Pattern Love

The weather has been really wet and miserable today so I thought a nice bit of happy colour was called for here on the blog to brighten things up a bit :)


This bag has been cheering up my outfits all summer (I bought it in Bristol when I was a student, many moons ago).


That pattern! Those colours! Plus it's lined in pink velvet! Just awesome.

A sewing calendar

Usually the only unexpected packages I get in the mail are returned parcels I originally sent out to my customers, so it was a nice surpise to get a genuine mystery parcel a few weeks ago.

Inside the box were two copies of this 2011 Sewing Calendar:


The calendar featues instructions and pattern pieces for over 100 projects from different crafters - including my bauble ornaments. I'd totally forgotten it was due to be published this month!


Many of the projects included in the calendar are available online but it's a fun alternative to a craft book and a great way to discover some new crafty bloggers. I think it would also make a great gift for the sort of people who love sewing but who are a bit scared of the internet and who are currently missing out on the wonders of the online crafting universe.

More sale shopping

I may have done some more sale shopping this week... shh, don't tell the boyfriend!


After much umming and ahhing over the loveliness in Joanna Rutter's shop I eventually settled on two wooden badges which will look very snazzy on my sweaters this autumn. They arrived this morning and they're just gorgeous:


Joanna's summer sale runs until Friday 13th August.

In my absence...

Gosh, how is is the 10th of August already?? I have been a very lazy blogger this month!

August is always a super-quiet time for my online shops but it seems to be peak time for people asking me to to write tutorials for them, work on custom orders or answer interview questions ... so this month is turning out to be surprisingly hectic.

I'm also busy making batches of things ready for the autumn. Every year I dream about getting all the sewing on my to do list done in time for the Christmas rush, but it never happens. A girl can dream though, right?

Here's a peek at some of the things I've been sewing this week...


... cherry blossoms, snowy owls and dahlias.

UPDATE: My dahlia design is now available as a sewing pattern! (and my cherry blossoms and snowy owls are coming soon!) Visit my shop to see all my printable PDF patterns