It’s three weeks since I wrote about the Grandmother’s Flower Garden doll quilt I’ve been working on. You may remember I asked for some advice as I’d got to a mini crisis point. I loved reading everyone’s suggestions so I thought I’d share a little update. I was lucky enough to find a remnant of the green material I was using for the flower border which made things much easier. My first step was to square off each end with half flowers as someone suggested so the whole shape was rectangular. Then my problems started again! I realised it was…
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I love cross stitch and I love trying different things so when I saw an embroidered pegboard on Pinterest I knew I had to try it. Equipment needed to make an embroidered pegboard: Pegboard White paint Paint brush Sand paper Tapestry wool Needle How to make an embroidered pegboard: I bought a large piece of pegboard (also known as perforated hardboard) from my local wood shop, gave it a light sand then a couple of coats of white undercoat. I wanted it to look a little rough so I didn’t try too hard. When it had dried I embroidered big…
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I really enjoyed watching The Great British Sewing Bee which started this week, it reminded me a little of Project Runway. I think it’s made by the people behind Bake Off and there’s plenty of room in my life for programmes about makes and bakes. I liked the fact that the contestants all had completely different backgrounds and loved watching how they faced the challenges. Last week I attended my first proper sewing class at The Make Lounge. I signed up for Learn to Sew: Cushion Cover+Floral Corsage which was suitable for beginners. I’ve been hand sewing for years but…
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I’ve been really lucky to attend both the Spring Knitting & Stitching Show as well as the Spring Country Living Fair in the last week. There was so much lovely inspiration and a fair few fabric purchases too. Grandmother’s Flower Garden doll quilt Lately I’ve been spending my precious free time making hexagons the EPP way. I just love the whole process, from making paper templates, to choosing fabrics and basting my hexagons. Somehow I’ve ended up with 4 patchwork projects on the go, all in various stages of completion. My current favourite is my doll size version of a…
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I’ve had an idea about making a bunting blanket for a while, using a vintage blanket and scraps from my stash. Vintage bunting blanket I love experimenting with dye so tried dyeing part of an old baby blue cashmere blanket with Dylon Sunflower Yellow handwash dye. It didn’t look pretty during the process and I wasn’t too sure about colour mixing rules either. Anyway, I rinsed it and left it to dry and in the daylight it looked nice, a kind of faded green/yellow. From my stash I used some previously dyed vintage wool blankets which had been dyed with…
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I’ve been working on a couple of patchwork projects lately. As well as a Union Jack cot quilt, I’m also making some patchwork doll quilts for my daughter. I was really keen to get my hands on hand quilted with love by Sarah Fielke. The book is subtitled patchwork projects inspired by a passion for quilting and it’s a beautiful book. I think of myself as a pretty competent maker of patchwork, I’m not so confident at quilting. In Hand Quilted with Love Sarah Fielke encourages and inspires you to step outside of your comfort zone! The book includes 16…
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It’s official! We’ve sold our lovely Edwardian cottage. Over the last few months we’ve been busy de-cluttering, painting, building walls and hiding as much as possible in the shed(s). Our house was on the market for a week, is now off the market, and we’re ready for a new adventure in a different part of London. We’ve had lots of people round to view, even before the photographer had been. We’ve also been arranging our own viewings which is exciting. I’d forgotten just how hard it was to keep the house clean and tidy though. Every day I was trying…
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It feels like the New Year has brought lots of crafting opportunities with it and the toddler and I have been busy. Chinese New Year will be celebrated on February 10th, so we’ve made some fabric fortune cookies that look good enough to eat. They were really quick to make, so perfect for a cold afternoon. Supplies needed to make 5 minute fortune cookies You will need: a 4 inch circle (we drew round a can from the kitchen cupboard on a piece of cardboard) a 5 inch square of felt a 5 inch square of fabric a different fortune,…
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Little Sis was totally spoilt and sent some of the products from the new Emily Button range from Hallmark to try. Emily Button is a real live ragdoll and she has two friends called Mousey and Bobble, they have been created especially for pre schoolers. Exclusive to M&S, the traditional range of gorgeous soft toys, stationery and crafts aims to enhance imagination and creativity. According to her website – Emily Button is a real live ragdoll made from vintage style fabrics, buttons and ribbons. She loves to collect little things which she puts in her pocket, from a piece of…
