http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com en-gb aprilmarietextiles.com 2012-4-22T00:00:00Z aprilmarietextiles.com http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#116912 After a few yucky days full of rain the sun came out this Saturday just in time for my crochet flower workshop at the Craft Studio. I had an awesome day with a lovely bunch of ladies crocheting flowers. We drank tea completed at least two flowers each and used a pretty selection of coloured yarn.I cant wait to see more pretties as they practice their flowers at home... dont forget to share piccies ladies.Ive been teaching crochet at the Craft Studio for a while now but its only within the past few weeks Ive actually moved in. Clare who runs the studio made some space for me and after a trip or two to Ikea Im in Saturday was my first workshop since properly moving in and it was so nice to just turn up and teach. Normally I have to lug my granny trolley and at least one big shopper bag up three fights of stairs which as you can imagine makes me one sticky unfit teacherHeres a few piccies April Marie Textiles at the Craft Studio..... 2012-4-22 19:43:40 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#116020 Bunnies are brown Bunnies are whiteBunnies are always An Easter delight.Bunnies are cuddly The large and the small.But I like chocolate ones The best of them all. Easter Springtime New life Bird song and... ChocolateLast year I made a hand full of these little guys they went down so well this Easter I went on crochet overload and made tones more bunnies and chicks stuffed with yummy caramel and creme eggs.They didnt last long I sold out within a few days with only a couple left for my friends and family. Too cute 2012-4-7 16:00:42 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#114783 I forgot about these little fellas. Some more cheeky childrens TV characters crocheted with love for Christmas pressies. 2012-3-16 18:21:03 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#113578 After a mini sort out of all of my yarn and partially started crochet projects I decided to use up some of my odd yarn balls and some hot pink granny squares I had made up a long while ago. Its so easy to start a project and then get side tracked with another so after a few evenings of continuous grannysquaring I whipped up this lovely pinkypurple blanket as a gift to my six year old niece Katie. 2012-2-29 10:32:40 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#112516 A Gift for Baby Gifts all round this month it seems. Next month Im going to be an auntie. My little nephew is nicely cooking away in mummies tummy and is due to arrive at the end of March. As Spring joins us so too does the pitter patter of tiny feet. I cant waitI have been a busy bee of late and Ive started to make lots of goodies for the little fella. Here are just a few of the things Ive been making.Top of the list my favourite little crocheted owl. Crocheted toys.... auntie Aprils forte. To match a super soft personalised blanket to match and finally for now an ABC123 cube for learning his alphabet and numbers.... or for playing football or maybe both A Gift for Me 2012 hasnt been the bestest start to a year for me health wise so to cheer me up some of my most special people surprised me with some beautiful gifts. Thanks guys you mean the world.From my lovely friends Dawn and Steven I received this yummy Hotel Chocolate heart. I almost didnt want to eat it it was... 2012-2-15 07:23:26 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#112356 Last week I taught the lovely Helen from Cake Eaters Anonymous to crochet. Being the biggest craft addict I have ever met Helen picked it up in no time. Armed with her new crochet Amigurumi book and lots of enthusiasm we jumped right in and made ourselves a toy. The pattern we chose found on page 10 was for an Egg Bear which should have looked like an egg sized twocolour bear a great project to learn the basics of shaping. Following instructions with ease Helen soon whipped up her toy changing colours half way as the pattern instructed however I think her cake subconscious took over and Helens bear soon turned into a cupcake. Great job Helen I cant wait to see crochet cupcakes popping up on the Nottingham cake scene soon. Keep your eyes out folks 2012-2-12 16:29:54 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#111861 As a treat to my expectant big sister I throw a baby shower this Saturday to celebrate the coming of my soon to arrive little nephew. Bringing together all of my sisters and brotherinlaws close friends and family the afternoon took on a vintage tea party feel with afternoon tea 1940s music and crochet.... of course there had to be crochet I made lots of yummy treats tea from a pot and even decorated the place with specially made baby bunting. The mum to be herself even got involved and did a bit of crochet but only once shed opened all of her beautiful presents. With cute tiny clothes soft teddies and fleecy blankets the party was soon full of plenty of ooohs and arrrhs which as you can imagine caused a few laughs. The girls all took part in crocheting squares to create a truly personal gift for the little man. From neatly formed squares to irregular wonky strings we all took part in building a family blanket oh and I mustnt forget the boys who kept us topped up w... 2012-2-5 19:05:42 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#110647 With the festive season well behind us I say helloooo 2012 I hope youve all had a magical Christmas and were spoilt rotten by the people you love I certainly was. Here are three of my favourite pressies from my amazing husband of 6 months can you believe weve been married for 6 month already I know I cant lets hope 2012 takes a slightly slower pace than 2011.1. I just love my new studio sign by the lovely Sam Beeby from Shabby Chic Wooden Signs. My husbands use of alliteration Wool Wonderland is a perfect description for my little studio... yarn yarn everywhere 2. This beautiful door mat was too pretty to leave outside so it now replaces my old tatty fabric mat placed by the back door and adds oodles of colour and loveliness each and every day. Its just a shame of its purpose