We have just launched a new line of hand appliqued tea cosies, caffetiere cosies and pot holders for a coordinated range in the country kitchen. These pretty kitchen accessories are currently being trialled in our local tea and coffee supplies shop IRVIN’s House of Flavour www.irvinsteaandcoffee.com

I shall upload some photos as soon as possible - hopefully you can give me some feedback and some examples will be available in our internet shop from mid-july. These will all be in the shabby chic country style - predominantly a combination of fresh summer colours(red apple, lime, rose pink) in stripe, gingham and floral patterns. Applique patterns will range from birdhouses to flowers, angels to seasonal designs.

Well, I am really excited about the new American Primitive stock that has now arrived. These are genuine hand made items from the USA and I wish we had smelly vision because they smell gorgeous. My particular favourite is the Ole Barn Cat and Cleetus and his Wagon. The muslin carrots and his garden tools are really sweet.

I have also just received a new consignment of american pip berry wreaths, garlands, rusty stars and much much more which I will put in the shop over the next few days.

I am delighted to announce that ShakerChic will be offering some genuine American Primitive Goodies for sale in February as part of our new spring range.

Watch this space!

I introduced these little cuties at our local Christmas Craft Fair last Saturday. They look really nice grouped together in a bowl and actually do smell of strawberries and cream and pears. The strawberries have little red seeds which are hand embroidered on to the fabric - a bit fiddly but worth the effort. I got a lot of interest in the fabric boxes I displayed them in and have taken several commissions for these, which is funny really as I didn’t think about selling any of these. I may put a few on the site to see if anyone likes them.

I love wax tarts. One of the first things I do each day is to light the tealight under my burner and add a little wax - there are so many lovely fragrances available. I have just added some new tarts and melts to the store which I think you will love. There are seasonal scents such as Christmas Time and everyday scents like Fresh Red Apple. I like them as a natural way of adding fresh aromas to your home - much better than aerosols and kinder to the environment. My dogs seem particularly fond of the chocolate variety.

I’ve just added some fabric hanging hearts to the store which I hope people like. I have used some Laura Ashley and Moda Fabrics with some embroidery and applique patches. I have used the reverse applique method to avoid fraying. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear your suggestions.

Here is a portion of information regarding what excatly I consider to be American Shaker from my style page of my main site, “The Shakers were members of a religious group which was founded in England in the late 1700’s. Finding themselves persecuted for their beliefs they emigrated to America. The Shakers believed in living a life of abstinence and celibacy. They also believed that everything in the home should be purely functional. Any embellishments were considered unnecessary. Everything they made although simple was made to the highest standard. For the American Shaker their work was a testament to God.”

Browse my online store to view some of American Shaker products we have available.

So, you take a perfectly good piece of calico and before you use it you put it through some very strange processes.

Now it really depends on how grungy you want your finished product to look as to what you need to do with it.  True American primitive dolls can look really, really grungy so they look like they have really been around. That might be a bit extreme for some UK tastes and the majority of the dolls or stitcheries that I produce will be a little less ‘extreme prim’.

When I first started making stitchery pillows I really found it difficult to get that aged appearance to the calico without making it look like it had been laying in the gutter for a few weeks! After much trial and error and some really good advice from ‘ravin ’bout primitives’ I came up with a recipe that works for me. For the stitchery pillows I prefer a lighter stain so I will put around 10 teabags in a medium sized bowl and add very hot but not boiling water. Allow this mixture to stand for around half an hour before removing the teabags. You can also add some vanilla extract and cinnamon to the mixture and allow to marinate for a few hours. You should always use vanilla extract not essence as the smell will last longer and is stronger. The cinnamon will add a lovely aroma to the cloth. Don’t worry if you find that there are little gritty bits over the calico - this is meant to happen and all helps give your finished article an aged appearance. Once you are ready you then add the calico and leave. How long you leave it also depends on how strong you wish your stain to be. I find that overnight is good. When you have finished,  remove the calico from the mixture and now you can do one of two things, either hang to dry on the line or lay on a baking sheet and bake in a very low oven. This really seems to fix the vanilla and cinnamon into the cloth. You have to keep a careful eye on it as it can burn easily. Don’t worry if you can see blemishes - it is not meant to have an even stained appearance.d

Now you are ready to use the calico in your own project! You can use the stained calico in stitcheries for pillows or wall hangings, candle mats and dolls, the possibilities are endless. Look out for my candle mats which will be added to the store soon and have a look at all my American Primitive Products.

For a deeper stain then use coffee instead of tea. Just use instant coffee - around 10 tablespoons- and follow the same process.

Another way of staining your fabric is to use walnut ink crystals. A small amount in hot water will produce a very dark stain (See my Reba loves Baby doll)

Everyone will work out their own staining brew recipe eventually according to their own preferences but once you get used to the basics it is great fun and easy too.

With the launch of our new website comes our new blog! Subscribe to the craft feed and you will recieve weekley updates regarding tips and products for the home.