The Stitchery Journal 2021 : Welcome to Stitchery Lane

I can’t quite believe that I am writing this but it is the time of year where I receive a lot of excited emails enquiring about the availability, and project, for next year’s subscriptions.

It is the fourth year of The Stitchery Journal and 2021 will be slightly different in that we will be completing an entire piece of textile art across the course of the year. I am so excited to begin!

Stitchery Lane is a street in a pretty, imaginary town, inspired by my favourite places across Europe. The Stitchery Journal for 2021 will be a concertina fabric book that opens to its full width to display a beautiful row of shop fronts and cottages, peppered with trees, carts and flower pots.

There will be a florist, pavement cafe and library. A few pretty pastel cottages and a greengrocer. A bakery and, of course, a town hall. As it is a street in my imagination, flowers bloom whatever the season and the buildings are individual and quirky.

Pieces will be a mix of embroidery and applique with a little fabric painting in places. You will be given access to Stitchery Lane at the Stitchery Studio online where I will demonstrate easy applique methods and linen painting with the odd livestream stitchalong. Whilst you will be able to buy a ready-made linen fabric journal they are very simple to make and I will be demonstrating how to sew one as part of the subscription.

Each month you will have a building or scene to stitch that will be transferred to your linen book. If you prefer not to complete the book, however, each embroidery will be an attractive piece of textile art in its own right, suitable for framing or making into a decorative wallhanging. You could also make a quilt block with each piece, should you wish.

I don’t have photos or sketches to share yet as you will be working on your artwork alongside me; I will stitch and share each piece monthly with the first available at the end of January.

Stitchery Lane will be my only kit subscription for 2021, sent monthly. There will be no quarterly subscription next year as I kind of fancy having a little freedom for a while to create ad-hoc standalone kits. I am currently obsessed with The Language of Flowers courtesy of Enola Holmes; a film which I have watched approximately 398 times so far. I love it. The film has also refuelled my love of typography and Victorian illustrations.

Full Year Subscription Packages Available Now

At the moment I am only offering full year subscription packages for 2021 to help me ascertain interest and, subsequently, numbers for print cost purposes. I have kept the full year price the same for the third year running and monthly subscriptions will be available at a cost of £27 per month plus p&p from the beginning of January.

As we know, the best way to eat an elephant is bit by bit and I hope that this monthly subscription will give you the confidence and impetus to create a large, detailed, piece of textile art that you might never have attempted otherwise. My kits are always aimed at enthusiastic beginners whilst being, hopefully, an enjoyable relaxing stitch for the more experienced embroiderer. 2021 will be no different and I am excited to start this project with you and help you to create something you are proud of.

Don’t worry if you are an absolute beginner and don’t feel ready to attempt such a project. 2021 sees the launch of Stitch School; a series of online tutorials specifically for the beginner. Each month we will tackle one specific stitch with a downloadable mini project at the end of each module. Each mini project will demonstrate uses for the stitch we’ve learned. I will share more here next month for those interested.

FINALLY (phew!) I will be relaunching the Alphabet Sampler next year as a monthly digital subscription (with fabric and threads available to buy separately). More soon I promise!

Thank you for your enthusiasm and support this year, I am so enjoying stitching with you. If you have any questions at all please do drop me an email, I would love to hear from you.

Love

Nicki xx

The Stitchery Studio Online

If there is one thing that makes me thankful for lockdown, it is the volume of e-courses, talks and clubs that have become accessible on the internet. I love going to workshops in real life; meeting new people and soaking up the atmosphere but you cannot beat the sheer indulgence of joining a workshop from your kitchen table in your own sweet time. I can’t always justify a whole day out to sit and stitch but when those classes are broken down into hour-long sessions that I can do each day after dinner? Perfection. I’m there!

I have found SO many artists over the pond who I want to visit and learn from one day but whilst I find the money (and the dog sitter) for those trips I am delighted to be able to join their classes and paint with them at home, in my slippers, with the puppy at my feet and dark chocolate Bounty bars on tap.

Stitchery customers have often told me that they would love to join a workshop but I’m too far away or they work during the week (when I typically hold classes) so I thought I’d look into a suitable platform to host online courses. I am really excited to have found just the thing and whilst I am working on subscription video classes for the new year, I thought I’d kick off with a little Christmas stitching for December.

And so I have launched my first online class, which talks you through how to embroider and make an heirloom Christmas stocking. I am really keen to make the course as pretty, festive and fun as possible so we won’t just be making one stocking, I have lots of ideas and mini projects to share at the end of the course too. There will be a live stitchalong and there is a community page where we can hang out and be social.

I know it isn’t quite the same as getting together in real life but it does have some really useful benefits that you don’t get from a ‘real life’ workshop:

• Lifetime access means you can join the class whenever you like as many times as you like.

• You are a lifelong member of the Christmas Stitching community and will meet other stitchers sharing projects from future Christmas e-courses.

• There is no long and stressful journey to and from class. You can join in your PJs.

• The videos are downloadable so you can download to your device and access them whenever and wherever you like. Join from a cafe or campsite, on a long train journey or in the wee hours when sleep eludes you.

• The videos show stitches and projects really close up to help you master the stitches. Pause and rewind to your heart’s content!

• It’s a safe and convenient way of learning. An easy way to add a bit of cheer and feel connected when you are convalescing from an operation or isolating for health reasons.

If you fancy giving it a go you can read about it here and sign up here. When you join, you’ll automatically receive an email with a video from me to help you gather materials for class. You will also be granted free access to the Christmas Stitching community. I haven’t quite got around to stitching my designs for class yet but I will share sneak peeks here and on my social media pages if you’d rather get a taster before you sign up. I can promise you, however, the projects will be beautiful and achievable for all stitcher levels.

Really hope to see you there.

Nicki xx

Christmas Mini Kits Coming Soon

I thought I’d share a few photos of the Christmas mini kits that will be available in the webshop soon. These are the mini kits from last year’s advent calendar. Just a few little stitches to help you to feel festive and prepare for the Christmas season.

Festive Posy

Sugarplum Fairy Embroidery Kit

Scandinavian Tomte Embroidery Kit

Hydrangea wreath embroidery kit

Primitive Tree Embroidery Kit

Christmas Gift Tags Embroidery Kit

Beside The Sea

I thought I would share a few pictures of the June subscription kits that are now available as standalone kits on the website. If you fancy stitching something pretty, nostalgic and beachy I think this one will tick all of the boxes! Yes, there’s a little fabric painting but it is very easy and you only need add a little colour to get the desired effect. (Also, if you’re not going to wash the embroidery once it’s finished you can use regular watercolour paints, there is no need for special fabric paint.). You can find it here if you’d like to take a look.

I admit that I am anxious about the country coming out of lockdown. Things have been returning to normal here in our neck of the woods and the road by our house has become noisy again. Sigh. I have only been to the essential shops (art supplies and coffee, of course) and there have been reassuringly strict measures in place at both of those shops.

We had our first meal out on Sunday at the local pub which was definitely different but - oh my goodness - absolutely delicious. How I had missed their Sunday roasts! My parents have been able to open their static caravan in Norfolk and we are going for a few days later in the month. I can’t wait to see what Lottie thinks to the sea and sand!

