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 

What do I do with a layer cake?

Two cut Quilt

Hi, this is Becki and I have been tweeting about my layer cake quilt. The tweeters have asked for it as a blog post so here we go. 

We often get asked what you do with a layer cake? A layer cake is a MODA name for a bundle of 10" pre-cut squares. A MODA bundle contains about 42 squares, easily enough for a single quilt. A Riley Blake bundle has about 24 squares. In this demonstration I am using a Riley Blake bundle called 'Sunny Skies". 

This is a quick 'two cut' quilt. 

Cut you entire stack into two. 

1 section 6" and 1 section 4"

Flip your smaller sections pile upside down 

and then join the pieces back together

 taking from the tops of the piles.

Cut these blocks in half to create your '2nd cut' 

Flip and turn one pile, then taking from the tops again join back together.

Thats it! now lay out your blocks turning them 90 degrees as you go, putting them in any order you like.

Sew your blocks into strips

And sew your strips together. 

Add some sashing or a boarder if you like then quilt or tie. 

Good luck and enjoy. 

Becki x

Moda Layer cakes and Riley Blake bundles available in our shops and on our website www.milliemoonshop.co.uk. Free postage. A FEW sale ones left. Maybe a christmas quilt for next year? 

Its our birthday!

This week we celebrate our  Birthday at Millie Moon.  It has been 4 years since we opened the doors to our little fabric heaven to share with the world. Looking back at early pictures we had very little stock but a lot of enthusiasm and ideas. Although I don't think either of us realised quite how much the business would grow in such a short space of time. After opening in 2008 we started the Sewing school in 2009. In 2010 we moved to bigger premises and in 2011 we opened our 2nd shop in Wells. What will 2012 bring...?

Millie Moon in Frome

Millie Moon Wells

  

We have seen our range of stock grow to include, Moda, Riley Blake, Michael Miller to name but a few and of course kept the original favourites of Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler, Tilda and Tanya Whelan, beautiful wool felt, pompom trims and rows of ribbons. Jelly rolls, charm packs and Layer cakes fill the shelves with their stunning mix of colours. Waddings, vilenes and a huge selection of basic haberdashery, may not be so pretty, but a real necessity for all crafts.

   The Millie Moon Sewing School has gone from strength to strength. There was a whole generation that didn't sew and struggled to sew on a button. We set up the sewing school not just to cover the basics but to really inspire and create confidence in people's abilities and choices. Workshops in a wide range of crafts, not just sewing.

We also offer 1-1 tuition, birthday parties, baby showers and hen dos.


Also, our lovely little Sewing club on 1st tuesday of every month, brings together a group of ladies with similar interests to share, inspire and chat about their projects. This club has been going for over 3 years. Come along and join in.

Kids are so creative and keen to learn, that kids workshops were soon added to the schedule, as well as birthday parties. We want to inspire our children to have fun with craft and colour.  So that there isn't a generation that misses out again. (All our kids tutors are CRB checked)

All our Tutors and employees are artists in their own right. Between them their creativity covers a wide range of areas from quilting, dressmaking, ceramics to textile artists. They are bloggers, authors, run etsy/ folksy shops, have studio spaces, websites and are established businesses in their own right. All with a passion for arts crafts and textiles. All truly inspirational people. We are honoured to support them and other local designers by stocking their work in our shops.

Freemotion machine embroidery with Angela Lai Yen

Teach me to sew with Angela

Ceramic button making with Jo Luckstead

Dressmaking workshops with Anne Baillie-Smith

Patchwork and Quilting with Caroline Frances-Payne

"make me a dress" By Alexandra King

Collage with Gaynor Ringland

 

Millie Moon is our love and our passion. We have worked tirelessly together as business partners and believed in each other as sisters to create a business and a brand we adore and are very proud of.


Juggling our young families (5 children between 2-12 years) keeping house and in the beginning with full time jobs, this has been a true labour of love. Working late nights and weekends we couldn't have done it without the support and love of families and friends. 

We would like to take this opportunity to say a big

" THANK YOU"

 to our families, the team, the tutors, our lovely customers, our followers on twitter, facebook and the blog, thank you for all being so enthusiastic, inspirational and supportive.

Here's to another exciting year ahead... what will it bring? 

Watch this space.............

