A Ton of Masks …

Just over 100 face masks have now left The ThreadShed and been posted around the UK to places such as Swansea, Neath, Birmingham, London, Andover, Nottingham, Manchester … as well as given to carers, friends and neighbours in and around Pembroke.

We absolutely refuse to profit even one single penny from that nasty bitch Covid and so they have all been gifted to friends, family and people that we care about in the hope that we are doing a little something to keep us all safer. The masks are double layer cotton with a pocket to put a hepa filter inside for a bit of extra protection.

Who’d have thought that a snazzy jazzy Kazzy face mask would be the must have accessory of 2020 huh?

Stay safe you all!

Snazzy Jazzy Kazzy Face-masks

Warmed my heart ❤️

As a follow on from the post on my snazzy jazzy face masks I have had lots of requests for these brightly coloured, pretty masks. Me and my trusty Brother will soon start sewing like crazy and I hope that everyone who ordered them from me will have them by next weekend.

In the meantime I have permission to share this fabulous photo of the very first recipients of Kazzy masks. These lovely ladies work in a local care home looking after vulnerable elderly residents. This photo warmed the cockles of my heart and I am sure you will all join me in sending them all virtual hugs and a great big massive thank you for doing such an amazing job with such care, love and devotion in these crazy times.

Blinkin awesome or what?

All masks bright and beautiful …

All masks bright and beautiful …

It’s been creative central at The ThreadShed over last few lockdown weeks. A dear key-worker friend put in a request for a supply of some face masks and sent me a fabulous free pattern from http://www.hellosewing.com. The snug fitting mask is made with two layers of tightly woven cotton and has a pocket between the layers to insert a filter (heppa paper or paper from hoover bags is a cheap option) if you want to.

Currently there are some very mixed messages about the use of face masks and evidence wise not much to go on, although the widespread use of masks in Hong Kong is what is believed to have limited the spread. The general advice is not to touch your mask once it’s on and to remove it for washing as soon as you get home. Right now some countries are making the public use of face masks mandatory (eg Austria, Slovakia, Bosnia) and some are now recommending the public wear them (USA). Only yesterday there was a lot of speculation that UK may soon follow suit.

The World Health Organisation advice that face-masks are not necessary is now under review as the previous advice is believed to be at least partially aimed at ensuring that all vital PPE supplies are kept for use by health care workers.

Whilst there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the public should leave surgical face masks for the healthcare settings I think snazzy jazzy home sewn masks are the next best thing, plus they look pretty gorgeous too. I sent out lots of little packages yesterday to some of my special people and if you would like any do let me know!

What do you think?

#facemask #ppe #ppeshortage #homesewn #homesewnfacemasks #stayhome #staysafe #staysafeoutthere #covid19 #homesewnfacemask

#lockdown #lockdown2020

Hey Ho Let’s Go …

The Ramones cloakroom finally has central heating. Of course, this may mean that we will linger a little longer than before, so it was time to tear down the scruffy Venetian blind and pop up a new curtain. It had to be a Ramones curtain of course… made by me with some white polka dot cotton and some randomly placed red vinyl. Hey Ho Lets Go!

Ramones Cloakroom

Bags of fun …

Soooo … it’s half term and I got to have another fabulously creative session with a lovely young lady who was once again in the area visiting her nanny. This creative 11 year old was gifted her first sewing machine for Xmas by her very clever mummy and so has already started to enjoy her sewing at home. She arrived at the TheadShed with a head full of ideas and said that she had been thinking of making a denim shoulder bag with a seaside theme. We were soon busy planning and hunting through fabric. We cut out some perfect beachy images from white vinyl, picked a navy anchor fabric for the strap and finished it all off with a beautiful true vintage shell button. I was very impressed – this creative miss transformed her lovely idea into a really cute bag in just a couple of creative hours. Absolutely blinkin’ fabulous!

Sew pretty …

Sometimes a fabric calls my name and this beautiful blue poly-cotton, with a vintage sewing machine print, shouted ‘buy me buy me’ very loudly indeed. A lovely customer in the ThreadShed last summer made a half circle skirt out of the fabric initially but there was plenty left for this gorgeous sash blouse just for me. I used a New Look pattern which was a fairly simple pattern to follow and one I would definitely recommend to any newish sewist. The pattern is multi sized from size 10-20 so if anyone would like to book into The ThreadShed and make a similar blouse under my expert support and guidance then just drop me a message!

Sew let’s learn …

I spent a lovely afternoon in The ThreadShed with a local lady recently. She had been gifted an Arty Farty Sew Your Own Cushion Cover Experience by her thoughtful Boyfriend. She hadn’t sewn since schooldays but picked it up so quickly and her stitching was simply beautiful. The experience covers a few basics such as filling a bobbin, threading a machine, stitching in straight lines and finishing your seams. In two hours you learn enough to get going with a bit of confidence and, of course, make a gorgeous cushion cover from a selection of some fabulous true vintage fabrics. Why wouldn’t you?

Showing the sewing …

Smiley, chatty Emily popped along to The ThreadShed for a sewing lesson during a half term visit to her Granny. There is an option on my wonderful Brother sewing machine to remove the foot pedal and instead use a button to stop and start the machine. This is a great feature when working with children and helps them get to grips with controlling both the fabric and the needle. Emily told me that her favourite fruit was watermelon so we also decided to embroider a cute personalised patch to sew onto her cushion. The animal print furry fabric Emily chose was quite bulky, and not so easy to sew as the two sides didn’t stay together easily. However when we were finished Emily checked the cushion very carefully to make sure it was all stitched properly. Her inspection was so thorough that Granny and I decided Emily had a future career in quality control. The end result was FAB-U-LOUS and Emily now has a gorgeous, personalised, fluffy cushion for her bedroom that she has made herself and how many 10 year olds can say that huh?

Sewing away …

Sometimes a Mummy on her holiday in Wales comes to The ThreadShed to enjoy a little quiet sewing time. This week a lovely Mummy devoted some peaceful hours to learning to sew, whilst Dad took two adorable children to Pembroke Castle for some half term adventures. The day before the Mummy messaged me “I am a complete novice – I apologise in advance!” Yet, on the day of the “arty Farty sew your own skirt experience” she sewed confidently, neatly and deftly, and in around 3.75 hours (almost setting an experience record) her gorgeous summery skirt, in a white cotton fabric with teeny coloured polka dots, was all finished.

My peaceful little ThreadShed, situated just 0.2 miles from stunning Freshwater East Bay, is the perfect space for busy mummies (or daddies) to learn something new in a calm, quiet, cosy (very pink) environment. We have gift vouchers available so why not gift a sewing experience to someone you love?

Sew much fun…

A sewing experience in the ThreadShed is individual, personal, attentive and totally focussed on the learning pace of the customer. If I can inspire someone to really start sewing then I’m pretty chuffed! . This week the lovely Julie spent a morning with me learning how to use a sewing machine. Julie is already a creative person (check out her sweet stuff on JMcCrafts), with her very own version of The ThreadShed in her garden, she just wanted to add sewing to her skills and makes. Julie was soon stitching beautifully and had her gorgeous cushion cover all sewn up in just two hours. She chose a gorgeous vintage cotton print and did a proper neat job. Best of all after the session was over Julie messaged me to say her new Brother sewing machine is on order. That a girl!