A couple of weeks ago I attended a dressmaking workshop at the lovely guthrie & ghani in Moseley, Birmingham. I had booked it as a spur-of-the-moment 'thing' when I was inspired by the amazing people on the Great British Sewing Bee programme. I really didn't think about the (nearly) 2 hour journey to get there... Continue Reading →
Okay, last night, unlike most nights when I go to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, I really struggled to switch off. My head was buzzing. Firstly, because I just watched the brilliant Great British Sewing Bee - and then promptly booked myself on a course led by Tilly Walnes from tilly... Continue Reading →
Okay, so I recovered the 1980s St Michael Tiffany lampshade yesterday. It only took an hour or so and I really enjoyed having a bit of a play, for once without hundreds of pins. However, I'm still not sure I have somewhere I could hang it (hence the hanging basket shot in the garden). I... Continue Reading →
It's been all about practicing this week. I finally stripped my old lampshade frame yesterday. I think I had been putting it off because I was worried about what I'd find and there didn't seem much point until I had chosen some fabric to recover it with. Amazingly, the horrible, faded, dusty cover came off... Continue Reading →
I keep telling myself it won't be long until the sun's shining so that I have an excuse to buy some new clothes, have a barbeque and sit in the garden sipping a nice cold glass of Pimm's... well you have to dream don't you?! At least I finished this machine embroidered picture today, oh... Continue Reading →
Ana from Granada in Spain recently ordered one of my machine embroidered cup of tea tea-towels from my Etsy shop. I found out yesterday it is going to be a prize for a recipe competition on her blog Cazarecetas. You can read the English translation here. It's not a brilliant translation but gives you a... Continue Reading →
Well, I hadn't until ten days ago. It's a stitch used a lot in making hand-stitched lampshades and now I have finished making my first one, I can (almost) streetly stitch like a pro! I attended the second day of the bespoke lampshade course at Homemade London on Sunday and I have only just recovered.... Continue Reading →
I decided to make an egg cosy for a little girl's birthday present this week. Okay so it's not the latest expensive girly toy but it's hand-made, personalised and I had fun making it while the boys played with their friends... It's good practice for next week too, when I'm planning on machine embroidering my... Continue Reading →
I had the best day yesterday on the first part of the bespoke lampshade course at Homemade London. It is being run by Angela Constantinou from Cocoon Home who is lovely; a brilliant teacher who is passionate about sewing and making lampshades. I really had no idea how traditional lampshades were made but after reading... Continue Reading →
