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Thursday, 10 September 2015

Autumn 2015 Workshops List

 A day playing with maps and paints with Milliner Scarlett Valentine has naturally led to some more workshop dates being added to our 'leading-up-to-Christmas' list!
Sarah's workshops have all been pretty amazing and what's not to love about hats, stars and flowers?

 Some of the hats from the upcycling workshop held earlier in the year...


...a lot of fun and a hat that can be worn again!
Oh my! The polymer clay jewellery workshops we've just started at HH HQ are so much fun and the finished bling make perfect Christmas gifts!
Jackie Daly has been dazzling us with delights like these and is now sharing the joy with a beginners class on Saturday 24th October and an advanced masterclass on Sunday 15th November using resin to give that high gloss finish!


It's been a busy summer with some private dyeing sessions and one-to-two upholstery day lessons which have both been very productive! If you are interested in either of these please email me for dates.

The ever popular Needle Felting workshops are back with an autumnal themed session on Sunday 25th October and a Christmas one on Saturday 19th December.
 With some whimsical Free Motion Machine Embroidery days and a few new workshops with some exciting new people this autumn looks like being even more fun than last year - come along and make all your Christmas presents! Almost complete list below...

Autumn 2015 up to Christmas

Saturday 24th - Polymer Clay Jewellery, beginners - 2 spaces
Sunday 25th - Autumnal Needle Felting - FULL
Saturday 31st - Beginner Crochet - 2 spaces

November

Saturday 7th - Christmas Crochet 1 - FULL
Sunday 8th - Cold Process Soap Making - spaces
Saturday 14th - Christmas Crochet 2 - spaces
Sunday 15th - Polymer Clay Resin Workshop - 3 spaces
Saturday 21st - Tags with Scarlett Valentine - 4 spaces
Sunday 22nd - Container Candles - spaces
Friday 27th - Paper Flower Table Centrepieces with tea lights- 4 spaces
Saturday 28th - Saori Weaving * Full
Sunday 29th - Rag Wreath - 2 spaces

December 
Friday 4th - Upcycled Hats - 3 spaces
Saturday 19th - Christmas Needle Felting - 4 spaces

All the workshops listed above apart from those marked with a * are £35 per person and run from 11-3 with a short break for lunch. * is £55 per person and starts at 10 am. Book by calling in to the shop in person, by telephone 01449 721123 or by email - halfpennyhome@googlemail.com

As promised, more workshops have been slotted in...
 We have tags!
 Visitors to HH HQ will have seen the wonderful Christmassy display put together by our resident milliner including these brilliant tags using paper, lace and other mediums - Saturday 21st November is 'Tag Day' spaces are going quickly! Make all your gift tags and Christmas tree place markers in great company using gorgeous materials!
 These paper lotus flowers make amazing table centres, especially when lit up with a battery tea light - add in some paper covered baubles and dress your home for the festive season! Friday 27th November is the day for paper floral fun. *ahem* Jenny and I both would like to do this one...
It's been quite nice having a break from all the preserving this time of year demands, my hands are stained with elderberry juice but (luckily) everyone assumes it's dye!

Looking forward to seeing you all, did I mention the cakes?
Nic x

Tuesday, 25 August 2015

Summer Holidays!

 We've had a lot of fun with the children's workshops this summer, monsters, foxes, owls and cats have emerged from under the red hot sewing machines!

 More fuzzy needle felted sheep appeared after a morning with Jenny Tidman...
 ...we even had a couple of unicorns, complete with wings and glittery horns!
More indigo dyeing in the rain, this time with Jess who has always been a fabric fan and stitching on a sewing machine since she was six - now she has the tie-dye bug! 
The children are so creative and pick up skills like using a sewing machine and pressing *carefully* with an iron. There is just one more sewing workshop this summer so don't miss out on a day of fun with felt and fabric!
Draw a Monster, Make a Monster is on Tuesday 1st September 11-3 £25
Next school holiday workshops will be announced soon but until then we have Sewing Club on the following Saturdays
12th September
10th October
21st November
12th December

All 11-3, pre-booking essential and the cost is £15 per session.

