November was a great month for crafting, albeit a very busy one with birthdays and Christmas preparation. I stitched a gorgeous bird hoop for my husband for Christmas featuring a robin. This was a quick and easy make, but very satisfying. I’ve been experimenting with large cross stitch on felt and stitched initial hoops for everyone coming for Christmas at ours. I can’t decide if they will be place settings or added to gift bags instead of labels. As well as stitched initials I also tried a Christmas tree. I 3D printed a template so it is easy to mark…
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The traditional craft of embroidery has gained a new excitement as a new generation of stitchers bring contemporary style to subjects like houseplants and modern interiors. I am delighted to tell you more about Embroidery: Learn in a Weekend. This smart little book, written with beginners in mind, perfectly captures that aesthetic and gives you the skills you need to succeed. Embroidery: Learn in a Weekend Embroidery covers the materials you need to get going, simple introductions to the key stitches, and ten contemporary projects that evolve in complexity. Each project has a template to be copied, enabling the reader to…
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October was a busy month for us. With the kids back at school and settled I applied for a new job – and got it! Thankfully I only had to give one weeks’ notice. I found I turned to crafting to help keep me focused on the interview as I really wanted the job. I t feels like I had a pretty good month making. Handmade gifts I wanted to make a Scrabble inspired gift for my sister as she was about to celebrate a big birthday. I love crafting with vintage items and dug through my Scrabble tiles to…
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October surely means Halloween and I love a little project I can work on in the evening. This year I’ve experimented with crochet and whipped up a few little ghosts. I thought I would share instructions on how to crochet a Halloween ghost for your Halloween decor this year. List of supplies: Crochet yarn – medium light Crochet hook – 3.5mm A pair of scissors Tapestry needle How to crochet a Halloween ghost: Select a white yarn bundle for the ghost base shape. Start with a slip knot and work 6 chain stitches. Skip the chain next to the hook…
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September saw the kids go back to school and, although I was glad to get back to our school routine, I felt like I had less time to make. I’m not sure if this was true but it definitely feels like our calendar is full to bursting. It didn’t stop me stocking up on craft kits at The Works – they have a great selection! September crafting The first thing I picked up was Love Embroidery magazine issue 44 which included a free embroidery kit designed by Georgie Emery. It featured a gingerbread house on pre-printed fabric, as well as…
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September feels like a good time to start a new project. The children are back to a new year at school, club start up again and it’s a time when I start to look at myself and what I want to achieve too. This year I am trying a 365 challenge, where I add to my rather large embroidery hoop each day. Ideas for 365 challenges A 365 day challenge has become really popular recently. After reading 365 Days of Stitches recently I decided to start my own 365 embroidery challenge. Some of my friends have added a button to…
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August went past in a bit if a flash thanks to the school summer holidays, but I’m delighted to be sitting down and looking over the past month of creativity. The lovely long summer evenings are perfect for crafting and my daughter and I were very busy with our embroidery hoops. August crafting I’ve been subscribing to the Craftpod subscription box for a few years now and really loved the contents of the Summer craftpod subscription box. I stitched the Sunflower cross stitch straight away as I love sunflowers (although am never successful at growing them!). Last week I finished the…
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July was a busy month so it’s probably no surprise that I forgot to post an update of my crafts. The kids had loads of activities and finished their school year, and promptly went off to summer camp with Scouts. There was also plenty of time for crafting and we fitted in a few exhibitions in London and lots of makes. July crafting At the beginning of the month we went shopping for new clothes for her end of Year 6 disco. I looked for an online fabric store and found some great materials but she found some clothes she wanted…
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I love crochet and it feels like this is the time of year I can start thinking about adding some autumnal decorations to our home. I’ve been making crochet maple leaves which I think would look perfect strung along some fairy lights over the mantlepiece. Although there are quite a few steps, if you know some basic crochet stitches, these crochet maple leaves come together in no time. List of supplies to make crochet maple leaves: Crochet yarn – medium light Crochet hook – 3.5mm A pair of scissors Tapestry needle How to crochet maple leaves: Select an autumnal coloured…
