A Stitch In Time - Happy Friday!

Hello everyone. Hope you have had a good week. There was no blog last Friday as we were busy getting ready for the inaugural Woolly Wool Artisan Market. The drive up to the museum was lovely as the scenery is amazing. The National Wool Museum is a fab building with such a lot of history. It was a great way to celebrate National Wool Month and although we don’t make anything using wool we do design and make Welsh Blanket cross stitch kits which we launched at the market. It was lovely seeing them displayed alongside actual Welsh blankets. The stall next to us was demonstrating wool from fleece to finished products. It was fascinating to see her and her husband using the spinning wheel.

We were so pleased with staff and customers responses to the kits. We have six designs all named after Gower beaches. They make lovely gifts for all ages. Claire will be putting them on our website this weekend. She and Simon have been away this week to meet their new grandson and catch up with family. Have you had a good half-term? I can’t believe it is the first of November! I caught up with my friend Caroline and her three children Imogen, Nerys and Alice. We had a great day exploring Mewslade Bay and Fall Bay. It was like summer. The weather co-operated and the sun shone all day. We are so lucky where we live with these beaches only a short drive away. These two beaches take a bit of strenuous walking to get to so they were really quiet. We found a lot of caves and fossils. The limestone rock was fascinating as it looked like dinosaur bones. Caroline made us a little fire and we toasted marshmallows and had bananas with chocolate in them. These were wrapped in foil and put on the edge of the fire for the chocolate to melt. Lots of lovely chocolatey goodness. All in all a lovely day out in the fresh air, making the most of the sunshine.

I hope you all have a lovely week and I will see you next Friday x Suzanne

Are you in the pink? Happy Friday!

Hello everyone! Today is ‘Wear it Pink Day” for breast cancer awareness month. Now I must confess I don’t own much in pink but I wore a lovely abstract print scarf in pink & red. It was one I have had for a long time but very rarely wear so it was nice to bring it out. I am going to start wearing my infinity scarf as the days are starting to feel cooler. Check out our shop on our website for some fab designs. They are all unique and quirky. They certainly brighten up an outfit plus they are functional as well. Autumn is definitely here! I love seeing the foliage change colour to reds and oranges. Mind you I don’t like the nights getting dark earlier.

Rod & I recently spent a few days down Llangennith. We were so lucky with the weather. We managed to get a few walks in - one to the local pub ‘The King’s Head’ and it was warm enough to sit out for a drink. The King’s Head do lovely food and lots of it as well. You can also stay there if you fancy a treat and don’t want to drive home. I think my crossbody bag looks good in the pub garden if I say so myself. It’s a fab size for taking on a walk as it packs a lot in but still looks good. I do love making these bags as commissions as I enjoy helping customers with their fabric choices. It’s always a joy to play with fabric. If you fancy one yourself then contact us via our website or social media.

I am busy on some bag commissions and Claire is putting together some great kits which we will debuting at The Woolly Wool Artisan Market at The National Wool Museum next Saturday 26th October. Come along if you can as it is a great day out with lots of lovely artists and crafters. The museum is amazing as well and well worth a visit. The kits will then go our website and I am going to profile them in our November newsletter. Lots to look forward to. Have a lovely week and I will see you next Friday x Suzanne

Patchwork Madness! Happy Friday!

Hello everyone. I hope you have had a great week. Claire has been busy designing and putting her new cross stitch kits together. She has some lovely new designs which I will share with you when they are ready. I have been designing and making a new skirt. I had some lovely Japanese prints so I cut them up into squares and along with some calico I made them into a skirt. I am really pleased with the result. I used some lace binding for the hem which I think finishes it really well. The photo above shows me pinning the skirt on to my dressmakers dummy to see what the patchwork would look like with the lace…excuse the mess on the floor.

Rod and I managed to dodge the showers this week and get out for a walk. We called in for breakfast at Fortes Cafe which is next to Limeslade Bay. We love this place. Fortes is a family business which had parlours and kiosks around Mumbles and Langland since the 1930s. It has recently been refurbished but they have kept the original ice-cream parlour feel plus they do a cracking breakfast. We then worked off some calories by walking to the top of Mumbles Head. You get an amazing view of the Mumbles peninsula.

I thought I would share with you one of our new Japanese Knot Bags. Claire has used beautiful bright fabric from a designer called Kaffe Fasset. He designs fabulous prints which we love. She also used it to make a Japanese Rice Bag. Claire and I are off to a Quilters Guild meeting tomorrow which we are looking forward to. Next week I will be busy writing our monthly newsletter as we roll into October. I can’t believe how quickly the time is going. If you want to subscribe to our newsletter, you can sign up on our website www.sistermakes.co.uk. Come and join our growing family. Have a great week and I will see you next Friday x Suzanne

Happy Friday!

I love this knot bag - it’s so colourful.

Hello everyone. How has your week been? I’m typing this with the sun shining outside and my washing blowing on the line. I love being able to put my washing outside to dry. Little things but they make me happy. Rhod & I managed to go out for a walk and picnic near us. The weather was grey and cold but we enjoyed ourselves. Trying to get out for some fresh air everyday is vital to me, even if the weather isn’t good. It is good for my physical and mental health. It was lovely to be surrounded by nature although one of the swans did make us a bit nervous lol. Excuse the close up of my knees.

I managed to finish my quilt and took it to the lovely Julia from Swansea Quilters who is going to put it on her long arm quilting machine as it is too big to go through my sewing machine. I am so excited to see the finished quilt. Claire has been doing some more patchwork fabric. She has also created a new cross stitch pattern which she has put on our online shop as a PDF. You can have a look and buy it here. There will be more to follow. If you want to see more about these and access to an exclusive discount then subscribe to our newsletter. Our next one will be out tomorrow.

Do not adjust your screens! This is Claire’s new PDF. What a great idea for Christmas!

We are off to see a car show on Sunday 2nd June called Field of Dreams which is being held at Riverside Holiday Park, Ynysforgan Farm, Neath Road, Swansea SA6 6QL. Hope you all have a lovely week. See you next Friday x Suzanne

PS. I am not being paid by Ford. I have always fancied a Ford Mexico and loved this image!