I have given myself the summer to get slowly back to normal; I don’t plan to go out socialising and there won’t be any workshops at the new studio until the Autumn. I am keeping a low profile and working on all of the projects I want to complete (and the exciting new ones I want to start). My notebook of ideas, designs and dreams is bursting at the seams and some of them feel within reach now, which is amazing. There are so many things I am learning as I go along, working on one kit inspires an idea for another, and there is loads I want to share here with you.

As you probably know, I have no formal training in textiles or art. My qualifications and experience are in the corporate world; I worked in magazine advertising for 10 years and finance for 15 years. Despite being reasonably good at art at school, with definite potential, I was always encouraged to take a more academic route and I feel as though I am making up for lost time now. My mum and maternal grandma are very artistic and creative; mum has always sewn or stitched (she has formal training in garment sewing but did a lot of knitting, embroidery and cross stitch too). My great-grandma taught me to embroider when I was 6, I held knitting groups at school when I was 7 and I spent my childhood constantly writing letters and stories or copying drawings from books.

I don’t regret the years that I spent working in magazines and banking - I have had some amazing experiences and met some truly lovely people - but I am seizing every available opportunity to do more and learn more now that I can. I have done a few online art classes which were wonderful (more about those another day), I have signed up with a creative mentor and I am currently working through a watercolour and illustration class online.

I can’t wait to tell you more about workshops at The Stitchery and the new kits coming but for now I must stay focused and get the work done! Our home needs some TLC too. I’ve got a lot of decluttering and deep cleaning to do, I want everything shipshape for the new term starting in Autumn!

I hope you are keeping well and staying safe. Thank you for being here.

Love

Nicki x

The Cottage Garden Bouquet Embroidery Kit

The Cottage Garden Bouquet embroidery kit has become a bit of a bestseller during lockdown and I thought it would be nice to have a live stitch-along so that I can provide a little guidance on the kit and how to do the stitches.

The session is just an hour long and will be hosted via YouTube livestream. This means that you will watch me stitching on your screen and ask any questions via the chat box which I will address as I stitch.

I will talk through the embroidery and how the stitches build up for the final design as well as demonstrating the stitches needed to complete the kit.

This is my first livestream video and I am keeping it to an hour to see how we go. Hopefully all will be good and I can use the platform for future kits and demonstrations.

As my first online class, access is limited to those customers who have previously bought the kit or attended a workshop with me on this design. If you would like to buy the kit and join in on Friday, you can do so here. Please be sure to register for a free ticket to the livestream using this link so that I can email the live link to you on Friday, just before class. If you have previously bought the kit you will still need to ‘buy’ a ticket (it’s free) for the livestream please, so that I can keep a track of numbers and attendees!

If you have any questions please pop them in the comments below and I will answer as soon as possible.

See you in class!

Nicki xx

Travel Flower Press

At this time of year there is a lot of content on social media about flower pressing. Gardens and hedgerows are bursting into life at last and there is an undeniable romance in collecting flora to press and reminisce. The delight in finding a little old book in an antique store with letters and flowers slipped between the pages is something I secretly hope for every time I visit a second-hand book store!

I have been pressing the occasional flower for years on and off, using heavy books around the house that I subsequently forget all about. But I have only acquired a proper flower press and a real passion for it in recent years. I have a large press at my studio and several smaller ones at home that I use on a regular basis. A friend in Miami (hello lovely Patricia!) sourced a beautiful flower press for me, held together with sturdy straps instead of bolts, which inspired the little travel press I am going to tell you about today.

My travel flower press is nothing special but it really works for me and I wanted to share it in case it’s an idea that you might find useful too.

Firstly, I am really bad at removing flowers or leaves from stalks with my fingers. I can’t make a clean break and then I feel bad for the plant, like I’ve injured it. (I know. Eye roll.) So I need a small pair of snips with me at all times. I also wanted just the smallest flower press that wasn’t too heavy to carry in my bag when I’m out for walks. The wooden ones I have, though small, are still very heavy and take up valuable room in an already overstuffed tote. This little Observer book is the perfect size and with its strong rubber band keeps flowers secure inside and snips handy on the outside.

If you are a reader of my newsletter then you will know that I am currently sitting an online art class with Abby Monroe (I really recommend it - art journalling and experimenting - so much fun!). After a lovely day with Abby at my studio last year I have been more inspired to work on collage and mixed media in my spare time. I treated myself to a few lovely materials (little wooden stamps, washi tape and a selection of fine papers) and this week I made a cover for my book. Totally inspired by Abby and the lovely things she makes (in fact the little sprig of dried lavender in my photo is from the art journal kit I bought from Abby this month).

I used a sheet of A4 newsprint as the base and glued an illustration of hogweed from a vintage book as the main decoration. I tore strips of antique handwritten documents and crumpled gold tissue paper. A regular glue stick (almond-scented of course) secures everything neatly in place with minimal mess.

In my washi tape stash I found a roll of thin tape decorated with butterflies which was perfect for this project. I then cut down a little strip of antique script washi tape to cover a tear in the base paper where I was overzealous when pulling the paper tight around the book! A title typed on my treasured antique typewriter brings it all together, I think.

The back of the flower press is plain newsprint apart from a centre column of seedhead motifs that I stamped from top to bottom in sepia ink. I used washi tape to stick the paper to the cover of the book and glued a small envelope inside the front cover for extra cuteness. Just because.

The last time I used my flower press was on a holiday to Cornwall last year shortly after we lost Lizzie, our little Westie. We had booked the holiday specifically so that we could take Lizzie with us and bring her along to walks by the sea, and afternoon tea in the courtyards of pretty farm shops. Although the holiday was lovely, I missed our little dog so much; I kept thinking how much I would have loved her to be there with us. One sunny afternoon we found a pretty, very tiny, courtyard as we hiked uphill from the seafront. I remember sitting with a strong coffee in the hazy afternoon sunshine in that little park. I spotted a beautiful hydrangea by the railing and snipped it to remember a lovely little holiday and my sweet little dog.

A new but very dear friend sent me the most special handmade album recently, devoted entirely to my two little Westies - Lizzie and our new puppy Lottie. This pressed hydrangea is destined for that book (which I will show you next time - it deserves a post all of its own).

It is Friday evening now; the sun has shone all day but it’s chilly now and time to light a fire in the front room. A glass of wine and perhaps a film beckon.

Have a beautiful weekend and thank you, as always, for being there.

Love

Nicki xx

Rainbows in windows: A lockdown freebie

Rainbow colours are not my thing, usually. Since the onset of social distancing, though, the rainbows in windows have brought a warmth to my heart that I can’t really explain. Just to know that there is a little family indoors, staying snug and keeping safe makes me happy. Just a small gesture of reaching out, saying hi to your neighbours and the delivery men, postmen and volunteers who are keeping the country going… I love it.

There’s really only Drew and me with our little dog behind the thick stone walls of this old cottage but I wanted to make my own version of a little rainbow for linen hearts to hang on the woodshed, the front door and pop up in the window. As I stitched I thought that perhaps my nieces might like to do a few cute stitching projects (they love rainbows) which led me to thinking that the children in your lives might like a little project or two, too.

I am plodding through a lot of work at the moment and finding it really difficult to concentrate on anything. These easy little rainbow motifs have been fun to stitch, very quick to finish and as I work I feel as though I am recording a very small moment in social history.

