Makers Month: Stitchsperation

So for our second chat for Makers Month we sat down with the lovely Charlie from Stitchsperation.   Sammy has long been a fan of her work and we just can't get enough of it.  So bright, colourful and all kinds of different to the normal cross-stitch kits.  So lets have a chat and see if we can find out a little bit more.

Our 'The Makery Emporium' Adventure

If you saw our post from last week about our little day trip to Bath, You will have seen that we stopped into the Makery Emporium whilst we were there. I have been dying to visit The Makery since I first heard about it back in early 2010 and since they opened the emporium I have been even keener to make the trip. Being a haberdashery shop owner myself, I am always looking for other shops to visit to see how they display things, what they stock and of course it usually ends up in a cheeky purchase... this visit was no exception.

The name 'Emporium' is the perfect description of this gorgeous little crafty haven. No bigger than someone's front room, it is packed with beautiful ribbons, trims, buttons and fabrics, no boring basics in this little store. 

I may have picked up a few fat quarters to add to my collection...

I love the displays in this place, this old printing tray was used to show off the cutest rubber stamps and this vintage Sylko thread cabinet is a brilliant home for modern Guttermann threads.

All their ribbon and trims are stored on these yummy wooden reels, they also sell the reels, so you can pick up some for your own trimming collection. 

All the lovely little buttons, findings and charms are stored and displayed in an amazing collection of dishes, trays and jars, just like a sweetie shop! 

They have a really colourful selection of goodies on offer in such a small space, it is a feast for the eyes, even a non sewer/crafter would undoubtedly enjoy a visit. They also had a selection of their new Make Away kits on offer (you may have seen them on Dragons Den).

H and I literally can't wait to go back in the new year, we are going to go and visit the workshop space and hopefully get ourselves booked into one of their classes.

We had such a lovely day in Bath, but the highlight for me was definitely visiting The Makery. 

If you can't make it to Bath you can shop with them online and you may have seen our review of Kate Smith's (founder of The Makery) book 'Makery' back in October, a great gift for anyone crafty.  You can also buy their 'Make Away' kits online in their store at the stocking stuffing price of £15.00... Bargain!  H and I are both hoping for the Stags Head kit for Christmas (I am a little gutted I didn't pick one up whilst I was there) 

Have you been to visit The Makery? what did you think? have you been to one of their workshops? We would love to know what you thought.

Also, if you have any recommendations of places for H and I to visit, let us know in the comments <3

If you want to hear more about The Makery, check out the new issue of Craftseller Magazine for an interview with the lovely Kate Smith.

Sammy xxx

Review: Check my box

We were sent a lovely little package from the guys at Checkmybox a few weeks ago.

Hannah and Francesca from Checkmybox make modern D.I.Y. Jewellery and Accessory kits for people to enjoy making their own pieces and learn some jewellery making techniques along the way. They work out of a studio in the famous Custard Factory in Birmingham, with their kits and workshops keeping them very busy. The Checkmybox kits are so on trend that we are sure these girls are on the up.

Their website is beautiful, with lovely images of their kits and ready made jewellery. They also run workshops from their studio and have kits designed for hen parties! We are in love with the takeaway box style packaging.

We chose the Ombre Seed Bead Bracelet Kit to test out as everyone loves a bit of Ombre don't they!

In the Kit you will find:

Instruction leaflet

Seed Beads

Crimps

Curb Chain

Jump rings

Tigertail

Lobster clasp

The instruction leaflet takes you through step by step and the only other thing you will need is a pair of pliars and a flat surface.  The bracelet is simple to make and as long as you have the patience with smaller beads (Sammy loves beading and H has to yet be persuaded) it will not take you too long at all.

H: I cut the Tigertail to the length that was suggested in the instructions but I found that this made it difficult as it was a little too short to get the recommended (10 of each) beads on and be able to grab it in the crimps.

Sammy: I just cut the Tigertail piece into 6 by halving and halving again to get the lengths, this gave me much more to work with and you can always cut away anything that is too long.

H: You get more beads than the suggested, so you could always add more if you want.  But the suggestion in the instructions of 10 of each looks good. To clamp the crimps onto the Tigertail is easy and once you have done one strip, you know what to do and so its easy to do all six.  You will then have to plait the beads I  would suggest having your jump ring ready to put on before you plait as it will come undone if you let it go.

