Dates for your diary

Hows the christmas shopping going so far? Slowly? mine is. Luckily we have a couple of fantastic events coming up in december which I think will help us all. 

Christmas at the Barn, organised by Edamay www.edamay.com is a great weekend event with plenty of interesting handmade, artistic creations worth a visit for that unusual gift in the beautiful setting of Mells Barn, just outside Frome and one of Millie Moons favourite places. Its taking place on the 1st and 2nd December 10-5pm.


We will be there on the Saturday with a little stall of gift ideas along with many talented others including our very own Vickie,  Fromemaid with her amazing kids superhero capes www.fromemaid.com

 On Sunday the lovely Gaynor, will be there selling her unique mixed media creations, including her collages, felt brooches and decorations www.folksy.com/shops/gingergirl


check out the blog for more info http://christmasatthebarn.blogspot.co.uk

      Frome's christmas Supermarket takes place on Sunday 2nd December from 10-4pm. The creative artisans will be lining the streets of Frome, including Catherine Hill, selling unique and fabulous gifts, food, decorations and more. The Flea market at the Cheese and Grain will  be a great place for that special find. 

Shops and cafes are also opening, perfect for christmas shopping. 

We will be open 10-4pm and the very creative Quilt Queen Caroline Frances-Payne will have her colourful stall outside our shop for the day. 


Hopefully I will get all my shopping done that weekend. How about you?
                                                                                        
                          
 Shop Local, Shop Frome

The Great Create

Well, we have finally got our breath back and we can now fill you in on the fun we had at our Charity event "The Great Create" at the fabulous Mells Barn.

After months of planning, cutting and excitement, the finally day came. The sun shone and we arrived early at the beautiful Mells Barn to hang the bunting, set up the sewing machines and lay the craft tables ready to welcome all the ladies to the event. Even the Cows came to say hello.

Once everyone had received their Millie Moon bag containing their 'Speed Crafting Makes' and taken a seat at a crafting table, the day started with a welcome talk by Kelly Hall from PAC. She explained the role and importance of the charity and the reason why we were all there. After a brief explanation of the days events, the Mayor of Frome, Pippa Goldfinger, rang the bell and we were off.

"Ready Steady SEW!"

The speed crafting had begun and so off they went, sewing, gluing, folding, pinning, cutting...

As each project finished, the bell would ring and a game of musical chairs began as the ladies moved to the next table to create again. Bows, pincushions, christmas decorations in felt, paper and ceramics, jewellery, yo-yos... 

A total of 80 ladies completed a total of 640 craft projects in one day! Unbelievable.

We had a fantastic lunch provided by the Walled Garden at Mells, a great informative talk by Lyndsey Mayhew from Mollie Makes magazine, more speed crafting and then a talk by local illustrator and designer Carol Tratt had everyone laughing. Afternoon tea and cake was needed to keep sugar levels up as the Jelly roll Race was about to commence. 

Four teams of ladies raced through the Jelly rolls and we had 4 finished quilt tops in under an hour. Incredible but addictive... and maybe a little competitive? 


All fabric for the Jelly roll race was supplied by MODA 

The raffle was by far the best raffle we have ever seen. Prizes donated by so many local businesses, Vita interiors, Bramble and Wild, Marmalade yarns, Edamay, all the tutors and from EQS, COATS and MODA. Fabric, Jelly rolls, Coat, Bags, kits, cushions, subscriptions to mollie makes and simple things magazines and much much more. The raffle raised over £500

From tickets Sales we raised a whopping £2000, with the raffle and the selling of the quilt tops from the Jelly roll race the total is now £2522! 

Millie, Dee and Julie... Superstars in the Kitchen

We cannot thank everyone enough for their help and support. From the tutors and volunteers who gave up their time and expertise, Kelly, The Mayor, the speakers,The Walled Garden, the businesses who sponsored and gave raffle prizes, Sue who supplied the cutlery at very short notice, the speakers and of course to everyone who bought a ticket. Without you the create would not have been so great. 

Thank you and for those of you asking already...

Maybe next year??? Keep your eyes peels and get practising those Jelly Rolls races....


Rachel and Becki xxx

(Finally, apologies if we have missed anyone from the thank you's.  So many of you were part of an amazing day, we have been totally overwhelmed by your support and your generosity and for the fabulous feedback we have received) 


About the Tutors:
Gaynor Ringland - Gingergirl
Vickie Piper - Fromemaid   http://www.fromemaid.com
Angela Lai Yen - Little studio red     http://angelalaiyen.blogspot.co.uk
Emma and Jane - Dufflebobble     http://dufflebobble.blogspot.co.uk
Caroline Frances Payne - Quilter
Jo Luckstead - Ceramicist     http://jolucksted.com
Alexandra and Anna - Make me a Dress     http://makemeadress.blogspot.co.uk
Anne Baillie Smith - Designer and Maker

Please respect the tutors who gave up their time, skills and creativity and  be so kind as to not reproduce the patterns for commercial purposes

An evening with the Frome WI

On May 17th we were invited by the lovely ladies of the newly formed Frome Wi to be their guest speakers. All the team gathered together at the shop on beautiful Catherine hill and wandered up the hill to the United Reformed church hall on Whittox lane, sewing machines at the ready.

With plenty of space to spread out we quickly set up our 3 make tables and 3 demonstration tables. Tonights theme, Jubilee of course.