Looking forward to seeing what they come up with next! Nic x

Thursday, 30 April 2015

Piglets, posh frocks and posies!

 If you've visited Alder Carr Farm in the last week you may have noticed some activity around the pigsty (if I'm not at HH HQ you will most likely find me over there...) these two adorable piglets come from Baylham Rare Breeds Farm, they have been enjoying all the attention and apples!
It makes a change to be cleaning out pigs and not chickens, one of the piglets bit the OH on the toe meaning he WILL remember boots....
 Sarah AKA Scarlett Valentine has settled in nicely with some fantastic workshops featuring felty floral corsages, working with Sinemay and other millinary related delights! The rest of the time Sarah creates amazing headgear and accessories, we are often in awe of how she manages to keep coming up with new designs! 
We're teaming up with Sarah on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May when we will have a hat sale running alongside a mini fashion show of Colette dress patterns - there will be designs made up in some gorgeous fabrics and worn by some of the growing number of Colette 'fans' dressmaking questions and queries about these vintage style patterns are welcomed. Tea, coffee and cake will be available along with 10% off patterns and 10% off any fabric purchased that weekend!


 Still loving teaching people to love their sewing machines...
 ...and welcoming Melanie from Silverclay Workshop!
 Melanie ran her first workshop at HH HQ last week and did Jenny Tidman add her name to the list? 
 She did and above picture shows her finished pieces, lovely!
Chris couldn't stop burnishing her silver pendant even as she was wearing it, an email from her the following day said it all 'Melanie was an excellent tutor and the other gals on the course were great fun' we had rhubarb, apple and white chocolate cake...Melanie will be running some more classes at HH HQ so if you're at all interested in the alchemy of silver clay working then do let me know!
 Another first was Catherine Armitage's skirt workshop, Catherine AKA Lulumama is pretty amazing at making sense of dress patterns and the mystery around sizing! It was lovely to see the ladies getting the fit of their skirts absolutely right...
 ...a finished skirt! The group of ladies have promised to send over some glammed up piccies! Catherine is teaching a few classes over the next few months and places go quickly as we only have four spaces on each course, details in the list below!
 Workshop list, get to the end and there's more cute piglet pictures! Mostly £35 per person and run from 11-3 unless otherwise stated.
Saturday 2nd May - Drum carding batts with Jenny Tidman, whether you're a novice fleecer or a spinner!
Saturday 9th May - Crochet
Sunday 10th May - Natural dyeing with seasonal plants
Saturday 23rd May - Sinamay flowers with milliner Scarlett Valentine
Sunday 24th May - Fabric printing
Saturday 30th May - Needle felting
Sunday 31st May and Saturday 6th June - Dressmaking, an A line skirt £70 10am start and you will also need two metres of pre-washed fabric. Pattern, notions and sundries included
Sunday 7th June - Kansashi flowers, the kind Geisha girls wear!
Sunday 28th June - Rag rugs and weaving
Saturday 4th July - Needle felted sheep
Sunday 5th July - Get to know your sewing machine a little better!
Saturday 11th July - Bunting!
Sunday 12th July - Cushion making, zipped, piped or envelope, it's up to you!
Saturday 18th July - Advanced needle felting, The Green Man
Saturday 25th July - Dress making, a simple blouse. 10am start, £45 includes pattern for Sencha by Colette Patterns, you will need to bring along pre-washed fabric
Saturday 15th August - Polymer clay jewellery with Jackie Daly
Saturday 12th September - Wet felted bowl, moving forward with felting, not a beginners class £50
Saturday 19th September - Introduction to machined patchwork
Saturday 3rd October - Drum carder day, get your batts ready for some autumn spinning!
Goodbye from the piglets, hope to see you soon! Nx

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

2015....

