What have you been making with your new Scandinavian goodies from Sara's Signature Collection? Why not try your hand at pretty tree decorations like these ones from the wonderful Marie?! You will need: Sara Signature Scandinavian Christmas Nordic Bird die Sara Signature Scandinavian Christmas Love Birds die Sara Signature Scandinavian Christmas Bakers Twine Threaders Felt Bundle – Naturals Threaders Felt Bundle – Brights Stick and Stay for Fabric Threaders Erasable Fabric Pen Toy Stuffing Red and White Embroidery Thread Button   Directions Lay the Love Birds...

Hello crafter's! Another eventful week here at Crafter's Companion Aycliffe and another craft filled week ahead of us! This week as well as our fabulous classes we also have the talented John Lockwood from Creative Expression in store demonstrating ( February 4th). We have three time slots for the demos - at 10am, 12pm and 2pm , you can book your FREE place here. [caption id="attachment_12533" align="alignnone" width="800"] John Lockwood[/caption] This weekend we were sewing crazy , not only did we have some fantastic deals on our sewing items we also had the lovely Sharon Wotton demonstrating dies and...

Hello crafters! Can you believe that January is nearly over ? Have you all stuck to your new years resolutions? We're feeling the love going into February at the Aycliffe Store. Have you seen our new classes for February? We have some amazing classes available to create a lovely handmade gift for your loved one.  There is a class for everyone so don't delay book you place now. Classes in review This week was once again filled with classes and fun. We started the week with Bernie Corner's 'create a car tidy' sewing class, this class was lots of fun and...

A very happy new year crafters! Well its a new year and that means new crafts ! We hope you enjoyed the festive period with your families. Have you made any new years resolutions? Our resolution this year is to craft even more than last year! New crafts and classes This year we have some fantastic classes in store for you this January! Everything from card making, paper crafting, mixed media , sewing and our new up-cycling classes. We started this year off with crafting with catitudes with Julia Gailes. This was followed by kids craft group which created some...

Have your very own vibrant wall art for your kitchen or dining room when you make this funky hoop art using the fabulous Sew Inspired 4 magazine free baking template. Follow this fabulous tutorial from Designer Angela Harkness to create your very own piece of beautiful hoop art! Directions: Step 1: Using the embroidery hoop as a guide, cut out a rough circle shape out of the plain pink Verona pink fat quarter and one out of the fusible fleece. Fuse the fleece to the fabric using a dry iron. ...

Over the moon to announce our brand new Member of the Month: Jan Shoulder. Such wonderful work for a wonderful cause. "My name is Jan Shoulder I have always been a crafter. My main hobby is Cross Stitch I also knit and sew. Every other week I go to the Sewing Cafe In Kimblesworth which is run by Jean Westgarth. I have learnt so much here, the wealth of knowledge amongst the ladies that attend is wonderful. Going to the Sewing Group helps me in making things to sell at Craft Fairs in the area and this helps with...

Sewing machine feet or presser feet put pressure on fabric as it is fed under the needle of your sewing machine. There are many feet available that do many different jobs, and having the right foot for the job will make your projects look finished and professional, and make your sewing life a lot easier! The feet will differ in look slightly depending on the manufacturer of your machine, but will work in the same way. Over Edge Foot: Also called overcasting foot, this foot has a little blade-like piece of metal that protrudes slightly from underneath. Run this...

With The Great British Sewing Bee starting on Monday 16th May and the release of Sew Inspired Issue 4, the buzz and excitement around sewing is growing even more. Machines are a great present for a beginner starting their sewing journey or a pro who needs the newest machine on the market. Here at Sew Inspired, we want to encourage everybody to take up this fantastic hobby. At Sew Inspired HQ, we all have such fond memories of learning to sew with our Grandmothers, completing our first alphabet cross stitch and the excitement of opening our first sewing kit! We...

It's such an exciting time here at Sew Inspired and to celebrate, we've decided to join Facebook & Twitter to create a fantastic community for lovers of all things sewing! We want to create a sewing 'home from home' for all of you to share inspiration, hints and tips and education. Whether you're a beginner or pro, you're all welcome to post your creations, handy tips and help one another on their sewing journey. Like our Facebook page & Follow our Twitter page To celebrate, we've teamed up with Debbie Shore and are giving one lucky winner the chance to...

We're pleased to introduce Wendy Coffey, our Member of the Month for March 2016! I have been crafting for about 8 years with paper, that is. I have always “done things”...sewing, knitting by hand and machine and crochet. All the usual things we try. I used to sell my knitted garments to friends and also I worked for a shop doing alterations. I worked for a few years making curtains in a professional way, heavy work. So you can see I’ve tried a lot of things. About 8 years ago I joined the local friendship group and went to...