So where did May go? One minute we were enjoying April and May seems to have passed by in a flash – must have something to do with all those Bank Holidays we’ve been enjoying. This is a monthly post I’ve started writing to make myself a little more accountable for the things I make.

May crafting

I’m so happy that the Great British Sewing Bee is back on our screens again. I love watching the sewers and the fun challenges they are given each week. It always makes me wish I was more adventurous with my dress making! I took a few dressmaking courses at Ray Stitch in London a few years ago but never progressed very far.

Watching the Sewing Bee stirs up my enthusiasm for sewing so I’ve been busy hand quilting my little mini quilt. Yes I know this has been sitting around for weeks but I really think I might finish it soon. I’ve finished adding the hand quilting to the different squares and used some different coloured embroidery threads, which has really made it look more interesting. I’ve already spotted my next project so I’m keen to complete this mini quilt.

Last weekend we were lucky to visit the beautiful Montacute House in Somerset. The house was built in the Elizabethan Renaissance style, with towering walls of glass and glowing ham stone. It was full of beautiful paintings and furnitures. What really caught my eye was a room containing the Goodhart Collection of historic samplers. They were all different styles and I especially enjoyed the mini samplers, such tiny pieces and amazing needlework.

Regular readers will know I’ve been reading The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes: Secrets from a Victorian Woman’s Wardrobe. It’s a really fascinating book which tells the story of a notebook containing hundreds of small pieces of fabric. The author uses the pieces of fabric to chart the life of the owner, Anne Sykes, who lived in Singapore for a few years. It’s a really interesting way to view the life of a Victorian lady. It wasn’t a book I could just sit down and read so I’ve been dipping in and out of it over the last few weeks, finally finishing it last night.

 

Over half term the kids picked up some new fabric badges so I’ve been kept busy sewing them on their badge blankets, as well as sewing Coronation badges on Scout uniform – really they should be sewing them on themselves!

April crafting

March crafting

February crafting

January crafting