Some days you just wake up and in the haziness of that early morning cup of tea an idea just pops into your head and before you know where you are - it’s lunch time and the housework is untouched, but you have solved a problem with a little stitching.
Read MoreA while ago (actually 4 years to be precise) I made a ‘Weekender’ Bag from Amy Butler’s pattern. It was not an easy make, especially for someone like me who had never used piping before and is not all that comfortable with zips. It actually turned out remarkably well and I have used it plenty. It is not brilliant though and I have often thought about making another one …. with hindsight. Recently I saw on Instagram, a beautiful version made by ‘a.crafty.fox’ and was suddenly inspired to try again - helped by the fact that I am just finishing up my second ‘Shoreham’ quilt, I had a million scraps left over and figured the two were a match made in heaven….or is it hell.
So here we go again - a text print weekender bag…..take 2.
Read MoreIf you are a maker, you probably have multiple projects going on and having bags like this are wonderful to keep everything together. It is pretty thing to take out and about with you if you are travelling or holidaying and want to take a little handwork with you. It is also a lovely gift for someone, either as a kit or made and customised for them.
Read MoreRecently I bought a couple of beautiful little Japanese embroidery books on Etsy and was totally inspired by them to make an embroidered bag. I knew before I began that the embroidery would be the easy bit for me....the bag making...not so much, but I also wanted to challenge myself to make something a bit more upmarket than the few patchwork boho type bags I have made before.
Read MoreI may have mentioned to you before how much I liked the bi annual magazine 'Making' and this week I got the new spring issue. As usual, it is to swoon over....indefinitely. Packed full of beautiful, contemporary makes, both knitting and sewing, it is just gorgeous.
Read MoreI can't tell you how thrilled I am with this. It is exactly how I imagined it would be - pretty, useful and completely unique. It has all the feel of a vintage piece...a handcrafted perfectly matched accessory.
Read MoreIn assembling the bag you need the 3 C's 'Chocolate, Chardonnay and Courage' but perhaps most of all GO SLOW. Read, re-read and take your time.
Read MoreTwo days to go before packing and so, before our computer is whisked away and I have to sign off for a while, I just wanted to update you on my summer accessories project. We have a couple of big occasions this summer, our youngest son's final Speech Day at school and our daughter's graduation from university, so I wanted to make some pretty things to use. I am not much of a clothes person really, but accessories....I love. So what do I have to report. Well, first of all... Anna Maria Horner is a total genius. The needlepoint clutch bag is quite simply the prettiest project I have ever worked on and its going to be really lovely.
Read MoreMaking Embroidery Modern
