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. 

Something For Your Sugar Daddy - A Mans Wallet Tutorial

Find me over at The Sewing Directory with a brand new tutorial for this mans wallet. With multiple card pockets, a section for notes and a zipped pocket on the outside for loose change it will make the perfect gift for the man in your life on Fathers day! Hop on over to get the full project.

And if you fancy coming to sew with me in person I have a new class starting next week, at Serendipity Patchwork and Quilting in Bovey Tracey in Devon. My prairie point table runner will teach you how to make neat and easy quarter square triangles and use up even little scraps of all your favourite prints to make a scrappy and colourful runner. Classes are on Tuesday 9 & 30 June from 10am-1pm and cost just £30 for the two lessons!

Contact Serendipity directly on 01626 836246 to book.

New Patchwork Class at Hulu Crafts!

I am delighted to be able to announce that from next month I will be teaching Introduction to Patchwork classes at Hulu Crafts.

Hulu Crafts have a fantastic online store, full of yummy fabric, yarns and notions. They even have their own youtube channel full of helpful how-to video guides.

I am really looking forward to joining them at their bricks and motor shop in Modbury, Devon where next month I will be teaching an Introduction to Patchwork course. This class is ideal if you have some basic sewing skills and would like to make your first patchwork quilt. I will be teaching you how to use essential tools such as a rotary cutter and patchwork ruler, how to sew an accurate 1/4" seam and from there how to make a variety of patchwork blocks to get you started on a sampler style quilt. It will be a fun, friendly class that will have you hooked on patchwork!