A very delicately embroidered 19th Century Sampler sold for £6,000 plus buyer’s premium in Tennants Auctioneers’ Costume, Accessories and Textiles Sale on 7th May. The sampler is worked in red thread on white background in the style of the Ashley Down Orphanage, Bristol. Tiny stitches form the alphabet, numbers and numerous detailed motifs, executed using…

In previous blog posts I’ve compared Quilt-Pro 6 with EQ and explored how to design a simple quilt. This time I’ve been having a look at how to draw a simple block. All blocks in Quilt-Pro are drawn using patches rather than lines (if you are an EQ user, it is similar to Patch Draw).…

Not content with the challenges set by ‘The Webmaster’, I decided to take part in a challenge week over in a Facebook Group.  Most of the people in the group are paper crafters, but I decided I’d take part and translate it to fabric.  It’s a great way to get the brain working and to…

Do you have a sweet tooth? I know I do but these might help keep the calories at bay. Keeps needles sharp Newly added to the Clover range are these rather delicious looking macaron-shaped magnetic needle holders. Not only is the design very appealing, these holders are incredibly useful and also very versatile. These irresistible…

This was the second in the series of my Quilt Along with John podcast. The reason I wanted I am lucky enough to have Sylvia as my right hand lady in my business and a more wonderful person I have struggled to find! Sylvia Stratford is an experienced quilter who donates most of her works…

It’s was purely by coincidence that my new pattern and class, You Touched My Heart, was ready for release in National Pet Month.  Everyone that has a pet will know how much they become a part of your life, and no matter how hard you try, they fill a big space in your heart. This…

In January I volunteered to be the monthly block host for Q4CL (Quilts for Care Leavers).  This Charity Group creates quilts to donate to the Gold from the Stone Foundation set up by Lemn Sissay to offer Christmas Dinners to young people about to leave the care system and transition to adulthood.  It’s been operating…

We’ve reached Block 4 of the Puzzle Quilt and you will be half-way through when you have made these ones. This time the block is based on a 9-patch grid (the earlier ones were 4-patch) and has two new units to tackle – the quarter-square triangle (QST) and a stripped unit. Just for a change,…

If Sylvia Stratford is my right hand in my studio, Jo Collins is the heart of the business.  Her love and joy of all things fabric (except cutting the fat quarter bundles and folding them), will inspire you to just revel in the bliss that is quilting. Jo lives in Tring and has been a…

Pins are often underestimated when we consider the equipment we use for sewing. How many of us have pins which we have had so long their origins are lost in the midst of time? I know I have some that were probably from my mum when she taught me dressmaking for my Cindy and Barbie…