 ...is Marching ahead!
It's March already and after a January rest from workshops at HH HQ we're back on it! Milliner Scarlett Valentine has managed to squeeze in TWO workshops already - bringing a touch of glamour to this retired windmill/dovecote. The first saw us making flowers from fabric using different techniques and the second one was a fabric collar or bib necklace made with felt, gems and precious vintage notions!
 During January I rediscovered a love of Colette patterns and decided that it was high time to stock these gorgeous dress patterns - each instruction booklet is a work of art in it's own right and with a couple of coats, some blouses and more than a few skirts now boosting my wardrobe I decided it was time to tackle a dress I've had a view to making for five years or so...
 I feel very lucky to have persuaded Catherine Armitage to come along to HH HQ to teach dressmaking, her first couple of sessions were really good fun and so interesting - we have more in the pipeline...
*watch this space*
 *inserts random gorgeous yarn photo just because.....*
 Joining us this year is Jackie Daly who has become a polymer clay whizz producing mini works of wearable art - I had one of Jackie's necklaces for Christmas from Mr HH and I LOVE it! The range of patterns and colours is right up our street, we love a bit of colour as you can see from the photo below...another glamorous hat from Scarlett Valentine, this one with the re-fashioned feathers we'll be learning about later this month!


My finished felty dahlia has found a home on my lovely new Lady Grey Jacket, I will get some good photos of it and it's monochrome lining for a blog post soon but for now here's the much promised and as up to date workshop list I can muster - enjoy and booking as usual either by telephone 01449 721123, email halfpennyhome@googlemail.com or calling in to the shop! Unless stated all workshops are £35 per person and run from 11-3 with a short break for lunch - all our cakes are gluten free!

March
Saturday 14th - Needle felting
Saturday 21st- Feather flowers
Sunday 22nd - rag rugs
Saturday 28th - Fleece prep
Sunday 29th - Free motion machine embroidery
Tuesday 31st - Children's needle felting 11-12.30 £15
Children's knitting 1.30-3 £15

April
Saturday 4th - Vintage style frame bag
Fridays 10th and 17th - Indigo batik teepee £70
Saturdays 11th and 12th - as above
Sunday 19th - beginners knitting
Friday 24th April - Silver clay £95 10-4

May
Saturday 2nd - Drum carder day
Sunday 3rd - Indigo batik
Saturday 9th - Beginners crochet
Sunday 10th - Natural dyeing with plants
Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th - Colette weekend - FREE, meet the makers and see the patterns brought to life!
Saturday 23rd - Wet felting £50

June
Saturday 6th - Spinning
Sunday 28th - Rag rugs

July
Saturday 4th - Needle felted sheep
Sunday 5th - Get the best from your sewing machine
Saturday 11th  - Bunting
Saturday 18th - Advanced needle felting, the green man

August
Saturday 1st - Screen printing
Saturday 15th - Polymer clay jewellery

Monday, 8 December 2014

Workshops at Halfpenny Home 2015

 HH HQ has had a little makeover recently and the website is next in line for a spruce up! Moving the shop and producing 30 beautiful projects for Indigo: dye it, make it has taken up a lot of 2014 and anyone who knows me will be aware that I will use any excuse to get into wellies and onto the allotment...deadlines suffer as a result!
 2014 has seen milliner Scarlett Valentine join us for some really exciting workshops including the 'Upcycle an old hat' workshop which was pretty amazing! We have her 'Paper Stars and Flowers' workshop this Friday (12th December) to look forward to! She's coming back in 2015 to share more of her millinery experience and knowledge with us, list is below...
 The rather lovely Kat Shave makes stuff with her crafty mate Dawn and they sell it to raise money for charities - Kat kindly made a load of textiley, felty, buttony Christmas cards for us to sell in aid of National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, the charity I fund raise for and also raise awareness of this invisible, chronic illness which can have devastating, life changing effects. The NRAS supports people going through diagnosis and treatment, the money raised helps to fund a free telephone advice and helpline. Thank you very much Kat I love the felty lights!

