Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic - back in stock!

The Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic went out of stock two weeks ago, and after a little (ash related) delay we are glad to say we now have it back in stock. 

This is a great one for summer: stylish, flattering, and quick to sew.  Make the tunic-length to wear as a dress or over jeans - or make a shirt-length version. 

Why not try in Green Martini Spots or Filigree for a fresh summery look... ready for all those barbecues we are promised to have this year!

Oliver+S Bubble Dress - last of 2T-5 stock

Did you know that Oliver+S are discontinuing their Bubble Dress Pattern?  They currently have good stocks of the birth-24m size, but the last of the larger 2T-5 size patterns has now all been distributed to retailers. 

We have 2 of these currently in stock, and 1 final copy of the pattern coming with our next delivery. 

If you have always wanted this for your collection, now is the time to buy.

V&A, Quilts: 1700 – 2010

Elizabeth Chapman (detail) 1829, © V&A Images

I made the trip to London at the weekend in order to visit Quilts: 1700 – 2010 at the V&A. It was well worth the trip and I highly recommend the exhibition. A great mix of styles and eras, with an interesting narrative working you through influence, function, and historical significance.

Sara Impey, Context, 2005 (detail). © quiltart.org.uk

There were several pieces that got me really enthused, of the more contemporary ones. ‘Punctuation’ by Sara Impey topped my exciting list. You can learn more about Sara Impey here.

Pencil rolls for all!

I made up three of these pencil rolls, two for gifts and one for my son. We often take pens out and about on trips to the cafe, doctors or when we go away. I wanted a permanent roll that could be slung in a bag at short notice. Now, I know these rolls are not a new thing, many versions can be found in blogland, but they are an essential piece of kit!

These were made up from a pattern in Joelle Hoverson’s ‘Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts’. I am making my way through this book and so far it seems really spot on. The pictures are glorious and the projects are varied and inspiring, and great for beginners. I found the instructions very clear and the whole thing was very easy to make, particularly if, like me, you skip the patchwork interior!

The light blue pencil roll uses Candy Blue Klona Cotton and Amy Butler’s Martini Spots Green, the red one uses Cardinal Klona Cotton and Valori Wells’ Monarch Cinnamon, and the yellow one uses Corn Yellow Klona Cotton and Anna Maria Horner’s Cathedral Royal.

I also personalised them for the boys by embroidering their first initial on the front of each roll using the free Alphabet Embroidery Transfer mentioned in the previous post.

Alphabet Embroidery Transfer

My favourite way to embellish my sewing right now is embroidery. It is so simple and pleasing. I can happily stitch away during the evenings and in snatched moments during the day.

I have found myself stitching letters a lot, and particularly like one alphabet for this purpose.  I have recently used it to make a wall hanging for the kids’ bedroom.  The yellow fabric used is Maize Klona Cotton.

I have pulled together a free download for you to use as a transfer. There are upper and lower case letters, and some common punctuation. There are normal copies and reverse copies depending on how you transfer your images onto your cloth.

You can find the pdf download within our Articles section on the website, or go directly to it here. 

Let me know if you use the transfer for anything. I would love to see your creations... Happy stitching!

Up and running

Just a short post to say that the shop is now live.  Hooray! 

We've lots of lovely fabric and patterns to browse and purchase, so go and have a look.

And, we've lots of interesting posts for the blog lined up... tutorials, reviews and makes.

See you soon!

Shop and blog preparing for lift off...

Not long now... Promise!