Rachel Ashwell, Shabby Chic fabrics

I am not sure when Rachel Ashwell first appeared on my radar but I have been an avid fan for quite a while. I love to drool over the beautiful furnishings and fabrics and dream of owning a house that is completely furnished with Shabby chic. Unfortunately my house, my kids and my husband would not allow the beautiful girlie pastels so I keep dreaming over the fabulous website and Rachel's inspiring blog.


In January this year I was lucky enough to take a trip to New York City for my birthday. On my list of 'must do' , was to visit the Rachel Ashwell store in Soho, and... yes I did! 
Oh my, it was heaven. Gorgeous plump pillows, eiderdowns, feathers, grown up spaces... 'sigh' (My husband did venture inside but only for a few moments and then left to wait outside). 


When I heard the news that Rachel was launching a fabric range 'Treasures' Shabby chic, I knew we had to have it in Millie Moon. Its such a different range for us, Millie Moon is well know for its bright and bold prints but I twisted Becki's arm that it would be a wonderful new addition.





Well the time has come and the FULL range has arrived in store. With 32 bolts of shabby chic pastels now available in both shops. I feel a quilt coming... Maybe I will finally be able to have my own little grown up space, or at least be able to hide under a shabby chic quilt with my book and a bar of chocolate and shut out the madness for a little while. 


Rachel x 

also new cross stitch and embroidery kits just arrive

Pleas take a look at the website and blog, you won't be disappointed 
www.shabbychic.com
rachelashwellshabbychic.blogspot.com

Scrapiana

Scrapiana's blog is an inspirational and creative blog, covering all aspects of vintage and upcyling, with a real passion for vintage haberdashery. Every post contains beautiful photographs and images of lots of  handmade loveliness. Scrapiana also sells beautiful vintage haberdashery on Etsy, such as reused cotton reels, buttons, thimbles etc and of course the needle cushion grit.


Eirlys @Scrapiana first came to Millie Moon in Spring 2011 with her Vintage strawberry workshop. The Strawberries were featured on the cover of Mollie Makes magazine and we jumped at the chance to have Scrapiana come to the Frome shop to run a workshop with us.

At Millie Moon in Frome

The workshop was a big success, and the ladies made a wheelbarrow full of sweet summer strawberries.  Scrapiana is now back at Millie Moon with two new workshops. 

Sunday 11th March will be Scrapiana's first visit to the Wells shop where she is making these gorgeous Vintage strawberry pin cushions.  Still a couple of places left if you book soon. 10.30-2pm £35 inc all materials. Lovely little mothers day gifts. 

Also on Saturday 31st March, in the Frome shop, Scrapiana will be making Easter Bonnet needle cases based on a vintage design. Again a beautiful gift or something lovely for your own sewing box. 

10.30-1.30pm £35 all materials included. 

Please take a look at Scrapianas blog.  www.scrapiana.com You will be inspired by her enthusiasm and eye for details. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook 

Mary Jane Baxter - Emergency Hat

Mary Jane Baxter is a milliner, with a love for vintage and recycling. Her hats are regularly featured in fashion press and TV. A well known name in the craft world, Mary Jane has contributed to Mollie Makes, Cloth and Sew magazines as well as writing for Selvedge and The Guardian on-line. Her monthly column in Homes and Antiques magazine, "style on a shoestring' led to the development of her first book "chic on a shoestring"which was launched at Libertys in 2011.

Mary Janes beautiful blog and website www.maryjanemakes.com has regular updates and is a host of creative ideas.  The pictures and descriptions inspire as she talks about all things vintage. The 'Cheap chic tip of the week'  shows projects and quick ideas.

On Saturday 17th March we are very excited to be having Mary Jane Baxter holding a workshop at our Frome shop. Yes, our little shop in Frome!!

Mary Jane will be making 'The Emergency Hat' from  her book "Chic on a Shoestring", All materials will be provided too make a lovely little vintage style pillbox hat.

There are a couple of places still available on the workshop. 

 £65       10.30-4.30pm. 

Please contact the shop for more details. 

Blog Review: Make Me A Dress

From quilting to gorgeous vintage-style dresses! This week's blog review takes us to see the delights of Make Me a Dress.

Alexandra's Pink Elephants dress
©Alexandra King

Alexandra has been blogging since late 2008, and her posts record the development of her online bridal and womenswear label, Make Me a Dress, but the blog is so much more than that. Her vintage dress designs are completely inspiring, and the photography is absolutely beautiful as well.  Alexandra takes inspiration from a wide range: 'golden age' couture, old movies and 1950s fashion, and a love of bows.

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This is one of Alexandra's many
inspiring dresses ©Alexandra King

Alexandra has just started using Millie Moon fabrics in her designs and is a big fan of the Michael Miller prints which work very well with the style of dress she makes. Recently, Alexandra has made a beautiful dress with Michael Miller's "Pink Elephants" including a rock 'n' roll petticoat. The dress is currently on display in the Wells shop and will be moving to the Frome window very soon.

Girl's dresses also feature trimmings
from Millie Moon ©Alexandra King

Anna Vickery also works with Alexandra, and she has just whipped up some adorable girl's dresses. Do you recognise the lovely buttons on this lovely bright paisley dress?

Next year Alexandra has kindly offered to do two workshops with Millie Moon in the Wells shop. Choose from, rock 'n' roll petticoats and 50's swing skirts. Please see our website for more information.

Blog Review: I'm a Ginger Monkey

As we were updating our blog list (on the right of the main blog homepage), we thought we would explain what makes our favourite blogs so special.

First up is I'm a Ginger Monkey. Monkey Do (AKA I'm a Ginger Monkey) is a blog of pure quilting enthusiasm. Katy shares her projects and designs with a sense of joy that is dangerously infectious.

This recent quilt is particularly stunning, isn't it?

Katy made it with her own adaptations, starting from a design in Issue 5 of Fat Quarterly.

There are many reasons for making I'm a Ginger Monkey a regular blog read, but over and above the regular posts, there is also a wealth of information in the tutorial section. It contains downloadable instructions for some lovely projects and techniques. The instructions on binding a quilt are among the clearest we've seen, and we're loving the quilt designs as well. The instructions and photography are clear, leaving no questions about how to carry out each step.

Katy also does regular reviews of the latest fabric lines and gadgets. Her posts regularly send us scurrying off to check out the newest arrivals from our suppliers. She visited Quilt Market in the States just last month, and her round-up of booths left us more impatient than ever for next season's fabrics to arrive.

Finally, Katy is part of the team at the modern quilting e-zine, Fat Quarterly. If you haven't heard of FQ, then, do head straight over and download an issue. It's a must-read for quilters wanting to try new ideas and hear about the latest products.

Which blogs to you read regularly? Please do let us know.