Messing with my stencils

Messing with my stencils

My most treasured stencil applied to my kitchen blind. I, like you, have spent many days in lockdown and although I am stitching and designing every day, I needed something else! How do I know this? I caught myself ironing all my newly washed dusters because they...
A sampler book

A sampler book

It was a few years ago now when a girlfriend rang me to say she had found a sampler book for sale for only £50 and asked if I would like it. At first, I had no idea what she meant but she didn’t have to tell me very much more before I said, “yes...
Bluebells & Bottles

Bluebells & Bottles

Dreamy bluebell woods As I write, we are in the fifth week of lockdown during the Covid-19 crisis and I thought you might be cheered up by these pictures. Bill and I are being good and well-behaved and so far, have obeyed the rules. We shop once a week – I shop and...
Playing with Paints

Playing with Paints

First stab at Annie Sloan’s chalk paint and wax The mistake was called ‘De Wint’, a very bright lime green, and I painted the sitting room in it in our first house in Wokingham. It was awful. Somehow the fact that it was only supplied in small tins...
Sarah Maydman Sampler

Sarah Maydman Sampler

The modern version now turned into books Some of Kate Bowles latest makes use my recreation of the sampler There is, of course, a story behind the Sarah Maydman sampler, which I can remember seeing for the first time over 35 years ago. My ‘little sampler...
My Little Office

My Little Office

I ran my business from home for many years. The studio used to create and pack all my stitching kits was once the garage. After the business moved to Warrington (a tale in itself!), I filled a skip in order to reclaim the space for its original purpose. Now there is...