Wedding Bunting...not for the faint hearted

I normally warn people off wedding bunting as it is invariable underestimated in required length, required time etc.  But how could I quibble when called to arms by one of my earliest icons of crafting prowess, my oldest friend Chloe's mum, Jan Fuller?! 

It was only one flag, mind.

I had a little bit of breathing space this weekend...so how did I fill it, a bit more sewing, what else!?

Chloe is getting married in a few months. The invite popped through the letter box on friday, complete with 2 bunting flags and instructions to get creative! I am always keen, when presented with a crafting challenge, to use up what I have and not have to buy anything new - Jan would surely approve - that is the whole premise of make do and mend is it not?

Most useful kit is at the studio but my quilting kit still resides at home and with it, a healthy amount of embroidery thread. 

I haven't done any embroidery since I monogrammed Ant's initials for his birthday present last year. I'm a bit rusty to say the least, and improved considerably as soon as I found a needle with a big enough eye to fit a full strand of embroidery thread through...  

So far, a little bit wobbly, but I like to think it is friendly embroidery. 

I love colour graded embroidery thread...these three ferns were done with one thread that gradually got pinker and pinker!

For those of you keen to have a go yourself, I used a split stitch to write my font. I faintly drew it in a water soluble pen. To decorate, I did a variation on the two below stitches, Tete de Beouf and Fern.

Split Stitch

Tete de Beouf stitch

Fern Stitch

And here is the finished article, complete with tassel so I'll be able to identify it from the thousands 

Home is where the art is: How to make a patchwork quilt bedspread from embroidered linens

The tradition of quilting began with army wives waiting for their husbands to return from war, or expectant mothers making a quilt for their new baby. Usually hand-sewn, the quilt evokes a maternal and sentimental feel with each patch signifying a story of its own. I have taught beginner's Patchwork quilting courses over the past few years. I have acquired embroidered linens from various sources with little idea of what to do with them. I love them, but I'm not up for draping doilies around my flat, and there are only so many doily clutch bags I can use. 

I saw a number of quilts using embroidered linens in beautiful big houses in London that we use for photoshoot locations. I was struck by the 'French Chateau' appearance the quilt gave to a simple room and wanted a piece of the action!

You will need

• A range of fabrics for your patches
• Cardboard
• ruler
• Pen 
• Pencil
• Scissors and dress making scissors
• Dress making pins
• Needle and thread
• Double Duvet cover
• Lining fabric the size of your quilt plus a 5cm seam allowance all around the edge
• Long ruler

How to make

1. choose your fabrics and plan your design. I.e. alternating plain and patterns
2. cut out your template square from card. This will be your master template and forms the basis of your patchwork. A double duvet is 2m x 2m, therefore I went for a 25cm square, requiring 8 rows of 8 to completely cover one side of the duvet.
3. place the template onto the wrong side of your fabric and draw around it with a pencil 
4. cut out leaving a 2cm seam allowance.
5. take 2 fabric squares and pin right side together, matching up the corners.
6. join using a running stitch. 
7. Pin the next square to one edge and sew as before, making a row of three.
8. continue adding squares until you have the desired width. 
9. iron seam allowances to one side and continue to pin and sew rows of squares.
10. when you have enough rows you can assemble your quilt by pinning two rows right sides together making sure you match up the squares accurately. Find the centre seam and work your way out to the sides. Join with a running stitch.
11. once you have your complete quilt, press and trim the excess edges on the wrong side of the quilt.
12. Place onto one side of your duvet, right sides up, smooth all the wrinkles out, and work your way around the edges, turning under the raw edge, pinning in place and then hand sew an oversew stitch all around the edge.

Fashion Fix: Boyfriend Birthday Special...Monogramming Initials

I've had to keep this post under wraps as it's my boyfriend's birthday present! This post will probably embarrass him horribly, but ever since spying this cutting in the Sunday Times Style magazine I was hatching a plan...

Like they say in the Times, the obsession with engraving your initials onto possessions has both a nostalgic quality and a way to add personal value to any item. My friend Bianca had already branded hers and Polly's brollies and I was keen to follow suit. All this takes is a bit of embroidery thread and the knowhow with a few choice embroidery stitches.

I chose bright colours to contrast with the pale linen colours of the shirts.

Here are diagrams of a few of my favourite simpler embroidery stitches good for monogramming. Use four strands of your embroidery thread for a chunky 'font'.

Chain Stitch

French Knot. Useful for full stops between initials

Split Stitch, I used this one for Ant's shirts.

And it all went in a box lined with that amazing wallpaper!