Tilda Lemon Tree Blog Hop & The New 'Take it All Tote' Bag Class

I have been sitting on my hands waiting to share the gorgeous new Tilda range, Lemon Tree, with you all. Originally scheduled to come out early this year the release date was delayed until last week. It has certainly been worth the wait.

The lovely folks at Sew and So sent me a few prints from the new range to play with. There is a wonderful palette of fresh vibrant colours that really have me excited. I love that these play well with designs from Tilda's previous ranges but have such a fresh bright look.

I knew that I wanted to use the small scale prints to create some patchwork and the larger feature print with some quilting to really show off the design. I created my new Take it All Tote.

A capacious and sturdy tote that uses the excellent Vlieseline Stylevil to create a self supporting Tote bag that can easily be loaded with whatever you need, whether it be supplies for a craft class or a picnic or towels and snacks for a day out at the beach.

I had great fun piecing the patchwork panel for the front of the bag, the ditsy print I used for the binding is my favourite and the simple natural linen from Stoff really sets of the bright colours of the Lemon Tree. 

I used a simple striped cotton lining and thick padded handles for comfort during use.

The back of the bag shows of the wonderful print Lemon Tree in Plum, quilted simply with a flower motif to let the fabric do all the talking. There are so many wonderful details to pick out in this fabric,  camels, elephants, ballerinas and penny farthings, it is so fun!

I will be teaching the Take it All Tote at Serendipity Patchwork and Quilting in Bovey Tracey over two mornings on March 8th & April 26th and the cost is just £35 for the two sessions. You can contact them to book a space through the website. It promises to be a great class with instruction on how to piece the patchwork, how to work with innovative stabilisers for great finished results and of course the chance to sew with beautiful fabric!

You can find the full range of the new Tilda Lemon Tree at Sew and So and for Vlieseline Stylevil Stabiliser please visit Lady Sew and Sew or Six Penny Memories. 

Farewell Sewing World Magazine

It’s the end of an era. The last ever issue of Sewing World magazine is in stores now and I have two projects in this closing issue. You can find out where to get your copy locally here, or buy online here.

I have my wool and leather bucket bag, the perfect bag to make to compliment any outfit. Simple yet stylish.

And a fun clamshell cushion made with the gorgeous Liberty Quilting Cottons.

It’s been a privilege to work with the wonderful team at Sewing World for the last few years and I will 
greatly miss it. 



I am really touched to have been included in the reflective feature looking back on the 265 issues it ran for. Being a regular contributor was an honour and they really were the most wonderful people to work with. 


So long Sewing World and thanks for all the stitching 

Gutermann Portofino Cotton Fabric

Many of you may not know that Gutermann, a world leading Thread manufacturing company also produce a great range of high quality cotton fabrics in a range of collections.

The Portofino Collection is a fresh palette of prints perfect for spring projects, inspired by the Mediterranean. Colours include powder blue, chalky pink, sandy beige and elegant grey. Designs including feathers, hydrangeas and roses mix with geometrics on pure cotton fabric making this perfect for sewing and crafting.

The fabric is extra wide compared to your standard quilting cotton (145cm) and the base used is so soft and has a lovely hand. I tend to hesitate at using quilting cottons for dressmaking these days, finding that it is not as supple or soft to wear as other substrates, but it is hard to resist the wide variety of wonderful prints. Gutermann Creativ have completely allayed this for me, this cotton fabric is so beautifully soft to wear, I didn't hesitate to whip up some new lounge trousers for my girls in the wonderful feather print.

As the fabric is extra wide it is so economical to use. These are simple elasticated PJ bottom/lounge trousers with a one piece leg so that extra fabric width really helps to cut out these big pattern pieces with minimal waste.

As always for dressmaking I pre-washed the fabric, overlocking the cut edge before doing so, I find the time taken to do the overlocking is saved on untangling and neatening the inevitable frayed edge if you skip this step.

The girls absolutely love their trousers, I am genuinely surprised at how soft the cotton has come up, after just one wash they feel like long lived in and loved cosy pyjama bottoms. There is no colour fade too, which is great!

I choose the blue feather print for my tomboy girls, but I would love a pair for myself in the hydrangea print. I plan to use the offcuts from the trousers to line the pockets on my next pair of jeans, it will make them beautifully soft and cosy and being cotton it has the stability I need. I also wouldn't hesitate to use this for quilt backs, its extra width makes it a winner here too.

The fabric used here was supplied by Gutermann Creativ and you can find details of your nearest stockist by contacting gutermann@stockistenquiries.co.uk and you can also visit their Facbook page here for more ideas and inspiration. 

If you are interested in making similar trousers I can recommend the Moon Pant pattern for children and the Luna Pant pattern for women from Made By Rae.