Here it is, by popular demand… How to make rope from scrap fabric. It’s an idea that came to me whilst I was in the process of tidying up my sewing space. I tend to keep all my fabric scraps ‘just in case’ and all those really long thin pieces were tangling together and making a big mess. After doing…
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I was asked to design a project to celebrate the birthday of William Morris the 19th century designer/writer who urged a return to handmade craftsmanship amidst a world rushing toward industrial manufacturing. His textile and surface designs heavily featured floral and nature inspired motifs, so with that in mind I gathered some leaves and flowers and set off to print…
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The other day Emma asked me if she could do some sewing. Hooray! After watching me stitch she is finally taking an interest in trying it herself. She described to me in detail how she would push the ‘very sharp’ needle in the fabric and not get hurt because she is ‘a big girl now and knows how to do…
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I was so pleased with myself when I learned to Crochet a Popcorn Stitch, whilst making this trivet from a pattern in Handmade Glamping*. I love the three dimensional texture and cushioned effect it produces. Because crochet stitches are much easier to learn when you watch someone actually doing it, I thought it would be helpful to make a little…
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Make these colourful crochet nesting baskets with recycled t-shirt yarn. I’ve got simple to follow crochet pattern to make storage baskets in 3 sizes. I was lucky enough to receive several cones of Zpagetti yarn from a friend. I’d been curious about it for a while and was delighted to give it a try. T-shirt yarn is made from fabric…
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Ok, put your hand up if you dread sewing buttonholes. Most sewing machines have a either a manual or automatic buttonhole setting that can make your life a whole lot easier. My old machine had a manual 4 step buttonhole, which meant I had to manually change the settings between each stage. It was simple to use, but getting a…
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I have so many delicate silver chains sitting in the bottom of my jewellery box, unloved and unworn. I’m not one for dainty jewellery pieces and thought adding some colourful beads to this silver chain would be fun makeover. Paper beads are easy to make and will only cost you pennies, but make quite a fashion statement. Why not make…
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I’ve been experimenting with my free motion quilting foot this week and I wanted to show you how fun it can be to have a little play and add an extra dimension to fabrics that can then be used in other projects. This same technique can be used on bigger projects like quilts. I’ve quilted a pretty vintage linen tea…
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