Wedding Fever

It's been a little while, since I last wrote.  But it has been a hive of activity though, with the School Holidays, and sewing on evenings - there has been no rest for the wicked, but it has been such fun.

Wedding Season, has been in full swing, and I have enjoyed creating some beautiful Bespoke Commissions, as gifts for the Bride and Groom on their Wedding Day.

 These, Handmade Personalised Wedding Hearts, have been created with a mix of Hand and Free-Motion Embroidery.

I love the colour choices, and the little bit of sparkle from the diamante.

See more hearts here

Introducing the New Horseshoe Design

I am super proud as to how this has turned out.  The brief was from the Brides Mum; a heart or a horseshoe, for a little Flower Girl to give to her Mummy on her Wedding Morning.  

Isn't that just a lovely thought?

I doodled a few sketches and came up with this Horseshoe/Heart combination.  It is very unique and can be adapted to suit any theme.  The colour scheme, you may notice, is the same as the heart above right.  This is because they were made to match.

On first completion

All finished and ready to gift

The beautiful Bride Sophie, holding both of her gifts

Next, was a slightly unusual brief for a Wedding Heart.

Apparently the Bride really loves Foxes and the Groom loves his many Trainers!!

So this commission was based with this in mind.  The Fox, Trainer and all of the wording has been Hand Embroidered, based on the colour scheme of the Wedding.

The Heart was slightly larger than usual, as Rebecca, has a collection of Hanging Hearts, and my customer wanted this one to stand out more.

Well I'm sure it does!

It was such a lovely piece to make

Also, my 7 year old daughter's teacher of this last year, and the teacher the year before, were getting married through the summer.  She loved both of them and loved being in their classes, and so wanted to make something for them.

She decided that as they were marrying in Italy, that she would draw a picture for them, and then asked if I would make it into a collage for them - how could I refuse?

She printed off the Castle that they were to be married in - in Italy - she then drew it alongside her teachers within a heart.  We chose the fabrics together and whilst I set to work sewing, she painted the frame to the colour she wanted.

Some beautiful Handmade Keepsakes to treasure, I hope you agree

Thank you for reading, I'd love to hear your comments
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Happy Stitching xx

Keepsake Bunnies

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Creating Keepsake Bunnies, is something I enjoy doing very much.  I love the whole process from start to finish.

Sisterly Love
Both hold special memories

 Being ask to create something from some outfits and blankets, that hold special memories in the owners heart, is always an honour, and to be trusted with these special garments was just that.

A Flower Girl Dress worn by big sister to mums wedding
A dress big sister bought for little sister
Little sisters Baby Blanket

See how these Little Bunny Keepakes Began

The Process:

A sketch and a plan for layout and design

Next comes the details.  Carefully unpicking the details from the garments, placing and cutting the pattern, then adding the embroidery and appliqué.

Keepsake Bunnies are then born

Nicole's was predominantly made from her beloved Baby Blanket
Details were picked out and appliquéd to the body and ears
A little part of the dress big sister bought her, was used on the ears
Hand embroidered details were added for those finishing touches

True memories wrapped up in a Button Jointed Bunny xx 

Chloe's was created, using her Flower Girl Dress form the '90s
Picking out the details, so it still looked like the dress.
Lace overlay some of the fabric for more interest.
Parts of the dress she bought for her little sister was added for interest, details and of course memories.
A little part of Nicole's blanket was added for the ears, as a special touch.

True memories wrapped up in on Original Keepsake Bunny xx



See how I create another Original Keepsake Bunny here

From every cut and stitch, each one is carefully tailored to suit the client's needs. 

Michelle Corbin Design - Find me on Facebook
Maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsakes to Soft Furnishings

Thank You for reading
Happy Stitching
Michelle xx

*Little Bunny Keepsakes, are 'sit on the shelf' items and are not suitable as toys, due to the fabric and small parts used.  They should not be left with a child under the age of 14.  They are a Collectable, potential Heirloom, which should bring lots of your love and memories to life*

The Wedding Couple

Well it's been a very busy few weeks here at MCD HQ!

The bathroom is now completed (post about that to follow)

See how my bathroom looked for before

So what have I been up to I here you asking??   Well I enrolled on a business course via

The Girls Mean Business

I took this leap mainly because I knew I needed to update some of my format for 

Michelle Corbin Design, as I want to be able to provide my customers with the best service that I possibly can.  It really is giving me food for thought, encouraging me to spend more time on my little Cottage Industry, rather than just in it sewing away!!

