Win!!! Tickets to the Stitch Festival

It seems incredible that it is almost two years since we were facing the first lockdown and desperately hoping we would manage to squeeze in exhibiting at the Stitch Festival for the first time. Now we are back preparing for the new show. It will be wonderful to be able to see everyone again and to be inspired by the textile galleries and perhaps stock up on some fabrics, yarns and haberdashery for the coming year.

The organisers have worked so hard to bring you a Covid safe show. The new, improved layout features wider aisles, additional seating, caps on visitor numbers, staggered entry times and plenty of space for social distancing. 

We are in full preparation, making up plenty of new designs into kits, restocking firm favourites and sourcing some beautiful haberdashery.

As a valued friend of Ann’s Orchard we would love to see you again and we are fortunate to have two pairs of tickets to give away. To get you in the stitching mood we are also offering a pair of mini beadwork kits or a chunky cross stitch.

The tickets are valid for use on Thursday 3rd to 6th March 2022

The tickets are fully complimentary for use, after 11am, on Sunday 6th March but carry a surcharge of £6 each for the other days of the show. Winners will be sent information to register their e-ticket via email and I will pop your needlework kits in the post.

For a chance to win simply drop me a line at epavier@annsorchard.co.uk
Or head over to my Instagram or Facebook pages and leave a note – tag a friend and both names will go in the draw.

The competition closes at midnight on Monday 14th February 2022. Two winners will be drawn at random on Tuesday 15th February 2022

It should be a fantastic day out, plenty of inspiration and opportunity to stock up on projects and haberdashery for the coming year.

If you are visiting we would love to see you, give us a wave at the far end of the main hall on H94

Good Luck!
                                                                       Emma Pavier

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Antique Fair Shopping

I am not a great fan of shopping on the high street as everything is so generic, you know exactly what you are going to get before you even leave the house. Of course it is fantastic if you need those everyday items such as a washing machine or bedsheets but it doesn’t really fulfil the ‘hunter gatherer’ instinct.

However, the great joy of visiting an art exhibition, craft or antiques fair is that you can never anticipate what treasure might catch your eye. Occasionally I will visit my local antiques fair at Ardingly with a vague list of what I might need. Today I was looking for a floor lamp and a sideboard for the hallway. Needless to say I found neither but I did come away with some beautiful linen to make some new blinds for the study and this fabulous embroidered bird.

He is not very big, only about the same size as a sheet of A4 paper but he is so quirky and the stitching is exquisite. It is worked in silk embroidery thread with a very high sheen so they almost look metallic. Each stitch lies perfectly flat against its neighbours further enhancing the shine. The colours are not an obvious choice for the design but they work so well together and complement the black frame.

How much did I pay for this thing of beauty ….. just £12 – perfect!

A Little Summertime Stitching

Free Helenium Flower Cross Stitch Pattern

We are planning to take a break for a couple of weeks and enjoy the sunshine with family and friends. I am hoping to use the time for some intensive stitching. There are a lot of projects I have planned for the autumn shows but many have not yet been started!

In the meantime, I was inspired yesterday afternoon by the lovely weather and the glorious show in the garden to design some jewel coloured heleniums in cross stitch. I’ve not yet had time to sew them so the only recommendation as to fabrics and thread is to simply raid your stash!

Please let us know by Friday 5th July if there are any stitching goodies you need so we can get them posted by the weekend otherwise I’m afraid you will need to wait until Monday 22nd July 2019.

Have fun with these cross stitch flowers and please feel free to share with family and friends, Emma x

Click Here for Helenium Chart

Love is Like a Butterfly

xxx   Happy Valentine’s Day  xxx
I have designed a small cross stitch gift for you this morning xxx
I’ve not had time to stitch it yet so no thread recommendations other than to raid your stash.

Please feel free to share the love.

We have some winners for the Spring Knitting & Stitching tickets

Wow! so many entries for the Spring Knitting & Stitching tickets, thank you all so much for your enthusiastic response. We have some winners, many congratulations rebsuka, claireypollybella and Karen Merchant!!! Please contact me directly to arrange your prize and I will get all your stitching goodies and tickets in the post as soon as possible.

