in the haberdashery | Simply Needlecraft Haberdashery & Sewing Studio

Ami James - Textile Artist, behind the scenes, blog, children's sewing bee, home makes, in the haberdashery, www.simplyneedlecraft.com

I’m At My Happiest When I’m Creative!

We’ve had a weekend away in Weymouth to recharge our batteries, good weather and family time,………..What more could you ask for.

Now its back to work and what I love doing………..being creative.

Slowly the Children’s Sewing Classes have restarted and now I’m hoping to sit down with my diary and arrange for the Adults workshops to restart.

If you interested in joining me please head over to the website and send me a message http://www.simplyneedlecraft.com

I will still be filming for my Youtube Channel too, weekly tutorials for sewing and quilting.

If you’ve not visited the channel hop over to https://www.youtube.com/c/AmiSimplyNeedlecraft

Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on the new tutorials being added.

Sewing and Quilting is my passion, I couldn’t imagine not having a project on the go (or ten).

So the creativity carries on at home but this time I’ve decided a big project ……….. refurb and a complete overhaul to make a craft/inspiration room.

So this is how it looks at the minute…… Stage one…

wish me luck, I’ve got lots of fabric, craft projects, quilts and so much to find storage for in a tiny room on a budget.

I hope your all safe and keeping well.

Ami
xxx

11th September 2020/by Simply Needlecraft

children's sewing bee, in the haberdashery, sewing studio, www.simplyneedlecraft.com

The Past, The Future And Now

Hi everyone,

Most of you will now know that the shop side of my business will be closing it doors at the end of the month but that’s not the end of Simply Needlecraft or the Children’s Sewing Bee

The workshops have always been my favourite part of the business. Teaching adults and children has always been the part which has me excited me to see everyone getting creative and learning new techniques.

The workshops are getting booked up quicker than ever and with the Sewing Bee which now has a recorded number of 22 children per week joining me in the Sewing Studio per week it’s turned into a full time job on its own.

I’m honoured to be asked take part in various workshops around the country next year too. With all that in mind I needed to rethink what my priorities and unfortunately the shop side of the business was holding me back from where I wanted to be. It wasn’t an easy decision that came quickly.

So as the blog title says…….let’s look at the past……the last two weeks

lets start with the Sewing Bee. The children have been working extremely hard on hoop art……

Crazy patchwork book covers …..

Next fabric weaved baskets…

The projects are WIP so I’ll definitely show you the finished items soon.

The latest Quilting Course has also started. This course takes people through every stage of quilting and over three weeks they create a beautiful lap quilt.Were on week two at the moment and we’re making great progress….

The Making Memories Quilt Group had its first session too. I great new group set up to get everyone interested in quilting together. We had a great turn out with lots of different projects being stitched. Our next meet up is on the 13th of November. Please free to join us…..

Let’s move on to the future…….

all my workshops are available to see up to Christmas on the website www.simplyneedlecraft.com

very soon I’ll be arranging the dates for next year. There will be more choice, more advanced workshops and a choice of more times.

We’ve also got the Young Quilters Halloween event coming up soon. A great way to get little ones stitching. Please check the website for details Young Quilters

As with all workshops and Sewing Bee carrying on, I’m pleased to tell you our crochet group with also be continuing. Sue has been with us from the start and every Saturday morning for three years she has inspired and taught lots of lovely ladies. These workshops run on Saturdays 10-12pm.

So what’s happening in the now, well a podcast of an interview between me and Stitchery Stories has just been released on iTunes and can be found on

http://www.stitcherystories.com/amijames/

and also

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/stitchery-stories/id1261477215#

The other thing that’s happening right now …….the sale in store….

20%off wool

50% off knitting and crochet accessories

35% off all books

50% off cross stitch kits

20% off selected fabrics

Thanks for reading

Ami

xxx

6th October 2017/by Ami Porter

behind the scenes, children's sewing bee, in the haberdashery, News, sewing studio, Workshop and classes

New Adult Quilting Group, New Sewing Bee Class and Young Quilters Event.