By doing the course I am achieving more of my short term targets (daily lists) more efficiently.  Focussing on what I need to do first!

I've completed some lovely bespoke commissions, and continued on with a large Keepsake commission.  Little and often for that job, but it's coming along nicely ;)

One job I have been working on, is updating my website and Etsy Shop.  They are both still work in progress, and probably always will be, but this brings me on to: 

The Wedding Couple

This happy couple are my newest design and make, and I have just listed them as a pair.

£70.00 + £5.00 UK postage

Having received the stunning Vintage Upholstery Fabric from 

FabricCentric, I decided that I must make something really special with it.  The quality is wonderful, and instantly I was inspired.

First I made 2 Keepsake Bunnies: one with fixed arms and legs, and one that was button jointed.

Fixed Bunny - Sold

Button Jointed Bunny - Sold

Then came The Wedding Couple 

Having a sweet little kiss xx

The bears have been button jointed and created with the beautiful vintage fabric.  The boy is wearing a little waistcoat and dicky bow, whilst the girl wears a tulle veil, with ribbon and button detail.  She also carries a small bouquet.

I have to say, that this pair is my favourite keepsake to date, and I actually am tempted to keep them, as I am super proud how they turned out.

 However, I think they would make the perfect Keepsake gift for a Bride and Groom on their Wedding Day.

What have you been making lately?  I'd love to see!

Michelle Corbin Design

 And this is me, maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsake items, to Soft Furnishings

Thank you for reading

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

DIY v Hand Crafted Skills

We've all done it haven't we?  We see something we like, look at the price tag, then think

 "I could do that"!!

But truth be known - can you really??

Take my bathroom for instance, we moved into our house in 2002, and not long after, the bathroom leaked, so we decided to refit the whole thing.  We both had good jobs and were able to afford good fixtures and fittings, so we purchased exactly what we wanted.  

We then had a couple of tradesmen round, to give us quotes on the work.  Mr C, didn't like those quotes and decided to do it himself.  Now to be fair, in our old house he had refitted the bathroom with the help of my dad and it was great, so I was pretty confident.

This time though, Mr C started well, but then as time went by, he lost interest, and things didn't quite go to plan.  I was incredibly disappointed, because I had had a vision, and my vision was of a high standard.  Unfortunately it took 2 years to complete the bathroom, and it was ok 

(yes, good, but not great).

We married in 2004 and received vouchers as gifts to refit our kitchen, during the refit, I found out I was expecting baby no 1.  Then, the bathroom leaked!!  So here we went again!!

Whilst pregnant, we also had the bathroom and kitchen in turmoil!!  Luckily the kitchen turned out well, but the bathroom needed redoing in preparations for baby! 

A couple of years past and another leak occurred, and then in 2010, 2 years after baby no 2 had arrived, DISASTER STRUCK!!

We had just decided to redecorate our lounge (do you see a pattern?) and just as we were getting started, yes, you guessed it, the bathroom leaked yet again!  This time it was worse, and had actually been leaking for some time, unbeknown to us.

It was worse this time, as the tiles needed to come off, but the plaster behind all came off too, and the room got worse.  Mr C did what he could, but his skills were minimal, I had just started my part time business, and we had 2 small children, money was tight, so we had to leave it in dismay until we could afford to finish it.

This is the only photo I dare show you of before :(

As you can see, we were left with Breeze Block walls - so not what you want in the room you use to get clean!!

The room remained like this for 4 whole years, as the economy had changed, and things were tighter than ever.

This year however, things are beginning to brighten up. :)

This is how my bathroom looked yesterday, and today, tiles are being put on the walls - by a Tradesman!!

The moral of the story:

Expensive lesson!!

If we had paid out for a Tradesman in the first place, we would still have the original bathroom, to the standard that we really wanted.  I will update you in my blog of the finished bathroom.

So now, what does this have to do with sewing or crafting?? 

Well, if you sew, or craft, how many times, have you designed something, sourced the highest quality of components, then spent hours creating your design, with such love and care, only for someone to say "That's too expensive, I can't wait that long to have one made, I will make one myself, or get Joe Bloggs to, as they are cheaper"!!?

Hurts doesn't it?

Or

Do you look at lots of hand crafted items and think they are over charged for what they are and that you or a friend can recreate them, for half the cost, only for it to come out, not as great as the one you saw in the first place?

This is because:

Professional

Trades People, Crafts People, Crafters, Artists, Sewists etc

They all spend a lot of time and money learning and perfecting their SKILL.  They do their job day in and day out and gain lots of experience in their field (as with any profession).  

