The Derbyshire Spring Market 2016

 

 

Hello,

Today I'm sharing some of my photos from the Derbyshire Spring Market.  Thank-you to everyone that stopped by. The day flew by and I had a wonderful time chatting all things vintage craft and tea with you!

 

Here are a few snaps I took on the day of my Crafternoon Teas stand and the beautiful location. I have made the stand look like a real Crafternoon tea, so if you are thinking how it would look, take a look at the photos below!

 

Thank-you to the organiser Deb from Fabulous Places for another great show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've really enjoyed all the set up and meeting all the lovely fellow creative businesses at the show.

Have a great start to the week,

Samantha x

Create Your Own Tote Bag In A Crafternoon

                     

 

Last week I held my first Sew A Pretty Bag Crafternoon. It was a lovely day of sewing and making. Hello to everyone I met.

I'm using more of these bags since we have to pay for a carrier bags in the UK, so let's make them pretty, fun and stylish ways to carry our shopping about. They are washable and very hard wearing.

Today I wanted to share with you my fail proof way of sewing up tote bags. This blog post will be spread over three posts. Today I'm talking about sewing up the bag, then printing onto fabric and then using bondaweb to create applique design.

Let's Make!

You will need -
Half a metre of calico fabric
1 spool of sewing thread
Use of a sewing machine.
Sewing supplies -
Including -
Dressmaking scissors
Dressmaking pins
Fabric maker pen

You can make your bag any size you want. We don't use a paper pattern for this project. We simply draw onto the fabric with the washable marker pen.

Firstly measure up the size of your bag. Most tote bags I've had or made are approx 50cm long by 45 cm high. You can get lots in your bag and it fits on your shoulder nicely.

Cut two pieces of fabric with a 2.5cm seam allowance in the calico. I've choosen calico as it's soft to work with and really durable. At the end of the post I've put a picture of the same bag made in home furnishing fabrics which is harder to stitch and you will need a higher needle size.

I'm stitching the calico on a 80 needle.

1. Sew The Top Of The Bag

 

Take the two pieces and firstly fold over the tops of the fabric twice (each 2.5cm deep) and stitch on the sewing machine. I always make a test first to check my machine tension and stitch length it OK.

 2,. Seam Up Your Bag & Make The Straps

Then follow the diagram below to finish off your bag from...

 
top left -
turn your bag right sides together and pin down the sides with the top of the bag level and across the bottom. Sew into place.

 top right -
 to finish off the seam turn in the edge at the top of the bag at a 45 degree angle and hand stitch as per the diagram.

 bottom left -
 make two handles from the remaining calico. Take a 10cm x 12cm strip and iron in half. Then turn 1cm in on both sides. Stitch into position 25% from both ends on the outside of your bag. To find 25% fold you bag in half and in half again and pin.

bottom right -
Stitch on the outside of your bag by top stitching in a square and then across the square to secure.

And here is the finished bag in home furnishing fabrics.

 

           If you want to leave your bag in fancy fabrics why not patchwork each of pieces?

The next step will be to use fabric paints and stamp onto your calico bag.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Leave me a comment if you have any questions on the steps in the post.

 Happy Crafting,

Samantha xoxo

Join Us At The Fabulous Places Spring Market - Sunday 20th March!

Next Sunday (20th March), come and meet me at the Fabulous Places Spring Market here in Derby.
The Spring Market is 100 bespoke stallholders providing beautiful, bespoke and unique gifts, food and drink and much more!

I always love meeting you all, so do pop by and say hello. I'm in the library on the way to the tearoom. You won't be able to miss my vintage mannequins and sewing machines!

If you are not familiar with the Crafternoon part of my business, I host vintage crafty tea parties in the Midlands, UK. Next Sunday I'll have offers and special treats on the stand.

I will be back to share photos and inspiration from the day.

Have a great Friday!

Samantha xoxo

Crafternoon Cushion Making

Hello Monday oh so Blue Monday,

This Saturday is my first Crafternoon Tea of 2016 back at Derby Museums. I wanted to share today some for the lovely makes from our last class in September and why I love to make cushions.

Cushions are a great start into sewing, you can get used to the handle of the sewing machine by using straight stitches in straight lines. I teach how to lock the stitch at the end and finish the seams.

I love hosting the workshops at Derby Museums in the old kitchen with the sewing machines set up in the old brewhouse. A really unique setting. The classes are aimed at any level, if you are more advanced you can experiment with the fabrics and pattern matching. Tea and cake is always provided as you create your own bespoke cushion as you need fuel for sewing right?

This month we are sewing envelope cushions including constructing our own patterns and making a decorative wrap. I love mixing up different fabrics to make the envelope cushion and then decorating with faux flowers and vintage fabrics.

I also love to see what fabrics everyone uses too. Last time I held the class we used lots of creams and decorated our cushions with the threads provided.

We only have two places left on the afternoon class starting at 1.45pm, due to a cancelation. Contact me at info@crafternoonteahostess {dot} co {dot} uk for more information,

Happy Crafting!

Samantha





 

How We Planned Our Fabulous Places Stand

So as a start up business, it great to get your application for an amazing Summer Market accepted. It's that email that pops into your inbox and makes you totally full of pride. That's how I felt when I got the big OK to have a stand at the Fabulous Places Summer Market in Derby on the 5th July.

 

I decided to go for a circular table option and build my stand with the vintage props I use at the parties to give people the feel they were actually at a Crafternoon tea ...lots of tea, cake and crafting materials and inspiration.

I used my old time mannequin (she's from a Laura Ashley window display!) and a vintage box I got for a fiver from a fete to make the height in the middle of the stand. All stands need a sight line and height does catch the eye. Think of a triangle in the middle and put your stall props around it.

