Happy Friday!

A new zipped pouch using patchwork

I love the vibrant colours of the different fabric.

Hello everyone. How has your week been? Claire and I gave a talk to the lovely ladies of the Llansamlet WI yesterday evening. They gave us a great welcome and it was fab to meet new crafters and quilters. This is what I love about what we do, meeting new people and sharing our love of all things fun and quirky. We have been making some new stock for Adelante using the patchwork that Claire has designed. The photo heading the blog is of a beautiful purple and gold jacket that I made for a customer. Diane wanted a birthday gift for her daughter whose favourite colour is purple. The purple is stunning and I think it looks great with the gold which looks like flames. I have started an advanced sewing course with the amazing Helen Rhiannon from All Sewn Up Wales today. I love vintage Christian Dior dresses so I am going to attempt to make my own version with a boat neck and box pleats. I will share some photos of my dress when it is finished. It is a year since Helen’s dressmaking book was first published. It has quickly become a must have dressmaking bible all over the world. Have a look at her website and her Facebook Page. Claire has been at Underhill Park Hub today doing a course run by Google. It is frightening how quickly technology is advancing especially with AI. Claire is our computer guru.

I always feel blessed to live where I do, close to lots of lovely beaches. Sunday Rod & I went for a walk to Oxwich. We had part of the beach to ourselves. Today we went for a walk on Langland Beach. It’s always good for the soul getting out in the fresh sea air and for my stomach (not my waistline though) as we finished both walks with coffee and cake. I also popped a photo in of a Hurricane waiting to take off from Swansea Airport to take part in the Swansea Airshow last Sunday.

The Forget Me Not Club went to the Gower Heritage Centre on Tuesday and sampled ‘A Taste of Times Past’. Thanks to Chendore Luan for feeding us tasty homemade food from a bygone era of Gower. It was really interesting learning something new about where you live. We all enjoyed having a walk around the centre and seeing the water wheel working. The Heritage Centre is a fascinating snapshot of times past. They also have a gift shop with lots of local produce. This weekend Swansea and the Gower is playing host to Ironman Swansea. Hope you all have a lovely weekend and 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

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

Hello Friday!

Hello everyone on this fabulous sunny and warm Friday. Hopefully this is the start of our summer. Claire & I are busy getting ready for the Vintage and Makers Market this weekend. Come in and say hello if you can. It is free entry and is open from 10am to 4pm. There is so much going on around Swansea this weekend. By the Waterfront Museum we have got the vintage car show on in the Marina square tomorrow all day and there is a steam engine on the museum green from 12pm to 3pm while on Sunday the Marina Food Market is on. What are you all up to this weekend - making the most of the sunshine.

I have been busy making some new kimono style jackets ready for the market and then they will be put on the website. I hope you like them. Claire has been busy making some Japanese knot bags to add to the display and I have also made a pair of patchwork cushions. Rhod and I managed to get out for a lovely walk on the bank holiday down Oxwich Bay. It is so beautiful there and the tide was right out.

Yes that is blue sky you can see - I loved capturing it in the sand. The tide was right out that day!

You can just make out Oxwich Bay Hotel in the distance.

Sorry for the shortish blog this week but I am now off to have a well-deserved lie down and a large glass of fizz. Have a lovely weekend and see you next Friday x Suzanne

Hello Friday!

My lovely new table that can take both sewing machine and overlocker.

Excuse the mess - it’s a work in progress as I have had to rejig my work space.

Hello everyone. I know the weather isn’t ideal but we have a bank holiday weekend to look forward to. We can have an extra lie-in on Monday for those of us lucky enough not to be working. How has your week been? Claire and I were asked by the lovely ladies of the Dunvant WI to give a talk last week. I have to say I was very nervous as I am not very confident when it comes to public speaking however everyone was very welcoming. We had great feedback and lovely comments about our business and products.

We also managed to get on to The Big Wheel by Mumbles Pier. We were lucky to have sunshine and blue skies. We even managed to sit outside with a coffee at The Pier Cafe. It was great to be able to look at the coast from above. My photos don’t do it justice. Also this week I went to Plantasia Tropical Zoo for the first time with the gang from the Forget-Me-Not Dementia Day Club that I volunteer with. We all had a great time although I wasn’t too chuffed with all the creepy crawlies.

Nearly finished.

What do you think of the 1970s print?

I am busy making some new kimono style jackets ready for our next fair on May 11th & 12th. At the moment I have nearly finished one made in vintage fabric. What do you think? It’s very 1970s. I have also made one in a William Morris pattern. As you know we love our Japanese fabrics but I am enjoying sourcing these vintage patterns.

Claire and I are hoping that we can get outside and have some lovely walks by the sea this weekend and of course lots of sewing and crafting. Hope you all have a lovely bank holiday x Suzanne

Happy Friday!

Hello everyone. How’s your week been? Lots going on at Sister Makes HQs.

I have received some lovely feedback regarding my kimono style jackets so I have just finished a new one which I will put on the website along with the others that we showcased in the vintage and makers market. Apologies for the delay in putting them on our website but they will be up by Sunday. I have loved choosing the fabrics and this last one is one of my favourites.

Isn’t this fabric fantastic!

This is a size Large and is £45.00

We are so excited that the workshop for April 11th has gone live. You can book by clicking on www.sistermakes.co.uk/workshops and using the red booking button. Please share this with anyone you know who loves to learn a new craft. Claire has been busy getting the kits ready. The workshop is excellent value at £25.00 per person. All supplies are included and you get to take home a 6 inch mini rag wreath in colours that you have chosen. As a bonus there is a free hot or soft drink included. A workshop is a lovely way to meet other like minded people. In May we will be running a crochet workshop where you will learn how to make granny squares.

Claire has also been making stock for the lovely Adelante in Mumbles. If you haven’t been yet, Adelante is a fabulous fashion and vintage boutique. Naomi supports local makers as well as stocking clothing which is original and quirky.

Hope you have a lovely week x Suzsnne

Happy Friday!

Hello everyone. Hope you have had a great week. Lots going on at Sister Makes. We are launching a new look and logo. Let us know what you think. We have gone for a more minimalist feel and love the new colours of blue and white with a pop of red and green. We are currently updating our website and putting on some new photos. A lot has happened since we first thought of Sister Makes back in 2021. Where has that time gone?

Our new kimono style jackets

They are so easy to wear - you can dress them up or wear with casual wear

We did our first market of 2024 last weekend and had a lovely time seeing old customers and traders and meeting lots of new people as well. Our new jackets went well and we had positive feedback. I am busy making some new ones. Bear with me as I am not the fastest on the sewing machine! All our jackets like our other products are unique and quirky. A lot of the fun for us is choosing which fabrics to use for our projects.

How exciting! In 2024 we will be running some craft workshops along with Dragon Emporium.

Our first workshop will be making mini rag wreaths on the 11th April at the WhirlyBird Cafe in Swansea Airport.

This week we have been meeting up with the lovely Karen & Laura of Dragon Emporium to design the poster for our first new workshop. We are very excited about running these workshops as we all love to share our love of crafting.

Book our very 1st workshop via this link https://www.picktime.com/craftworkshop

Have a great week x Suzanne