***Announcing: Shop Launch***

Shop Launch Opening Weekend - 27th & 28th January.

For those of you who follow us on Social Media you will have seen the announcement that we have opened our own Studio & Shop in the heart of Sherwood Forest.

The Shop & Studio is located at Studio 13, Sherwood Art & Craft Centre, Edwinstowe, Notts NG21 9RN.  It is a lovely location, with many different Artists & Crafts people located there.  It is very close to the Major Oak and the new Sherwood Forest Visitor centre is being built right next door.  The New Visitor Centre is a joint project by the RSPB and Nottinghamshire Council and is due to open this summer. The Centre will have exhibits connected with the Forest and Robin Hood, a shop and cafe, amphitheatre and play area.

Having a 'bricks and mortar' base will enable us to showcase our full range of products and will enable some items to be personalised 'on site' whilst the customer waits (or visits the excellent cafe next door!).

We are having our offical launch on the 27th & 28th January, so please come and join us for a glass of fizz, cake and opening offers.

The website will be updated with new products in due course, but if you are local to North Nottinghamshire or are visiting the area then please call and the shop and see us.

This is a big step for a very little business, thank you to all those that have supported us along the way.

Best wishes.

Joanne

The website has been updated for some of our new products including, Dolls, Hair Accessory Hangers and Cushions.

 

It's been a busy time at Bug HQ, attended a lovely MacMillan coffee morning on the 30th, followed by a Food Fair at Swarkestone Nursery. This was a lovely event in an area we've not attended before and we were very well received!  Plenty of orders to keep us busy and we met some lovely people.

Another event this coming weekend at Papplewick and behind the scenes we're working on Christmas stock and getting ready for the hectic month of events which kicks off with Southwell on the 5th November. Exciting times.

Christmas range.................it's arrived!!  (More products to be added!).

Bears & Bunting

The Bears in personalised T-shirts and the Traditional Bunting are now on the website.  New fabrics will be added to the Bunting options.

 At Bug HQ we're getting ready for the a charity event and the Southwell Plough Match, we will also be launching the new Hair Accessory Hangers and Appliqued Cushions on the website, so keep checking for updates.

Joanne

It's September!!!

September and early Autumn is my favourite time of year, and one of my favourite events is this month.  I'll be at the Southwell Plough Match & Show on Saturday 24th September. Prior to that I'll be attending a couple of local events which are fundraising for very worthwhile causes.  If you're local to either event then please come and say hello, you'll be able to find all my events on the events tab on the website.

September also marks the start of the Christmas preparations, with most events in the busy month of November, preparations begin early!

Prior to the launch of the Christmas range I hope to launch some new products to add to existing ranges, so keep checking my facebook page for news.

A lot of Mums will be thinking of the back to school, don't forget the back pack range for little ones, and the towels are great for those doing swimming lessons or students off to university!

Joanne

Heading towards Autumn!

I'm busy at HQ getting ready for the Auckley Show tomorrow.  The last of the summer events, though the weather is not looking very summery!

I will also be using my new stand for the animal playsets.  These sets have proven to be really popular, really handy for play dates or for meals out.



Once the school holidays have finished I'll be concentrating on the new ranges and Christmas.  When things are handmade it means Christmas starts really early!

If you are getting ready for little ones going back to preschool or just starting then don't forget about the Little Backpacks, These are roomy but perfectly sized for little ones to carry themselves with adjustable straps and little pockets.

Joanne

Safari Animals are will be featuring in our Animal Playsets soon.  The Dinosaurs and Farm Friends have been so popular I've added the safari animals to the range. 

These are great to take out and about, one customer bought them to take for meals out to occupy her little boy at the table whilst waiting for his dinner.

Each set has 48 mini figures, the safari animals includes Elepehants, Giraffes, Gorillas, Tigers, Leopards, Zebra, Rhinos, Bears, Camels, Lion, Elks.

Baby Talk

There seems to have been lots of new arrivals this spring, with gifts for new babies being extremely popular.  Coming to the website soon are these snuggly fleece baby blankets.

The baby talk fabric for the bunting boards has been popular for Christening gifts and this gorgeous japenese print ballet fabric "Happy Ballerina's" is also popular.

May will be soon upon us, and I'll be attending Portland College craft fair and Etwall Well Dressing, the Well Dressing are a great traditional Derbyshire event with plenty to keep the family entertained.

Family Tree Cushions are now on the website.... more colour options coming soon.

From Dinosaurs to Bunnies....

Well it's a very miserable wet start to the week, so having completed the dinosaurs I'm moving on to bunnies!  Ever hopeful that spring is around the corner.

This week I'll hopefully have some new styles of bunting too.  Bunting is great for brightening a room and personalised bunting adds a really nice touch to a child's room.

Also I've some new fabrics for the baking sets, gearing up for my first event of the year next month. I've several events booked so do come and say hello if there are any near you!.

Joanne

Another busy week at Bug HQ, not sure where the time has vanished too!  I was hoping to have some photo's of new products to post but not had the benefit of being here when it's light enough to do the photography!

I will be announcing a special offer on the backpacks in the next few days, so if you have little ones off to nursery then keep an eye out .  They are a great practical buy and being personalised there will be no mix ups at Nursery.