They spend hours designing and preparing ideas, sourcing the best materials to create their vision, and usually they do this because they absolutely love what they do, they have passion, and want to create the best of the best item for the customer to love.  

Please bear the Experienced Skilled Person in mind, next time you see something you think you could make or do yourself.  *Editted to say, I am not against trying something new, but just consider the professional and consider whether you really can make/create something to the spec you see in front of you.  And please also be aware that if you are wanting to make things to sell, please do not copy.

We learned the hard way, that we weren't capable, but tried.  

Trying is good, but getting it right is better.

Michelle Corbin Design

 Maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsakes to Soft Furnishings

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

A Coffee Break with Imogen Allen

Bespoke Sewing.......................exquisite hand-finished keepsake gifts and home furnishings

Imogen Allen Designs

Is the creation of the lovely talented Imogen from Burntwood.  The wife of a Farmer and Mother of 2 boys and a little girl.

Imogen creates a range of designs a range of designs, which feature the most stunning and unique hand embroidery techniques.  She makes a number of different textile designs, and her designs have evolved recently.

Imogen is incredibly talented and is here to tell us a little more about how 

Imogen Allen Designs began:

How did Imogen Allen Designs begin?

My family circumstances had changed and I had moved counties as well, so going back to sewing initially started as a hobby.  I began making different keepsakes for friends and family and so decided to establish Imogen Allen Designs and began to promote my designs.

The main inspiration behind using the personalised embroidery was that when I was small, I could never find anything with the name Imogen on it!  When I was young it was a very unusual name although it has become popular in recent times. With this thought in mind and knowing that a lot of children these days have unusual names, or they are spelt differently, I felt the need to bring something to customers so that they could have names they wanted on my products. However, to bring it in the form of a keepsake was really important. I wanted to create something that can be gifted, personalised and treasured forever. My first delve into this resulted into hanging hearts for Christmas trees. They were a little smaller than the current hearts but the idea was to create something that could be brought out each year and used again and again. That design just grew from there over the last couple of years.

A Selection of Imogens beautiful makes

Talk us through a typical day in the life of Imogen Allen

I possibly don’t have a typical day! The good and the bad about working from home is that two days are never the same. However, three mornings a week are dedicated time for business and I slot my working time in some afternoon and mainly evenings, depending on what the rest of the family are up to! I shall be working more in the daytime in a year or so as my youngest child will start school.

What keeps you inspired every day?

Lots of things inspire me. My friends, my family, beautiful pieces of craft and artwork that I see, stories I read about others and their lives, hopes and struggles. My passion of 1970s patterns is one of my real loves! When I see retro patterns and designs, that really is the thing that makes me 

go oooh and ahhh! I love the boldness and brightness of the retro patterns of the 1970s and the colours are so invigorating! I grew up as a child in the 1970s and I remember our house being full of bright colours, orange on the walls up the stairs, green in a another room, big swirly patterned wallpaper and fabulous crockery! One or two particular patterns stick in my mind. Particularly the Arabesque design on Denby crockery. We had the set at home and I recently required my own set much to the amusement of my mum who remembers it as quite a grotesque pattern and a fabulous coffee pot that looked good but never kept the coffee hot! Other patterns such as the Meakin Inca design created by Jessie Tate and used in the JG Meakin range in 1970 which features the fabulous mandale style that I am also very drawn to. This certainly influenced my drawing Floral Luna. I love to recreate the feel of those patterns and that shows particularly in my Retro Therapy artwork. This piece was a step away from my sewing as I really wanted to bring to life the colours and patterns that really appeal to me. It is such a niche market and would love to be able to broaden the appeal of my designs to others who are like minded!

Denby Arabesque

Imogens love for patterns is evident in this 
Flora Luna she created earlier this year.  

Surprisingly, her school Art Teacher told her she had no talent!!

I think we can officially disagree, don't you?

Due to personal problems, Imogen took a couple of months off work, and whilst she was absent, she created this:

Retro Therapy

Thankfully Imogen has been back for a few months now, sharing her new and amazing designs with us.

imogenallendesigns.co.uk

Where do see your future and Imogen Allen Designs heading?

I would love my business to grow to be more self supporting financially and for my textile and embroidery work to be easily recognisable as mine!  I also hope to develop my artwork side and continue to challenge myself using different techniques and trying new things in design.

Do you have an inspirational word of advice for small businesses starting out?