 Christmas is almost here and with the help of Pauline from The Sugarcraft Studio (my neighbor at Alder Carr Farm) the tree for the Christchurch Tree Festival in Needham market got it's bling on and looked lovely with a nice representation of all the things that go on at the farm, we even got the Alder Tree ice-cream and the Suffolk Cycle Breaks on!
 Luckily we chose a lovely day for the Christmas Fair and with Father Christmas waiting in his festive grotto, his little helper waiting outside and a bevy of creative types selling their rather gorgeous wares in the courtyard we were really getting in the Christmas spirit...or was that just the mulled wine?
 Ella's lovely linocut prints...
 Tracy Ranger's Gedgrave Flock's wooly lovelies!
 Jackie Daly's amazing jewellery...Jackie has been to many workshops at both HH HQs and I have fallen in love with her polymer clay work!
If you fancy getting to grips with a new craft in 2015 and being part of the messiness below then take a look through the workshop list as it stands so far, there will be more - booking in person at the shop, via phone 07887511081 or email halfpennyhome@googlemail.com - I will be listing some on our shop halfpennyhome2 at etsy.com so that you can book online.
A deposit of £15 holds your space but we need full payment two weeks before the workshop date - if you have to cancel we will try hard to fill your space (and we usually do!) in which case you will get a full refund - in some cases we can transfer deposits to another workshop. 
Unless stated you need bring nothing along, there are no unexpected extras as everything is included except for your lunch! Fortunately there is an excellent cafe here and a great farm shop with a deli...we stop at around 1pm for something to eat. Most workshops start at 11am and finish at 3pm, we always have cake and it's always gluten free, yummy and made with eggs from my happy chickens! Oh, and the cost per session is usually £35, in some instances material costs mean that it will be higher but this isn't too often :-)
2015
Saturday 31st and Sunday 1st January - Getting to know your sewing machine a little bit better, for beginners, improvers and and anyone who needs to get that dusty machine out of the cupboard under the stairs!
Thursday 5th and Thursday 12th February - Catherine is teaching beginners dressmaking and to start you off it's an A-line skirt! *please note this is a two day session so £35x2=£70* you will also need to buy/supply your own pre-washed dress fabric for this workshop, everything else is supplied.

Saturday 7th February - Milliner Scarlett Valentine fashioning flowers for hats, corsages and decoration!
Sunday 8th February - Needle Felted Garlands with Jenny Tidman and as it's nearly Valentine's Day it has to be hearts...
Saturday 14th February - It may be Valentine's Day but all one really needs in life is to be shown by a  professional how to make a decent box cushion with a zip and piping! Over two decades of experience to call on and we'll make a cushion to fit a small kitchen chair.
Sunday 15th February -Fabric Printing with rollers from The Painted House, we also print paper!
Saturday 21st February - Girls popover dress, a lovely beginners dressmaking including using an overlocker!
Friday 27th February - Vintage style collar with Scarlett Valentine. A gorgeous collar which will set off any dress and makes good use of all those vintage notions...
Saturday 28th February - Crochet for beginners with Jenny Tidman.
Sock Sundays! 1st, 8th, 15th March - there's homework in between and it's £60 for the whole course, you will have a pair of hand knitted socks at the end! Must be able to knit and purl.
Saturday 7th March - Indigo Batik, techniques from Indigo: dye it, make it. Messy workshop so wear old clothes...
Saturday 14th March - Needle Felted Flowers with Jenny Tidman, felty, floral FUN!
Saturday 21st March - Styling feathers with milliner Scarlett Valentine!
Sunday 22nd March - Weaving and Rag Rugs, learn to use a peg loom and some rag rugging techniques...
Saturday 28th March - Fleece prep, raw fleece to useable tops with Jenny Tidman, HH HQ's own Fleeceologist! A messy workshop with up to an hour of outside work so bring warm clothes!
Sunday 29th March - Free Motion Machine Embroidery with Nicola Gouldsmith, a lovely workshop full of fun, creativity and sometimes we remember to stop for lunch...
Saturday 4th April - Vintage Style Clasp Bag. Suitable for beginners and improvers using gorgeous vintage fabrics - eeek!
Fridays 10th and 17th April - Teepee featured in Indigo: dye it, make it *please not this is a two day workshop* £70
Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th *as above*
Saturday 18th April - An introduction to wet felting with Jenny Tidman.
Sunday 19th April - Learn to knit! Struggling with your increases or your SSKs this is the day for you!
Friday 24th April - Silver Clay Jewellery with Melanie Blaikie. Alchemy before your very eyes! Clay turning to pure solid silver...10am -4pm, light lunch included as well as cake! £95- 10am -4pm

Saturday 2nd May - Drum Carding Day with Jenny Tidman. A whole day making batts with Jenny, ready for spinning up into beautiful yarns...you're welcome!

