Papped in Frome by Fromemaid

The Roman blinds for beginners workshop on September the 17th was fully booked and the new shop layout worked really well in allowing space for customers to browse whilst the workshop was in progress.

The photographer from the local paper Frome Times came by and Rachel; one half of the sisters team who own the business, invited him to return when the workshop was in full swing.
  Whether this was prearranged or spontaneous I do not know!  All four ladies were happy to have their picture taken and I think it will be a lovely momento of my time at Millie Moon when I am older, our copy has gone in our family keepsake box!

More importantly, each participant successfully completed a sample sized Roman blind and felt equipped with the skills and knowledge to go home and produce their full sized blinds in their homes.

I too was inspired  by the workshop and this seasons trend for "Scandi greys" soft furnishings and bought plenty of my favourite fabric; from the Michael Miller range "Just my Type" by Patty Young, to make blinds and a quilted throw for our bedroom. It feels very much a modern interpretation of Orla Keily to me.

Many thanks to Martyn of the Frome Times for allowing us to reproduce his photographs in this blog post with his kind permission.

By Fromemaid xxx

Join Fromemaid for her next Roman blind workshop In Wells on Sunday 20 October 2-5pm £40 inclusive of fabrics.  

The workshop makes a sample blind approx

65x35cm to allow you to learn the skills and gain the knowledge to go on and make a full size blind. 

Celebrating our 5th Birthday

Its been 5 years since we opened the door of the shop, in Catherine Hill, Frome, Somerset. Its been such a fab 5 years, we have seen so many fabrics come and go through the doors, and made some great friends along the way.  

We decided that as it was our birthday the Frome shop needed a good spring clean and we got a bit carried away and gave it a whole new look.

The Fabric Room

The black shelves and Chandeliers give the fabric room a boudoir feel, the tea chests are perfect for holding the many different interfacings and vilenes and the tin bath is great for storing the bulky poly waddings and cotton battings.

The Pre-cuts

We have managed to find a perfect little home for all the lovely Moda pre-cuts. Layer cakes, Jelly rolls and charm packs. Which do you prefer? 

The Button Tower

This is our beautiful button tower. Just like a tiered wedding cake and So many new buttons!

These beautiful dresses have been made from Millie Moon fabrics by the fabulous 'Make me a dress' by Alexandra King and Anna Vickery  http://www.makemeadress.blogspot.co.uk 

Habby Wall

                                                                

Even the habby has a new home, 

everything you need for all those sewing projects                      

Geekly chic 

looks great sitting on the enormous wooden cotton 

reel in the window.

  

A big thank you to all our creative customers, our very talented tutors and our amazing team for supporting us over the last 5 years. We hope you like the new look, pop in and say HI soon. 

BIG love 

Rachel and Becki x

PS watch this space...exciting news coming soon!

English Paper Piecing with the Frome WI

This month we were very excited to be asked back by the Frome WI to join them for their 1st Birthday. 

We were with them at the very first meeting when we made Jubilee corsages with the group. We also popped back to see them in November to do a christmas make with them, little felt gingerbread men. 

This time, we decided to teach the group a skill and show them the traditional patchwork method of 
"English Paper Piecing"

We used pre-cut 2.5" paper hexagons and 3" pre-cut fabric squares to create flowers. Each hexagon is sewn by hand, once 7 hexagons have been made, then the group began sewing the hexagons together to create the flowers. 

Hand sewing is very satisfying and english paper piecing is very addictive. Its that little project that you can carry around and do anywhere, in the cafe, on the train, in front the tele. Just pop it into a bag. 

This process can be developed into an appliqué design on a larger project, turned into placemats, baby balls or sewing the flowers together will make a very detailed and special handmade quilt. Its great for using scraps as its only small pieces that you are using. Perfect for a memory quilt or using vintage fabrics.




About the WI
Over the last year the group have held a wide variety of meetings attracting about 50 ladies, covering Astronomy, clay modelling, wreath making, midwifery, wine, cheese, self defence and craft, but they have also been involved in fundraising and working to support local causes and businesses. 

  

If you fancy going along to the WI:

They meet on the third Thursday of every month in the United Reformed Church Hall on Whittox Lane in Frome from 7.30 - 9.30. The best place to park is in the Westway carpark (behind Argos in the centre of town) and then walk up the lane by the bike shop. This will bring you out on Whittox Lane. 

Contact info for the Frome WI: 

WI.frome@gmail.com. 
http://fromewi.blogspot.co.uk
also on Twitter and Facebook


Pictures supplied by Frome WI 

Look April Showers arrived in Millie Moon, Frome........

Look look its April and here comes the rain - the April Showers have arrived, right in our shop window.......but don't panic this is a nice friendly April Shower that we are more than happy to welcome. You could say its raining brightly coloured felt, lovely patterned fabric, buttons, threads and craft craft craft!!! Don't forget its bursting at the seams with smiles too. (Sorry I will stop now with the silliness!)

Changing the subject, I've always been a fan of rain clouds and the idea of rain (but dislike forgetting my umbrella and getting wet, who doesn't) so I've been itching for an excuse to create rain themed pieces, what better reason than a fun window display to make everyone smile. I hope you all enjoy the window and if you haven't seen it in the flesh yet please do pop by. You may be enticed with a craft kit or two: I've packed rain into a bag for you: you can make your very own mini 'make me cloud mobile', 'make me rain plushie' and 'make me rain bunting'. Wouldn't it be lovely to have a bedroom filled with rain!! Or a rain party!! Okay just getting a little over-excited.

