon to design a pattern for fabric, that would be printed and sold exclusively in their independent shop in Frome. Here’s how it all happened.

THE BRIEF

The brief is one of the best, in fact, the best brief any designer could wish for…

Me: Do you have a brief / idea of pattern in mind?

Becki: Free reign, we love what you do.

Oooooh yeh, that’s the best brief ever, what a joy! What it also meant was that I really had to nail down the idea, to make sure I didn’t go off on too many tangents. I mean, I will always go off on tangents (don’t we all do that?!) but I needed to use my time wisely and not drift too far away from the initial idea.

THE IDEA

I am a huge fan of mid-century style. I love most things from this era, pattern, print, design, fashion, furniture…Yeh, pretty much most things. The idea; to create a pattern that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the 1950’s.

THE PROCESS

It starts with research. I have ‘go to’ reference books to get ideas flowing and then I live with the ideas bubbling around in my head for days, weeks and yes, sometimes years!

At this point, I usually start to sketch. I use my sketchbook as
a clearing of my creative mind, there is a lot of ‘not very good’ work in there, but amongst all this there is always something
that I love. I tend to move onto the computer at this stage, where I scan sketches and start to play.

This sketch was definitely something that I wanted to use. I played with using only this, creating a pattern with just the lines but then it moved on and developed into becoming an overlay to the coloured shapes.

 

THE RESULT

   

I mean I loved it but there is always the doubt and worry that I could be the only one.

Me: Hope you like it.
Becki: Oh wow, I think these are beautiful.

What more could I ask for?!

 

To find out more about Stephs work go to her website www.lucasloves.co.uk

 

 

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Click here to buy Steph’s gorgeous fabric

Anna Vickery kids patterns now available to print at home!

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With most of us staying at home, we are able to get some real sewing time in. With this is in mind, Anna has been able to make her patterns available to print at home. Ordering via the website, the patterns will be sent to you via email as a PDF. These are easy to print off at home on A4 sheets, just stick together with tape.

Anna’s patterns have been tried and tested in our workshops at the shop and are designed for beginners. Nice simple patterns with simple fastenings and very wearable in 100% cotton. You will be making them over and over again!

All of the patterns are available for £6 pdf or £10 paper version. Buy here

https://milliemoonshop.co.uk/product/kids-patterns-by-anna-vickery/
  • BOYS SHIRT AGE 1-5 YEARS
  • WAISTCOAT AND SHORTS AGE 1-5 YEARS
  • TUNIC DRESS AGE 3-12 YEARS
  • ROCK N ROLL DRESS AGE 1-5 YEARS
  • PARTY DRESS AGE 1-5 YEARS
  • DUNGAREE DRESS AGE 1-5 YEARS
  • T SHIRT DRESS AGE 1-5 YEARS
  • PINAFORE DRESS AGE 1-5 YEARS
  • SUNDRESS AGE 1-5 YEARS
  • PYJAMA TROUSERS AND SHIORTS AGE 3-12 YEARS

Plus, if you get stuck, Anna is always available for a helping hand. Just email us at the shop. info@milliemoonshop.co.uk

Millie Moon Makes – Free tutorials – Felt flowers with a little Sew and Sow

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Making flowers out of felt is a great no-sew project and you can use them to make a floral wreath, some beautiful bunting or add them to gifts and other craft projects.  I recently shared this as a live craft club and thought you might like to see a written-up version.  You absolutely don’t have to make them in the same colours that I have but I have included the colours below so you can identify them in the above picture.  Please share photos of yours with me on Instagram @alittlesewandsow   

You will need:

Felt (special packs for this project can be ordered here)

Glue (ideally a hot glue gun but a tube of glue that will stick felt will be fine)

Paper and fabric scissors

Buttons (included in the pack above)

Template

Carnation (blue)

Cut a piece of your chosen coloured felt 9inches long by 2inches wide.  Fold in half, length ways and glue together.  

Take your fabric scissors and cut small slits into the felt all the way along the folded edge.  You will need to cut to about half way down the felt.

Starting at one end, roll the felt up along the long edge, periodically securing with glue.  Once finished ensure the end is secure and gently use your fingers to splay out the petals.  

Daisy (pink)

Cut three flowers shapes from the above template or if you don’t have a printer just draw your own!  

Stack all three pieces on top of each other, staggering the position to add fullness to the petals.  Secure each layer with glue (in the middle) and finish with a button or bead.  

Ranunculus (purple)

Cut one circle of felt in either a four- or six-inch size.  These are the two largest sizes on the template sheet.  If you can’t print that, go hunting in your kitchen for dishes, mugs etc. that are about the right size.  As long as it is a circle, the exact size doesn’t really matter.  

Carefully cut a spiral into the circle, right the way to the middle. 

Starting at the middle, roll the felt around on itself, gluing periodically to secure.  

Ensure the outside end is firmly glued.  

Rose (yellow)

Cut three circles, 3inches in diameter.  This is the smallest circle on the template or you can find a small cup or a glass that is about the correct size.  

Take one circle and fold in half and then into quarters and secure with glue.  This will create a cone shape with a swirl inside.  

Repeat for the other two pieces.

Glue all three pieces together with all of the points meeting.  The bottom should look like this:

Carefully tease out all of the petals to finish the rose.

Millie Moon Makes – free tutorials -How to make a covered notebook

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How to make a covered notebook

To begin we need to make a paper pattern. Open up your notebook as wide and flat as you can and draw around it on a piece of paper.

(If your notebook has a wide spine draw around one side then the other side in a row next to each other to create one large rectangle.)

Use a ruler to straighten the lines to create a nice tidy rectangle and add 1.5cm all the way around the edge for a seam allowance. Cut out the pattern

Now cut one piece out of the main fabric you want on the outside cover. (you can embellish it at this point if you like)

Cut another piece the same size for the lining. This won’t be seen once the book is inside so you can use anything you like for this.

Now fold your piece of paper in half and cut two pieces of fabric this size to make the pockets the book will slide into.

To put together start by placing your main fabric piece face up on to the table. Fold your two pocket pieces in half and place these at the end of the main pieces with the raw edges facing outwards.

Place your lining fabric on top facing downwards. Pin all the way around. Stitch around the edge using a 1cm seam allowance and leaving a 3cm gap at the bottom.

Trim the corners and using the gap turn it all through to the right sides.

Fold the pockets to the lining side and press. Sew up the gap.

Slide your book inside. Gorgeous and reusable. Just pop in another book when this one is full!

Mille Moon Makes – Free tutorials – Simple cotton face masks

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Simple cotton Face masks

There are a lot of tutorials out there for facemasks. I’ve tried a few different ones and these are the simplest ones I’ve made. These are made of 100% cotton so breathable and washable BUT they have no filter. They are NOT clinical grade. Please stay safe, keep social distancing and wash your hands.

You will need:

100% cotton outer and 100% cotton backing fabric (adults 9×6″ kids7.5 x 5″ )

2 pieces of flat 1/4″ elastic (7″ each side )

Step 1 – place backing fabric right side up. Lie elastic on top – going corner to corner on the short edges, leaving a small amount (1/2″) hanging off. Add the outer fabric right side down over the top and pin the elastic in. The elastic should be housed inside the fabric.

step 2 – sew all the way round leaving a 2″ gap in middle. This should secure the elastic in place.

step 3 – turn though the right way.

step 4- pin three equal pleats and press

step 5- sew all the way around the edge, this will close the gap that was left from turning through and secure the pleats in place.

Thats it, washable, breathable cotton masks.