Sammy: I found the Instructions to be very easy to follow, with cute little recommendations along the way. As a reasonably experienced jewellery maker I found it kept my interest, as it wasn't too simple. I did find the plaiting in this kit a little tricky as the jump ring they were attached to kept twisting as I plaited, so I clamped it in a bulldog clip that I had taped to my desk to give it some stability, then it was fine.

H: We have both made the bracelets up, just as instructed, but as I can't wear anything that isn't Sterling silver, I am going to change the chain to cord and swap the rings for silver ones so I can wear it.  It was a great little kit though and would be a great gift idea for someone who likes the idea of making their own but does not have all the equipment.  It might even inspire them to get a kit to move on with.

Sammy: I have made a lot of bracelets in my time and I don't usually buy kits, but I felt like this one with it's attractive packaging made me move out of my comfort zone. I really enjoyed having a go at a new style and using different techniques. I will definitely be making some more like this using some supplies I have for myself, and sending my friends to CheckMyBox to get their own kits.

Make it

H & Sammy

Disclaimer: We were sent the Checkmybox Ombre Bracelet Kit for the purpose of this review.

Who's who: Miss Maker

This month's Who's who comes courtesy of the lovely Miss Maker.  H has seen her little place in Hampshire on her travels back to the homelands and so thought it would be nice to share her with the rest of you.

Who are you?

Clare Blackmore-Davies, wife to the lovely John, mum to the adorable Finn, and around all that Miss Maker - prolific crafter and excitable sewing tutor.

What do you do?

Provide fun one day courses, well-earned sewing escapes and one to one sewing tuition for North Hampshire and beyond. I compliment this with a little online shop stocking products I use in my courses and my own kits and patterns.

How did you start?

I was bought my first sewing machine at seven by my grandmother who was a skilled seamstress. I spent many happy hours with her as she taught me everything she knew, I continued to read up on techniques and experiment with textiles, learning all the time and keeping sewing close to my heart throughout school, university, a 'normal' career and starting a family - the stars all aligned in Dec 2010 when I was able to take voluntary redundancy and launch Miss Maker.

Whats Next?

Keep up with demand, grow steadily, make plans…..

What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to the beginning? 

To the 7 year old me - ask more questions and write more notes,

To the 18 year old me - study more, sew less,

To the 36 year old me - sew more, work less :o) 

We think Miss Maker is on track to achieve her dreams and if this lovely little tractor rucksack is anything to go by, I think quite a lot of children will be getting Miss Maker products too!

Live it.  Love it.  Make it

H & Sammy

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Make it: Kits

We have been busy bees this last week down at the Craft Coop shop in Maidenhead and we wanted to shout about our wonderful kits that are available in the shop until it closes on the 24th June - check out the lovely picture above, don't they look good in a vintage suitcase!  So be quick and pick up a kit to try your hand at something new.  And if you want to send us a picture once you have done it we would love to see your work!

So back to this last week, we had our Bunting workshop on Friday which was a hive of activity due to children being on half term and so there were fabrics chosen, sewing learnt and letters cut to make all 8 of our particpants their own name bunting to take home with them.

Then on Sunday, we linked up with Little Pickles for a Hand Puppet workshop where we made Batman, Pirates, Four arms from Ben 10 and an Octopus.  Phew! 

We thought it only fair to let you know that our kits are still available at the Craft Coop shop, meaning that you can take home your own little piece of Live it.  Love it.  Make it.  You can have a go at making something really unique in the comfort of your own home and have the choice of:

Name Bunting

Sewing Machine Cover

Rosette

Mobile Phone Case

Shopper Bag

Oh yes, and we have Fabric Bundles too

Don't forget this Friday we are doing the Mobile phone case workshops, from 1-4pm and on Friday 22nd June we will be doing our final session and it will be to help you with your Maidenhead quilt squares from 11am -5pm.

So for now, we are back to the day jobs, but hope that you will pick up a little bit of us at the shop.  This week also promises to have a new cafe as part of the shop.  So we are both looking forward to having some cake with our workshop on Friday!  It just wasn't the same without it last week.

Make it

H