Meet Imogen Olive. She's my new niece and was born last week in Brooklyn, New York. Isn't she divine? My brother took some pictures for us and I asked if I could share this one on my blog, because, well, I love it so much. Imogen is wearing a little top I made for her…

HANDMADE 2015: A Festival of Making is happening here in Wellington in June. I'll be teaching three workshops:  – Hand-carved stamps and hand-printing (I made the silk top above with fabric printed in last year's class) – Bear or rabbit (soft toy making) – Elementary embroidery (perfect for beginners!) There will also be lots of other…

One of my best friends from school has just had her first baby – and I wanted to knit a little cardigan or blanket but they live in a very warm part of the world, and after a little online research, I realised they'd seldom need winter woolies. I decided instead to make some small…

I finished a new hat in a shade of Wellington-harbour-blue: it's the 'Jul Hat' by Jenny Gordy (of Wiksten) – you can find the pattern here. I love the simple stitch pattern and the fit is just right – if not a little slouchy, but that's fine. I even got Arlo to snap a photo…

  I had a length of black silk velvet tucked away in a suitcase for a long time. Years, probably. I finally cut into it and sewed it up into this wintry dress – and its already been worn to two parties. I used the same pattern as this I did for this dress, and…

Seasonally-appropriate: a quick and cosy knit (two nights in front of Scandinavian tv drama) to wear with the rest of my black office clothes: a drop-stitch cowl. I made one of these last year for my sister – fun, quick and easy, and importantly, warm and cosy. Autumnal win… (although, please excuse the weed-rich bricks…

Keira was sceptical of the new hat I was knitting for her, but now that it's finished, she likes it and hasn't taken it off since. And it should keep this little football player's ears warm on the sidelines for the wintry mornings coming up. I used this pattern, with a finer yarn and smaller…

– A new Wiksten top, because I wear the last one I made so often. This time I used bright floral fabric from this shop. A bit of bright happiness for the wardrobe. – With every school holiday comes the request, 'Can we make cupcakes today, pleeease Mama?' And so we made these very simple little…

This cardboard 'silk tidy' was given to me by Helen – isn't it lovely? It already had some colourful threads attached, but I filled it up with some others that were tangled up in my thread tin. Helen also sent a great old needlework booklet from the 1950s, with stitch diagrams and an essay entitled…

I made a simple work dress from some drapey silk crepe type material in greyish-purple, cream and black. It's not really what I would usually choose. But I felt like something different for autumn. It's already proved quite a useful garment: I just throw it over a plain black slip dress, tights and boots. I…