Talking Turkey! More workshops for 2016!

 The first day of playing in the sunshine for my baby turkeys and proof that they can be taught how to walk...this was the week before last so they are a little bigger now!

 New project for the children to make this summer holiday, a lot of fun to make and trialled by Hannah who is one of my Super Star Stitchers! She also helped design the owl tidy!

Hannah's owl is the top one, isn't it great?

 Although I'm not usually drawn to crochet I'm finding that having a big project 'on the go' quite nice at present, at the rate I'm working it should be a blanket by next winter...possibly!

 I've had a couple of great dyeing sessions with some fabulous ladies over the last couple of weeks, it's lovely to do it here on the farm when the sun is shining and so different to last year where it rained everytime the dyepans came out! 

The first group did two days of indigo dyeing with me. The first day is spent creating areas of resist by folding and clamping, stitching and tieing or using wax and handcut stencils. In the background I prepare a dye vat, this takes a whole day and is not a timed process at all but changes are observed at each stage before moving on. We do all the dipping in the last half an hour! The following day I get to step back and enjoy watching someone else preparing a vat.

I enjoy watching projects being planned like the napkins clamped between cardboard, even the string and card are kept for future use in some artwork! Mary spent a whole days sewing stripes and tieing groups of three beans into some lawn to make a scarf.

 Mary's scarf after dipping and rinsing!

 Penny's napkins!

 Some children who visit HH HQ had used Loom Bands to tie dye some clothes!

 Penny's spectacular table cloth to match her napkins!

Looking forward to lots more dyeing this summer...but this is not how we get orange pigs!

 I decided to make a few napkins myself, my mum loves indigo!

 We've got a lot of new workshops on the list including Sarah Valentine making the sweet little houses and Scandi Handicrafts as well as the new crossover back apron one! 

Check out the list below!

 You can book in the usual ways, via email or text but it's always nice to see a friendly face at the shop - you never know when you would get a chance to play with a baby turkey again!

 After all this typing I'll be getting the dye books out for this Sunday's Fleece Preparation Workshop with Jenny Tidman, I've been looking forward to it for a long time and so have the lovely people who have booked onto it!

June

Sunday 19th Fleece Prep 11-3 £40

Sunday 26th Green Walnut Wine 11-3 £40

July

Saturday 2nd Spinning 10-1 £40 with social spinning session in the afternoon - morning workshop people can attend for free and all other spinners pay £10 for use of drum carders, refreshments and fun! We'll be in the tent so there's loads of space and light.

Saturday 9th Wet Felting 10-4 £50

Sunday 10th Advanced Knitting 11-3 £40
Saturday 16th July Polymer Clay and Resin Jewellery 11-3 £40

Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th Indigo Batik 11-3 £70

Saturday 23rd Dress Patterns, understanding and adapting them 11-3 £40

Sunday 24th Saori Weaving 10-4 £55

Saturday 30th Adapting dress patterns to fit and flatter 11-3 £40

Sunday 31st Crochet 11-3 £40

August

Saturday 6th Scandi Handicrafts 11-3 £40

Sunday 14th Saori Weaving 10-4 £55

Saturday 20th Polymer Clay and Resin Jewellery Making 11-3 £40

Sunday 21st Raspberry Wine Making 11-3 £40

Saturday 27th August and Saturday 3rd September Make Mohair Bears! 11-3 £70

Sunday 28th August Natural Dyeing with Plants and Mordants 11-3 £40

September

Sundays 11th, 18th and 25th Learn to knit socks with confidence and without a pattern! 11-3 £70

Saturday 24th Crossover back apron, Scandi style! Learn to work with French seams! 11-3 £40

October

Saturday 1st Free Motion Machine Embroidery and Quilting 11-3 £40

Sunday 9th October Crochet £40

Sunday 16th and 23rd Mohair Bear Making 11-3 £70

November 13th Soapmaking 11-3 £50

Sunday 20th Stitch a Festive Garland! 11-3 £40

Saturday 26th Nuno Felted Angel 11-3 £40

Sunday 27th Rag Wreath 11-3 £40

December

Sunday 11th Festive Needle Felting 11-3 £40

Looking forward to seeing you on some of our exciting and fun workshops soon! Nic x

Workshops 2016...so far!

 Hard to believe it's been just over two years since the whole of HH HQ was moved over to the Dovecote at Alder Carr Farm! The building is the only one in the country being a repurposed windmill and it even has it's own wikipedia entry!