Big love

Rachel and Becki x

Please take a look at our website for products and workshops. The new season schedule for workshops will be available soon.  www.milliemoonshop.co.uk

Christmas in July...?

Summer is here! The sun is shinning! Lots of time to sit in the garden and enjoy all those light warm summer evenings. Ummmm ...


Maybe we should take advantage of this weather and get ahead of ourselves. Christmas is only 173 making days away and if the sunshine does arrive in september/october again this year, we will want to be rushing out into the garden for a quick bbq not making stockings and lavender hearts for the school fair.

Shop display on Sunday 1 July for the Frome Artisan Market including christmas tree

So now is the time to be bold and brave. Buy that christmas stash and get those projects started. You will soon have a large collection of stock ready for all those last minute gifts, school fairs and house decorations. 


We have just received the first of the Christmas collections in from Riley Blake.


The first is 'Santa's workshop'

Beautiful bright fresh prints, small enough for those little projects or as a babes 1st christmas quilt 

by the metre, FQ, charm packs and layer cakes

Also 'Apline Wonderland'

A contemporary collection of greens, reds and blues. Birds and trees in winter scenes. Perfect for christmas tablecloths, napkins and quilted coasters.

by the metre, FQ, charm packs and layer cakes

Finally, Riley Blake Advent Calendar Panel 

A simple and effective way to create a family advent calendar which can be used year after year

  The panel includes the calendar, softies in christmas scenes and a holiday banner. 

This is just the start of the christmas collections, we have many more to come including Michael Miller and Moda

What will you make? 

Interview with Lu Summers by @scissorsandthread

At the recent Fat Quarterly Community Retreat in London I took a class 
with Lu Summers, designer of the new Summersville range for Moda which 
launched this April. I took the opportunity to ask her some questions . . .* 

Lu Summers
Photo by Scissorsandthread

*How did you get started? Do you have a design background?* 


In a previous life I studied at Norwich School of Art & Design specialising 
in print making, ran a patchwork and quilting shop with my Mum for 5 years, 
had 2 children, opened an Etsy store where I sold paper collages and later 
screen printed fabric before designing for Moda. 


*Do you have a favourite print from the line?* 


Fall in red and Scandi in red 


*What do you think your line Summersville looks great in or with?* 


Obviously it looks great in quilts but it has been brilliant at retreat 
seeing it in different things such as a rucksack and baby trousers. It 
looks great paired with solids but I think people should mix it up a bit 
and try it with different solids than the main prints such as bright 
orange, dark teal and charcoal grey. 

photo by Lu Summers

*What sort of things do you make?* 


I make quilts but for walls not beds but I would never describe them as art 
quilts 


*What is your favourite thing that you have made?* 


My big improv quilt. I have taught this style as a class a few times now 
and made some mini improv quilts too. 


*You are teaching your Portholes technique here at retreat which won Best 
Group Quilt at Festival of Quilts 2010. It's has a really unique look – how 
did you come up with the design?* 


My Mum told me about it over the phone, I said it would never work so I 
tried it and it did. I did circles and have also made quilts usually 
flowers and stars with the same technique. 

photo by Lu Summers

photo by Scissorsandthread

*Do you have a sewing or quilting tip?* 


Use your iron more! 


*Summersville features some great graphic prints – where do you get your 
inspiration from?* 


Living in the countryside but I also have a fascination with industrial 
estates and urban areas 



*Is that something we are going to see more of? When are we going to see 
more of you?* 


I have designed my second line for Moda which is at the Mill at the moment 
and I am waiting for samples. It launches in April 2013. 


*Now for some quick fire questions!* 


*Favourite colour? *Red 

*Fabourite food? *Sausages 

*Summer or winter? *Summer 

*Favourite tv show? *Mad Men 

*Marmite – love it or hate it? *I like it but I don't love it! 

*Favourite film? *The gangster one with Tom Hanks (we think she means Road 
to Perdition) 

*Favourite band: *Maroon 5 

*Chocolate or crisps? *Chocolate 

Photos by Lu Summers @flickr


Check out Lu's blog http://blu-shed.blogspot.co.uk/


A big thank you to @scissorsandthread for the interview and to Lu Summers for taking part. You can find out more about scissorsandthread on her blog http://scissorsandthread.blogspot.com


*Summersville is available in both Millie Moon shops in layer cakes, jelly rolls, charm 
packs and in yardage and on the website www.milliemoonshop.co.uk *