I’ve put a little Spring worksheet together with a few stitching ideas that can be adapted to suit any age. Keeping the motifs tiny with lots of white space around will keep the designs more appealing for grown ups but drawing the designs larger, filling with colouring pencils and stitching thick outlines will be fun for small children too. Feel free to use the ideas and stitching however you like and do share on social media if you can. I would love to see if any children are having a go!

I feel fortunate that my little business is able to carry on throughout this difficult time and I am very aware that others have either lost jobs or found themselves furloughed with less money than usual. With this in mind, I am trying to create a few little free downloads with some stitching ideas and motifs to keep you going, but I have to do this in my spare time and it takes a while for me to faff with getting them done digitally so please bear with me. I will try to upload one little sheet a week as we go through this and I hope they come in useful.

You can download the first freebie here. The rainbow is very simple to work - I have added the (very minimal!) instructions below.

Wishing you happy stitching with lots of love

Nicki

Beginners Guide to Painting on Linen

I didn’t plan on the March edition of Haven including paint. Having stitched and photographed the design, I wondered how it would look with a little extra colour for context. As it turns out, I like it both ways and thought I would share a few tips on how to achieve a pleasing finish.

I don’t use paint in my work very often but when I do I like it to hint at the solidity of something as an alternative to heavy stitching.

Lots of folk are worried about adding paint to their work and ‘ruining’ it - especially when it is added at the end when you have spent a great deal of time on the stitching.

My preference is to use watercolour when colouring linen; I find it a quick and convenient way to work. Generally I only use one or two colours for my embroidery, to add sky, grass, earth and occasionally colour to windows. The painting complements the stitching rather than vice versa.

Equipment

Pans of watercolour are affordable, clean and convenient to use. I have a very inexpensive Daler Rowney Aquafine pocket set which I paid about £12 for (in fact I am on my second box as my nieces begged me for my first set) and it has all of the basic colours you could need for an embroidered picture. Find it here. 

If you are keen to invest in a larger set of colours that you could use to learn watercolour painting too, I love my Koi Pocket Field Sketch Box. I have the 48 pan set with a separate mixing palette, water brush and sponge. They are lovely to use both on linen and paper, I highly recommend them. The box is sturdy and the removable palette acts as extra mixing space. I haven’t had this palette for long; it was recommend by Shayda Campbell and I use it to paint along with watercolour tutorials in my spare time.

The paintbrush you choose is very important. You need a round pointed brush rather than a flat one so that you can control the amount of paint you put onto the linen. Also bear in mind that the bigger the brush, the more paint it holds and will, subsequently, transfer to a surface. For painting linen I tend to stick to three sizes: I have a size 10, a 4 and 2/0.

The size 10 is great for adding paint to large areas, such as the sky and grass. The size 2/0 is very fine and good for adding tiny spots of paint if you want to hide a bare patch of stitching or take your paint right up to an outline.

The size 4 is a good universal size to choose if you only buy one brush. Synthetic bristles are fine and very affordable.

The image below shows the difference in size between each of the brushes. The second picture also shows the opacity of a colour from neat to very dilute.

When a colour is very dilute (or watery) it soaks into the linen more quickly and its direction is more unpredictable. However, a splodge of neat watercolour (on the left) looks sticky and unnatural.

I always recommend starting with a very dilute colour; it is far easier to add extra colour and build up gently than it is to take colour away, particularly on linen. The green and blue paints above show a colouring pencil alternative with heavy to light pressure applied. Colouring pencils are a foolproof way to add colour to your embroidery and, as long as you have no plans to launder it, should last as long as paint does. Do consider colouring pencils if paints scare you!

The process

test your colours first on an off-cut of the same linen as your work or at the edge of your embroidered piece where it can be trimmed or hidden later.

• Wet your brush in clean water and apply to your chosen colour. Dab the colour into a concentrated splodge onto a clean palette. Add plenty of colour so that you have enough paint to finish your piece. This ensure that the colour is consistent throughout.

• Wet your brush again and add water to the paint on your palette. Mix until the colour is very pale and watery. Mix thoroughly and soak your bristles in the paint mix.

• Remove any excess water from the ferrule of your paintbrush (the metal bit near the bristles) with a paper towel and apply lightly to your fabric. Start in the centre of a space moving outward towards the outline. Dab rather than brush the paint on.

• I like to leave areas of the linen showing through but you can cover the entire space with paint if you prefer. Dab the paint gently and take particularly at the outline where the colour can easily spread.

• I use a larger brush for the centre of a shape and colour around the outline with my very fine brush.

• When you think you have finished an area, dry it with a hairdryer (beware that any frixion pen markings will remove with the heat too). You will notice that the paint looks much brighter and lighter when dry.

• Finish the rest of the painting of your embroidery with a very light hand before drying off and evaluating. If you want to add more colour do so carefully and build the colour slowly, drying in between each application.

• When you have finished your work, press with a dry iron face down on a fluffy towel so as not to squash your stitches. The heat of the iron will set the colour to the fabric making your finished piece more colourfast (although I do not recommend washing the finished piece).

If you make a mistake you can cover the area with more flowers, grass or foliage. Don’t stress about it and just enjoy the process.

I hope these tips help a little and give you confidence in choosing your colours and applying them to the fabric. For this particular piece I used an olive green gold for the grass (but sap green is a more commonly found colour), prussian blue for the sky and burnt umber for the paving stones. I used a very dilute Payne’s grey for the window panes. All of the colours were watered down considerably before I applied them to the fabric.

If you have any questions drop me a line. I will be filming a quick painting demo shortly which I hope to share at the weekend.

Happy painting!

Nicki xx

(pin for later)

Letter Writing and Stationery

As a child, I’d always got a little Basildon Bond writing set on the go; my favourite was a very pale blue paper with matching envelopes. I had a few penpals and loved to both send and receive happy mail. I used to copy illustrations from my books - most notably my Garfield comic books and a heavily illustrated copy of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. I would send my drawings to friends alongside a letter, often with a page of lyrics to songs that I had carefully copied down from Smash Hits! magazine. I sent mix tapes and scented stickers. Photos of Philip Schofield torn from magazines (my friend had an enormous crush on him) and I would often send one of those ‘chatterbox’ origami games.

Adulthood arrived in a flurry of driving lessons, Peach Schnapps and clubbing, so whilst I’ve always written thank you cards and letters to my grandma, my letter writing fell by the wayside a little. Then, about 10 years ago, I discovered blogging, then instagram and made friends with like-minded people all over the world. The friendships I made online resurrected my love of happy mail and I’ve been sending little parcels and letters ever since.

With loved ones pretty much isolated for the next 12 weeks, now is a good time to take up letter writing and send happy mail. They don’t need to be long, wordy letters. Just a postcard saying I love you, or look after yourself is nice to receive amongst a plethora of bills and junk mail.

I thought I would share some of my favourite sources for inspiration, stationery and hand-lettering. I know it isn’t stitch related but I have a feeling that there might be fellow stitchers who might also be stationery lovers and want some inspiration for sending happy mail!

The Postman’s Knock was the first modern calligrapher I found online. I love Lindsey’s blog, she is super generous with ideas and provides a lot of creative inspiration. I was desperate for her illustrated map course to launch and signed up straight away last week. Lindsey sells lots of beautiful downloads and I highly recommend a few hours browsing her blog posts.

Naomi Bulger has a beautiful blog Naomi Loves; and last year I signed up for her Beautiful Letter course. Full of writing prompts, stationery projects to try at home and beautiful illustrated envelope templates to download and colour, there is lots there to keep you going and inspire you.