Hi everyone,

I’m back from my Holidays and raring to go……

I’m currently as we speak getting ready for the Melbourne Festival which starts on Saturday. I’m really excited to be part of this amazing event. I’ll be exhibiting at 52 Blanche Croft…….

I’ve got new groups and classes starting.

The first is a quilting group which is affiliated with the Quilters Guild. This is a great new group which is set up for everyone interested in patchwork and quilting. To bring along their projects, share ideas and advice and plan any future projects. This group is be held on the 1st Monday of every month here in the Sewing Studio.

I also have a new Sewing Bee starting on Thursday 28th September. The group is aimed at children aged between 8-12 years. The sessions will run every Thursday 4-5pm and the cost £7.50 per week.

I only work with a small number of children and the classes are ongoing, so if you want your child to have a place please let me know asap to reserve a place…..

We also have an event set up with the Young Quilters Guild. This event is taking place here at the Sewing Studio on Thursday 26th October 10am – 1pm.

This event is for children aged between 6-18yrs.

Projects include Halloween themed decorations and treat bags. Hand and machine sewing will be learnt.

Non members -£7

Members – £5

All children if not ready a member will get a years free membership to the Guild after visiting us.

Last night was this months Craft and Chat evening. This is a great evening for us crafters to get together with our projects. There’s lots of different types of crafts every month and the atmosphere is fantastic……if you would like to join us pop along on the first Thursday of the month….

My workshop dates have increased this quarter of the year. I’m really pleased how quickly they are booking up. If you’ve not had a look at the dates then please visit http://www.simplyneedlecraft.com/workshopsclasses.html

workshops include hand embroidery, quilting, mother and daughter sewing class, beginners sewing, fabric journals, art quilting and fabric collage and vintage workshops.

Thats it for this week, have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week.

Ami

15th September 2017/by Ami Porter

Ami James - Textile Artist, Butterick patterns, children's sewing bee, Fabric, in the haberdashery, New Stock, sewing studio, Workshop and classes

Isn’t Technology Great ………

Hi everyone,

I’ve got issues with the Simply Needlecraft website at the moment but will hopefully be back up and running over the weekend.

Id like to thank everyone who has shown support and caring words towards my son Ben. I can say he’s still a bit bumped and bruised and strapped up but in typical Ben style …….he’s still smiling …..

We are on count down now for the Festival of Quilts which is on Thursday 10th August. The shop will be closed on this day as we are all going to Birmingham.

Lets start with the adults and the free motion embroidery. I had four lovely ladies join me in the sewing studio to master the techniques of free motion sketching. This workshop is extremely popular and books up very quickly so I will be arranging more very soon…..

lots of new stock in recently, Stylecraft Candy Swirl…

New fabric by Robert Kaufman…..

The Butterick half price sale has started and runs until the end of August……. make sure you don’t miss out…

Right let’s get down to the sewing bee, we’ve had pillow pals galore…

Herds of elephants….

Bookmarks….

Neck cushions ……

And finally PJ’s

Ive been busy hand stitching lately, something I’ve not done for a while but I’m finding it very relaxing. Using upcyled, vintage fabrics and lace to make a botanical book……

I’m also getting for my first exhibition with Midlands Textile Forum at Bishops Castle…….not long now…

Thanks for reading, have a fab weekend.

Ami

xxx

4th August 2017/by Ami Porter

Ami James - Textile Artist, children's sewing bee, in the haberdashery, in the hoop, New Stock, Workshop and classes, www.simplyneedlecraft.com

My Sewing Studio

The Sewing Studio is the heart of Simply Needlecraft for me. From adults workshops to children’s workshop, from knitting to crochet to sewing to craft and chat ………. oooopppps I forgot to share to the photos on fb of our last evening. So here they are…..

Its been a busy time for the Sewing Bee too as the 8-12ys have been making appliqué cushions……

Owls…….

Lampshades …….

T-shirts……

Neck cushions ……..

