Keira's birthday is coming up soon, and I had ordered some fabric from Japan ages ago with the idea of making her a dress for autumn. The fabric is a light cotton- dark grey with a vine design in cream. I finished it last night, and got it wrapped up even with a bit…

  Friday afternoon: coffee and a chat with a friend, while 5 children made a racket in the next room. And a little bit of playing around with my new watercolour set, inventing matching china. Happy weekend, friends!

  I found a beautiful book on my last trip to the library: The Three Incestuous Sisters by Audrey Niffeneggar. The book is what the author describes as a 'visual novel'- a kind of grown-up picture-book, or 'art book' that consists of a simple, sad tale about three sisters, illustrated by the author's aquatints. You…

      The children came home from an afternoon at my Mum's house with a painting of flowers and jellybeans. I like it very much. And I think it's inspired a bit of a colour-burst around here today, even though it's grey and overcast outside. Pictured above: jelly-bean painting, vintage embroidered mats, flowers from…

    Lately, when the days have been feeling full, and our little townhouse is noisy with the sound of trucks and cars and people going past the front door, I've been dreaming of a small, wooden house tucked under the pine trees on the hill. With just the sound of cicadas and birds overhead.…

    Arlo and his school friends are really into making paper planes at the moment. Most days I spend some time picking up abandoned paper plane models that litter our house and if a friend is over to play, the plane count doubles. Arlo spends a lot of time perfecting his designs: which type…

      Early in the mornings, when I'm hanging the washing outside, it's cool enough to make me think that autumn is gradually arriving. I love the crisp coolness of late summer. It's probably too early to be thinking of brown and red earthy colours already, but I sewed something brown anyway: a new…

      I've been working with quite a bit of wool this week, stitching up both gifts for friends, and some things for my shop update today. I made a small stack of wool needlecases, with botanical embroideries. Willow, tansy and queen anne's lace. I do love sewing with wool, even in the summertime.…

I was given two bags of apricots last week, and decided to make some jam for the store cupboard. I love apricot jam. Especially on toast with butter. I had half a jar of jam left over and remembered these cookies I made for Valentine's Day last year. This time I used this recipe, adding…

      …………………………………. a warm summer's weekend: dinner with friends outside in the garden, icecream from the corner shop, sunflowers growing outside my sewing room, a new beach bag sewn from an old curtain. filled with swimming gear to take to the river. …………………………………..