Choosing Keeping is by far the best place for pens, paper and other letter writing paraphernalia. The shop is obviously closed at the moment but they are still sending online orders and we small businesses rely on website orders at the moment to keep going. I love their Rivoli writing paper and have it in all three available colours.

You’ve heard me sing the praises of Abby Monroe before. Ever since her journal workshop at the studio last year I have been obsessed with rubber stamps, zines and other mini books. I am hoping that I can book Abby in for more workshops at the new studio space as soon as the Covid restrictions are lifted. Fingers crossed for Autumn! Check out Abby’s website and follow her instagram page- she has lots of online workshops planned this Spring and they are worth dialling in for.

I’ve grown out of sending song lyrics in the post but I do like to add one or two little pretty things to my envelopes if I can. Pressed flowers, vintage floral cigarette cards, scraps of fabric and tiny doodles all make their way into letters from me at some stage. Kate Nicole’s beautiful cards, paper garlands and labels are perfect additions to letters; you can usually find Kate at various brocantes around the country but for now Rosehip in the Country is their online shop.

If you have any suggestions of other stationery suppliers or letter-writing bloggers please let me know in the comments below!

With love

Nicki xx

Free Tutorial: Antique Quilt Needle Case

Regular followers will know that I love a needle case! I make them a lot for myself, and friends, and often buy them from fellow makers. A handmade needle case makes a lovely gift for a stitching friend; you can make them as simple or intricate as you like; as small or as large as you fancy.

This is a tutorial for a very simple hand sewn needle case. I designed it for a workshop at The Dorset Brocante and provided the little printed patch for stitchers to embroider and attach to the front of the book. The patch is available here if you’d rather buy one but you can make your own patch quite easily if you like. I’ve added the pdf pattern below if you’d like to trace it - I printed the pattern and text on to mine and left the text as is, without embroidery. It is permanent ink so won’t disappear. For the text you could use small rubber stamps or handwrite if you have neat writing (I don’t).

Below is the list of items you will need. Gather your supplies, grab a cuppa and let’s get started.

Complete the embroidery

Download the pattern here and transfer using your preferred method and fit a hoop to your fabric. A 4” hoop is perfect.

Begin with the wreath base and branches. Using two strands of darker green (I used DMC 3023) work a split stitch to cover the base and all branches. Add little French knots for foliage randomly around the base. I used two strands of light green thread (DMC 644) and wrapped twice around the needle.

To stitch the roses, first make two bullion knots close together for the centre of the flower (the rosebud). Use two strands of the darker pink (DMC 224) and wrap around the needle six times. Make sure they are close together with one slightly higher than the other.

Make three bullion knots around the rosebud. Use two strands of medium pink (225) and wrap around the needle approx 9 times. Make sure you curve the knot around the rosebud as you lay down the stitch. Take care also to overlap the petals for a more realistic effect.

Finish the outer layer of the rose petals with the lightest pink (DMC 819). Again using two strands of thread, make bullion knots overlapping and curving around the flower, you will need to make five or six bullion knots to cover around the edges. Wrap around the needle 12-14 times. Add French knots in the light green (DMC 644) in and around the roses.

Make rosebuds where indicated on the photograph. Do this as per the first round of stitches for the whole flower but make a bullion knot in green (DMC 3023) to curve around the bottom of the petals to suggest a calyx.

If you don’t like bullion knots, you can make the roses with spiralling stem stitch or a woven wheel.

Press your work on a fluffy towel and it is done!

Make up the case:

Stitch the lace to the back of the needle case using tiny stitches across the edge just to catch it down.  Use one strand of your ecru thread for this or a neutral general sewing thread.

Cut a small patch or two of contrasting fabric and apply fusible web to the back with a hot dry iron. I used a piece of old checked fabric. Apply fusible web to the back of the fabric patch with a hot dry iron.  If you haven’t used fusible web before: The paper side of the web should be on the outside and the cobwebby fusible side of the web should be facing the back of the fabric.  Press with an iron for a few seconds and let cool.  Remove the paper from the back of the fabric (score down the centre with a pin to make it easier to remove).  The back of the fabric will now seem slightly rubbery – this is the adhesive and means it is ready to be fused to the needle case.  Put the fabric in place on the quilt piece, right side up and press with an iron for a few seconds.  The checked fabric should now be attached to the quilt.  Stitch around the edge of the fabric patch with a basic rough whip stitch using strands of ecru thread. Add other small patches to your quilt in the same way if you like.

Now fuse the embroidery to the bondaweb in the same way and cut an oval shape around it.   Attach to the front of the needle case and stitch around the perimeter, again with a basic whip stitch. These whip stitches are just decorative as the bondaweb will hold the patches in place permanently.

rough stitches catch the linen ties in.

Catch the linen ties in place on the inside of the needle case using a couple of stitches trying not to come through at the front of the quilt (these stitches can be removed at the end if they do show so don’t worry too much.)

Attach the plain linen to the inside of the needle case using bondaweb  and work a rough stitch around the edge, being sure to catch the edge through the linen ties.

Attach the piece of wool to the centre of the case with with a basic long running stitch.  Fold and press the case – you are done!

Pattern notes:

If you don’t have fusible web you can attach the patches and linen using only the stitches but be sure that your whip stitch is strong and secure. You could also hand quilt the inner linen to the quilt piece to further secure it.

Add an extra square of felt to the front and back of the needle case for additional room. You could also make a simple pocket for your scissors by attaching another piece of fabric on the inside. The idea of this needle case is that it is rough yet tactile, with the shabbiness of the quilt and the torn linen contrasting with the delicacy of your embroidery.

You could of course add two pages of wool felt to the centre of the needle book. Patches, darning and embroidery inside the case would be pretty too.

If you’d like to have a go at making your own embroidery pattern, draw a rough oval and position flowers where you like (you could just substitute the roses for daisies or make a wreath of hyacinths around the edge). I used an old pink quilt piece and the pink roses fit beautifully but white roses are a good option too. Choose a darker beige for the centre (maybe DMC 3033) with an off-white for the next layer of petals (maybe DMC 3866) and then the final layer with a brighter white (DMC 3865). I rarely use DMC Blanc; it is almost glaringly white; 3865 is much softer.

I would love to see your version on social media; I especially love progress photos with cups of tea and scraps of fabric laying around. Please share via #thestitcherystudio hashtag on instagram if you can. It is nice to feel connected, particularly now.

Happy stitching (and if you notice a typo or something isn’t clear please drop me a message below and I’ll fix it.) .

With love,

Nicki x

PIN ME to remember for later…

New in the Shop - Hand-turned vintage-style point turners

Handmade especially for The Stitchery by Rose and Wren, these 3” vintage-style point turners are perfect for poking out the corners of cushions and needle cases but they are also ideal for bagging out tiny limbs of rag dolls. Made extra dinky, you can pop one of these in your travel sewing kit. I am delighted with them, they are made of a very pretty blonde oak wood; smooth and tactile. A good pointed tip but not lethal. You can buy them here.

I’ve also added a few 5g balls of pretty Anchor perle cotton and updated our scissor stock. More to come soon but the post is a little delayed with the current health emergency.

I hope you are keeping well and that stitching is keeping you calm.