I think my tip would be to be prepared to work hard, connect with others and share information and support each other. Make sure you do your research and always try to learn as much as you can on your journey. There are so many areas where you can get help and support to run a business. The more you put in the more you get out and finally….make sure you always treat others as you wish to be treated!

Now some fun:

What is your favourite colour?

Oh has to be turquoise and grey!

If you had to choose, which would you pick? Fabric/Buttons/Ribbons

Fabric, fabric, fabric!!

Finally, tell us a joke? 

Oh I am so rubbish at jokes but here’s one….”What do you call a man with mud on his head?” “Peat” lol 

I had the pleasure of meeting Imogen last year, read here 

A Day of Sewing with Imogen and Jane

Imogen currently has a 'Giveaway' running on her Facebook Page, Click here  to enter Facebook Giveaway

 Thank you so much Imogen for taking the time to share your world with us, it was lovely and inspirational!

To find out more about the beautiful work Imogen does, follow her on Facebook, Twitter and imogenallendesigns.co.uk

Michelle Corbin Design

 And this is me, maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsake items, to Soft Furnishings

Thank you for reading

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

Learn to Sew - Creating a Garland with a Twist

Bespoke Sewing.......................exquisite hand-finished keepsake gifts and home furnishings

Every other Monday, I run 2 Learn to Sew Workshops,

 one on the morning and one on the evening.  I have some lovely ladies who attend, and over the past 2 years that they have been attending, their sewing skills have grown and their confidence and creativity has improved immensely.

It's a very relaxed affair, and I encourage fun chats and laughter, but not only do these ladies come to learn to sew and create, I am also proud to say that they have become my friends too.  

Each term I set a new task, based on their wish lists.  This terms brief, was to create bunting or a garland with a twist!!  Basically, I asked them to design and create a bunting style garland based on a theme of their choice, using a variety of techniques they wished to explore, or improve.

Above you can see a few of them developing their designs.  Each one of them chose a different theme, which was fantastic, and they were not afraid to explore techniques.

Charlie and Lorna's creations are still works in progress.  

Lorna's imagination is running wild, and from discussions with her, I can see she is going to be using lots of different techniques.  I am so looking forward to seeing her 'The Enchanted Wood' inspired garland come to life.

And Charlie has based her design on her new found love for sewing, and I think it will look beautiful.

Kelly's completed Caravan Garland

Above Kelly, has just completed her Caravan Garland.  Her choice of fabrics, is just lovely, and I love the colour combinations.

Kelly was inspired by a photo she found on Pinterest.  She created her own templates and built her design up using bonding and stabiliser, quirky fabric scraps, and an appliqué technique that she wanted to master.

I think you will agree that she has made a lovely job, and she should be very proud.

Please comment below to let Kelly know how great you think she has done.

 Once the others have finished theirs, I will share them with you too.

Michelle Corbin Design

 And this is me, maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsake items, to Soft Furnishings

Thank you for reading

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

A Coffee Break with My Happy Place

My Happy Place

Was launched in 2013 by Amanda Swynyard.  

Based in the North East of England, she fills her day with... 
ribbons, buttons, hearts, wooden shapes, paint, card, stamps, twine and fabrics - all put together with love, care, attention and much loveliness to make personalised gifts and cards for you!

Amanda is super talented, below is a collection of some handmade goodies I have in my sewing room.  The Forget Me Not, I purchased from Amanda, just one example of her pretty work.

So lets have coffee with Amanda, and find out more about My Happy Place

How did My Happy Place begin?

Actually by accident! I made some personalised jute party bags for my daughters (The Curly) birthday. So many people commented on them and asked where I got them and I had to confess to making them myself. With a gentle push from my best friend and my family I decided to give it a go! It started as a part time hobby/business and very quickly it took over my life . I gave up my Nursery Assistant post last Easter, to Happy Place full time and its grown from strength to strength. I have been a huge follower of other crafters pages on Facebook and have purchased so many beautiful and unique pieces and I'm so proud to be one of those page owners myself now!

Little Bag of Love

Talk us through a typical day in the life of Amanda

I'm of course firstly ‘Mum” so it starts out as most households… trying to get a sleepy child out of bed and ready to go to school, after hitting snooze several times myself! Most mornings I do a class or boot camp at the gym; keeping fit and healthy plays a huge part of my week. My working day generally starts around 10.30 I have a good routine in terms of making my commissions, I paint for the first couple of days of the week and make from Wednesday. But of course being a creative head I do tend to mix the day up a little, designing and discussing new ideas with suppliers, looking for new materials, gathering inspiration and generally being creative. Then the evening madness begins… Mum head gets firmly attached again. I tend to do lots of admin, messaging and paperwork at night once my little family of three are settled for the night

What keeps you inspired every day?

