Last week I was lucky enough to take a trip up to Edinburgh to visit a dear friend and to go to the Yarn Festival. It was a terrific few days and I was glad to get reacquainted with a city that I hadn’t visited for a very long time. It really is a splendid place …. it has everything - a castle, a palace, a university, Georgian squares, Victorian monuments, a harbour, a beach and is surrounded by highlands.
Read MoreNot all the costumes were in this display (some are at Hampton Court) but I was thrilled to see these. I have always been fascinated by historical fashion and theatrical costumes, but this was something unexpected and changed my views on how you can portray characters from the past. Taking the essence of the story as the lead, the technical inaccuracies of these outfits is irrelevant, as their boldness and innovation enhances the story of a Queen who was until now, mostly lost to history…..I think she might have liked this.
Read MoreAdding a touch of hand embroidery to items of clothing that you have bought from a shop, can be a great and reasonably quick way to have a totally unique and bespoke garment. I think it is something people don’t often think to do and yet it is incredibly effective.
Read MoreSome 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 MoreMaking Embroidery Modern