With love

Nicki x

Free Embroidery Pattern: A little Spring cheer

It isn’t often I share the things I am stitching because I am usually working on something secret for one of the subscription kits. However, as I worked on the March Haven kit I decided to lift a tiny motif from the design that I thought would be nice stitched for a homemade Mother’s Day or Easter card. You could, of course, also make it into a tiny lavender pillow. (If you do make this into a lavender pillow I would recommend using a larger square of fabric - I love a tiny motif with a lot of negative space around it.)

We could do with a little cheering up, am I right? And if we have to stay at home we may as well be stitching!

The possibility of being quarantined here in the UK feels very real and I have huge sympathy for my Italian friends at the moment. (Please pop over to my friend Cristina Embroidery Therapy on Instagram to say hi and cheer her up!)

Let’s get started and stitch away our troubles!

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STITCH INSTRUCTIONS

You will need:

• 5’ square of linen (I used a slubby antique hemp).

• 4” embroidery hoop.

• Sharp embroidery scissors.

• A size 7 crewel needle.

• Stranded embroidery cotton: Dark pink, light pink, yellow, mid-green, beige, dark blue and light blue. I used DMC.

Download and trace the attached pdf (file at the foot of the page).

Begin with the stems of the flowers. Use one strand of mid-green thread and make small back stitches from the pot up towards the base of the flowers. For the thicker leaves, make columns of back stitches close to each other to fill in the shape. Layer your flowers on top of the stems.

Next stitch the hyacinths. Thread your needle with one strand of dark blue (a nice purply blue is good for this) and one strand of light blue thread. Make French knots to fill the shape, tapering towards the tip of the flower head. Wrap twice around the needle.

I made tulips in two different shades of pink; one very pale pink and one sugary pink. Use two strands of pink thread and make an open lazy daisy stitch with the catch at the base of the flower, near the stem. (You can see this more clearly in my March video on Youtube.) Fill the open stitch with one or two straight stitches.

For the daffodils use two strands of yellow thread and make tiny star shapes with straight stitches. Pop a French knot in the centre, wrapping twice around the needle. To achieve the appearance of a daffodil in profile, stitch just three or four petals with the French knot to the side of them.

Work the pot outlines with two strands of beige thread using a very small split stitch. Fill with a rough satin stitch using one strand of thread. I worked the rim of the pot in vertical satin stitches and the base in horizontal stitches, to add interest. Make little straight stitches at the bottom of the pot to suggest grass. I added a couple of French knots too, only wrapping once.

Remove the pen lines, press face down on a fluffy towel, and you’re done!

I hope everyone is staying well and healthy. We’ve resigned ourselves to the fact that we need to stay home for a little while and stocked up yesterday on kindling, bread, milk and treats so that we can do our bit (however small) to help slow the spread of this nasty virus.

With love for a happy weekend,

Nicki xxx

You can trace from your laptop, tablet or phone. Just ensure that the image is the correct size - it is tiny - 3cm at its highest point. Use an erasable pen to trace onto the linen. If your fabric is too thick to see through, trace with the old-fashioned tracing paper technique: trace, turn paper over, trace reverse with a soft pencil, turn back the right way and trace onto fabric, pressing hard with pencil.

Kindred Spirits: A New Embroidery Design

The Stitchery is on the move! At the beginning of the year it became glaringly obvious that we need more space and more help. Currently I work full-time with my sister helping part-time during school hours and my husband helping with accounts in the evening. Daily orders have increased and keeping on top of them, sending them in good time, has become a full-time occupation, not to mention the despatch of monthly and quarterly subscription kits. With the quantity of kits now in stock, and preparation for the Festival of Quilts and Handmade Festival later in the year (E X C I T E D), we need more space for stock too.

With a little sadness I gave notice to my Landlord on my pretty little studio in beautiful Castle Ashby and I have signed the contract on a much bigger unit in the heart of Northampton, not far from the train station.

Moving is expensive; I have a large rent deposit to pay upfront (four months’ worth), removal van costs and then the furniture and equipment to kit out the space. We started to look at options for generating the funds and, not wanting to borrow money, I decided on a Kickstarter campaign.

Kickstarter is fairly new on my radar. It is a way of generating funds for a project without asking for a loan, formal investment or donations. Customers ‘pledge’ a specific amount of their choice and in return receive a ‘free’ item/s further down the line. You can read more on my kickstarter page here. As an example, if you pledge £12 you receive an enamel pin badge (which are quite the thing these days! Lovely popped onto a craft tote bag or project bag). If you pledge £50 you receive an exclusive embroidery kit. As you move higher up the pledge value, the ‘rewards’ (items you receive) become even better value for money. Given that my embroidery cushion kits retail at £50 anyway, you are really just pre-ordering a kit but showing your support for this new venture in doing so.

As I binge-watched Anne with an E this Winter, I smiled to myself as Anne enthused over the Kindred Spirits she met. It made me think of my Stitchery customers and me; so many times I have met new women through my workshops and stitch club and immediately felt that I have found a Kindred Spirit. Indeed, lots of people have said the same to me.

At a time when social media can feel like a pretty angry place to be, it is comforting to know that there is a supportive and joyful community connecting over the gentle occupation of stitching. Anne makes a piece of textile art for her friend Diane with the words ‘Kindred Spirits’ to honour their friendship and this inspired my Kindred Spirits design.

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.” L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

The embroidery kit, which is only available to backers of the Kickstarter campaign, is going to be a cushion cover kit. I am still working on the sample and plan to share progress via my blog, newsletter and social media feeds, which I hope will be at least mildly interesting! I have chosen a very soft, gentle colour palette so that the cushion will complement most home decor schemes; the hope is that you will stitch this for yourself or make it as a lovely gift for a dear friend.

There will be ample linen in the kit to create an envelope closure cushion cover with torn linen ties for extra pretty detail if you wish. If you are not a machinist then you could easily frame the design - it would make a nice piece of hoop art - and use the remaining linen for other embroidery projects. The kit will, of course, use antique linen and quality DMC threads just like all of the other Stitchery kits (with this one in Special Edition packaging).

If you would like to pre-order the embroidery kit by way of Kickstarter pledge, please click here and follow the instructions to BACK THIS PROJECT (the green button). You will need to pay via card and your pledge details are kept anonymous from other people. The details you input will ONLY be used for the Kickstarter campaign, there are very strict rules that we have to adhere to in accordance with Kickstarter’s policies and that involves not using your details for anything other than fulfilling your reward.

If you have any questions regarding the Kickstarter project, please let me know. I am building an FAQ page and your question might be one that someone else wants to ask!

I have lots of plans for the new space; it is essentially a long, light and airy, room with a kitchen area and partitioned little office. I will have a large but cosy workspace for workshops and stitch clubs, a production area for cutting fabric and making up kits as well as a permanent show stand mock-up to provide a little shop area for visitors.

There are some exciting new tutors to coming to teach in the Autumn and work is underway on some beautiful collaborations too. Amongst many more embroidery kits, my sketch book holds a quilt design alongside wallhangings and ideas for all kinds of other lovely projects that can be hand-sewn in front of the television or when you travel.

More help will mean more time on my hands which I can spend updating the blog and creating video content. I have wanted to join the vlogging community for a long time now and I will do that as soon as we get the keys to the unit, so that I can share my journey in glorious, messy, technicolour!

Thank you for all of your support and kind words to date, I am so proud of the stitching community and love sharing my skills and ideas with you.

