• Christmas Wreath Workshop Fun!

  • I had a super fun day yesterday, catching up with a bunch of my friends at an incredible wreath making workshop! Me and the girls always like to meet up for a Christmassy get-together – last year we went to see Love Actually in London with a live orchestra. So this year we were excited to try a different approach to filling ourselves with festive cheer.

    The workshop was lead by the lovely Kim of English Petal & Herb, and she talked us through all of the basics of putting together our very own Christmas wreaths. She had a huge choice of greenery to choose from, so you could really tailor your own wreath to exactly what you wanted. And so many extra bits, like baubles, pine cones, cinnamon sticks – you name it, she had it covered. 

    I tried to go for the natural/earthy kind of look with my wreath, but at the end I couldn’t help but throw some gold glitter all over! The heart wants what the heart wants ok! 

    It was so fun to see how each person made their wreath – but the main thing I was really impressed with is how everyone’s wreath ended up looking so professional. We all left feeling super excited to see the finished pieces on our front doors. I mean, after we made a quick stop for late lunch and prosecco!

    Thank you Kim for hosting such a wonderful workshop. We had a blast and we’ve already decided we’re coming back next year for the same. It’s going to be our new Christmas tradition! 

    Lots of festive love

    Jen x

    Some happy wreath makers right there

    Close-up of my wreath!

    The girls' wreaths!

    Wiring the moss to the wreath shape

    All all-important moss!

    Look at that focus... and spot the mince pies and mulled wine!

    This girl feeling 'very Kirsty Allsop in Handmade Christmas' 🙂

    So many gorgeous bits to add to our wreaths

    Ta-dah! The finished wreaths taking shape

    Et voila!

  • My Top Fashion Fabric Picks for Spring

  • I don’t know about anyone else, but I am so OVER this Winter. It has dragged on for too long, and out-stayed its welcome… roll on Spring! And with that in mind, I wanted to share with you a bunch of fashion fabrics I’ve been eyeing up which have me dreaming of blue skies and daffodils.

    These are all fabrics I am genuinely crushing on hard right now. Hope you like my picks! Fabrics all available at time of publishing this post. 

    1. Mint green multi fleck fleece sweatshirt – Guthrie & Ghani

    I love the colour of this fabric, and the coloured flecks too. And with it being a fleece-backed sweat shirting, it will still be perfect for a chilly weather. Maybe a Linden sweatshirt or a Freya sweater from Tilly’s new book ‘Stretch’?

    2. Sky blue cotton linen – Sew Me Sunshine

    Linen really comes into its own in the summer months – and this colour just had me daydreaming of sunny days, BBQ on the go and a cold glass of wine in hand!

    3. Viscose Crepe – Fabric Godmother

    I don’t know why, but I’ve been out of love with floral fabrics for quite some time. But this fabric has me with all of the heart eyes with a darker, less girly, floral design. I love the colour palette on this, with the contrasting splashes of yellow to make it pop.

    4. Spotted Jacquard – The Fabric Store

    I have to admit, I’ve never actually ordered from The Fabric Store. But I find myself lingering on their website on a daily basis, because their fabric and site are so pretty! And they have such a great reputation and following and I hear so many people gush over their fabrics. This spotty jacquard jumped out at me for making a really statement, structured skirt or dress.

    5. Loopback Sweatshirting in ‘Blueberry’ – Guthrie & Ghani

    Ok… sorry… another from Guthrie & Ghani. I was instantly sold on the colour of this one. Because, you know, blue.

    6. Irish Linen – Merchant and Mills

    This gorgeous Irish linen kind of reminds me of my GCSE maths homework, but I’m ok with that.

    7. Bamboo Stretch Knit in Saffron – Ray Stitch

    I really need to get to the bricks and mortar Ray Stitch shop in London. I have only ever ordered a tiny bit of jersey and ribbing from them, and the quality is incredible. So this bright yellow just jumped out at me – isn’t it the perfect shade of yellow?! I feel like I’m shouting that in my head, but it really does have me that excited. It gave me images of ‘that’ Tilly and the Buttons Freya ruffle dress. You know what I’m talking about!

    8. Cotton Lawn – Backstitch

    I feel like my wardrobe has been all about blues/greys for the whole of Winter, and I’m ready to break free and inject some colour into my life. My husband trying to compliment me as looking ‘a vision in grey’ the other day (i.e. head to toe grey) was the moment of realisation. So what the hell, throw this lawn with all of the colours my way!

    9. Printed Cotton Crepe – Seasalt Cornwall

    Yes, Seasalt Cornwall sell fabric – who knew?! Reverting back to my blue fabric safety zone and crushing hard on this crepe.

    10. Broderie Anglaise – Joel & Son Fabrics

    Ok, so this fabric would be my splurge purchase. Imagine a midi length skirt in this, with a slightly shorter navy lining. Mmmmmm. Joel & Son Fabrics have so many other broderie Anglaise colours on their website, but I warn you, you *will* want to throw your purse at them to buy it all.

  • Ironing Board Cover Makeover

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    So I’ve been busy nesting lately. Except not with preparing a nursery or anything… instead I have been tarting up my sewing room. Obviously. Got my priorities sorted!

    I made this jazzy ironing board cover following this fab tutorial on the Tilly and the Buttons website. It was so quick and easy to stitch up! It basically ends up like one big shower cap which fits over the ironing board. Threading the string around the edge took a bit of patience, but I did it sat on the sofa in my PJs watching Nashville, which eased the pain!

    The fabric I used was a remnant on sale at Backstitch. I was obsessed with the colour and pattern as soon as I locked eyes on it. You might also recognise this fabric from inside the pockets of the Guise Pants I made recently (blog post here).

    Fitting the cover to my ironing board was a 2-man effort to get it perfect, and tied up nice and tight (shout out to husband for helping with this!).

    Et voila! A new ironing board cover which didn’t cost much at all to make, took very little time and skill, and adds colour and prettiness to my sewing room. Maybe this will mean that I will have a new found enjoyment of pressing now… or at least it will distract me from swearing when I inevitably burn my fingers in the future…!

    Happy pressing people!

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