though... I was a little upset when my husband came in and wiped his muddy feet on it the other day tut tut 3. And finally something Ive been after for age wall decals. Inspired by our wedding th... 2012-1-18 18:12:02 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#108562 As a Christmas treat my husband and I visited the big smoke last weekend for a fun filled few days of site seeing shopping and festive hustle and bustle. As it was Seans first ever trip to London I really wanted to show him everything London had to offer from the busy cramped underground to the spectacular architecture and historic landmarks we even popped by the palace and visited the queen and the crown jewels. We shared our weekend with my parents and as always there are plenty of piccies to show you. This time it was Sean in charge of the camera. Hes done a super job wouldnt you agreeDAY 1 Friday 2nd December 2011London BridgeI just love the blue details. Tower of LondonSo much to see. Animals in the TowerWe were amazed by the incredible artwork at the Tower by Kendra Haste. The night drew in quickly and we found ourselves in a brightly lit city with so many roads to take. We visited Traf... 2011-12-12 20:48:42 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#107487 This has been one of my favourite commissions of all time. With my own wedding still fresh in my thoughts I welcomed the chance to create a beautiful unique gift for a friend to present to her brother this Christmas as he ties the knot on Saturday 23rd December to his fiance Stacey.I almost feel a part of this wedding the special details have been present in many a conversation over the past few months as the date draws closer and my friends excitement increases. With a classic black amp white theme and sparkling silver finishes this winter wedding sounds magical lets just hope the snow holds off until photo time ....Never fear Stacey will be sporting her shiny new silver Hunter wellies an essential winter wedding accessory wouldnt you agree 2011-11-24 22:14:55 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#107181 When my granny was a child techniques like knitting crochet sewing and baking were learnt and passed on from mother to daughter to granddaughter now in a society of computers the internet and video games these skills are being lost. Like my granny I had a strong interest in textiles and it wasnt long before she was teaching me to knit and crochet. Now after about four or five years of crocheting I get the opportunity to pass on my skills to the next generation. This is what craft is all about This Saturday I taught my young cousin Megan to crochet. Megan is a couple of weeks away from turning 12 and she wanted to do something a little different to celebrate. She had recently learnt to knit but after seeing my crocheted flowers at my wedding earlier this year she turned to me to teach her to crochet so she could make some of her own.I was really surprised by how well Megan did. She picked up the stitches easily and was able to leave the session with her very own croche... 2011-11-20 16:51:40 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#106851 To mark Remembrance Sunday and honour local servicemen and women who have died in conflicts since and including the First World War I lead my Brownie group this Sunday in a parade through Bulwell. Bulwells Remembrance Sunday parade started from the car park of the Oakleigh Lodge Social Club on Highbury Road at 10.30 am. The procession marched to St Marys Church where poppy wreaths were laid before a service inside the church. 2011-11-14 20:52:34 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#106341 Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Style Definitions table.MsoNormalTable msostylenameTable Normal msotstylerowbandsize0 msotstylecolbandsize0 msostylenoshowyes msostyleparent msopaddingalt0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt msoparamargin0cm msoparamarginbottom.0001pt msopaginationwidoworphan fontsize10.0pt fontfamilyTimes New Roman For those of you that know me this may come as a bit of a surprise.On Sunday... I cooked And when I say cooked I mean I cooked a three course meal for my husband and I from scratch and all by myself. Sean is the designated chef in our household I am very much a bung it in the oven or microwave kind of girl. I know tut tut not very good to say I have only recently become a wife. I would normally much prefer to clean a toilet than slave away in the kitchen however it was actually fun. Now Im not going to become the main cook in the house but I can say I enjoyed it I enjoyed the planning ... 2011-11-7 18:04:30 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#106023 Join me on Saturday 26th November for another crochet taster session this time well be learning how to create a crochet coaster. Working in rounds and using single crochet I will teach you the basics as well as how to increase to create a perfectly flat circle. Crochet circles can be used to make all sorts of products coasters place mats rugs cushions pot holders.... the list goes onTo find out more or to book your place click here. 2011-11-2 22:28:48 http://www.aprilmarietextiles.com/page17.htm#105741 With so many exciting things going on at the moment I dont know where to start... new studio... crochet workshops... crafty commissions... ohh theres so much to shareSomewhere to call my own...Over the past few weeks my husband and I have been renovating our out house into a mini studio for me Its been long awaited but its finally finished and Im so enthusiastic about sharing my excitement with you. Woolly pretty colourful loveliness I can call my crochet havenIts totally amazing and I absolutely love it I wouldnt have been able to do it without the help of my very talented dad and always happy to help mum so thanks guys youre amazing. Sean my husband though is the real star he has put up with my crafty mess for such a long time and after hours of plastering drilling cutting sanding and painting which I helped with of course he has created a space I can really be proud of and call my own. Crochet Squares...Yesterday I headed into town for my second crochet workshop at The Craft ... 2011-10-30 17:02:05