Have a great week,

Nicki

A Patchwork of Thoughts

This weekend I finished a slow stitched needle book; the pattern belongs to Ann Wood whose work I so admire. Her blog is one of my favourites.

I have had a lot of thinking and planning to do, which I always find easier when doing something creative. Given that most of the sewing I do is for The Stitchery, it is nice to have a piece of stitching that I can lose myself in without worrying if people will like it. I am used to documenting everything I do too, so it is nice to just sew for fun once in a while.

I’ve put some photographs below. Quite a lot, which I realise is self-indulgent, but I am working on the basis that I like poring over these sorts of photos so perhaps you will too…

I am fortunate to have met some lovely people in the antique textiles business who keep me well stocked with beautiful fabric and linen. Red and white (and all shades of red/pink in between) are my favourite colours alongside neutrals and my fabric collection has a heavy bias!

There are one or two pieces of new fabric in the needle book; namely the vintage ticking stripe from Ian Mankin; it is my absolute favourite stripe. I regularly use the red and charcoal colourways as I think they both work beautifully alongside my typical fabric choices. (I stock up whenever I am at Cowslip.) The pink wool felt is new too, from a little bundle bought at Cowslip.

Only a smidge of embroidery features in this needle book; I really wanted to showcase the fabric. The little flowers were embroidered in semi-darkness, watching The Stranger (with a glass of wine) which is why they aren’t in my usual teeny-stitch-style! I am definitely a less-is-more kind of girl though and my favourite pieces of needlework usually have a lot of negative space and a light touch.

I finished assembling the needle book on a sewing day with my mum and sister. I sat in the conservatory listening to the rain on the roof and watching Lottie chase leaves in the wind. We ate tiny salted caramel brownies and drank pots of tea. I made a black bean and lentil chilli with sweet potato fries for our dinner. I came home with a sweet little box full of fabric scraps that mum had saved for me. It was a lovely day.

A couple of close friends have each had a horrible time recently, finding themselves in really sad and stressful situations. I haven’t been able to find the right words, but found myself continuing to patch and embroider small pieces of fabric as I thought of them, which I made into little needle books. I hope these little trinkets will say everything that my words cannot.

I am pleased to have finished my little book ready for the weekend. I am going to use it for my slow stitching projects and I am attending a Slow Stitch 101 on Friday with Lisa Mattock. Lisa is an ambassador of the slow stitch movement, lover of vintage fabrics and here all the way from Australia. I am so looking forward to it, stitching workshops are my favourite way to spend the day!

I will take plenty of photos I promise.

Nicki

Making Winter, my way

Well goodness. January is done and I am getting through the Winter!

Every year I learn a little more on how best to look after myself at this time of year and whilst I’ve done well with keeping my chipper up, I have learnt NOT to save any work until January thinking ‘oh it will be quiet then and I can get lots done’ because a) it isn’t quiet and b) I have zero energy and everything takes ten times* as long as normal.

Some things that have kept my chipper up this Winter and might help you:

• Knitting in the evenings - Stitching is my thing. I love it. I am constantly sketching embroidery designs, stitching little motifs or working on a piece of embroidery. I would stitch all day and all night if I could but when it’s your job you kind of have to force yourself to have a break sometimes. I’ve picked up my knitting again and make sure that 8pm finds me by the fire with my husband, dog and knitting for a couple of hours before bed. (I can also recommend a visit to Loop London if you’re feeling in need of knitting inspiration. It is absolutely my favourite shop to visit in London - aside from Choosing Keeping. I spend aaaaages there and always come home with something lovely.)

• Making Biscotti - Niki at the Cottage on Instagram shared a biscotti recipe that is super easy, uses store cupboard ingredients and is a home-baked item that lasts so long I don’t feel it urge necessary wolf down three pieces in one go (as I would with cupcakes). Revolutionary. You can find Niki here.

• My Hello Fresh subscription - I love cooking but I can never think what to make for dinner. My mind goes blank. A long text conversation with a good friend over Christmas has fired me up for cooking this year. She has a big family and her Christmas menu planning is super impressive and super inspirational. (I am going to ask her to help me plan my Christmas menus this year!) She gave me a code for a free Hello Fresh box and I’ve been hooked ever since. Three planned dinners every week and I make sure that two of them are vegetarian to reduce our meat intake. Everything we’ve had so far has been lovely and our food waste has reduced dramatically. Definitely worth it you’ve been thinking about it (I know I am late to the party).

• Stitch Club - Last weekend was the first Stitch Club of 2020. Previously called The Stitchery Social, we have reached a number of regulars who come each month with their knitting or stitching and we have the happiest day together. Spending time with such lovely women has been a real tonic and a highlight of my month. We are all different ages with different backgrounds but the common thread of stitching has brought us all together. The kind of stitching club that people write books about.

  A lot of people have said to me how much they would like to come to one of my Stitch Clubs but the distance is too great - my advice is to be brave and set one up! If you don’t want to invite people into your home you can set a cafe as the venue and invite two or three people to join you for a coffee and bring their current WIP. You’ll soon find that there is no such thing as awkward silence where stitchers and knitters are concerned; you already have such a lot to talk about!

• Books - I read like an addict and always have more than one book on the go. I usually read a hardback or paperback book at home with a separate kindle book that I can easily access on my phone if I find I am left waiting somewhere, unexpectedly. I read when stirring risottos and I read waiting in line at the supermarket. Stories I’ve enjoyed this year so far include The Gown, A Half Baked Idea, Letters to the Lost and The Penmaker’s Wife. I started The Lost Ones this weekend and I can’t put it down!

From a work perspective, we are getting through the workload. The final Seasons kit for 2019 shipped last week; I think it is my favourite of all four. I love the colours and the simplicity. Kate’s folder and artwork are beautiful - one of my friends uses the labels as bookmarks. Such a gorgeous idea and a good way to keep them to hand and admire throughout the season.

Journals are being handmade from antique linen; they take quite a long time and we have been getting through the linen stash at an alarming rate but orders are being fulfilled and we are receiving emails from delighted customers.

The Haven subscription has kicked off with a wintery Cabin in the Woods design for month one. The cover art has been revealed and kits for those will ship this week. I am really pleased with the cover art and I don’t think you have to be a Haven subscriber to stitch it. I can quite easily see it stitched and hanging in sewing rooms, living rooms and holiday homes the world over!

I am currently working on the kit for Haven month two alongside a lengthy but fun project for the alphabet sampler subscribers of 2019. Subscribers qualified for a free booklet with lower case alphabet, numbers and motifs. It is almost like writing a mini book and is taking much longer than anticipated but I am confident it will be worth the wait. I am so enjoying putting it all together.

Thanks for reading. I hope you are having a lovely winter too; savouring the moments rather than wishing the days away waiting for Spring.

Love

Nicki xx

*Not exaggerating

Pondering Small Business: An Embroidered Goose

Today I launched a mini kit of a Christmas goose. You can buy it here if you fancy. I designed it back in the summer when I was preparing my advent calendars (which include six mini kits). ‘Designed’ is a bit of a grand word when it is just a little drawing of a goose but I particularly wanted to use the beautiful soft pink antique linen that I have been saving for a while.

I decided not to use the goose for my advent calendars, choosing instead a Nutcracker-inspired mini stitch. The goose, I thought, would be a lovely kit that I could launch closer to Christmas, available for everyone. We filled the thread cards, wrote the instructions and I was just left to finish the stitching ready for photographs. Of course I then had the actual advent calendars to produce and despatch (100 of them) as a well as the Handmade Fair in London to prepare for. The goose was left to languish in my WIP pile.

