A Quilt Shop Stop and the Inspirational English Countryside

As a child, I (Kara) lived in England while my father was stationed there with the Air Force. Our family had a bright, orange Volkswagon van that carried us to the many wonderful places throughout the island for our holidays. Ever since that time, I have always loved Britain—the cities, the countryside, and especially the people.

My husband often has to travel there for work, and anytime I can tag along, I will. On one of our previous visits, I visited the shop Bee Crafty and met some wonderful ladies (you can read about that here), so I decided to visit another quilt shop on this trip. This time I went a lovely shop called the Poppy Patch, located in Great Doddington, Northamptonshire. This friendly shop is located in a converted barn in a quiet little village. The owners, Mary and Sam, couldn't have been more welcoming! The store may not be large, but it is well stocked with some amazing and tempting things, and there is an open, well-lit space upstairs for classes and workshops.

The delightful owners, Mary and Sam

Glorious fabrics to tempt anyone

Liberty quilting cotton tempted me to break
the bank!

In addition to fabric, Mary and Sam stock a wonderful variety of embroidery and quilt patterns and also exclusively carry a lovely selection of hand dyed flosses from the Australian company, Cottage Garden Threads. Sam gave me one to try, and I am looking forward to using it, as the color is divine.

Some of the many embroidery and quilt kits

I really should have taken more pictures of the shop, but I was busy spending time upstairs for one of their Social Sewing days. There are three during the week, and I happened to be there for one of them. Again, I was warmly welcomed and enjoyed spending time with the lovely and fun ladies there. 

It was wonderful day spent with new friends

Lots of laughter and fun!

My stitching for the day—our Marcia's Flowers pattern.

Of course, I didn't leave the shop empty handed. I had to restrain myself as I only had so much space in the suitcase, but I did bring home some wonderful fabric from a couple of the many Australian fabric designers the Poppy Patch carries. This bird kit also found some space in my suitcase:

I am a sucker for birds of all kinds, and this kit was no exception.

I can't wait to dive into this!

I love to meet quilters from other countries and especially visit the local quilt shops. It is so important that we support our local quilt stores, as so many are having to shut their doors. There is no online substitute for seeing beautiful fabrics right in front of you and choosing just the right ones for what you need—or maybe just want! I wish I could have spent more time in the shop, but I certainly hope to return and maybe teach a little wool appliqué. Thank you to Mary, Sam, and the lovely ladies at the Social Sewing day for a warm welcome!

After my visit to the quilt shop, my husband and I traveled to the beautiful, Devon coast. The southwest part of England offered up some beautiful sights that were so inspirational—I may even make a landscape quilt or two! Please enjoy some of the beauty of the English country and coast.

The harbor in Clovelly, Devon

The top of this planter made me think of quilt border

Carved wood door front in Clovelly but made in Oberramagau, Germany

Embroidered postcards from Oundle, Northamptonshire

A hidden cottage in the Salisbury countryside

I love birds, but mushrooms are a close second—this stone one was amazing!

Not an inspirational country scene, but one of my favorite things in England—Sticky Toffee Pudding!

One of our stops this trip was to the American Museum in Bath. The Kaffe Fassett exhibit there was amazing and deserves its own post, but that will have to wait for a week or two. Here is a little tease:

I hope you have enjoyed this little trip to Britain and a glimpse into a splendid quilt shop. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to see some outstanding quilts both old and new!

New Pattern—A Cottage Christmas Stocking

Christmas will be here before we know it! The stores everywhere (on this continent and across the pond) are laden with all sorts of holiday items.  We thought we'd join them with a new pattern that you can make to grace your Christmas fireplace mantel.  

Introducing our Cottage Christmas Stocking!

This stocking pattern came about as I (Kara) found out that my guild, the Black Forest Quilt Guild, has a yearly stocking exchange. The Christmas style here in Germany tends to be a little bit more subdued, so I decided to make a stocking out of wool and in a limited palette. The inspiration for the cottages came from the lace curtains hanging in our sunroom. 

This wasn't your run of the mill exchange; they do it in a white elephant/yankee swap style. I was warned that I needed to wear good running shoes because it could get a little crazy. They weren't kidding! Ladies were running everywhere and the stockings were changing hands faster than you could blink.  When it was all said and done, my good friend Lisa came away with my stocking, and I couldn't have been happier!

Lisa with her hard-fought-for stocking!

You can purchase the pattern on our website as either a paper copy or a digital one. As with all our patterns, each one comes with a detailed set of instructions, including the threads we used. When I put together the first stocking, I didn't take pictures of how I assembled it once the appliqué and embroidery were finished. There are written assembly instructions in the pattern, but we thought it would be good to show you how in pictures. 

Once your appliqué is finished, pin your wool pieces, right sides together.
(This is a demo stocking for assembly purposes)

Sew together starting at one side going down and then back up the other side.
Do not sew across the top and do not turn.

Sew the two lining pieces (right sides together) in the same way,
but leave a 3" opening between the heel and toe.

Wool and lining pieces sewn.

Once both are sewn, clip the curve above the toe.

Turn the lining fabric so the right side is out.

Fold the velvet ribbon in half, wrong sides together, and pin
inside the wool stocking at right seam with the two ends at the top.

Put the lining inside the wool stocking, right sides together,
match the edges and pin. 

Sew completely around the top.

Once sewn, pull out the lining.

Find the opening and turn the whole stocking right sides out.

Slip stitch the lining closed, tuck back inside the wool stocking,
and poke out the edges.

Ready to hang!

Hopefully our assembly instructions will be helpful to you as you put together your stocking. The pattern is now available on our website, www.needleseyestories.com.

We may not be ready for Christmas music yet, but it is fun to stitch Christmasy things at this time of year. Even though the holidays are fast approaching, it's not too late to stitch a little bit of Christmas!