The talented Gaynor aka Ginger Girl has also been busy creating rain on a bag! Her beautiful embellish me canvas bag kits are ever popular and contain everything you need to create your own original bag - decorate away. Ginger Girl has created making kits of plushies too - you will find an adorable hedgehog, a friendly owl and pretty birds. All hedgehogs, owls and birds like jumping in puddles too didn't you know........the only thing they are missing is a loving home and a name to be proud of.

Don't forget Millie Moon stores are stocked with a range of felt newly arrived in fact is the wool mix felt on the roll, polyester toy stuffing, an array of embroidery silks and oodles and oodles of buttons perfect for any creative project you have in mind weather it be rain or shine. There is also our pre printed oil cloths and the NEW Lamifix which turns your fabric into oil cloths - perfect for all year round bunting. You really could have a rain party.

If you are buzzing with the creative bug do pop into Millie Moon and show us what projects are keeping you busy, we love to see what everyone is creating or better still join us in one of our workshops. Our classes are ever changing and new exciting skills are always popping up.
www.milliemoonshop.co.uk

Bye for now,
Angela

New Lampshade workshop at Millie Moon

Introducing our new Lampshade workshops with the lovely Harriet from Podgy Pigeon.

On Tuesday evening, Harriet came along to the Frome shop for the first workshop session. 6 keen students were ready and willing. The evening started off with the difficult bit. What fabric to choose?

Now this was more taxing than we thought so a cup of tea was definitely needed. Once we had all finally picked our 1/2 metre of fabric, Harriet was talking through the materials and tools needed and demonstrating the first step.

Such concentration on everyones faces!  It became quite intense and there was a lot of holding our breaths and big deep sighs..

Vickie, Jo and Sarah ready for the big peel

Careful Becki! are you sure its     straight?

Now for the tricky bit, this could be a two man job...

Sarah and Gaynor's team-work

 

Becki and Elvis.... "got my hat, whens the wedding"

The Groups finished lampshades. A mix of colour pattern and design. Each unique to their maker. Now time for another cup of tea and some chocolate cake. A really fun workshop with no sewing!

Here is mine, on its base in my new grown up lounge. Just beautiful!

I had a great evening, learning a new craft in the new year. I hope to make another very soon for the standard lamp in the corner of the room. Just waiting for those kits to arrive from Harriet. 

Why don't you have go?  

by Rachel x 

Workshops with Harriet at the Frome Shop:
Monday 18th February 10.30-1.30pm
Monday 25th March 10.30-1.30pm
£40 including all materials and refreshments

Coming soon - Lampshade kits available to buy from Millie Moon 

Take a look at Harriets work. She takes commissions for lampshades if you don't want to make your own.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/PodgyPigeon                
Podgy Pigeon is on Facebook and Twitter

20% off at the Christmas Shopping Evening - Guess how many Fat Quarters..

Helloooo its Angela here, just a little random blogpost that I think you will like.

So one normal Millie Moon day in Wells I was cutting fat quarters - those who know me know that I'm a fan of cutting fat Quarters,, anyway whilst cutting away I thought to myself  "crikey I do cut a lot of Fat Quarters......I wonder how many I actually cut on a Millie Moon day........" and then I began to have a bit of a brainwave and jumped on the good old text to Becki and Rachel, and they also liked the idea....well actually Rachel's reply was (and I quote) "you are a nutter. Lets work a plan. Keep a count!"

So here I am in the Wells shop with my tally chart and my pile of spotty and plain fabric ready to start cutting and counting fat Quarters. But you're probably asking why am I counting fat Quarters, and this is where you come in.

As you already know (and have pencilled in the diary) the Millie Moon shopping evening is on Tuesday 4th December 6-8pm at the Frome Shop, And as an extra little thank you for all your support and custom this past year, Becki and Rachel and the team at Millie Moon would like to give you a chance to win a fat quarter bundle. All you have to do is to submit a guess with your purchase on the Millie Moon shopping evening, of how many fat quarters I have cut on this particular but regular Millie Moon day. The winner will be announced at the end of the evening. How easy is that, to win yourself some lovely fat quarters.

So where was I........ I started with spottys and plains, and then onto the beautiful Tildas. £18 per mtr or 4 Fat Quarters for £16. A bundle of these would make such a lovely Christmas present, some of my favourite fabrics in the whole shop come from the Tilda range. If I could I would have an envelope cushion in each and everyone of the Tilda fabrics.......it would be like cushion heaven. Sorry getting distracted. Cut, cut, cut.

After filling up on Tilda I decided to tackle the fabric wall and all the Fat Quarters that live here (okay most of the fabrics that live here, we do have an awful lot of fabrics).  There came the Modas: Odds and Evens - Vintage Kids, which is a new range of fabrics......simply sublime. (I love the word sublime!) Cut, cut, cut.
The Moda fabrics are £14 per mtr or four Fat Quarters for £12.

And then the Moda - Simply Colour: some of our newest fabrics. Look how vibrant and lively they are.

And finally the last to cut the Moda - Marmalade Bunches (what a yummy name, I do wonder who comes up with them). Cut, cut ,cut. My favourite colour combination - aquas, reds and whites, I may just have to add some of these to my fabric stash, well I have been really good recently.

So can you guess how many fat Quarters were cut?
I have passed the figure to Becki and Rachel who will put it in the safe ready for the Millie Moon shopping evening, and the reveal. Good luck and I look forward to your guess and seeing you on the shopping evening. Just a bit of fun born from my random curiosity.

 P.S Tell all the other Millie Mooners too, someone has to win the fat quarters!

The christmas shopping evening takes place on TUESDAY 4th DECEMBER 6-8pm at the FROME SHOP. come along for mulled wine, mince pies and 20% all purchases (**excluding handmade, gift vouchers and workshops)