An anniversary roses dress

As it was my parents 25th wedding anniversary in July this year they decided to have a vows renewal this summer

I thought that it would be a great excuse for me to break out the sewing machine and get back to dressmaking!

Although I have made several things in the past, including my prom dress, I certainly would not call myself an experienced seamstress and I certainly expected, and indeed wanted, this to be a challenge…

Read More
Purple Rose Embroidery
Creating an original design

This is something that I know a lot of people struggle with.

It’s hard to know where to start sometimes, and even harder to know if what you’ve created looks right!

I’m going to take you through the steps I use to create my designs before I even start stitching:

  • Looking for inspiration images

  • Drawing the elements of the design

  • Playing with composition

  • Thinking about colours

Read More
Some Bite Sized Stitching Wisdom

Recently I asked my Instagram followers two questions:

What piece of stitching advice do you wish you knew sooner?

What is the best piece of advice you can offer other stitchers?

I’m going to go through some of the best answers with you and explain them a little more where possible. (That instagram question box has a rather limited answer space!)

I hope that If you are new to stitching, or are experienced but willing to take advice and try new things, that some of these responses will be useful to you!

Read More
Creating circles in blackwork embroidery

One of the difficulties of working on a square grid as you do with counted embroidery such as Blackwork is creating those smooth curves and circles that some designs just need.

I’m going to explain a little about why circles are so difficult and a few things I think its useful to know about this shape before trying to stitch it.

I’ve also put together some of the tips I have for getting a smooth curved edge to help you create your own designs!

Read More