It was looking very blue around that time as a lot of the dyeing for Indigo was being done at the time and I still love the patterns on these fabrics, looking forward to the warmer weather so we can do some more! Look out for the dyeing workshops, I can also do private sessions if needed.

 Something I thought I would never get the hang of was spinning and although I'm not very good I am enjoying it and find it really is relaxing which I never really believed in the beginning - Jenny is teaching some fleece preparation and spinning in the summer when it will be a lot nicer to be handling wet fleece, places go quickly so if you are interested don't leave it till the last minute...

 We're coming up to the last weekend of sock knitting and with the heels behind us all we have to finish a pair of socks is to shape and graft the toes, there will be another course later in the year! In the meantime there is a day of knitting in the round techniques coming up, see list below!

 Sunny days on the farm make everyone smile and I'm taking advantage of any sunny spells to get the sty ready for our new pigs arriving tomorrow - three girls this time and they are stunners! Friendly and liking a scratch, it's always good to chat to a pig in the morning...

 The brilliant thing about running the shop and workshops is that I get to know people like Jenny and Jackie Daly, Jenny taught Jackie how to felt bowls and Jackie taught Jenny and I how to make jewellery like the pieces in the picture below!

 We are trying to collect together all our workshop examples in the gorgeous cabinet which now sits at the front of the shop, we're getting there slowly and it does make an eye-catching display!

 I did enjoy the short break over Christmas and New Year but it's also nice to have the bustle of workshops again. We've had a few brilliant ones already and this Friday is the first of the dressmaking ones for this year with the focus on zips we'll be making skirts. Next Friday is Scarlett Valentine's Silk Flowers workshop, using heated tools to shape the silk - love it!

 Whenever I get a chance I like a bit of knitting especially when it's as nice as this handspun - I'm making this for a dear friend who helped me move the shop around over the Christmas break. What was upstairs is now downstairs and what was downstairs is now upstairs and if there is one thing an ex-windmill has plenty of it's stairs!

 With a lot of compliments about the new layout it was definitely worth it and being downstairs to run workshops has been really nice although we do have screens for when we are making corsets!

Workshops 2016...so far!

March

Friday 4th - skirt making £50 including pattern but you do need to get fabric 

Saturday 5th - Socks £70

Friday 11th - Silk Flowers £40

Sunday 13th - Easter Needle Felting £40 FULL

Saturday 19th - Make a child's popover dress £50*

Sunday 20th - Stuffed Toys £40 3 spaces

April

Saturday 2nd - Scandi Handicrafts £40 3 spaces

Friday 8th and Friday 15th - Corset Making £75 3 spaces*

Sunday 10th - Broomstick Crochet £40 2 spaces

Saturday 16th - Saori Weaving £55 3 spaces*

Sunday 17th - Polymer Clay and Resin Jewellery £40 2 spaces

Saturday 23rd - Needle Felting a Bunny £40

Sunday 24th - Quilted Cool Bag £40 3 spaces

Saturday 30th - Tunisian Crochet £40 3 spaces

May

Sunday 8th - Print fabric and make a lampshade! £40

Saturday 14th - Wild Headpieces £40 3 spaces

Saturday 21st - Saori Weaving £55*

Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th - Indigo £40 per day or £70 for both, they will be different!

June

Saturday 4th - Natural Dyeing with plants and mordants £40 3 spaces

Sunday 19th - Fleece preparation, carding and spinning £40

Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th - A millinery masterclass! £150 includes all materials*

Saturday 25th - Polymer Clay and Resin Jewellery £40

Sunday 26th - Green Walnut Winemaking £40 2 spaces

July

Saturday 2nd - Free Motion Machine Embroidery £40
Saturday 2nd Learn to spin 10-1 £40 Social spinning 2-5 £10 but free if you're booked on the morning course! Drum Carders and advice available while you spin in company! *

Saturday 9th - Wet Felting Day £50*

Sunday 10th - Advanced knitting techniques, tips and tricks for neater knitting! £40

Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th - Raku Weekend £45 per session*

Saturday 16th - Polymer Clay and Resin Jewellery £40 2 spaces

Sunday 24th - Saori Weaving £55*
Sunday 31st - Crochet £40

August
Saturday 6th - Scandi Handicrafts with Scarlett Valentine £40

Sunday 14th - Saori Weaving £55*

Saturday 20th - Polymer Clay and Resin £40

Sunday 21st - Raspberry Winemaking £40

Sunday 28th - Natural Dyeing with Purple Reed Heads and mordants £40
October
Sunday 9th - Autumnal Needle Felting with Jenny Tidman £40
November
Sunday 13th - Soap making £40
Sunday 20th - Festive stitching, make a decorative garland! £40
Saturday 26th - Nuno Felted Angel with Jenny Tidman £40
Sunday 27th - Rag Wreath £40
December
Sunday 11th - Festive Needle Felting £40

Most of our workshops run 11-3 (except for those marked with a * which are slightly different) and we stop for lunch at 1 but only for a short while as we are also fuelled with cake, tea and coffee - our cakes can be wheat free, gluten free, vegan etc. just let us know when booking as it would be a shame for you to miss out!

