To be or Knot to be! Happy Friday!

Rod’s pride & joy

Hello everyone. I hope you are all well and enjoying the sunshine. What do you think of the title of this weeks blog? Claire has created some new knot bags which you can find on our website shop and I’ve put some photos of the new knot bags below. Rod & I went down to Oxwich Bay on our 1969 Triumph Motorcycle this afternoon. The temperature was perfect. We had a lovely ride down and enjoyed a coffee alfresco looking out over the bay from the garden at The Oxwich Bay Hotel. Claire & I are busy designing and making. We have got our next fair on Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th September at The Waterfront Museum.

What are your plans for the weekend? I’m hoping to be able to get out for a nice walk. We are lucky where we live. Swansea and The Gower have amazing beaches and green spaces. Next weekend is the Swansea Quilters ‘Power of Flowers’ Summer Exhibition. I can’t wait to see all the beautiful quilts on display.

The Power of Flowers!

Come along if you can. It promises to be a bouquet of colour!

Have a great week. See you next Friday x Suzanne

Happy Friday!

Meet Buster

He is keeping me company while I write the blog

Hello everyone. How are you all and how has your week been? I hope you have all been enjoying some of the lovely sunshine we have had. I find that the sun makes me want to get out and do things. Claire and I have been busy making for Sister Makes this week. I have made a lovely set of cushion covers and two table runners…some photos below of my work in progress. These will be on their way to Adelante in Mumbles early next week. I love picking out colours and patterns. The cushion covers are jewel like in colour….nice and bright. I think the table runners would make a lovely addition to any dining room or lounge. Claire has finished a tote bag for a commission but photos will be to follow as the customer has not had a chance to see it yet. Claire has also created another piece of handmade unique patchwork which she will be making into a zipped pouch. I can’t wait to see it finished as the combinations of different fabrics look amazing.

This weekend is Glastonbury 2024 running from Friday 28th June to Sunday 30th June. Claire and I have never been but we love watching it on TV. Hopefully the weather will be good for them as they have a fabulous lineup from Coldplay to Avril Lavigne to Paloma Faith. If you are going our knot bags are great for festivals as they are self-closing so no-one can get into them and they sit on your wrist leaving you hands free for your drink and food. Our kimono jackets are also good for festivals as they are so comfortable and easy to wear. Have a look at our website and don’t forget all our newsletter subscribers have access to an exclusive 10% discount.

Claire & I are going to HQ Urban Kitchen which is located in the heart of Swansea’s Creative Quarter. It is a brilliant place to listen to live music and see resident artists and their work. It used to be the old police station, now it’s somewhere to go for great food and coffee. Have a lovely weekend and I will see you next week x Suzanne

Happy Friday!

Hello everyone. How has your week been? Hope it has been good. We have had lots of sunshine in Swansea. Yay! It is so nice to feel warm. I’ve been taking the opportunity to sit out in the garden when I can. It’s so good for the soul. Rhod & I took a day off and went to Dyffryn Gardens near Cardiff this week. We haven’t been there for a few years. The National Trust have done a lot of work restoring the gardens. We had a great day out in the sunshine admiring all the different types of ‘garden rooms’ that they have created. You can’t go in the house unfortunately but they have a lovely cafe and gift shop. I can recommend the apricot flapjacks. Claire and I always love a good gift shop.

Today was our second crochet workshop. I missed the first one. I have always wanted to learn to crochet so this was my chance. Karen & Laura are so passionate about this craft. They love to teach. All of us who attended the workshop left with a big smile and being able to crochet a granny square. Mind you I definitely need lots of practice. Allison and Sue who attended could already crochet but both felt they had learnt a lot from today. Don’t forget our next workshop is again at Dunvant Farm Shop on July 19th and is all about the embroidery. You will leave with your own unique tote bag. Our workshops are a lovely relaxed way to meet new people with a love of crafting. Booking is essential which can be done by going to www.sistermakes.co.uk/workshop.

