March Meet The Maker- Week 1

Good morning all,

I hope you've all been safe and well this week and the snow hasn't caused you too many disruptions. The road into work, for me, has been impassable so I've had to work from home - the road is still closed now but hoping the snow will have melted by tomorrow! 

I thought I'd just stop by and tell you about March Meet The Maker a photo challenge I'm taking part in over on Instagram. It's set up By Joanne Hawker for makers, like me, to share a little bit more about ourselves and our work.

 Each day has as different prompt to get us all talking and sharing. I thought I'd post the first few days with you here...

Day 1: You

I'm a Lichfield girl currently living in Wiltshire. I stitch house and venue portraits using free-motion embroidery and love really cute, quaint buildings (so lucky round here with the Cotswolds just a stone's throw away)  I love teaching workshops as well as attending as many as I can. I'm really looking forward to getting to know you all over the course of March :)

Day 2: Where

 Here! In my little house in Wiltshire. I'm originally from Lichfield and go home to my parents as often as I can. I now live and work in Wiltshire by day I'm an Interior Designer and in my spare time stitch houses or teach workshops!

Day 3: How you started

 I've always been creative when I was little I'd buy paper plates with my pocket money, decorate then with paints and felt tips then 'sell them' from the Wendy house at the end of my garden! My poor parents were my only customer! 

Since then I went to uni and got a degree in Fine Art it wasn't really for me so I went back to uni and studied a few modules in surface pattern design. This was a lot more up my street!

A few years later I was bought a pink sewing machine for my birthday with not a clue how to use it I set about learning. I knew I wanted to do free-motion embroidery but had no clue how trying to do it with the normal foot in and feed dogs up! A few books later and I was hooked on drawing with my machine and stitched this card for my mum for Mothers day. She loved it so much she said I should stitch house portraits for other people and commissioned me to stitch one for her friends birthday. The rest, they say, is history....

Day 4: Favourite to make

Surprise, surprise, I love stitching house and venue portraits they just fill me with happy. Adding just a little pop of colour and capturing the character of the building in stitch is the best.

I have also recently started to design wedding stationery commissions. I'm very new to to wedding stationery but it's definitely something I'd like to pursue, to be a part of somebody's big day is a lovely idea.

If you'd like to take part it's not to late just use the hashtag #marchmeetthemaker and get involved. Lots of makers are sharing stories about themselves and their work so head over to Instagram and take a look...  https://www.instagram.com/may_i_design_/

Hope you have a happy Sunday, Keep warm 

xx

Wedding Stationery - The Spa Hotel, Royal Tunbridge Wells

Good morning,

I though I'd just stop by to show you my latest wedding stationery collection that I designed for a winter wedding for my best friend and her now husband <3

She was getting married at The Spa hotel in Royal Tunbridge Wells and wanted invitations that included the venue. Look no further than the bestie who is obsessed with stitching architecture!

The hotel is huge and very long! The kind staff at the hotel provided me with photographs to work from but I couldn't get a photograph that got the hotel all in, straight on! So with the help of my Dad and a few days tied to his desk drawing it out face on - I had my sketch to work from. (God bless parents!)

My Dad's Drawing

The Finished Stitch

The wedding Colours were Royal Blue and Silver so these were included to the invitations with the font.

Sam very kindly send me a photograph of when she first opened the invitations and I love it...

I had the stitch professionally framed up for the new Mr and Mrs Glover and gave it to them on their wedding day.

I had the honour of being Sam's Bridesmaid on the day too. It was such a wonderful wedding, the sun shone and the venue was gorgeous.

Thank you Mr and Mrs Glover for letting me design the invites for your big day. 

If you're getting married and would like to know more about my invitation packages please email me at hello@mayidesign.co.uk

See you soon

xxx

New Brewery Arts Workshop 17.02.2018

Good Evening and Happy Weekend,

Hope you're all enjoying your Saturday! I've had a lovely day teaching at New Brewery Arts in Cirencester. If you haven't been there before I highly recommend it. It's a fabulous place with artists working in their studios that you can go in and visit, a lovely craft shop and cafe and a huge selection of workshops, including my freehand machine embroidery one!

Today I had the pleasure of teaching 3 lovely ladies who had never really done freehand machine embroidery before. A lot of people think it's harder than it is but once you have mastered using your machine with out feed dogs the world is your oyster.

I started off by showing them how to set up the machines then hoop up their fabrics. After a short demo the ladies were cooking on gas starting by just getting a feel for it and then adding in splashes of colour with fabrics.

Don't you think they've done great? Each went away with a selection of sampler pieces, a finished stitch and hopefully an addictive new hobby!

If you'd like to Join me on one of my classes please take a look at my workshop page for up coming dates. 

Hopefully see you soon

xx

A lovely day at Bobbin Sewing School...

Good evening, 

I had such a wonderful day yesterday teaching four more students freehand machine embroidery at Bobbin Sewing School in Stockbridge. They went from never doing freehand machine embroidery before to mastering the technique and creating some wonderful work. 

Each lovely lady went a way with a selection sample pieces and a finished framed card. 

If you'd like to learn a new skill and spend a few lovely hours learning this very addictive craft then why not book on to a workshop take a look here for dates and availability.

Speak soon

x

Christmas Commissions...

Good morning,

Oh my goodness how rude am i? It's the 5th February and I haven't yet wished you a happy new year! It's the same old but time really does fly! I wish there was breaks you could apply or that watch that chap had that pauses time, you know the one? Anyway I'm not here to babble on about how it's now 2018 (how the dickins did that happen by the way?) I thought I'd share with you some of commissions that were ordered for Christmas... (I can show them to you now because Christmas has been and gone! Argh!)

If your interested in ordering a house or venue portrait you can either fill in the form on the right hand side or email me at hello@mayidesign.co.uk  for more information and a quotation

Alternatively if you'd like to learn a new craft in 2018 I'm teaching freehand machine embroidery workshops at a range of venues have a wee look at the workshop page for more information.

I promise to not leave it as long until my next post!

Speak soon

x

Lichfield Christmas Cards...

Good evening,

Hope you're all keeping lovely and warm this evening. It has been snowing non stop here in Wiltshire today. 

It's the perfect weather to introduce my new Christmas card collection. I have given my Lichfield collection a little festive makeover....

The cards are printed on 340 gsm card stock with a satin finish (but left un-coated inside for you to write your festive messages).

 They are available to buy from either the fab Jackdaw Rooms in Lichfield or if you're not local you can buy them on my Etsy shop here

Have a lovely week and hope you're feeling festive,

xxx

A Festive Workshop at Bobbin Sewing School...

Good afternoon,

How the devil are you?

I'm super excited to announce that I've teamed up with Bobbin Sewing School in Stockbridge, Hampshire to bring you a festive freehand machine embroidery workshop (Yippee) I love Christmas and I love embroidery so this is going to be a fab day.

In the four hour workshop I'll start by showing you how to hoop up your fabric and set up your machines ready to get 'drawing', Once you've mastered this we'll add a splash of colour and start getting our Christmas on!

The workshop will take place on Sunday 10th December from 10am -2pm and will cost £50 all materials will be provided for you (and possibly a mince pie or two) so if this sounds right up your street you can get more information and sign up here 

Hopefully see you there,

Meg x