Two tables were making Jubilee corsages with Angela and myself and the other table were working on paper craft with Gaynor. Some fab pieces were made.

On the demonstration tables we had Vickie (Fromemaid) demonstrating her own jubilee tea cosy kits, 

Caroline was marking the jubilee with a special quilt demonstration 

and Becki was giving away expert tips in making jubilee bunting. 

A really lovely but exhausting evening and the ladies moved around the room, one lady referred to it as 'speed crafting'! Hopefully everyone had a go at the makes and were inspired by the demonstrations.

We have a range of jubilee fabrics, ribbons, buttons and bows in both shops. Fromemaid tea cosy's, Millie Moons Bunting and corsages are available ready made and in kit form. Pop in and be ready for your street party!


Thanks to Frome WI for inviting. We will see you in November for "christmas crafts"


 Photos supplied by Storm @ Frome WI
If you are interested in joining the WI, then please contact Storm via their Facebook page

Olympic Torch Relay in Frome today

What an incredible day it has been today, there has been not a single cloud in the sky- which helped to make the occasion a really memorable event.

In the shop this morning, Gaynor held a drop in "Sew a Union Jack Brooch" workshop.  During which the footfall of people heading down Catherine Hill was a quite a sight in itself and  there was a tangible hum of excitement in the air.  Myself and Gaynor went down to watch the torch bearers run through Bath Street.  As we turned the corner into Stony Street there was an almighty cheer from children as the warm up guys on bouncy stilts revved them up.  These guys were high fiving the motorcycle Police Officers as each drove past; the atmosphere was wonderful!    Our position meant we saw one torch lighting the next and glimpsed the runner going past- couldn't have asked for more!  (Well, maybe a photo that is actually in focus?)!

 We headed back to the shop, from where we then saw and heard even more of a crowd heading back up the hill.  When this trailed off a bi,t a delightful young girl came in with her Mum and I helped her to sew her own patriotic brooch from one of our kits. I was very impressed with her stitching ability and it was a real real pleasure to meet her.  Here she is, Elizabeth, proudly showing her work:

 Roll on the Jubilee!

Hope you all have a fantastic Summer, Vickie.

Millie Moon meets the ladies of Wells WI

On Tuesday 3rd April, The Millie Moon team pulled up in front of the beautiful Wells museum, ready for our evening with the lovely ladies of the Wells WI.  Arms filled with sewing machines, fabrics and of course my little speech, I think we were all a little nervous.

Once inside the impressive building, the two rooms we were allocated were quickly transformed into Millie Moon demonstration and workshop space. In the demonstration room the team showed their skills. We had:

Angela - Freemotion embrodiery

Anne - Dressmaking

Vickie - Home accessories

Caroline - Patchwork and Quilting
In the workshop room Gaynor was doing paper crafts and myself and Becki made jubilee corsages.

As the ladies gathered the time came for me to stand  up in front of over 70 ladies and make a little speech about 'Millie Moon and how it all began'. Luckily it went ok and I quickly handed over to the team. 

   

It was soon a buzz of activity as all the ladies moved from table to table to see the demonstrations and take part in the workshops. The ladies were all lovely and very enthusiastic. All chatted and asked questions about all aspects are craft and sewing. 

The two hours flew by really quickly, all of us were tired and hoarse but we left very happy. It was a really fun evening and so great to see the WI still going from strength to strength. 

Thank you to Wells WI for inviting us and we look forward to seeing you all again soon. 

Also a big thanks to the Millie Moon team Caroline, Anne, Vickie, Angela and Gaynor for coming along and supporting us. You made it a great success!

We will be at the next meeting of the newly formed Frome WI on Thursday 17th May... 

Rachel x 

Introducing... Gaynor Ringland

Gaynor has been running workshops at Millie Moon for a couple of years, and has recently joined the team working in the Frome/Wells shop. We caught up with her to find out more about her sewing habits.

1) How did you learn to sew? Is it something that you've always done?
Ummm... I'm afraid that I taught myself the basics, but my Mum did show me how to do embroidery when I was a girl.

2) What is your favourite type of sewing project? Do you have a picture you could share with us?
I really like to make collages using paper and fabrics. I love the combinations and the different textures and messing around until they look good (see picture below).

3) How did you come to work at Millie Moon? And what do you enjoy most about being part of team Millie Moon?
I am the new girl! I have been running workshops for Rachel and Becki for a couple of years and I supply the shop with some of my goodies (finished collages as well as collage kits). I was so glad when they asked me to be part of the team, as I love spending time in the shop. It's very inspirational!

4) What gadget or tool could you not live without for crafting?
Well I suppose my main tool is my sewing machine. I'm not very good with gadgets as I am rubbish at reading instructions. I just want to get on with it!

5) Who is your favourite fabric designer/ textile artist/ sewing-related person? And why?
I love Abigail Brown's fabric birds (follow these links at your peril - this is a temptation warning!), they are gorgeous. Also, Tamar Mogendorff makes lovely birds and houses. Anyone that makes birds is a winner, oh and Poppy Treffry, I think her work is very distinctive and very English.

6) Where can we see more of your work?
You can find my work in Millie Moon shops in both Frome and Wells, and I shall be at the Christmas at the Barn in Mells at the end of November.

Finally, Gaynor runs workshops regularly, so keep an eye out for the new timetable and do call the shop (01373 464650) to find out more!