I've started to book a few events for later in the year, including Arnold Carnival and Etwall Well Dressing, if you would like The Fabric Bug to attend any of school fairs etc.. just get in touch.

Loving this week, my new shelf unit for some of my many jars of buttons.

Off to do some networking,

Joanne 

New Year, New Goals...........

Each year I usually set some 'goals', and they usually include updating my blog more frequently.  Life and orders then usually get in the way! But this year I've decided to make a big effort to routinely blog and in doing so thought I would try and make them a little more interesting than just showcasing new products.

So whilst launching  new products I thought I would also give you an insight into Bug HQ!.  I have a lovely work room (it's loveliest when it's at is tidiest which isn't often!).  I work surrounded by jars of buttons, reels of ribbon and bolts of fabric.......my happy place!  I also have a few gorgeous items sourced from other makers and some retailers, all of which give me a creative space to work.  So I thought as well as sharing my makes, I could show you some of the items made by others that are sometimes practical and sometimes just pretty and make me smile!...... I will try and give the Maker a mention if I can remember them!........

So to start with...........these gorgeous free-machine embroidered baskets from "Handmade by Amber" on facebook.  I also purchased some of these as gifts, her range is awesome!

You might also spot the scissors in a scissor keeper from a not so little business, Liberty of London!

Back to Bug products then and whilst January is usually quiet I have several orders, especially for gifts for new Babies, and this is a little peak at one of the items to be joining the baby/soft toy product range:

This little pup (suitable from birth) comes in a personalised bag and will be joined by a pink bunny in personalised bag very soon.  The sleepsuits and hats are popular too.  

I'm in the process of designing some new bunting ranges so keep an eye out for some more gift ideas.........

Let's hope 2016 is a healthy and happy year for all... and that I manage to accomplish some of my new year goals!

Joanne x

Happy New Year to you all! The Fabric Bug is excited about 2016, there are new products to be launched and a huge sort out planned after a busy Christmas season. We shall be continuing to work with Abbeyhead Crafts at the Arnold store and I know they have already been working hard at the shop. I hope you all enjoyed the festivities and wish everyone good health and happiness for 2016.

We've somehow arrived in the middle of October!   Drum roll......some of the Christmas Stock is now available to buy on the website.  More lines will be added over the coming weeks.  

There are new fabric ranges  added to the mini bunting boards too and lots more fabric options and products are in the pipe line.

Many customers it would appear have already begun their Christmas shopping so don't forget to order any personalised items early.

New lines are often announced on Facebook so if you are a Facebook user please follow me.

Had a great time at Southwell Ploughing Match and Show​ but was too busy to post any pics!  Busy week this week with orders and new product launches (hopefully!!).  This coming weekend is another charity event on Saturday and then Sunday I'm at Eastwood Hall for the Eastwood Festival, lets hope this lovely autumn weather continues!

Hello, I haven't blogged for sometime, it's a long story......busy with orders, and a cold, the coughing from which caused me to pull a muscle in my back! But I'm on the mend. I'll be supporting a MacMillan coffee morning at The John Fretwell Centre tomorrow, so if you're local please pop down for coffee cake and take a look at some lovely stalls. Then Saturday it's the Southwell Ploughing Match and Show, one of my favourite events. In the coming weeks my new products will be making their way to the website and so too will the Christmas range. Thank you to the customers that have sent me lovely feedback recently, it's made a difficult few weeks better! :)

Teacher Gifts, Father's Day Gifts .......and a Carnival

Is it really Monday already?  It's father's day next Sunday and I'll be exhibiting some of my Father's Day gifts at Arnold Carnival this weekend.  My hubby will be doing the Great Notts Bike Ride for MacMillan so I hope the weather is good to the both of us.

It's approaching the end of the school year too so Teachers gifts are on the Fabric Bug work table this week.  

Heading towards busy weekends with events, starting with Arnold Carnival, a favourite of mine and I'll be alongside Kirsty of Kirsty's Contemporary Cards, so they'll be a few giggles too :)

From Dressing Gowns .........to Horses!

There's been a flurry of new makes at Bug HQ and they're gradually making there way to the website.

One of my favourite items are the new Dressing Gowns for tots.  A snuggly fleece dressing gown perfect for night time snuggles and lazy morning.  Avialable in sizes from 3 months to 2 years,

For lazy mornings too, what about a bit of pampering for Mum.  The new pamper kits make a lovely token gift.  Available in two sizes they contain a personalised flannel, and nail kit.  The larger kits are roomier enabling you to add more treats.  These are not just for Mums either, they're a great gift for Teachers, or for Spa trips.   

Personalised soft toys are always popular too, and Horses with a personalised bandana have been a popular addition to the range.

There are more new ranges coming to the website soon too so please keep checking and subscribe for the updates to receive the emails.

I'm pleased to announce that you can now purchase The Fabric Bug products at Abbeyhead Crafts in Sutton In Ashfield. It is a delightful little gift shop in the market place (formerly Molly Moo's). It stocks other personalised handmade gifts as well as a variety of unusual gifts for every occasion. Michelle and Sally are a wonderful team and as well as stocking our products are happy to take orders for personalised products that can be collected from the shop. I can personally recommend their other wares too!! smile emoticon Please stop by if you are in the area and support a lovely local business.