Tapestry……..

And for the 12-16yrs groups it been all about pj bottoms…….

The Sewing Studio was also home to the Mother & Daughter Sewing class too. This is one of my favourite workshops, where mother and daughters team up to make an item. This months class focused on cushion making…..

I’ve been busy working on my own Textile Art and coursework…….you can keep up to date by visiting https://stitchedbyami.com/

Lots of new fabrics in too………just look at them all…..

Thank you for reading.

have a lovely weekend

Ami

xxx

14th July 2017/by Ami Porter

Ami James - Textile Artist, behind the scenes, children's sewing bee, Christmas, Fabric, in the haberdashery, New Stock, sewing studio, Workshop and classes, www.simplyneedlecraft.com

A Mixture Of Everything! Warning Lots Of Pictures

Hi everyone,

This blog post is a mixture of new stock, events and the Sewing Bee, so let’s get started.

Ok so you may remember we were at Sainsbury’s recently as a part of their Street Store event.

Braced with needles, threads and plenty of Suffolk puffs me and my loyal team headed to Sainsbury’s to get young people into sewing and embellishing clothes.

We had a wonderful time and even recruited a new young man into our Sewing Bee…..

Running on the same weekend it was Derbyshire Open Arts where the shop was turned into a gallery ….

Our monthly Craft & Chat Night took place last week and again filled with a lovely bunch of crafters. They run on the first Thursday of every month 6.00-8.30pm and costs £5 which includes cakes, tea and coffee. If you would like to join us just pop along.

On Monday this week our Sewing Bee group finished their cushions and our newest member joined us…….

The Tuesday group our getting to grips with patchwork which is great for practicing sewing straight lines……

Now time for new stock and I have to confess we have started to have our Christmas fabrics in, plus new patterns and trimmings…..

Don’t forget I also run workshops in various different techniques and you can find them all on the website. Please note there is only one more beginners quilting pencilled in at the moment until Autumn as I’m snowed under with other commitments….

Please see my workshops here

You can also see what I’m up to regards my other commitments by visiting my site http://www.amijamestextileart.com

where you can view my blog, exhibitions and work.

Thank you reading and keeping up to date with all of our news.

Ami

xxx

9th June 2017/by Ami Porter

Ami James - Textile Artist, children's sewing bee, City & Guilds, in the haberdashery, New Stock, sewing studio, Workshop and classes

Happy Easter Everyone – A Quick Catch-up Post x

Hi everyone,

A day off and it’s grey weather……. typical 😂

Anyway it gives me a spare five minutes to blog 😊

So let’s start off with my opening hours over Easter.

I’m closed today (Good Friday), open normal hours on Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday and then normal hours resume on Tuesday.

All the Sewing groups are mid way through projects at the moment so I haven’t got many pics to show you.

Monday group – Hanging hearts

Tuesday – Rag dolls

Wednesday – Selfies

Saturday – Quilts are still progressing.

All groups are working extremely hard 😊

I have a couple of places on the Sewing Bee for children 8-12 yrs. Please contact me for further details.

You can now view the details for the Young Quilters Workshop in May.

Here on the Quilters Guild Website

We’ve had lots of quilting going on in the Sewing Studio.

The April beginners course kicked off……. fantastic fabric choices, giggles and cups of tea……

And the follow on course to make a table runner was definitely a fun packed class……

It was time for our Craft & Chat night. This monthly meet up takes place on the first Thursday of every month – 6pm – 8.30pm and cost £5 towards refreshments……..a lovely group of people and a great atmosphere, take a look…..

A few new bits and bobs have arrived in the Haberdashery as well as a restock of the favourites. New in ……

I’ve been extremely busy, working away on coursework the last couple of weeks…… handmade paper and stitchery…….

I’ve also finished off my collection of Fairies (still need naming though)…..

The Egyptian wall hanging has been finished ……

And I’ve tried something a little different for me…….

You can keep up to date with all my makes by visiting

My own Facebook page

or

http://www.amijamestextileart.com/

I hope you have a fantastic Easter break…..hopefully the weather will improve.

