A couple of Shabby Chic Rosettes

Before I got to the Newark Quilt Show this year I’d already chosen which workshop I’d like to do, and a backup choice just in case. But I was fortunate enough to get onto my first choice which was the Shabby Chic Rosettes with Kate Crossley, who as it turned out had led the bag making course that I attended in 2024. I did wonder, and I was right.

It was a great workshop, and I even finished one of the rosettes there on the day which was great as it meant that I really wanted to finish the other one at home, rather than leave it languishing in a cupboard somewhere, which can quite often be the case can’t it?

Making the rosettes

The tools and materials for this workshop were strips of material, glue, scissors and a pencil, and no sewing.

I shared the image below previously as part of my what’s new in my craft room update, the green and white rosette in the top left corner was the one I completed on the day. As well as a second rosette to make at home I also left with a button to finish the centre of the larger rosette, a selection of ribbons, some small pieces of material for the back and a brooch and hair clip attachment.

I was keen to finish the second rosette. At the workshop I’d folded the length of material in half and cut most of the way through the folded edge, creating the petals. I hadn’t started the rolling as I thought it would be easier to start afresh rather than to pick it up part way through.

The rolling is where the pencil came in, and more glue. As you roll, you glue.

Or rather glue, and roll.

Glue and roll.

And keep going.

Kate suggested using this ‘Amazon Basic’ glue stick, which goes on purple and dries clear, which does make it easier to see where you’ve glued already. It’s relatively cheap too, and some slipped into my Amazon basket ahead of attempting to finish this at home.

Once the four strips are glued and rolled, I was almost done.

I was quite pleased at how neat mine was at the back, I’d taken particular care to keep the ends level and it worked. To help it ‘set’ Kate turns them right side up and squashes them down with her hand. And it works, even though it feels counterintuitive to squash your work!

So now I have two Shabby Chic Rosettes, and the knowledge to create many, many more. I already think they’ve got plenty of potential uses alongside the brooch and hairpin options - I haven’t added either of the backings yet, as I want to think about how I’ll use them first.

I think these could be added to bags, and pouches (!) as a decoration, and they could be made in fabric which complements your outfit for an coordinated embellishment, or even as corsages for weddings etc. Another suggestion on the day was to make two and glue them together to make a sphere, adding a hanging loop so they can hang on your bunting, or on your Christmas tree. The possibilities are endless it seems!

But it was a great way to spend an hour, and to leave with something finished, a new skill and plenty of ideas. I’m sure I’ll be making more!

Post Comment Love 13 - 15 February

Hello there, welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo - a relaxed, friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any blog post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked, comment and share some of that love.

Please don’t link up posts which are older as they will be removed, and if you see older posts are linked then please don’t feel that it’s necessary to comment on those. If you were here last week it was great to have you along, if you’re new here we’re pleased you’ve joined us.

It’s been all about our blue chandelier this week. We bought it in the sale, with 30% off, from Dunelm of all places unsure if it would be right for our space. It wasn’t available to view in our local shop, and the website said that returns were easy, and well with 30% off, we thought it was worth a punt.

Anyway, it came in kit form and after several peeks in the box and holding parts of it in the area it would hang, we decided to keep it. MOH even booked our electrician to come and fit it - it hangs from the ridge of our house so neither of us were keen for anyone else to put it up.

Monday was all about completing the jigsaw and putting it together; with two of us working on it, it came together more quickly, and completed it stayed on our table waiting for the electrician to work his magic, which he did. I’ve shared a picture from before it’s up though, as you can see much more of the detail in this shot.

After stalking this light online for a good year, it’s good to finally have it where it belongs!

Have a good week.

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A British Rainforest

* I was invited to the Gardeners’ World Live show and provided with a pair of tickets to the show, therefore all my posts will be marked as 'Ad’ though as usual my views and opinions are very much my own.

Given the amount of rain we’ve had this year I thought it topical to share this garden designed by Chris North, as the title caught my eye as I was scrolling through my photos of the gardens that I still want to share from the 2025 show.

It was a fascinating garden, or Beautiful Border, and it was easy to see why it was awarded Platinum.

Chris said that his border ‘encapsulates a regenerating rainforest, underplanted with native British flora’ and aims to ‘raise awareness of these magical woodlands and the need to protect them.’

Temperate rainforests are globally important habitats found in mild climates with particularly high rainfall and humidity. They’re rarer than their tropical counterparts but are rich in biodiversity which supports populations of ferns, mosses and liverworts. Though the remaining rainforests in western Britain are threatened by deforestation and overgrazing.

Alongside the planting, I particularly liked the iron fern frond sculptures inserted into the space, and I would happily have left the show with a couple of sets of these had I seen them. I didn’t get a chance to speak to the designer either as both times we visited the border he was being held deep in conversation by someone else, and the same someone else, which was a little frustrating! We waited both times, but it was clear the conversation wasn’t ending anytime soon, so I left with just the pictures - and wondering how MOH could replicate these, I do like to give him a challenge!

I do love a fern or two, and it’s something we don’t have in our garden here. After having so many growing, and self propagating, in our previous garden now that I think of it it seems odd for us to have none at all. I’m sure though, that’s something I can correct!

These sculptural mushrooms also looked right at home in the garden, I’m not sure they’re something I’d go for, and if I did I’m not sure I could make them look this natural either. At least not in the timescales required for the build for a show.

Isn’t it an amazing space, and doesn’t it make you think differently about the lush green plants that are native to where we live?

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was quite a show! I’ll be sharing more from my visit to this year’s show throughout the year - I hope you enjoy them as much as I did the show.