I wish I made this coat, but it is actually a vintage coat, given to me by my Nan when I was a teenager. The brand is Paul Blanche. Is anyone familiar with the brand? Surprisingly I can’t find anything online. As kids me and my brother went on holiday each year with our parents and […]
Vintage Paul Blanche Coat Read More »
A couple of weeks ago I attended a book binding workshop with my friend Claire. The workshop was at Bilston Craft Gallery, and was run by Rachel Marsden. A friend of ours had previously attended one of Rachel’s book binding classes and recommended it so I booked up as soon as I saw the event
Book Binding Involves Sewing Too! Read More »
A couple of weeks ago I attended my first workshop at Guthrie and Ghani in Moseley. Having visited on their opening day and had a nose at their upstairs studio, I was keen to go back and try a class there. A friend at work was attending a Batik Taster Session so I decided to
My First Workshop at Guthrie & Ghani Read More »
At a Memorabilia show last year I bought a selection of vintage magazines (Red Letter, Red Star, Secrets) from the 1950s and 60s. I thought if nothing else they would be good for a laugh, which they were. They also included knitting patterns, some of which- like the ‘butterfly jumper’ below – are quite cute. If
(Our Paris Navigo travel cards) Me and Phil spent last week in Paris. While we were there gay marriage was legalised, with France becoming the 14th country to legalise gay marriage. It was only the second time we’d visited Paris, so there was lots we wanted to see. Amongst the sites and galleries we managed
Craft Shops Et cetera in Paris Read More »
I tend to do quite a bit of making with the TV on. It actually makes me a lot slower, but it does allow me to feel as if I’m multi-tasking (sort-of) and allows me to work through a few things I’ve recorded before the Sky box gets full! However, there are certain types of
What (Not) to Watch While Crafting Read More »
A couple of weeks ago me and Phil went on holiday with family to Center Parcs Elveden Forest. I had a little break from crafting (and work) for a long weekend & spent the time bird/animal watching instead. These pictures were taken from the hide there. I saw some birds for the first time while
Elveden Forest Wildlife Read More »
I made Phil a couple of t-shirts for Christmas – just using fabric pens to customise plain H&M tees. This is one of them, a Breaking Bad t-shirt with a Heisenberg design. You can buy a similar tee, but I thought it would be easier to make my own:)
DIY Breaking Bad Heisenberg Tee Read More »
Yesterday I attended a willow weaving course at Winterbourne, an Edwardian house museum in Birmingham. The course was led by Jonathan Ridgeon whose website features an article with instructions to make a basket very similar to the one I made, which is pictured here. To achieve the two-tone effect we used a combination of willow without bark (the paler
中秋节快乐 / Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, an important holiday in the Chinese lunar calendar. Mooncakes (月饼), pastry cakes which normally contains red bean or lotus seed paste and salted duck egg yolk, are eaten at the Festival and are frequently given as gifts (they tend to be quite expensive). Pictured below is one of
中秋节快乐 ~ Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake Read More »