Thanks for reading 😊

Ami

xxx

14th April 2017/by Ami Porter

children's sewing bee, Customers, Fabric, in the haberdashery, New Stock, sewing studio, Workshop and classes

Omg ………So Much To Show You (warning loads of pics)

Ok …….where to start!

Firstly, all the children that take part in our Sewing Bee have all been set a task after Christmas. It involved a block of quilting with their hand print bonded and stitched by hand or machine. They then added their initials…… well it’s now finished and it’s so amazing and I’m extremely proud……

Carrying on with the quilting theme…..my younger group of entrants to the Festival of Quilts have busy preparing……

Whilst my older entrants have also been preparing and dying…..

My Monday and second group on a Saturday have been busy learning to attach zips and making wonderful pencil cases…..

My little tiny stitchers on a Tuesday have been practicing straight lines by making tote bags, fully lined and looking fab…..

My Wednesday group are focusing on making Lolly the Owl……

And in between that I have another group creating their selfies……

Now for a date for your diary…….

Our first ever event of the Young Quilters Guild.

Saturday – 13th May

9.30am – 12pm – For children aged between 5 – 10 years old
1pm – 3.30pm – For children aged 11 – 18 years old.

£6 for non members – £4 for guild members.

The workshops will be held in the Sewing Studio at Simply Needlecraft, 64-66 High Street, Swadlincote.
Children will participate in sewing projects including hand puppets, pencil cases and felt cupcakes.

Please let us know if you are planning to attend so we can be well prepared.
Children under 8yrs will need to be accompanied by an adult.

For full details please …..

Visit our event page

The second quilting course of the year kicked off this week. Four lovely ladies joined me in the Sewing Studio to get creative and learn about patchwork and quilting ……

My Dad has also learned a new skill ….. Crochet. He promised to make a hat and look………well done Dad……

I also need to share this with you.

A very loyal customer who has become a great friend over the years has made this……… omg I was gobsmacked……Amazing.

We’ve had a few new bits and bobs in ……

Phew…… I think I’ve covered everything.

Thank you so much for reading and your continued support, it really is appreciated.

Have a good weekend

Ami

xxx

17th March 2017/by Ami Porter

Ami James - Textile Artist, behind the scenes, children's sewing bee, Crochet, in the haberdashery, Workshop and classes

A Quick Catch Up ……..

Hi everyone,

Welcome to this weeks blog post from a windy Derbyshire.

It’s been a lovely week here planning, organising and workshops.

we start this week with the crochet workshop with our Sue. At the moment it’s all about the socks and virus shawls….

This week in the Sewing Bee…… finished selfies, zips and an important job of designing the quilts for the quilting festival in August.

We had fun on Monday evening….. the free motion for beginners workshop.

We started off with wobbly lines and pointy curves but by the end of a fab evening …….look what happened :)

I’ve been putting my machine to good use this week. Textile collage art that are getting ready for exhibitions…..

All the new dates for April and May workshops are now online along with a new gallery and exhibitions…

That’s it another week, another blog post.

thank you again for your support, it’s proving to be quite a year for us…..stay tuned.

Ami

xxx

23rd February 2017/by Ami Porter

children's sewing bee, in the haberdashery, sewing studio, textile art, Workshop and classes

More Workshops On The Way……

Hi everyone,

The workshops have continued to be a huge success again this year with so many of you wanting to learn a new skill. With many workshops being fully booked I’m sitting down on Monday to plan more dates for April, May and June. You can subscribe to my mailing list on the website www.simplyneedlecraft.com to be first to see the dates.

We’ve had a few workshops over the last week…..

first up was the Hand embroidery workshop –

Then my ladies finished their quilts on the quilting course. They have cut, pieced, basted, quilted and binded a lap quilt…….

Then on to the lace bowls workshop where the ladies used dissolvable fabrics with sheers and stitching. I can’t show you the finished products yet as they went home to set, however I can show the process…..