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Local Teacher and Beach cleaner Claire talks Nurdles!

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 

New Patchwork and Quilting classes with Kelly for 2018

Learn to Quilt

 

As we are now marching on into November and I thought I would skip right ahead to 2018! Have you thought about your goals for the New Year yet? I am already turning my thoughts to them and they include more quality family time, more quilting and less DIY! Well, if you are thinking you would like to learn to quilt or develop your quilting skills then now might be a good time to think about it. I will be teaching some quilting workshops at Millie Moon and thought I would share the details with you. A workshop booking or a gift voucher also make a fab present if you know someone else who might like to have a go at quilting

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Here is a little summary of my workshops at the beginning of 2018:

 

Quilting Masterclasses

I will be running a series of short masterclasses in quilting. There are three dates in the series and you can either book for one session (£25) or we are offering a discount if you book all three (£65 for all). These will take place on a Thursday between 10.30 and 12.30. On 25 January I will be teaching participants to use a rotary cutter, cut patchwork pieces and sew them together. On 1 February I will show quilters how to put together the three layers of a quilt and then different quilting techniques. Finally on 8 February I will be teaching you how to cut, make and attach binding. This is something that I think frequently stops people from actually finishing a quilt so why not come and learn how to finish that precious make!

 

 

Quilted Cushion Cover

On Saturday 27 January I am re-running my popular quilted cushion cover workshop. Quilters will learn to cut patchwork pieces, construct the top of the cushion, quilt a simple design and finish a beautiful cushion cover.

Mini Quilt

On Saturday 24 February I am running a new workshop where participants will make a mini quilt. This is an opportunity to start and finish a quilt all in one day and learn all of the basic skills you will need to go on and make a bigger quilt at home. This will include cutting, piecing, quilting and binding.

 

And if you can’t wait until 2018 why not join me on 25 November 2017 to make a quilted Christmas stocking.  BOOK NOW 

 

Sew Saturday and Sew Sunday! – Join us to celebrate independent fabric stores in the UK

Join us for the nation’s ‘stitchiest’ event of the year! Sew Saturday is back for 2017, taking place on the 21st of October and this year we promise to give you more than ever before…

All over the country, people will be celebrating the independent fabric stores and haberdashers thanks to a national campaign organised by “Sew” Magazine, so show your love for local bricks and mortar businesses and come along and join in the fun!

This year we wanted to make Sew Saturday a little more special than usual so we have decided to run it over the whole weekend!

Sew Saturday (21st October)

Special offers, discounts, prize draw and cakes, plus a workshop for Teens!

For teens age 11+ Sewing machine workshop with Vickie making zipped pouches 10.30-12.30 £20 including materials and refreshments

(basic machine skills essential)                                     BOOK HERE

 

Sew Sunday (22nd October)      

A day of mini workshops and cake! What more you could you want?

The day will take place at the shop from 10am to 2pm          BOOK NOW

During the day there will be 3 mini workshops with our tutors  Anna, Angela and Paula where you will make ALL 3 different projects, which you can take away with you, all great gift ideas. There will also be plenty of tea and cake to keep you going.

Workshops include –

Anna- Peter Pan collars

Angela – Freemotion embroidery Christmas cards

Paula – Hand embroidered buttons and brooches

We are hoping the day will give you an idea of what we do in our workshops, meet the tutors and generally have a good day sewing.

Tickets for the Sunday event are limited so book early!                    BOOK HERE

£45 per person for the day, including all materials and refreshments – age 16+

 

If you would like any further information on any of the events being held over this weekend please contact us

info@milliemoonshop.co.uk  or call 01373 464437

 

See you there!

 

New Tutor, Kelly, talks about her love for Patchwork and Quilting

By day I am a professional Fundraiser and I use my spare time as my creative outlet.  I had participated in the compulsory sewing at school and was fairly uninspired but knew I had a creative streak waiting in the wings to find the right craft.  After dabbling with many different crafts in 2011, I decided to have a go at making a few small gifts for children with forthcoming baptisms and birthdays.  This was initially driven by wanting to save some money, but also to avoid purchasing the usual mass produced plastic that so often makes gifts for children affordable.  It was at this time that I started to visit Millie Moon and get to know Rachel and Becki.  Very quickly I became inspired by the beautiful fabrics that they were offering and by the wonderful community that existed around their amazing shop.  I decided I wanted to learn more and after perusing their workshop flyer I opted to book onto Caroline’s 6-week beginners quilting course which started in January 2012.

Caroline expertly guided our small group through her pattern over the coming weeks.  The quilt was really challenging but I learnt so much and came away with my first-ever finished quilt.  That quilt still sits in my living room over 5 years later and I am still very much in love with the design, and the Tilda fabrics that I chose to use.  Caroline’s tuition and support gave me the confidence to move on to another quilt soon after my first and as they say, the rest is history.

 

Over 5 years, 30 plus quilts and numerous small projects later I am now embarking upon teaching my first few workshops.  I am so delighted that Rachel and Becki have invited me to join the fantastic team of tutors and I hope to meet more of their wonderful creative community through my forthcoming workshops.  I will be teaching small projects that focus on patchwork and quilting and very much hope you will join me.

Here are the next three workshops with Kelly. Go to website to book

Introduction to English Paper Piecing Saturday 23rd September

Quilted Cushion Cover Saturday 26th August

Patchwork Drawstring bag Saturday 28th October

In addition to quilting and sewing, I love listening to podcasts, reading creative blogs, gardening and spending time with my little boy (who loves being snuggled up under one of Mummy’s quilts when he isn’t running around).  I blog at alittlesewandsow.blogspot.co.uk