This is my hundredth blog post and, by total chance, it's my first post of 2020. I'll try not to be too wistful, but this New Year does feel a bit special. And before we look forward, let's take a few moments to look back. Can you remember what you were doing ten years ago? I've spent a little time (OK, most of the morning...) looking at old photos to jog my memory. Aside from ooh-ing and aah-ing at how young my boys look and seeing how much the garden has come on - I was sti

I hand-delivered a new project to the Today's Quilter office in Bristol a couple of weeks ago and while I was there I met my lovely friend Sarah Ashford to record an episode of her Great British Quilter podcast at Immediate Media's rather fabulous recording suite (headphones, dangly microphone, the works...). Sarah has long been championing the work of British Quilters with her #greatbritishquilter hashtag on Instagram, corralling some of our best-known designers to create a

My last post explained the ‘why’ and this post will give you an insight into the ‘how’ to self-publish. Or at least how I’ve done it. I am no expert, which will soon become obvious. Quilt patterns generally have a lot of illustrations, so when I first looked into self-publishing (or print on demand) options I was drawn to Blurb, which is tailored to suit illustration/photo-heavy books. But after the compulsory google search I found that there were actually a lot of options.

A few years ago I sat down and started sketching blocks for an autumn-themed quilt. My eldest son was about to head off to university and, in the few weeks between his brother starting the new school year and him leaving, we sat side by side in the study, him preparing for his exciting new adventure and me sketching away, treasuring his company as the month of September rolled by. As you can imagine, with so much time lavished on it, it was a complex quilt: each block was dif

If you’re a quilter, then the Festival of Quilts - four glorious, fabric-filled days - really does seem like the greatest show on earth. Those of us exhibiting are presently ‘limbering up’ for this August’s festival and possibly feeling some first-night nerves. I’m cramming a few new things in our full-to-bursting car this year: some ‘hot off the press’ editions of my Sailing By Sampler Pattern Book... New stand-alone patterns for my ‘Today’s Quilter’ projects, Auriculas, Spr

I'm busy planning for this year's Festival of Quilts so in my Spring Newsletter I asked my lovely subscribers for their thoughts on quilt kits. I wondered whether they ever bought them, and if so, whether they're drawn to large quilts, small projects, or block of the month programmes. And the results of the survey? Well… opinions were pretty evenly split *pause for laughter* I really should have known! However, I managed to twist my ankle quite badly last weekend, so I've ha

Back in December I was writing about the serendipity of snow and about things that happen just when you need them to. Well, a few mornings earlier I’d opened an unexpected email from an editor at Immediate Media - the publishers of Today’s Quilter - asking if I’d consider presenting tutorials on their TV channel, the Sewing Quarter. I showed it to my boys and, oh, how we laughed. Twenty four hours later I opened the next instalment of the Makelight Advent Calendar and the pro

There has been lots of thoughtful discussion on Instagram recently about making what YOU really love, combining projects and fabrics in your own unique way. Singing your own song. Following your own creative path. As a designer it has given me enormous joy to see my patterns come to life in another’s hands. Whether it’s the fabric that’s been used or its placement within a block, individual choices can completely change the look of a quilt, letting the maker's personality shi

I promised you a detailed post on preparing for and exhibiting at the Festival of Quilts and here it is. I'll apologise in advance if it's not the most riveting read and contains an impossible number of bullet points, but there will be pictures. Essentially, it's the post I wanted to read - and couldn't find - when I was preparing my stand. Now I'm not saying there isn't information out there: Folksy has some great blog posts on craft fairs, which cover what to expect and wha

I've been home for two days but my head is still spinning from everything I saw and experienced at my first Festival of Quilts as an exhibitor. And truth be told, I'm aching a bit. My stand was a snug two metres square, but I managed to cram in a sample of every CakeStand Quilts pattern, as well as my Moda Bakeshop and blog tutorial projects. My Honeybee cushion got lots of love. I'll be posting next week about the nuts and bolts - or should that be screws and bungee cords -

It's just over two (short) months until the Festival of Quilts. I've been sewing like a mad thing and managed to leave piles of fabric in most rooms of the house. Quilts on loan to quilt shops have winged their way home and new samples have been made. Props have been auditioned and the printers are on standby. If you are thinking of getting a ticket to the Festival I have a discount code for £2.50 off the price of advance tickets - so that's £12.50 instead of £15.00 - just us

I wrote this post last September and I hope you'll bear with me reposting it, because it has a happy ending. And we all need a few happy endings... Sep 2, 2016 Sometimes things just don't go to plan do they? So, of course, that must also apply when you're designing a quilt. Most of my designs start as a very quick sketch in my beloved sketchbook. I take it everywhere: my favourite is a plain A5 soft-cover Moleskine, with a mechanical pencil tucked inside. It might be a single

Are you going? Although I've attended the Festival as a visitor, this year will be my first as an exhibitor and I'm really looking forward to seeing you at the NEC, Birmingham on 10-13th August on Stand C7. I thought it would be fun to record the journey here (let's hope I'm still laughing in August...) and have already started making endless lists and planning stand layouts. Given that I'll be exhibiting in a snug 2 x 2 metre space my aim is to showcase as many of my designs

My Granny had a box of buttons that I used to absolutely LOVE playing with. For hours. This was back in the olden days, of course, pre all-day-telly, downloadable films and You Tube. Recently I've had slightly less fun playing with buttons on the website (I may have watched a bit of You Tube to get me through it) so that I can bring you...*ta da*...a PDF Pattern page. Clicking on each photo will take you directly to the PayHip product page for the PDF Pattern. Unfortunately,

Sometimes things just don't go to plan do they? So, of course, that must also apply when you're designing a quilt. Most of my designs start as a very quick sketch in my beloved sketchbook. I take it everywhere: my favourite is a plain A5 soft-cover Moleskine, with a mechanical pencil tucked inside. It might be a single block or a whole quilt-top, but that's where it starts. And then I draw it over and over again until the proportions look just right. One evening - no doubt I

Almost a year has gone by since I opening a teeny, tiny little PayHip shop and sold the first copy of my Jolly Brollies pattern. Well, technically, my third...I sold a couple on Instagram before I summoned the courage to sell them online. But if you happen to have one of those patterns you may have noticed that it's dated a whole year before that. As I am in major reminiscing mode - my eldest son, Tom, was eighteen this month - I thought it would be useful to share the (rathe