May 02, 2019

Upcycling : a denim skirt becomes a bag!

May 02, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

It starts with a denim skirt - I have probably had it over 10 years and it is a more than a bit dated. I haven’t worn it for a long time, but it found it’s way into the cupboard in my sewing room because of the embroidered band on it - I always planned to do something with it. It has been sitting there for about 4 years and last week, I was clearing and tidying my sewing stuff and I plonked it on the floor of my sewing room with a firm intention to get on with it

April 20, 2019

NEW PATTERN & KIT : An Embroidered Diamonds Scarf

April 20, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

So after a bit of a break, I am thrilled to present my new embroidery pattern and kit. The ‘Embroidered Diamonds Scarf’ is just the tonic for spring days and it’s a versatile project to make and add to your wardrobe. When I first began to do embroidery, one of the first things I made was an embroidered wool scarf. I like things to be useful and pretty and this is definitely both.

April 07, 2019

The Book Nerd Quilt

April 07, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

This ‘book nerd quilt’ is such a great pattern to let your own individual style shine - travel around the world, bury yourself in the classics, whip up the romance or make a book cover that might inspire you to write a book of your own someday.

March 30, 2019

A trip to Edinburgh and the Yarn Festival

March 30, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

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.

March 10, 2019

Costumes from 'The Favourite'

March 10, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

Not 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.

March 01, 2019

Hand embroidering shop bought clothes

March 01, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

Adding 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.

February 18, 2019

Manicure fabric box - easy tutorial

February 18, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

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.

February 03, 2019

A review of the JUKI TL -2200 QVP mini sewing machine

February 03, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

For 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.

January 13, 2019

The Typewriter - New Mini Quilt Pattern

January 13, 2019/ Claire (aka Ruby)

Hello 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’.

December 20, 2018

Making Amy Butler's Weekender Bag

December 20, 2018/ Claire (aka Ruby)

A 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.

November 20, 2018

Winter solstice embroidered project bag

November 20, 2018/ Claire (aka Ruby)

If 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.

October 06, 2018

Adventures in Bag making - The Shoreham beach bag

October 06, 2018/ Claire (aka Ruby)

Designing 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.

Journal