Meanwhile, a stitching friend of mine, The Embroidery Bird, shared her own goose design on Instagram. It is so very beautiful; she was planning an embroidery class with a choice of three gorgeous designs. I was enchanted by Penny’s embroidery (as I always am) but my heart sank. I had put such a lot of time and money already into my goose kits, but now I was going to look as though I had stolen my friend’s idea. I contacted Penny immediately to let her know; her response was typically gentle and generous but I still felt bad.

I think lots of makers can empathise. In these days of social media there is such a lot of content being shared with us each and every day via various platforms, influencing us both consciously and sub-consciously. Not to mention images on the television, in magazines and shop windows. Inspiration and influence is everywhere, resistance is futile.

Running a small business I have to spin so many plates; kit design, marketing, production and despatch are just a few of them so it is impossible to launch designs as quickly as they are drawn up. I have sketch books full of ideas and possible embroidery kits. Nothing I do is ground-breaking, I know that. I am inspired by nature, social history and the seasons; my ultimate goal is to produce beautiful vintage-inspired embroidery patterns (with a modern twist) and create step by step instructions so that a beautiful design is achievable for the absolute beginner. To encourage people to take refuge from the stress of every day life and promote positive mental health.

I have learnt, through experience, to scan absolutely everything into my computer as a way of protecting myself should it become necessary further down the line and I really recommend that other makers and designers do the same. It isn’t a form of copyright but it is a pretty watertight way of dating your design process when you are holding back a launch date or focusing on something else for a while.

I am very much of the opinion that all art shared is A Very Good Thing and if my work has inspired something similar from another maker then I am honoured. The world is big enough for all of us, there are plenty of customers for everyone and stitching is a happy occupation that is a welcome respite from the stress of everyday life.

I don’t often share my musings on running a small business; I am doing my dream job and loving [almost] every minute but there are challenges all of the time that I am learning from. If my experience can help other people then I think it’s worth a bit of waffling now and then, don’t you?

I’ll be back soon with a little Christmas round-up if you are stuck for gift ideas but in the meantime remember that the offer of a free mini cotton gift bag with all orders over £55 (excluding subscriptions) is still live. The Christmas thread collections are beautiful, Aurifil embroidery thread is very good quality and the sets make a lovely gift for the enthusiastic stitcher in your life (or a treat to yourself).

Thanks for reading and happy stitching,

Nicki xx

Autumn, grief and a new puppy

Lizzie. I miss her so much.

Always by my side!

Lottie and her ‘ride’

Full name: Lottie Doreen Bagel Franklin. Likes cheese, leaves and wicker baskets. Dislikes carrots, gates and seatbelts.

I am writing this at our kitchen table on a chilly late October morning. I have made myself a nice strong coffee and the room is quiet except for the [unexpectedly loud] hum of our fancy new fridge and the occasional squeak as our new little dog chews her rubber lizard.

I love this time of year. I usually blog sooner, I think, declaring my love for Autumn and the run up to Christmas. It starts in September, when we get the first proper chill after Summer, and that distinct earthy smell one day that lets us know that Autumn is around the corner.

I am late with things at the moment, though, and it is taking me a while to catch up. Our sweet little dog, Lizzie, died in August. At nearly 13 she was getting old but had shown no real signs of illness until the very last couple of days of her life. Losing her was a shock and it turned it my world upside down.

It seems silly and indulgent to talk about grief in relation to a dog. “Just a dog”. The thing is, she was never just a dog to me. At home she was always by my side; I talked to her constantly, walked her, sat quietly with her and danced around the kitchen holding her in my arms. She comforted me when I was sad and when she wanted a cuddle herself would come and tap me on the arm until I fussed her. She was gentle, friendly and incredibly well-behaved, if a little smelly sometimes.

Whilst it was comforting to know that I had done the right thing by acting quickly on discovering Lizzie’s illness, it is so hard to get used to life without her.

Lottie came to live with us on 16th September when she was 9 weeks old. She is such a character and makes me laugh every day. (She also makes me cry, swear and stress every day, too, but I am trying not to focus on that!) She travels in what I can only describe as a small sports holdall, for pets, and has subsequently developed a penchant for tiny spaces. She pulls out the bottom drawer in our vegetable rack and climbs in, squeezes her fat little bottom under the sofa and on Sunday made a casual leap into the simmering oven of the Aga when I opened it to cook our lamb mince. It’s not an especially hot oven but the floor has a very hot plate which could burn her little paws. I acted remarkably quickly considering my panic, pulling her out by her tail like a furry saucepan. I spent the rest of the evening feeling very shaky and checked her paw pads many, many, times for burns. (She is fine.)

So it is safe to say that Lottie is keeping us on our toes. I accidentally tread on a squeaky toy, making myself jump most days and my hands are dry and chapped from her [incredibly painful] ‘play-bites’. Having had her vaccinations Lottie is able to walk freely outside now and is loving her trots around the village. She has partied hard at the local vet’s puppy gatherings and is responding really well to training. She can sit, lie down and roll over on command (if I am holding a small square of cheese). We are working on stay and drop. Toilet training is hit and miss. We spend ages in the garden, in the icy rain, waiting for her to do her business, only to eventually give in, come indoors and have her immediately pee on the kitchen floor. It is like a battle of the wills and she wins. We need to up our game.

She likes to be held like a baby, on her back, and have her chest tickled. It sends her off to sleep, which is adorable and a very useful trick to know if you can calm her down long enough to lay back!

Of course it makes me cry when I see her sitting at the garden gate, just like Lizzie used to, but it is nice to have a fluffy white reminder of beautiful Lizzie around the house. She is gone but never, ever, forgotten.

After updating you on my biggest news I must crack on and start the day. Advent calendars are starting to ship this week and the October subscriptions need to go out too. Those packages won’t wrap themselves!

Thanks for reading,

love

Nicki xx

Journalling with Abby Monroe 13th July 2019

Image credit Abby Monroe

image credit Abby Monroe

Image credit Abby Monroe

A snippet of EdieRoseAshley’s beautiful botanical dye journal

A dye journal by EdieRoseAshley

My botanical journal; this page with a poppy in remembrance of my Great Uncle who had died just a few days before.

Remembering a sunny Spring day with my Mum and nieces. I was anxious about mum’s forthcoming operation.

Watercolours in ceramic palettes.

Abby Monroe is coming to the studio next weekend (Saturday 13th July) to teach a blissful day of journalling. We are going to learn how to make our own paper journals (with stitched binding) and decorate the pages however we like with old papers, stamps, fabric and tracing paper, adding little pockets for pressed flowers and other found treasures. Abby will talk to us about the benefits of journalling and how we can try to fit a little bit of slow creativity into our busy days. With everything available digitally now it is so lovely to hold a beautiful paper journal bulging with favourite scraps of fabrics and little notes from loved ones; even shopping and to do lists are nice to keep and will one day inform social history.

I think the word ‘journal’ is a little intimidating. It alludes to creative arty types writing in the wee hours; endless pages of beautiful script and thoughtful prose. But actually a journal is just a sketch book or a notebook, filled with things you want to remember. Whether that’s bread and bananas from the shops tomorrow or the way your little girl mumbled something sweet in her sleep.

