As part of my drive towards sustainable living, I have been wanting to attempt this for a while. There has been loads of inspirational images popping up on instagram and in the wider media about how to look at this, but it was buying, Flora Collingwood-Norris’ amazing book ‘Visible Creative Mending, that finally launched me on my way with it.
Read MoreIf you are wondering what a ‘Capelet’ is (and I didn’t know at first) it’s a small cape that usually just covers the shoulders. They seem to have been quite popular in the 1920s and 30s. Over the last few years, poncho’s have been very popular and they do make sense, keeping you warm but allowing your arms freedom of movement. A capelet is much the same, but shorter and sort of somewhere in between a cowl and a poncho. Living in an old stone house in Yorkshire, I confess it can get quite chilly in winter and these are the perfect solution and they have such a vintage vibe too.
Read MoreThis year I am resolved to find more ways to live sustainably.… ..I also have a huge stash of fabric and need to work on some more dressmaking projects and other small ideas which can help with sustainable living. One such little project has been so much fun to work on this week and I am completely thrilled with the results. Reusable (and completely gorgeous) make up remover pads.
Read MoreWhen you finish a big project like this…especially one that you have wanted to make for a long time, the satisfaction is immeasurable. Every time I look at it, I feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that brings me a lot of happiness. This is the real joy of a hobby like this and I truly believe that being creative, whether it is painting or ceramics or sewing or cooking or gardening, is the way to find peace and calm within yourself. It has been a great way to finish up the year in the sewing room and I am prodigiously proud of this quilt.
Read MoreTiny knitted christmas trees adorned with pearl buttons and wooden stars….sounds like a dreamy little project doesn’t it. This is something I have been wanting to make for several years and somehow it always gets left too late and I am not organised with the right sort of wool and it gets relegated to the next year list yet again.
Read MoreThe real joy of the internet is stuff like this….. I mean, seriously, it is just a wondrous thing to be able to follow a little programme like this, share your work and be amazed by people from all over the world, doing the exact same thing in every kind of coloured thread on every tone of cloth. It connects you to fellow stitchers and opens up new worlds of possibilities.
Read MoreThe real joy of embroidering is when you can make a special gift for someone you love and this project has been supremely joyous in every way. I wanted to make a gift for my sister and brother in law who have recently done a bit of a make over in their living room. As they have just got new sofas, I felt a cushion was a good option and In thinking what to make, I thought of the holiday of a lifetime that they went on a few years ago, on Safari in Africa and decided on a safari theme. Yumiko Higuchi’s beautiful (aren’t they always) book of embroidered animals is just so gorgeous that it is easy to get drawn into her world of spectacular sewing and feel inspired to have a go.
Read MoreI am absolutely thrilled to see that waistcoats are making a bit of an impression on the fashion scene this autumn - not that an I am avid follower of fashion you understand - but seeing one of my favourite items given a new look in the shops is just the inspiration I needed to get going with this project.
Read MoreHello and welcome to Autumn. It is such a glorious season here in England and perhaps I appreciate it more because of all the years we lived away on overseas postings. When we first returned, I was immediately struck by how the seasons here are so clearly defined - in both Russia and Sweden, Spring and Autumn were barely a whisper - it just seemed to go from Summer to Winter in a matter of weeks. I remember how we would return to Moscow after the summer holidays, ready for the start of school and we would still be in cotton tops and then a sort of grey stillness would descend upon the city and the temperature would drop by the day over just a couple of weeks and soon and then it was Winter. The trees that lined our boulevard seemed to shed their leaves in a single shake and all was calm and in waiting for the first snow. Here in Yorkshire, Autumn has time to really show off it’s golden hues and wild heathers and the colours make me want to start on new projects. This year, I seem to have excelled myself in lining them up!!
Read MoreSometimes the idea for a new quilt design just comes out of nowhere and it’s hard to fathom the chain of thought that sewed the seeds - in this case though, the idea came from two distinct sources that just happened to coincide in a creative explosion at almost the same moment and with an unexpected suddenness.
Read MoreExhibiting at the Festival of Quilts is usually the highlight of Ruby’s year and after the cancellation of last year’s show and the uncertainty about what and how it would be this year it all felt rather a daunting prospect. For a long time, I wondered whether it would even be on. As it happened, I think it has turned out to be in many ways the best show ever! Now, being home for a few days I have had time to reflect on the whole show and the new people I got to know and to look at the bits and bobs I bought too (because let’s face it, there were always going to be some of those).
Read MoreIt’s been a while since I did a new quilt pattern, but I was really inspired with this one, because it is actually useful too. While I have been watching the Great British Sewing Bee on BBC tv, I was thinking how wonderful the studio haberdashery was and I thought about how I could use this happy image to make a quilt and then it struck me that it could be a ‘pattern tidy’ as well. I don’t know about you, but through all these months of lockdown, I have accumulated quite a few quilt patterns both printed and pdf’s and as always I am full of promise to make them all. Sound familiar? Well this way, you can have a charming quilt to hang on your wall and somewhere to keep them all - there is a pocket for the smaller printed patterns and one for pdf’s. What is more, you can customise it for your sewing room or craft space and use scraps from favourite fabric collections or themed prints and make it modern or vintage.
Read MoreMaking Embroidery Modern
