To enter my 10 year blogiversary giveaway click here. At the end of this month (30th January, 4pm - 7pm) I will be teaching another live zoom workshop for Crafty Monkies. Their theme for January is all about using what you have available (following the post Christmas slump!) and so repurposing some old jeans into practical […]
I'm 10 years old!! Yay! I started blogging on 20th December 2010, encouraged by of one of my best friends @sewmesarah who had just started her blog a few days previous! What a lot has happened since then, and oh my, how the time has flown by! To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway! I recently […]
My daughter needed a secret Santa gift for a female work colleague so I offered to make her a pouch! With no information about the likes or dislikes of the recipient, I had free reign to come up with whatever I wanted! Yay! Let the playtime commence! I had recently been pinning some mixed textile […]
I'm often donated fabric bags and offcuts from friends or their creative relatives when they're having a 'clear out', to use or pass on! Most of what I'm given is donated on to sewing charities or Primary Schools for their after schools clubs. But I can't resist scavenging for particular vintage prints, and squirrelling them […]
I recently made a load of Flying Geese from some Tilda scraps. These are going to be borders in a quilt I'm currently working on. Because I was working from scraps, I couldn't use the 'No Waste' method to make all of the geese. When making one 'goose' at a time, you trim […]
A good friend of mine recently moved into a long awaited new home. This friend is my equal with regards to her love of repurosing textiles, especially vintage sheets and denim! So I slipped into my happy place and made her a few items for her new home! Denim Coasters: These are […]
I've been working on a few gifts lately, and now that one has been received I can show you it here. This bag was made as a special thank you to a lovely lady who enjoys repurposing textiles as much as I do! I had a few relaxing evenings making up […]
Yesterday was our charity sewing day in support of Shared Threads. Shared Threads is a Belfast based charity that makes cloth sanitary pads & hygiene packs, and in doing so seeks to "remove some of the limitations that menstruation puts on so many women and girls across the world, replacing it with dignity and the […]
My youngest daughter requested a handmade gift for her friend's 18th birthday. So last bank holiday Monday, I had a happy afternoon 'playing' in my sewing room with my first love, denim! Using only my smallest denim pieces, I used the 'quilt as you go' method to quilt the pieces directly […]
So I'm back from my adventures abroad (eventually!), and what a fabulous few days it was! Of course the surroundings were completely spectacular, and my photos simply don't do justice to the beautiful part of the world that is Morzine, France. But despite gloriously warm temperatures and the clear blue Alpine […]
Well 'Storm Ali' has made herself known here today! Lots of trees down and debris scattered everywhere. Thankfully no loss of power where I live, and I'm also thankful I'm flying to Patchwork in the Peaks (Morzine, France) tomorrow and not today! As you know I'll be teaching my Denim Applique […]
Hello everyone, It's hard to believe that the summer is almost through, and attention is quickly turning to the new term of classes starting in September. This term our (optional) class project will be Twin Needling with Fusible Bias (incorporating Stained Glass Windows). As you can see above, there are a range […]
Yesterday was a big day here in the UK! There was the small detail of a Royal Wedding (and an even smaller football final!!), but the main event was happening in my classroom at Conway Mill! 6 ladies rocked up for a day of sewing, making my Denim Sailboat Cushion. And […]
I promised to post this week about the projects on my 'Spring into Summer' Table. Never one to break a promise, I'm starting with my Denim Applique Sailboat Cushion. I originally designed this cushion for a summer edition of Pretty Patches Magazine. I loved re-purposing some denim and scraps for […]
For the past 6 weeks some very talented ladies in my classes have been beavering away on my Denim Hexie Bag Pattern. This pattern combines techniques such as English Paper Piecing (EPP Hexies), eyelet holes, zippered pocket, handbag construction as well as some serious denim upcycling! At times it looked like a […]
Hello everyone! I hope you've had a healthy and creative week! My first (half) term of classes are almost through (this is week 5 of 6) so it's time to announce next (half) term's class project! This is a project for those who not only enjoy a spot of 're-purposing' but […]
Hi there! How has your week been? Isn't it crazy how fast the weeks are flying in! But I'm glad we're almost out the other side of January, aren't you? When I first started learning patchwork, one of the first blocks I tried was the humble log cabin! And it was love at […]
Hi everyone! Well with only a few more days to go, I hope you are not too stressed! I have only one more commission to complete (tomorrow) and then I am officially off work! Yay! Despite the busyness this week, I did manage to get 2 presents made. One is a […]
Hello my friends! Happy November to you all! Aren't the weeks just flying in! There have been a few exciting developments in the Hollies Household, which I will be able to tell you all about in 2 weeks time (can't wait!!). In the meantime, I can tell you about a quilt I […]
Hello everyone! How are you doing? I haven't done a tutorial here in a long while, so I thought it was time to rectify that. You know how I'm always saving fabric scraps? Well I even keep the part of the fabric most people chuck away! If like me you […]