A place can be reserved with a £20 deposit and can be booked via email or in person at the shop, it's always nice to see you!

HH HQ Creating Crafters since 2009!

 As 2015 comes to an end it's only when looking back over photos taken throughout the year I can see how busy it was - we saw the launch of the farm magazine that Barry puts together and somehow makes sense of all of our contributions! In 2016 I'll be adding a cake recipe to each craft feature, I have added a few new ones this year...

 Still finding a few of our old favourites on the 2016 workshop list but inbetween you will find some exciting new things to try!

 Just because you sometimes need a photo of a handsome pig in amongst all the crafting loveliness...

 Adding to the children's workshops which are held in the school holidays there is also now a Saturday Children's Sewing Club!

A small project is worked on between 12 and 3, ideally for children 8years and up who must be accompanied by an adult. The dates for next year are 

March 12th

April 9th

May 7th

June 11th

July 9th

August 13th

September 10th

October 8th

November12th

December 10th

and the cost is £15 per child with everything included - please note that we do use sewing machines and sharp scissors! Booking ahead is essential to save your space.

 Our shy Christmas Crafters hiding behind their Rag Wreaths...and who could forget Stevie the Monster who also had a pet carrot who lived in a Carrotvan? One of my favourite monsters from Draw a monster, make a monster workshops!

 So if there are any workshops on the list you would love to come along to then book early as we usually only have very small numbers on many of the courses. 

As a special thank you any Early Bird bookings are at the prices charged in 2015 (usually £35) as next year there will be a small increase unfortunately. If circumstances mean that you are unable to attend just let me know as soon as possible and your deposit can be moved to another date.

February

6th Knitting for absolute beginners

13th Needle Felting - Valentine Theme

14th Crochet for unleashing your inner crochet goddess...

20th, 27th and March 5th Socks £70 in total

21st Free Motion Machine Embroidery

28th Print fabric and make a lampshade

March

4th Skirt making £50 *

11th Silk Flowers, beautiful blooms with Scarlett Valentine Millinery

13th Needle Felting Easter Delights

19th Child's pop-over dress £50 *

20th Fun making stuffed toys

April

2nd Scandi-handicrafts, working with paper, wood and paint!

8th and 15th Corset making £75 *

10th Broomstick Crochet

16th Saori Weaving £55 *

17th Polymer Clay Jewellery Making

23rd Crocheted Granny Bunting

24th Quilted Cool Bag

30th Tunisian Crochet

May

8th Print fabric and make a lampshade

14th Fantastical Headpieces with Scarlett Valentine Millinery

15th Free Motion Machine Embroidery

21st Saori Weaving £55 *

28th and 29th Indigo Batik $40 per day or book both for £70!

June

4th Natural Dyeing with plants

8th, 9th and 10th A Millinery Master Class with Scarlett Valentine Millinery Price TBC *

18th Zips, buttons and bits

19th Fleece preparing and spinning Price TBC *

25th Polymer Clay Jewellery making

26th Green Walnut Workshop

July 

2nd Free Motion Machine Embroidery

9th Wet Felting Day Price TBC*

10th Knitting in the round, stretchy cast on and offs...

16th Polymer Clay Jewellery making 

16th and 17th Raku firing days Price TBC

24th Saori Weaving £55*

August

14th Saori Weaving £55 *

20th Polymer Clay Jewellery making

21st Raspberry Wine, Country Winemaking Price TBC

28th Natural dyeing with plants

Unless stated all workshops are £40 per person and run from 11 am to 3pm the days marked with a * will have different start and finish times. A deposit of £20 on booking will hold the space and if booked before Christmas the old pricing will apply.

 

Message me via twitter @halfpennyhome or FB Halfpenny Home Haberdashery - alternatively call in to the shop to book and have yourselves a lovely Christmas!

Nic x

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