Putting mum's embroidery to use

I have finally finished both of these project bags where I’ve used some hand embroidery sewn by my mum. It’s taken a while to finish the larger of the two, and for no other reason than I’d not got around to it. When I was helping mum to relocate her sewing room she found some embroideries that she’d completed most likely in the 1990s as part of a magazine series, which she no longer wanted. Some went to the charity shop, and I brought a couple home with me always intending to adapt them into a project bag, and that’s what I did.

Delving into my stash I found the perfect fabrics to use. The smaller of the two (which is still approximately A4 size) makes use of some tiny bobble trim I felt particularly drawn to and some pink fabric which I think also came from mum. The lining is tiny rosebuds, and that was definitely from one of her old dresses - the turquoise paisley material is one I’d bought a while back and it just felt right to use for this.

The larger orange and purple one, which just about fits into one of the cubby holes in my Kallax unit, uses more from my stash. The orange and lilac wave fabric came as part of a set - and I’m not sure if you can see it but the text on the wave says ‘a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor’ and while mum’s not a sailor, I’m sure it’s something she’d agree with. Bizarrely the material reminds me of a dress she once had, but in actual fact it’s nothing like the actual dress - I remember the dress having swirls, though I suspect they were more likely paisley shapes, and the dress was a pale blue/lilac, so I’ve no idea why this material prompted that memory!!

They’ve turned out brilliantly and I’ve adapted my usual go to pouch pattern, and although they are larger and don’t have a vinyl front they use the same principle and construction with a tweak or two along the way, but the pouch is just a small part of it, mum’s embroidery is so much more.

Aren’t they great? And isn’t the embroidery just fab?

Touch, sight, natural light and enhanced wellbeing - Liz Tomes and Amelia Wylan

I’ve already shared two of the four graduate showcases from the Harrogate Knit & Stitch show (see my earlier posts showing Kiara Johnson’s and Emily Cox’s work) and planned to do the same for the graduates I’m sharing today, however I only have a couple of photos of their work and much more to share from the show, so instead I’m sharing both in a single post.

I wish I had more photos as their work was amazing, and no less amazing than those I’ve shared previously - so it’s annoying in that respect. But anyway.

Liz’s work takes an exploratory approach looking at the intersections of material, language and touch. She works across embroidery, weave and print creating textural fabrics which just draw you in - and makes me want to touch them, which of course I didn’t (even though I really wanted to!)

GRADUATE SHOWCASE: LIZ TOMES

I loved the colours, I loved the texture and the apron in the photo above - or Convergent Frequencies to give it its title - investigates how rhythm and repetition can behave like sound. She says ‘this collection takes influence from tartan, houndstooth and her Hungarian heritage’ and was inspired by an photograph of embroidery threads strew across her studio table - I definitely know that feeling!

GRADUATE SHOWCASE: LIZ TOMES

I also really love the the design, texture and colours of the fabric with the rust/yellow embroidery hanging on the lower rung of the ladder, which is part of the Auspicious Haptics collection. She says ‘there is an irony in their visibility - they are first seen, yet they invite touch’ and yes, I was already sitting on my hands (while standing up!) viewing this work.

It’s absolutely fascinating to me.

Equally fascinating, but entirely different is Amelia’s work. She too chose embroidery as the specialism for her degree and learnt how to use a wide range of industrial and domestic embroidery machinery as well as techniques to manipulate fabric.

This is textural in a different, almost sculptural way - the green and cream pieces (which are brooches) on the grey fabric are part of her ‘Wisps of Light’ collection which ‘explores the connection between natural light and enhanced wellbeing’ with inspiration from photographic blueprints and more.

GRADUATE SHOWCASE: AMELIA WYLAN

The piece that really caught my eye though, was the olive green hanging in the centre of the picture below. It’s the type of piece that while I’m not sure exactly where it would hang, but one I would happily make space for. The naturally dyed silks are given textural elegance, and the shapes appear fluid but still able to retain their structure.

GRADUATE SHOWCASE: AMELIA WYLAN

I’ve no idea how she’s made them, but I appreciate the end result and the colours used - they’re calming and tranquil, and I can see how these really could contribute to enhanced wellbeing. Which sounds a bit woo, but there you go.

In future posts from the show my plan is to share more from some of the galleries, which both inspired and amazed as always.

A year of my 'stretch' project

Around this time last year I rather foolishly (with hindsight!) set myself what I said at the time was a ‘potentially crazy project’ as part of my quilt plans for 2025. It was borne out of wanting to make use of the test blocks I was determined to make so that my mystery block of the month quilt would be the best it could be.

The thing about setting myself this challenge, however crazy it seemed, was that it became a thing that I didn’t want to fail at, even though back then, and every month since, I said I wouldn’t know if I could do it unless I tried…

Well I tried, and I succeeded!

Not only have I made the equivalent of a quilt a month for charity, I’ve also improved my sewing skills and sewing confidence too. I hoped that I would also sew through my stash rather more than I have, and while I clearly have shifted a fair bit of fabric, I’m very much of the opinion that scraps of fabric breed when you’re not looking!

Seriously.

But I have a plan for dealing with that in 2026, as you knew I would, but more of that another day.

My ‘stretch’ project quilts

These quilts aren’t the largest quilts, but the are big enough to give a quilt-sized hug to children that need one. They have been/will be donated to Project Linus who provide quilts to children who are sick, disabled, disadvantaged or distressed through the donation of new, handmade, washable quilts and blankets.

They are:

1. A log cabin log cabin

2. A mostly repurposed vintage star

3. Four pink hearts and a hug

4. The Friendly Bee

5. Pleated Tulips

6. A Raspberry Plus

7. Half the Scraps

8. Blues and greens

9. Marmalade hearts

10. Ohio flower garden

11. My Dresden buttercup

12. Stars and spots
    

PICTURED (FROM BOTTOM): BLUES AND GREENS, MARMALADE HEARTS, OHIO FLOWER GARDEN, MY DRESDEN BUTTERCUP AND STARS AND SPOTS WHICH ARE WAITING TO BE DONATED TO PROJECT LINUS

Lesson learned

I am proud to have finished all of these quilts and to donate them to charity, but I won’t be setting myself any such similar challenges for this year, though I will still continue to make quilts for charity. What I found was that this was the focus of my sewing time, and it meant that I didn’t spend anywhere near as much time as I hoped on the other quilts on my list, or on garment sewing - though of course, I found there’s always time to make a pouch or two!