My latest Happy Stitches

The temptation to start my Happy Stitches Journal Volume 2 proved to great, but as I am sure you guessed, that was inevitable wasn't it!!   I am waiting with baited breath for my embroidery design samples to arrive, so that I can start stitching those pages too.. but in the meanwhile I've had plenty of happy stitches to keep me going.  As I mentioned last time, this years journal, in addition to the embroidery, EPP and applique elements used in Volume 1, I am also incorporating some felt work and wool applique.  Over the summer, we sourced some beautiful British Wool to add to our existing wool fabric stash and mum has been busy felting them, ready for me to use them in the applique.   I could happily stitch and work on my journal all day, but alas as always, the computer calls and for every new design, pattern writing must follow.

Mum and I have had lots emails regarding our clubs and our plans for the next few months, so I thought it would be useful to share a little more information and timings with you.  

First off, for those of you who purchased the 12 Days of Christmas and Christmas Eve boxes earlier this year, we are on track to post these to you early October as promised.   Gift wrapping begins in earnest next week, when mum and I will have thousands of individual little parcels to wrap... it's very exciting to see it what we have been planning for months finally coming together and I can not wait to share everything with you when they have been received.  We're already thinking about next years boxes...YES, we will be doing them again, but with pretty new designs obviously!!!

Secret Squirrel Stitch Society Autumn Boxes, are also on track to be posted Mid October as planned.  The Autumn Box is fully subscribed, but we will reopen subscriptions for the Winter Box mid October. There will be the option at this time to either receive the Winter box on its own or subscribe to receive the Winter, Spring and Summer boxes, which you'll be able pay for in lower monthly instalments.  The Winter box will be posted mid January.

The new Happy Stitches Journal Vol 2 will run for 12 months starting in January and sign ups will open October/November ish time..... basically as soon as I have completed all my pages.

We will, having had SO many requests, also be re-running the Happy Stitches Journal Vol 1 again in 2021!  Sign ups will also open October/November ish.

For those of you who prefer kits to clubs, we've been secretly working on some new festive designs, including a Christmas Bunting Kit and a choice of Christmas Stocking kits...  these have been in the pipeline for months and fingers crossed, if everything goes to plan, they should be available in the next month or so....think pretty embroideries, jingly bells, linen, ticking stripes..all my favourite things.

Our other exciting news is that I am currently working on four new seasonal sampler kits and a Christmas design too.  These have been inspired by the #sewalittlehappinesseveryday project grid design concept, but rather than being faced with a blank grid, which so many people found daunting, each kit will come with a grid and my little hand embroidery designs, pre-printed on to the beautiful linen mix fabric used in all my kits.  The kits will also feature EPP and applique elements, plus little pretty extras, such a buttons, lace, ribbon...all carefully chosen by me and as you would expect, threads, wadding, backing and binding fabrics, everything that you need material wise to complete the project.  These will be released throughout 2021, so something to look forward to.

As always, my sketch book is full of designs and my To Do list full of exciting plans, so I am sure some extra projects will be appearing too, to keep you and us busy!!

Finally, as you probably know, as a business, we have always appreciated how important it is to give back to the community and over the years, we have donated hundreds on metres of fabric to the hard working quilting charities: Project Linus and Siblings Together.  Plus, to encourage younger generations to sew, we have given fabric and felt to local Primary Schools and to the Textile Departments at several Senior Schools in the area.  In addition, we also sponsor a local girls football team!  This year more than ever, has been a difficult year for many due to COVID 19.  So, on each of the four Sundays throughout Advent, I will be sharing the instructions and templates here on the blog, to make 6 little felt advent ornaments, 24 ornaments in total.   They will be a free pattern, as a thank you to you for all your ongoing support, however, if at all possible, mum and I will also be asking you to make a small charitable donation as well, so that we may, in a very small way be able to help somebody else too....  I'll write in more detail about this and share the charity that we've chosen soon.

Thank you as always for reading.

Very best wishes and happy stitches,

Sarah xo  

Autumn is in the air

This week for the first time since March, Pepper and I are home alone! Poppy has returned to school and Jamie has started 6th Form.  Both are very happy to be back to some sort of normality and I think the school is doing the best job that it could do in the circumstances to keep them safe.  I definitely had butterflies sending them back and felt a little anxious, but I do know that it is the best place for them.  Nearly 6 Months of being at home is a VERY long time!

As usual, its been a whirl of activity for the business.  Mum and I are working like woman possessed to get the 12 Days of Christmas and Christmas Eve Boxes ready for posting early next month.  The Secret Squirrel Stitch Society Autumn boxes are also on track to be posted mid October as promised.  In addition, our new Happy Hexie Club Month 1 parcels went on their way the back end of last week and Sarah's Sampler Month 1 parcels full of loveliness will be on their way tomorrow!  Do not fear...Liberty Periodical and Happy Stitches Journals are posting on their due dates as normal...phew!!!!!  Thank you so much to you all for keeping us so busy!

I never realised how many project 'in progress' photographs that I normally share until this last few weeks, when almost everything that I've been stitching has been for 'secret' Christmas Boxes and Secret Squirrel projects.  My evenings have been filled with lots of happy stitches though and I can not wait to finally be able to share what I've been up to.  It's actually proven to be been lovely opportunity to reminisce and I've had a lovely time looking through all my past projects and sharing photographs of those again..... kits are available on the website HERE.

Obviously, it wouldn't be me if I wasn't thinking about the 'next' project or two or three.....my sketch book is filling up with lots of ideas.  I have however been having fun with some woven wool applique and wool crewel threads and have been experimenting with ideas... I think the seasons changing definitely influence what I want to sew.  I'm also working on a Happy Stitches Journal Vol 2, which I'm very excited about.  Like last year, there will be opportunities to personalise the pages if that's your thing, but obviously they can be left as is.  In the new journal, the pages will have an even more scrapbook/patchwork style to them (neatly and orderly of course...you know how my OCD kicks in when it come to my stitching!) and there will be lots of embroidery, EPP and applique.  My intention is not to start sewing in earnest until the 'boxes' are in the post!  Obviously, I 'may' have to have a little play.....

I have however 'almost' completed my #sewalittlehappinesseveryday sampler....hooray, something I can actually share.  The grid boxes are all full, it is hand quilted and I just have the binding to add.  At the last minute though, I decided that I wanted to add some lace around the outside edge, so I just had to source and order some from one of our suppliers, but fingers crossed I will be sharing it very soon.  In the meanwhile, I have seen lots of samplers on the hashtag that are now complete and new samplers being started all the time, which is just lovely!  If you're not sure what I'm talking about, take a peek HERE.

At home, my newly decorated Sewing Room is almost complete.  We had a new boiler fitted just before lockdown which afforded us an empty cupboard, which use to house the most ginormous water tank.  This has now been repurposed as the 'sewing' cupboard which has resulted in us being able to to squeeze a single bed, back into my sewing room.  So we now have a spare room again when family and friends come to stay.  Just a few finishing touches to add and two chest of drawers to amalgamate in to one and then I'll share some photographs.

We've been enjoying some lovely walks with Pepper out in the fields behind our house and at our local nature reserve...I can't quite believe it, but she has been part of our family for a year this week.  There have been many moments when I thought 'what have we done', there have been tears, but mostly laughter and I honestly can not imagine life without her now. (most of the time!)   I couldn't resist by ending with a Pepper as a puppy photo.

Sorry for such a rambling post, I hope that you've made it to the end, in which case thank you!

Sending you my very best wishes and lots of happy stitches

Sarah xo