We had plenty of spaces between the tables, this is the view from mine. This was great so we weren't too close to our neighbours and people could walk around the stand.

I put out samples of our treats and bakes for visitors to sample and our certificates to say we were the real thing. As a start up, I think it's important to show you have the right experience.

I had as many samples out on display and leaflets to let customers know what we did. I also did a special offer on the day. And as a result we have had a record response to our offer and lots of enquiries into next Easter.

Thank-you to everyone who came along. We celebrate our second birthday in a few weeks so this was hard work  was the icing on the cake, I am over the moon!

I still want to stay small and bespoke so more of the same is coming!

Samantha

My June Round Up

 

June was a month full of vintage events, sunny days and lots of making. It was also a year on from me starting out on my catering journey serving afternoon tea and my blog anniversary too.

 

My favourite festival Eroica Britannia came back to Derbyshire full of retro fun and so much nostalgia is was crazy to fit it all in one showground. I loved it!

 

 

I also hosted a Father's day memory chalk board Crafternoon with a vintage tea.

 

 

And finally the Creative And Crafty Blogger Meet was here after six months of prep. I hope everyone who attended loved the day and goodie bags.

 

 

I have to say the best bit of the day was meeting all the lovely #ccbloggers again.

 

 

I printed this tote shopping bag as a birthday pressie.

 

 

And made Father's day cakes for Mr.S just how he likes them. A treat for the fella!

 

Today's been super hot and hooray for the summer sun...

How was your June?

Samantha x

 

Making Memory Boards

Last Saturday, I hosted a Making Memory Boards Crafternoon Tea at Pickford's House in Derby. I love the Georgian venue and getting the chance to craft in the museum kitchen is amazing!

This was my third workshop this year in the venue making the chalk board scrapbook inspired craft. The concept came about when I was asked last year by some scrapbookers to come up with a Crafternoon that they could bring their scrapbooking skills to and lift them off the page.

The class brings together stitching and paper art to form the decoration to the chalk boards. We used some of the instructions from a vintage accessory class plus ones for a jewellery making flower class to add pretty three dimensional pieces to our chalk creations.



memory chalk board from Jan 2015

Valentines plant chalk board

Here are a few pictures from the Crafternoon ...

tea, cake and chalk board memory crafts

time for tea!

crafting away

 

kitchen memory board

I will be hosting the Crafternoon again due to it's popularity, it's such a fun way of using a mix of crafty skills to give the chalk boards a vintage twist!

Happy Crafting,

Samantha

You're Invited To A Charity Crafternoon Of Stitching!

Are you free next Saturday afternoon, love sewing and live near Derby?  You are...then read on....

You are invited to our second crafternoon of stitching as part of the Inspiring Derby 2015 programme. And it's a free event though booking is essential.

All the materials are supplied and you will be able to stitch a pretty little corsage with the art gallery as our inspiration in the taster session. Also you will hear about the Autumn Crafternoon programme at the Museums ..first! ... .exciting....

We have pretty silks and vintage fabrics to choose from and also a chance to learn about Derby's rich textile past. Places are limited and we have goodie bags for everyone! Hooray! Call 07881 163955 to email me to book a place.

We are raising money for the Colin Bloomfield Melanoma Appeal a skin cancer charity in memory of a local BBC radio presenter, so bring your pennies to donate.

Here are a few of last years makes, excuse the flash

last years theme was Georgian corsages

 

stitching our Georgian corsages

Happy Stitching!

 

Samantha

A Mid Century Hair Do And Crafternoon in Nottingham

Hello,

Love Mid Century retro coolness, the 1950's beauty school look (think Grease kitsch) and lots of tea, cake and crafty fun? Oh yeah! This post is about my time hosting a Crafternoon tea party and having a vintage 'do in Nottingham's The Little Vintage Beauty Parlour. 

This is me with a bee-hive half up do that the lovely Miss Whittley-Belle styled for me whilst I drank tea out of a china cup and soaked up the ambiance of the parlour. By the way the 'do was amazing, I had it done at 3pm and by bedtime I had to take it down myself. Incredible! even  my Wedding day hair fell down in less time than this so a big hooray to Mis WB!

the dresses, pink walls and pretty petticoats

From the moment you walk in, it's like walking onto a movie set, a retro reception desk, old fashioned fifties hair dryers and a record player with real records. You kinda leave 2015 at the door and whizz back to 1955.
 

afternoon tea on a hostess trolley with Babycham glasses

When I was asked  by Lulu B to start Crafternoon Tea Parties in this fabulous space I said yes! This is a snap shot of an afternoon of vintage crafty fun. You can also recreate for your own Crafternoon for a hen party or birthday or baby shower in this light airy space.

A 1950s fascinator made with old fashioned materials

Whether you want a 50's fascinator (pictured above) or a boho flower crown, with the vintage fabrics and haberdashery plus professional crafting advice we can make this happen for you!

the craft table ready to go

We provide the templateS, step by step instructions and craftiness so you can create a bespoke piece.

I bring pretty suitcases of old fabrics and vintage beads, pearls and buttons to choose from. And after three hours of crafting and scrummy afternoon tea the girls made two hand pieces each. The girls told me they hadn't made much crafty before and were so so happy to have made unique pieces. I was really happy too!

And what's more, The Little Vintage Beauty Parlour is based in Hopkinson's Vintage Department Store (yes a department store of vintage!).

And you can shop for old fabrics and sewing collectables in the cool Iris store on the first floor. If you are luck you might find an old sewing machine or a rummage through the baskets of vintage fabric to find a gem. Really worth a trip.

 

We are really lucky to have a space like this in Nottingham, do you have one in your part of the world? Leave me a comment as it's great to find little gems like this to visit on my next trip away.

Bye for now,

Samantha