Prettying up your notebook and holding onto things you find and love is an easy way to incorporate some creativity in your life every day. An easy way to slow down, think about your day and plan your week. I have lots of journals, still on the go now. I have a botanical journal full of pressed flowers that I started in 2016, a sketchbook (or two) full of embroidery designs and a little book I made from the post-it notes I used to quickly scrawl funny, or cute, things my family has said over the years. The latter is very basic but quite sentimental to me now as I have been adding to it for ten years.

A favourite ever gift was the exquisite book hand made for me by a friend who wanted to treat me when I started The Stitchery ‘because you always send post to make other people smile and I thought you should have some happy post too”. The pages are constructed of beautiful handmade rag paper, quality watercolour sheets and even old lace handkerchiefs. There are tiny pockets and envelopes on some of the pages and thoughtful little snippets from old books and magazines. It has its own creamy antique linen cover and a little pen made from an old twig. It is divine and so very special to me.

I am so excited about making a new little journal and I have been trying to decide what I will use it for. There are so many uses, but I am favouring:

• A little book of very favourite recipes from friends and family together with little illustrations or tiny photographs* of the ingredients and finished dish.

• A record of this year’s holiday; brief notes on what we did, what craft project I was working on, little photographs of the scenery, receipts from cafes and cute things my nieces said.

• A record of craft projects; dated, with pattern details, colour palettes and snippets of fabric, threads and yarn used or considered. I could write where I was sitting, what I was watching and what the weather was like as I worked. Bullet points of my thoughts rather than huge longhand missives.

• A ‘mood board’ book’; little collections on a theme, just because. Wildflowers or trees would be a lovely topic and there is lots of inspiration in Castle Ashby.

• A little book of colour; gatherings and found items with separate little journals for each colour. I quite fancy making a sepia-themed book full of old paper collages with antique photographs, little sepia sketches and gathered nature finds. In one of my first art classes I painted a little sepia barn in a field and I rather need somewhere to keep it.

• A dye journal; inspired by EdieRoseAshley at a botanical dyeing workshop she taught last week. Rosie shared her beautiful dye journal and with its snippets of dyed fabric and notes on colour recipes, I am totally going to start my own. Too beautiful for words. (I’ve included a couple of pictures above.)

Come and join us if you can. There will be lots of shared ideas and inspiration; papers, string, prints and washi tape. Don’t worry if your handwriting isn’t the prettiest, I have rubber stamps, typewriters and old letraset transfers to play with! We will be cutting up old books, newspapers and antique documents and creating pages on which to write and draw.

Book here; the course price includes a full day of tuition and all of the papers and materials you need to create and start your own journal. There will also be a delicious two-course lunch provided by Castle Ashby Deli with plenty of tea, cake and fruit to keep us refreshed throughout the day. There is ample parking and the Castle Ashby grounds are beautiful to walk around at the end of the day if you need some fresh air. It is the loveliest way to spend a Saturday.

Hope to see you then - have a wonderful week!

Nicki xx

*there are lots of ways to easily print pictures from instagram and I have a lovely portable printer than makes teeny tiny photograph stickers for my journals.

World Embroidery Day - Tuesday 30th July 2019

Following our first wonderful Wilderstitch sewing retreat at Domaine de La Salle in France, Erica and I have created a special Chateau-themed project inspired by the friendships formed during the long weekend of quiet companionable sewing, brocante-shopping and tea-drinking.

My absolute favourite thing about The Stitchery is how it has brought people together; both in real life and online. Friendships have been made and there is the most lovely sewing community that has come together to help and support each other with the gentle art of sewing. Without The Stitchery I wouldn’t have met Erica and I wouldn’t have been to France with the most lovely group of women. All because of a few shared photographs and stitches; I am so grateful for what sewing, and social media, has done for me.

With this in mind, World Embroidery Day feels like something I want to celebrate and promote! On Tuesday 30th July 2019 I will be holding a gathering at my studio in Castle Ashby teaching a gorgeous sewing pattern designed by Erica and embroidered by me. Attendees will receive a full kit and materials together with accompanying ebook, and enjoy a delicious afternoon tea with a group of like-minded people. Beginners and advanced stitchers are all welcome. The project is something you can expect to have finished by the end of the day and will be very useful for future sewing sessions! Book here if you can join me!

We are mindful of our customers across the world who we would love to stitch with but cannot due to distance… so we thought it would be fun to create a mini ebook containing the pattern, instructions and a few pretty little extras so that you can hold your own chateau-themed sewing party and connect with us online.

More details will follow but the digital book will be available to buy here on 14th July 2019 so watch this space! We hope you can join in and celebrate this important day. Book online to join in the workshop here. Tell your sewing friends, and sewing groups, too. Everyone is welcome and it would be truly amazing to have a little online sewing party on the day.

illlustrations by Erica Jane Waters of Wilderstitch (find her books here)

Escape to the Chateau - Sewing Weekend

On a misty day in November I made the short drive to a beautiful old cottage in the Northamptonshire countryside. Having made acquaintance via instagram, as soon I walked into Erica’s sewing room I knew I had met a kindred spirit. I immediately spotted a chippy old cabinet, stuffed full of squishy balls of yarn, in colour order, of course. I could see that Erica’s colour preferences matched my own: cool and creamy neutrals, muted blues, soft greys and dusty pinks. Curiosities adorned the old stone walls; a display of antique scissors, decorative picture frames and antique sewing supplies with beautiful labels.

All manner of soft, handmade toys were perched lovingly on every surface. Sweet dolls with enviable hairstyles and whimiscal woodland creatures wearing cosy hand-knitted jumpers. A fire burned brightly in the grate and French cafe music played quietly in the background. It was the cosiest setting imaginable and I knew I was going to have a truly special day.

Bonding over a love of antique buttons, lace and trims, we talked a little about France, brocantes and dreamy chateaux so I was delighted when Erica contacted me to see if I fancied joining her for a Chateau Dolls sewing weekend in the idyllic setting of Chateau Domaine de la Salle. Erm, yes please!!!

If you have watched Escape to the Chateau DIY you will be familiar with the owners, Mariam and Johnno, who have moved to France from Dubai to renovate their chateau for a B&B and retreat venue. The chateau is light and airy, the food delicious. Set in acres of woodland, it is the perfect setting for a magical weekend sewing dolls and making tiny dresses.

I cannot wait to go and you can join us too!

Arriving on Friday 14th June and leaving after breakfast on Monday 17th June, we will spend the weekend making Erica’s beautiful heirloom Chateau dolls with dresses made from delicate antique linen and lace. Small shoes made from antique kid leather gloves and fastened with tiny buttons. Hand-knitted shawls in the softest, natural yarn. I will show you how to embroider the dresses with sweet little details; perhaps a row of pale pink rosebuds along the hem or tiny daisies on her bloomers. I am planning everything that I need to take and experimenting with naturally dyed linens and embroidery threads for special, one-of-a-kind, embroideries.

You can come alone or with a sewing friend and if you want to incorporate the weekend into a longer visti to France, your non-stitching partner can join you in a double bed for the extra cost of just £150 to include all meals and accommodation for the weekend. There are plenty of places to relax, read and wander during the day as we sew.

A brochure is available with more details and prices. Please drop me an email at [email protected] and I will send it across to you. Have a look at Erica’s lovely blog for more information and photographs, too. I hope you can join us for a truly magical weekend.

Nicki x