3rd May to 19th December to follow...
 Love Nic x

Tuesday, 11 November 2014

Freebies at the Fayre!

 Ever wondered what a workshop at HH HQ is like? Fancied a go at something but not quite sure if it will be something you would enjoy...if so the FREE taster sessions we're holding on Saturday 6th December are right up your street!
 It's the bumper Christmas Fayre at Alder Carr Farm and there's a rumour that a jolly gentleman clad in red will also be there...
All sessions must be pre-booked and the schedule of the day runs (approximately) like this!

10-12 Fabric printing with paint and patterned rollers, print some paper and a piece of fabric!
12-1 Fibre fun with our needle felter (and fleeceologist) Jenny Tidman if commitments allow! 
1-2 Open studios, bring along your hooking, knitting etc. there will be cake!
2-4 Natural Dyeing with an Indigo dip at around 3pm - bring along something to dye or we'll find you something to dunk in!
Should be a fun day and I look forward to hearing from you all - usual way, via email, shop or Facebook on the Halfpenny Home page...

Have a lovely autumnal day, the sun is absolutely beautiful!
Nic x

Tuesday, 19 August 2014

Hats off!

 There's been a burble of excitement here at HH HQ, not just because the workshops have been so successful since moving to Alder Carr Farm but because we have the talented Sarah Valentine joining us to teach us some of her amazing millinery skills!
 Sarah runs Scarlett Valentine Millinery, the hats and headpieces she produces are stunning with a contemporary feel along with the traditional hats she produces using a variety of different materials. Trained both in Suffolk, the London College of Fashion and Central St Martins London Sarah is now generously sharing some of her skills with us!
 Sarah is teaching us how to use sinamay to make flowers and abstract shapes which can be made into headpieces, corsages and brooches on Saturday 20th September, we currently have 5 spaces left. Call in or contact Nic for details and availability.
 With Christmas marching towards us, I feel guilty mentioning it on such a sunny day but we have Sarah teaching us how to use paper to make pointy stars and flowers which would be perfect for giftwrapping or decorating your home. There are only a couple of spaces left on this workshop so please don't leave it too late to book! Paper stars and flowers is running on Friday 12th December.


 Got an old favourite hat in need of a retrim?
An unloved hat in need of a complete makeover?
We also have hats here at HH HQ which can be bought on the day of the workshop, Saturday 15th November - using vintage trimmings, machine embroidery and the expertise of Sarah Valentine to make that unloved hat the star of the show once again! Chop and change for a fun new look and turn heads this winter...
 One of MY favourite workshops to teach is the indigo dyeing and batik is the fun way to add patterns to fabric - there are just two places left on the Batik workshop running on Sunday 26th October. It's magical to watch indigo work and even more so as you watch your designs appear!
Find us on  Etsy.com where there is now a HalfpennyHome2 - there you can also find some of our most popular notions as well as some of our workshops which you will be able to book online
Saturday 15th November Upcycling hats with Sarah Valentine £35 2 spaces
Saturday 22nd November Knitting Clinic £10
Sunday 29th November Appliqued Christmas Stocking £35 3 spaces
Sunday 30th November Crochet - beginners 10-1 and amigurumi Santa 1-4 with Jenny Tidman £35 FULL
Sunday 7th December Festive Needle Felting with Jenny Tidman £35
Friday 12th December Paper stars and flowers with Sarah Valentine £35
Saturday 13th December Needle Felted robins, snowmen and Christmas puddings £35
Sunday 14th December Mystery Make Christmas Tea Party in aid of NRAS 12-4 £35 all profits go to National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, includes a raffle and a slap up tea! £35

Phew...long list - book in the usual way by phoning 01449 721123 Tuesday-Sunday or email halfpennyhome@googlemail.com or alternatively keep an eye on Etsy.com

Hope that there is something here that gets your excitement levels climbing!
Nic x