Relax & Chill - Happy Friday!

Hello everyone. How has your week been? As our title suggests I have had a lovely relaxed week away with Rhod, staying near Bath in Somerset. I did some relaxing hand sewing. I finished a Sashiko project from a recent workshop that I did with the Swansea Quilters. I am now addicted to Sashiko. I find something soothing about concentrating on keeping the simple running stitches consistent in size and spacing. It’s not as easy as I thought. I love the history behind Sashiko and the fact that the Japanese started this stitching as far back as the 17th century as a practical way to repair and reuse precious fabrics and everyday clothing.

We enjoyed visiting some great towns and villages from Frome to Bath and searching out some quirky independent shops. In Frome I found a great fabric shop - Millie Moon. They had a great choice of unusual fabrics and indie patterns. I must confess I did buy some lovely Sevenberry linen that I hadn’t seen before. In Bath, I visited the Museum of East Asian Art and what a fabulous place that was. I could have stayed there all day. There was a Kimono exhibition and a dragon exhibition as well as art and ceramics that are permanently on display. I also loved the gift shop. I may have purchased some Christmas presents here. We also visited The American Museum and Garden near Bath. We first went with Claire and Simon in 2019 to see a Kaffe Fassett Quilt Exhibition and unfortunately due to really bad weather we couldn’t go round the gardens. This time Rhod and I got to visit the gardens which were works of art in themselves. There was loads to see…the wildlife photography exhibition was a delight, the shop and cafe were great (I had the best pecan pie) and the textile room was amazing. All in all we had a fab week away.

Back to normal next week. I have got some commissions to finish and Claire is busy putting her kits together and making mini rag wreaths. We are also prepping ready for our next workshop on Friday 29th November which is all about making Christmas decorations. Come and join us for a morning of fun and chat. You can book via our website booking page. Have a lovely week x Suzanne

Wonderful Workshops - Happy Friday!

Hello everyone. How has your week been? Claire and I have been busy making some new stock for Adelante. Claire has made some quilted pouches using Halloween patchwork which are such fun. We have also got some Japanese Knot Bags in Halloween fabric which are great to hold your sweets in when you are ‘Trick or Treating’. I have finished a kimono style jacket. I want to let you know about our next workshop which is all about the snowflake. You will learn to make crochet snowflakes which can be made up into decorations for the Christmas tree or around the home but can also be made into garlands and bunting. What a fab way to do your bit for going green over Christmas. Head over to our website to book your place.

What are you up to this weekend? It is the Swansea Arts Festival this weekend and I am hoping to pop along to some of the events that are going on around Swansea. Claire and I are busy creating some new designs. We are looking forward to sharing these with you in the future however if you want a little teaser subscribe to our newsletter for a preview of what Claire is creating. Whatever you are up to have a great time and I will see you next week x Suzanne

Quilting Madness - Happy Friday!

Hello everyone. How has your week been? There was no blog last week as I was busy helping out at our Swansea Quilters Summer Exhibition. We had a fantastic weekend with over 400 visitors enjoying the exhibition. There were quilts galore….over 100! What was lovely was no two quilts were the same including the ‘sew a row’ challenge mini quilts. We were all given the same two rows each month but it was great seeing everybody’s interpretation of the challenge. I was chuffed with the response to my own quilt that I put into the exhibition. I decided to simply call it ‘Ginger Jars’. It was a great way to show off the prints that I used. If you fancy joining us, we would love to meet you. We are a friendly bunch who love to share our passion of quilting and sewing. Swansea Quilters meet on the third Saturday of the month from 10am-1pm.

I am busy making some kimono style jackets ready for The Vintage and Makers Market next Saturday 7th September and Sunday 8th September at The Waterfront Museum, Swansea. I love choosing the fabric to use. The jacket pictured below is nearly finished. I have just got to do some hand stitching to finish it off. The fabric in this makes me smile. I hope you like them as well. If you are nearby, come along and say hello. It’s free to come in and there are loads of stalls to look at. Dare I say it but if you are starting to do your Christmas list then this is a great place to start your shopping.

Claire and Simon have been busy with a lovely visit from their son and his family. Although the weather didn’t play ball, they still enjoyed themselves including taking the grandchildren to Margam Park. It’s a great place to take children and adults alike. She has still managed to make some new knot bags and also some Halloween Mini Rag Wreath Kits. Head over to our website shop to have a look. I have shown two bags below and what I love is that two becomes four as they are fully reversible.

Have a great week and I will see you next Friday x Suzanne

To Infinity (Scarves) and Beyond - Happy Friday!

Hello everyone how has your week been? Claire & I have been to the Festival of Quilts for our annual AGM and shopping spree. We love having our AGM at the festival as it is usually over a bottle of fizz and as there is only two of us we can cover a lot in a short space of time so that we can enjoy the hotel pool and spa facilities. We always love the amazing talent of the quilters and feel so inspired after looking at all the competition quilts and exhibitors. It’s a great way to catch up with suppliers and source new fabrics. For more news about our Festival of Quilts trip have a look at our August newsletter which will be out Monday. If you aren’t signed up then pop over to our website and subscribe.

Love the sunny yellow fabric and the different cats in this scarf make it fun

I have been busy this week cutting out some new kimono style jackets ready to sew next week. I love playing around with patterns and hopefully you will love what I create. Claire has been busy finishing some commissions. I have put some photos of the quirky patchwork tote bag below. She has also been making some new infinity scarves. These are great accessories and because they are 100% cotton they can be worn in the summer as well as the winter. You can find them and all our other products on our Sister Makes website .

Next week is all out sewing for Claire & I and don’t forget our slow stitch workshop on Friday August 16th at Dunvant Farm Shop & Cafe. There are still places available but booking is essential. You can do this via our workshop page on our website or by clicking here. I hope you are enjoying the summer sunshine whatever you are doing and look forward to catching up next week x Suzanne