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 […]
I can't quite believe it's Christmas Eve and another Christmas celebration is upon us! I'm sure, like for us, Christmas will look and feel a little different this year. But I hope you can still find some light in the darkness and keep your spirits and creativity going through this festive season. Every Christmas I […]
Myself and 3 other quilty friends (Sarah, Trudi & Di) call ourselves 'Threads Across the Sea' because 2 of us live in N.Ireland and the other 2 in England. We meet up in person at least once a year (Corona virus put paid to our 2020 gathering!!) and organise ourselves into themed secret swaps and […]
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 […]
Hi Folks, it's getting to that time of year when the only thing on the sewing table is Christmas themed!! We have a lovely selection of Makower festive fabrics in the shop this year, Scandi 2020 and Yuletide Christmas! Not to mention Scandi Advent Calendars! The easy sewing of pockets […]
Hello folks! It's been a while since I've posted, but I've had a very good reason! My eldest daughter was married this week in England. The current pandemic meant the original guest list was whittled down to 6, the date brought forward a day, no bridal party, no photographer, no reception, a last […]
This week in The Kindred Spirits Quilt-Along we are making Dresdens! During the 1920's and 30's, Dresden, Germany produced porcelain plates decorated with elaborate designs using flowers, fruits and foliage. These plates became the inspiration for the Dresden Plate quilt block throughout Europe and beyond. While some Dresden blades can have smooth ends, often […]
This week in our Kindred Spirits Quilt-Along we are making the Sunflower block. Our technique focus this time is curved piecing using the humble drunkard's Path unit (Quarter Circle and Background Fan). I love curved piecing and the endless variety this little quilt block offers. With the templates my ladies […]
During the earlier months of lockdown I was able to get back into running, after a year of not running due to injury. It feels great to be running again! I run twice a week, 3 laps (5k) each time around the most beautiful park that is right on my doorstep. But it's […]
Happy Bank Holiday Monday to all in the UK! I'm happy to report the sun is shining (for a change). Not been the best summer for warm sunny weather here this year, but today I am thankful for (a little) heat and light! And that makes it the perfect day to tell you that […]
In 2017 my Ditsy Daisy quilt pattern was published in Popular Patchwork Magazine. My inspiration for this quilt was the bundle of fabrics the editor sent me, from Lewis & Irene, called Flo's Little Flowers. This collection was all about cute ditsy prints with a retro vibe in a contemporary colour […]
Firstly, apologies for forgetting to announce here the winner of my last giveaway (my bad)! The lucky winner was Michelle Green @elsie_and_alice and was announced on Instagram & Facebook. Thank you to everyone here who entered. Fingers crossed you will be luckier with my next giveaway. ************************************************************** Today is the end of week […]
We are now in week 2 of our Instagram Designers Collaboration with Sotak Handmade, Charm About You, Stuart Hillard Sews, Penny Dog & myself. Last week we made Svetlana's Lola Pouches (you can see mine here). This week we are making Lucy's Melody Mini Quilt/Cushion. This is a foundation paper […]
To celebrate the release of our Tilda Drawstring Bag tutorial and kits, we are giving one away! Not only will you receive everything you need to make our drawstring bag, fully pre-cut, but we are also throwing in a half metre of Retro 30's Apples & Strawberries (Green) by Lecien and a spool […]
I'm so excited to annouce a new designer collaboration during the month of July, which will be running on Instagram! I'm teaming up with 4 talented quilting designers to make 1 pattern from each designers shop or book. Each week we will showcase a designers pattern and let you see 4 different takes […]
We are still very much in lockdown here, so 'teaching' has had to look very different for me. Aside from my free video tutorials on YouTube, I trialled an online class last month with my ladies - the Causeway Hexie Cushion. Feedback from the ladies was really positive and I'm looking forward to […]
As mentioned in my previous post, I have more baskets to show you! And these are from my latest free YouTube Tutorial! In this tutorial you will learn: ~The English Paper Piecing technique ~Quilting the exterior panel ~How to make and attaching Piping ~Basket construction, including inserting the […]
I've been making a lot of baskets lately! Some were for my next free tutorial (remember my Scrappy Hexie Basket? Well I'll be releasing the pattern for this one as a free tutorial very soon). And some were just an excuse to have fun with teeny pieces of fabric! These baskets […]
Once upon a time, in the days before lockdown, I visited an Irish linen factory and purchased some small offcuts of charcoal blue medium weight linen (among other things, ahem!). I immediately fell in love with the muted tones of this linen and thought a striking white thread would contrast beautifully with it! […]