Claire is busy completing a bag for a commission plus making her own handmade fabric. Photos to follow. I am making some table runners and placemats using a new quilt block which I am excited about for Adelante. Lots going on. Have a lovely week and see you next Friday x Suzanne

Hello Friday!

What do you think of this lovely mix of red and gold?

We love looking for different fabrics and patterns for our designs.

Hello everyone. How are you all? I am writing this blog from sunny Dawlish Warren in Devon. Rhod and I have been here on holiday this week. Although the weather hasn’t been great, we have dodged the showers and had some lovely warm sunny spells. We love Devon and Cornwall but have not been to East Devon before. We can highly recommend it. We have had a lovely time exploring the area mostly by train as it was so convenient. It was so nice to leave the car at our holiday home. Dawlish is a great place with lovely green spaces. Thankfully we have done a lot of walking as we have consumed fish and chips and many a cream tea. Yummy! We loved A La Ronde which is a National Trust property near Exmouth. It is a sixteen sided house with diamond shaped windows set in the joins of the house.

Before I went to Devon, Claire and I were at The Vintage and Makers Market in The Waterfront Museum. It was a lovely weekend. We met up with old customers as well as new. Our kimono style jackets were again popular as were our Japanese Knot Bags. The weather co-operated and lots of people were out and about. There were lots of events going on which was great to see. This is the same this weekend, for example, there is Swansea Pride tomorrow which will be going through the city centre and the Gower Cheese and Cider Festival is also on this weekend which will be at The Gower Heritage Centre.

Cheese and cider - what’s not to love!

Our Granny Square Crochet Workshop was this morning. We had to have a change of venue last minute unfortunately but thanks to the Dunvant Farm Shop everyone enjoyed. The amazing Karen and Laura are very patient teachers. They even managed to get Claire crocheting. I will let you know the date of our next workshop as we have to sort out a new venue. Next week I will be busy quilting and I will share what I will hopefully have completed with you next Friday. Have a lovely week x Suzanne

It’s The School Holidays!

Hello and happy Friday! It’s been a busy week at Sister Makes. We’ve been working on commissions and Claire is working on something new. More on that in our new newsletter out in August! We have also been stewarding at The Quilters Guild of the British Isles, Region 12 Mid & South Wales Quilt Exhibition called ‘Wales Wide Whispers’. It is being held at the Baywood Community Centre, West Cross, Swansea and is on for one more week 10am-4pm. Entry and parking are free. It is a lovely way to pass some time especially if you are dodging the showers!

Exhibition of Wales Wide Whispers

Well worth a visit

The school holidays are here - hooray! Now we just need the sunshine. If you are going on holiday our small knot bags are perfect to take with you as they are light and easy to pack - a bonus if you are going abroad. Even better they are reversible so you have two looks which are great for co-ordinating with your holiday outfits. There are lots of colours and designs so you are bound to find the perfect bag for you. Have a look at our website. Happy holidays Suzanne and Claire.

Japanese Knot Bag

Ideal for your holiday outfits - home or abroad

Hurray! It’s Friday!

One of my favourite Japanese fabrics - love the colours on these parasols

Hello hope everyone is ready for the weekend whether you are out and about or just chilling and relaxing. I know the weather forecast isn’t brilliant but hopefully the sun will come out. What are your plans? Claire is going to a Quilters Guild open day on Saturday. I’m hoping to get some walks in. I’ve got my waterproofs ready just in case! Lots of sewing planned for next week. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter. You can do this on our website www.sistermakes.co.uk. We will be rolling out our first newsletter in August. Claire & I are really looking forward to sharing our love of all things sewing & fashion especially bags. We would love to hear what you would like to be included in our newsletters. Have a lovely weekend from me & Claire x

Feeling Sunny with some Tropical Colours….

Enjoying the sun whilst working on some bright sunny tropical print Japanese knot bags. Will be added to the website tomorrow!

Next to follow will be some beautiful Japanese fabric knot bags……