Making a needlepoint project bag

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Making a needlepoint project bag

This is a really special one to me and as I begin to write this post I find myself just so thrilled with the outcome that it brings happy tears to my eyes. Let’s just say that it’s a story that can now be in my ‘everyday’. I feel like I took something old and made it new, but kept the ‘old’ and embraced the ‘new’ and the result is something both useful and so pretty and worth all the hours spent on it.

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Making embroidered jewellery

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Making embroidered jewellery

Hello there and oh boy is it hot! Almost too hot to sew, but perhaps not quite. I have been so inspired by things I have seen lately that I have been tinkering with making some pretty little things. I am such an ‘Accessories’ girl and love mixing and matching bits and bobs in my long curated collection. However, actually making fabric jewellery probably began a while ago actually when I made my first little pendant bag necklace….

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Making the Coverlet Jacket

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Making the Coverlet Jacket

So here is my ‘Handmade Summer’….this quilted jacket was a great project that is setting the tone for the sunshine months ahead. The joy of handmade things never fades for me - it is such a creative, mediative and practical pastime and you end up with unique things that are so fun to use and wear.

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Making a 'Stockholm' Needlepoint Cushion

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Making a 'Stockholm' Needlepoint Cushion

… Needlepoint is not a difficult form of embroidery and is actually very mediative. The colours on the kit were so bright and vibrant and as you build the design, that lovely feel of something hardwearing and enduring starts to creep in. It is no wonder that tapestries are some of the oldest surviving textiles in the world, because as you weave the stitches, the wool forms a carpet like fabric and you just know it is forever.

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The 'Marie Antoinette Style' Exhibition at London's V & A

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The 'Marie Antoinette Style' Exhibition at London's V & A

As you know, I do love a good costume exhibition and last weekend I was lucky enough to go to the ‘Marie Antoinette Style’ exhibition in London. Held at the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington, it was spectacularly staged. I am full of admiration for the curators who put these wonderful things together and it was just a feast for the eyes. Loaded with story telling in the best kind of way, it’s a visual look at this tragic Queen of France’s life and her legacy.

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Making the 'Traveler Shawl' by Dreareneeknits

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Making the 'Traveler Shawl' by Dreareneeknits

Really excited to share this one with you, it has been a most lovely project. I first caught sight of this shawl on instagram a while ago and perhaps it was the name which attracted me to it and I bookmarked it as a possible project. Then one of my favourite knitters posted a photo about it and I was so smitten that I decided to get the pattern and put it firmly at the top of my ‘to do’ list. The magical colours of the variegated wool just looked so beautiful, especially with the ribbed triangles at cross angles.

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Making Project Bags

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Making Project Bags

One of the first priorities for the year was to make some project bags. Like most ‘makers/stitchers’ I often have at least 4 projects on the go at any one time: a knitting one, an embroidery one/two, a dressmaking one, and a quilting one. Being organised is key and being able to put them in bags to keep everything together is so useful.

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Making the Victoria Park Scarf

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Making the Victoria Park Scarf

This project has kept me company through six months of displacement and moving around and now that we have finally moved into our forever home by the sea, it is a testament to those days, when so much uncertainty and decision making caused lots of ups and downs. It will be perfect for chilly autumn days by the sea and winter walks when the wind blows and the frosts sparkle.

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Making the Briar Shawl

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Making the Briar Shawl

We were in the middle of moving, well…paused in the middle of moving and I saw the knitting pattern for this shawl on instagram. I knew it was just the perfect gift for a dear friend who was about to celebrate her 60th birthday. For some nuts reason, I figured it would be a quick project that I would easily complete in time for the party. It was not, but that is entirely my fault and as usual, my over reaching ambition to challenge myself.

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What I did with my 1987 Wedding Dress Part 2

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What I did with my 1987 Wedding Dress Part 2

When one of your children gets married, it is an emotional milestone in your life and this is a way to link the generations in a tangible way. It is just a simple gift, a way to preserve the past and carry it forward to the future. It is a family thing, a very personal gift and what’s more….she loved it…..

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