Its funny, but I get inspiration from so many places. The seasons, what I see out of my window, my family, wanting to keep being creative and my happy placers; they give me so much inspirations with the sentiments they want to convey in the products I make. If I ever start to feel like I'm on a treadmill of orders with no breaks to think of new ideas, I try my best to work in a couple of free days to play with brewing ideas.

Where do see your future and My Happy Place heading?

I'm actually really happy where I am right now. I am always busy, its still very much a love and passion and I'm able to give a very personal experience. The nature of my crafting means it will never be able to grow too big as it is just me; this means my production is limited to what I can physically make. But this makes me happy, it means my pieces can remain unique and I can spend time making my buyers pieces as perfect for THEM as I can.

Click Here For

Ready to Purchase Items

Do you have an inspirational word of advice for small businesses starting out?

• Be as unique and true to yourself as you can.
• Promote yourself and page with professionalism
• Remember if your business is based in a social media forum that this is your shop window… show the best of you and your products
• Build a reputation for your business that you are proud of

But most importantly look after yourself, its hard work, long hours and it can feel really lonely when you’re struggling. Make sure you acknowledge when you need a break! Network! Make friends, be part of the crafting community it makes such a huge difference to have other people to chat with who are like minded!

What is your favourite colour?

All variations of blue!

If you had to choose, which would you pick? Fabric/Buttons/Ribbons/Wood/Paint

Oh this is tricky as I use most in my crafting…. But… I do have a huge weakness for ribbon. I go shopping for a particular colour and I come out of the haberdashery with several “must haves” and lots of new ideas attached to them!

Finally, tell us a joke?

When my friends told me I was delusional…. I just about fell off my unicorn!

Heheheheee!!

 Thank you so much Amanda, that was fun, inspirational, and I loved the joke!!

To find out more about the beautiful work Amanda does, follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Michelle Corbin Design

 And this is me, maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsake items, to Soft Furnishings

Thank you for reading

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

A Tour of my sewing room

Bespoke Sewing.......................exquisite hand-finished keepsake gifts and home furnishings

 

I spend a lot of time in this room, and getting it to how I want, is still 'work in progress', but here it is so far:

Firstly, I share the space with the 'white goods' of the house, a Fridge Freezer, Washing Machine, Tumble Dryer and a Dish Washer, so space is limited, so Mr C built a work top above the said White Goods for me to initially use as storage.

The rest of the room, consisted of a 'make shift' desk, which was a little wobbly and very easy to clutter up.  There wasn't much room really for sewing, but I managed for a few years.  I also had an old Dining Table, which I covered with batting and lining, to use as a cutting table, but also as a safe place to iron.

It served it's purpose, but easily got messy and cluttered, so I found myself constantly reconfiguring the furniture, in hope that it would improve my working space, and as money was scarce I sadly couldn't afford a new desk, nor could I find one suitable for the space I had.  So I discussed at length at numerous times, options I could take with Mr C, and finally we hatched a plan to make my own bespoke table.  

I eventually managed to save enough to buy a large sheet of MDF and components, and between Mr C and I we designed the shape of my new desk.

Mr C had a little help from Little Mr C and between them the worked hard to construct the table.  Mr C even knocked up a damn fine Sewing Machine Extension Table, much to my total happiness (can you imagine the Happy Dance I did lol?

The construction of the table took place just after New Year, before work and school was back in flow.  Sadly there was no time to paint it before I had to begin orders again, but then I manage to find a couple of weekends before Easter to finally set to and paint it, and I managed to reorganise it so that the work top above the 'White Goods' became my new ironing and cutting area - and I love it :) xx

So there you are, my finished 'happy place' fully constructed - of course it isn't finished just yet, as the walls need a lick of paint, but I just can't decide what colour - if you have a suggestion, please comment below.

Oh, and here is a lovely selection of hand-made items have on display in my room from Armadio Amore, Linen and Fred and My Happy Place.  Pop over and see what else they make, they are totally amazing.

And if you'd like to share your lovely crafting space with me please send me a photo at michelle@michellecorbindesign.co.uk 

Many thanks for popping by, I hope you enjoyed your little tour and don't forget to check out what I make at

 Michelle Corbin Design

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx