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 MoreFor the last four years I have been using a Janome Horizon sewing machine. It’s been a great piece of kit and I love it dearly, but late last year I made the decision to invest in a new sewing machine - the Juki TL-2200 QVP mini. There were a few reasons for this.
Read MoreHello there and Happy New Year to you all. I do find this time of year quite hard, taking down the decorations and feeling a bit flat after Christmas, so the best thing to do is hole up in the sewing room and create something….the result is a new mini quilt pattern to start off my new project ‘Literary Threads’.
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 MoreDesigning and writing a new quilt pattern is not an easy business! Especially when the project concerned is a seaside quilt and it’s October! Of course I know this is completely the wrong time of year to be popping out a design that is all about summer holidays - but then…just as this project has taken me much longer do than I ever intended, I figure that all you stitchers and quilters out there need time to plan. What could be nicer on a dreary winters day than making a project for the summer days to come.
Read MoreIf like me you love anything in the genre of ‘Sewing things’ you’ll know how hard it is to resist when a new pattern comes out that is just perfect for the wall of your sewing space. And so it was when I saw Camille Roskelley’s new little mini quilt pattern ‘Stitched with Love’. I decided immediately that it was on the to do list and ordered the pattern. It arrived last week, along with at the equally irresistible, gorgeous bundle of the ‘Rifle Paper Co’s’ latest bundle of fabric - ‘English Garden’ and an autumn wind that just set the tone for my weekend.
Read MoreI decided to start with a new quilt pattern and this time it was easy to decide what to do...it's been on my list for quite a while. 'Shoreham' is going to be a really pretty, fun project with a lovely seaside feel and it all stems from this photograph.
Read MoreIt has been a bizarre week! Despite the unusual heatwave that has been with us for quite a while, I found myself rummaging around in the garage, lugging boxes of Christmas stuff into the house, putting up the tree and decorating it...taking photos and then putting it all away again - even Basil the cat thought I had lost the plot. However, it was totally worth it because now I can bring you my new pattern....a Christmas tree skirt.
Read MoreIt came about that my daughter was to attend a tech conference in Stockholm and she suggested that I might like to tag along to revisit a few old haunts. I was just delighted and we decided to add on a few days in Copenhagen beforehand as well. Having lived in Stockholm for 3 years until 2014, I was glad to have a chance to recharge those Scandi vibes which always make me feel wonderfully clean and inspired and this little trip provided plenty of opportunities to find this again.
Recently 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 can't remember when I have ever posted about knitting in my journal and I have to say that although I absolutely love hand knitted things, I have not been one for doing it myself. My Mum was a wonderful knitter and I did learn when I was a youngster, but apart from a brief flurry when my kids were little, in general I haven't done much wool work at all. That doesn't mean, of course that when I am at the Knitting & Stitching Shows, I don't somehow get sucked into the wonderful world that is hand knitting today.... long gone are the days of boring old patterns and the rise of artisan wool and a community that is incredibly creative means that the choice out there is fantastic.
Read MoreMaking Embroidery Modern