Don’t forget you can still use discount code SPRING2 for a reduced adult advanced ticket price of £12 when booking online at http://www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com
or on the telephone 0844 581 1319

Oh, and I must not forget to mention the funky embroidered bird hanging I got from Linladan Folk Art & Embroidery Supplies at the show a couple of years ago – what a great event for finding knitting and stitching treasure!

If you are coming along, please give us a wave and stop for a chat at C44, we are always happy to talk crafts.

A Christmas Biscornu

I have been so fortunate over the past year to have received so much support and encouragement for my little needlework business. It means so much to hear such positive messages from this community of crafters and to be so inspired by your creativity. One of my favourite projects has been designing cross stitch biscornu so it seemed appropriate to create one as a Christmas gift.

This quirky shaped needlework is surprisingly easy to make. Simply two squares of Cashel linen covered in festive cross stitch motifs and then the process of offsetting the finished needlework squares when stitching them together causes the shape to fold itself.

For a PDF copy of the cross stitch charts and instructions simply click on the link.
I do have a few kits available but feel free to raid your stash.

You are very welcome to share this pattern with friends and family

Wishing you a very happy Christmas and joyful New Year x

Twit Twoo

 

Happy Halloween to you all

I made this little snowy owl over the school holiday. It is the first time I have sew with felt in literally decades. I am sure my last attempt was a blanket stitch purse as a Brownie! This wool felt really is a delight to stitch with, so forgiving. I simply sketched a snowy owl, snipped him out and dusted down the blanket stitching. The only tricky part were his legs. I did attempt to fashion my own from wire, they were rather mangled but at least I was able to work out if I could get him to stand up. His new legs were some I found at the Knitting and Stitching Show and after clipping back, painting and wrapping his claws in embroidery thread they worked a treat.

Win!! Tickets to the Knitting & Stitching Show, Harrogate 22nd to 25th November

It seems no time at all since we were meeting up with so many crafty people at the Knitting & Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace and now, having survived the school half term holiday, we are preparing to do it all again in beautiful Harrogate 22nd to 25th November.

I have some tickets to give away to this fantastic show so please drop me a line by Friday 2nd of November if you would like the chance to win a pair as well as a needlework kit. Tag a friend and both names will go in the draw on Saturday 3rd November. Best of luck to you all x

Win!!! Tickets for the Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace

The start of the new school year heralds preparation for the autumn craft shows. My biggest show of the year, Knitting & Stitching, Alexandra Palace is just over a month away and I’m already getting butterflies!!! I have plenty of new cross stitch kits but I still have to write the instructions and design the packaging – fingers crossed it will be, ‘alright on the night.’

If you would like to join us at the show I have three pairs of tickets and some mini beadwork or chunky cross stitch kits to give away. If you would like to be included in the draw just leave me a note in the comments section, drop me an email e.pavier@annsorchard.co.uk or leave a comment on our Facebook or Instagram page. Tag a friend and both names will go in the draw.

All entries need to be in by midnight on Friday 7th September and three lucky winners will be drawn at random on Saturday 8th September.

The tickets are valid for use on Thursday 11th, Friday 12th or Sunday 14th October 2018. It should be a fantastic day out, lots of inspiring work on display and a great opportunity to stock up on products and haberdashery.

Best of luck, Emma x

Roses are Red

Preparing kits for shows is often the time that my mind wanders to new projects. I have been designing some more traditional cross stitch charts for magazines recently and it occurred to me that greetings cards featuring cross stitch charts could work well.

I am increasingly working in just one or two colours, possibly an influence of all the Japanese embroidery I have been looking at in books and on Pinterest. It really forces you to think about shape and composition. ‘Roses are Red’ is my first offering and the greetings cards have been printed, just in time for the Knitting and Stitching Show.

I have quite a few more designs in mind, all scribbled on scraps of paper dotted about the house, but they will have to wait for the end of March. I am also wondering whether a kit or materials pack would be a good offering alongside the greeting card?

Let me know what you think and whether there are any themes you would like to see.