Autumn Fair Abney Hall Stoke Newington

As you may already know, I've now embarked on another page of the story with the set-up of MakeDoMend with Claire Montgomerie. We're looking forward to organising either tailored tutorial events in creative crafts or being more ambitious and helping in the organisation of hen parties to baby showers. We know that it's going to be quite a mission to let everyone know that we're ready and waiting for lovely ideas so we're booked to 'appear' at MakeLondon's Autumn Fair in Stoke Newington on 5 and 6 September. We'll be offering beginners' workshops in knitting and crochet and some wonderful cake decorating workshops too. If you go to the Make London website you'll get an idea of when the workshops are starting.
Many of those able to visit can already knit, crochet and all manner of things but maybe you have a friend who's been badgering you to learn. If so, then bring them along and enjoy their happy face!!!!!

What a terrific idea

Anees is a determined kind of person. She knits. Fine. But then, she can crochet too. That's good. I know because I taught her how. Now she wants to improve her basic sewing skills. She's sewn simple cushions on her mum's sewing machine and that's given her the taste for more challenging projects. Hmm...how about a dress. Oooo, I don't know, that does look hard. Patterns just don't tell the whole story. How do you get from here to there? What do those squiggles on the pattern pieces actually mean? That's where Sewing Bee steps in.

The pattern

Anees arrived with a pattern, a piece of fabric and a few doubts as to how she was going to get to grips with all this. By late afternoon, the dress looked great with a facing to fit and a hem to turn which she could do at home. Her boyfriend might have to help there!!!

Mind the tacks!

I'm really looking forward to the finished article. She's promised to send me pics and you can bet that I'll post them when they come!!

Are my seams straight?

For sewing classes for up to 4 people and one-to-one tuition please contact me - bee_at_home@hotmail.com.

Welcome to Sewing Bee - Sewing Rooms

Some of you may already visit my other incarnation as chaincreative, the crochet blog. I love looking into the world of crochet; it's design and creativity, and I hope to bring the same view to sewing.

I've been sewing since I was a child and my mum taught me to always respect my work and never give it less than all my attention and care.

For the first post I thought I would take a quick peek at the power-house for much of this careful work! The sewing room. I'm very lucky to have such a room. Somewhere to stack all my fabrics, stash all the threads and bobbins and the space to cut and stitch. A wee bit crammed but at least I know where everything is!!! I based the rooms colours on the beautiful painted houses in Arles in the south of France. It always makes me feel particularly calm!

Not everyone is so lucky but I know that any space with peace and time can fulfill the same function. I spotted a few other such lovely rooms on flikr and wondered if anyone out there has a room to share.

These lovely rooms are from blossomhill cottons and wildlivekids. I love the jars of buttons! Just so...sherbety!