Thanks for your comments on my last blog post. Yes, I will publish an embroidery pattern and template here for you to download and make some ornaments of the same design. Later this week, if I can work out how (I'm truly hopeless at things like that.) I bought this beautiful piece of Nani Iro…

I made a batch of these ornaments after a few requests on etsy for something Christmassy. I really enjoyed making them — I used wool felt in dark grey, red and white, and embroidered each one with white of grey thread. They are backed with recycled fabrics – bits of Liberty and kimono silk, mostly.…

I spent a chunk of late winter – spring working on a collection of embroidered project bags for beautiful London store Loop - you can find them for sale here. Susan, who commissioned them, bought a selection of jewel-coloured Swedish linen from a neighbouring shop and sent it to me to be embroidered. She has great…

The sun was shining this weekend and I had time for novel-reading and knitting which was pretty nice. Hope you had a good weekend too? I got to finish a project that had been sitting on my desk for a while: a pair of these shorts for miss K. I'm so pleased with the finished…

Nicola, my clever and generous friend, made this recipe calendar and sent me a copy the other day. I enjoyed the 2015 version, too! This year's calendar looks to be another winner, and there are already quite a few recipes I want to make (lemon bars, strawberry icecream, cashew dhal…) so I probably won't be…

Don't have much to say this week, really, so here are a few pictures. (Windows?) -1- These are cards I had printed (to send to friends and some for my shop) from this photo, taken one cold autumnal day on the south coast.  -2- The coriander has gone to seed. In November! -3- A glimpse…

I made friends with ceramicist/illustrator Japneet Kaur a while ago on Instagram and she kindly sent me a gift which arrived all the way from Toronto this morning. A little bowl with illustration of a bird's-nest-hair-and-eggs which I intend to use to serve chocolates at every available opportunity. And a creamy smooth pottery pendant with…

++ I made a small drawstring bag with an embroidered 'R' for the little girl of one of my oldest friends who is now the mum of two rather beautiful children. R turned one, so I made her some knitted characters and put them inside the bag. I remember that Arlo was really into putting…

This week I got a chance to finish off some projects that had lingering on my worktable for a while. It's a great feeling to finish things. I need to remember that, before starting new things… 1) I made a very simple gift for a friend who has had a busy time of it lately:…

I had some precious lemons picked from my parents' orchard (can't seem to grow them in our garden here) and, in my quest to use them in something delicious, made a batch of lemon curd – a jar for us and one for a friend. Then we had visitors for afternoon tea, so I made…