Tag: Sewing

Quilting & Sewing

Tilda sewing accessories

Anne S

My dear friend Fee (Designs by Fee) created a tutorial for a sturdy sewing tray, which is something I’ve been wanting to make ever since I did my first trial early in the year. I was never happy how that one got crushed easily and felt it needed extra sturdiness in the sides. Fee’s tutorial was perfect as it solved that problem for me, but I just made some small tweeks to the design so that it fit my needs. I decided to change the dimensions so it made the tray rectangular to hold pens and other tools, but I added Kam snaps to the corners instead of sewing them together – that way it will fold down flat and go into my travel sewing kit I’ve been planning.

After making up that beautiful tray I then got the urge to make a few more accessories in matching fabrics. The teal fabric I used is Babette Teal (480112) from the Summer Blues collection 2012/2013 by Tilda, and it’s my all-time favourite fabric by Tilda. It’s like hens’ teeth to find now, and I’ve been so reluctant to cut into the small amount I have in my stash. I decided this year, though, that life’s too short and that I’ll get so much more enjoyment out of my favourite fabrics by making them into functional pieces that I can look at every day, rather than just having them languish in a drawer somewhere.

I’ve been slowly adding a few more sewing accessories to the pile – first up with a small boxy drawstring bag – the sides are stiff enough to have structure and the top folds down to create a cuff and allow easy access to the contents inside – this was designed for my wonder clips.

The next project was to make scissor cases for my travel kit – and I chose the Crepe Case for Scissors by Minki Kim. The larger one will hold my Mum’s 8″ Gingher fabric scissors (she fell in love with mine years ago so bought a silver set for herself) – I enlarged the pattern so it was approx 1/2″ larger so I could still keep the protective cover on the blades. The smaller one is a tiny bit too small for my Arm Wrestler scissors (I didn’t even think to change the size of that one oops), so it’ll likely be for my Kay Buckley ones instead, and I’ll just have to make another one for the Arm Wrestlers in a slightly different size. Mum would definitely be cheering me on seeing me getting back into sewing once again.

Quilting & Sewing

More project bags finished

Anne S

I’ve been in a sewing mood this month, and I’ve had a pile of project bag pieces all ready to be sewn up for well over a year now. I decided to take the time to finally finish off all the ones I’d already quilted (I never trust my fusible fleece as it doesn’t seem to adhere well, so I still add quilting lines just in case). I still have a very large pile that still needs to have the fleece and quilting lines added, but I’m super happy to have these ones out of the sewing room.

I think the top two are my favourites – the Tilda ladies are wonderful in those colours, and the floral fabric from Jason Yenter is a stunner. I had to have one of with kitties at the sewing machine which will always make me think of my own sewing helper, and another koala one with a slightly lighter zip, which I think I prefer.

Quilting & Sewing

Koala project bag

Anne S

I’ve had a pile of project bags all cut out ready to be ironed, quilted and sewn together since late last year – I’ve finally started working through the pile, which will be ongoing for a few months. The first one off the rank, though, is a sweet one with a koala print. I found the most perfect koala zipper pulls from Dreamy Bag Hardware that I just had to use for this one, so it feels extra special!

Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – August 2026

Anne S

Another month with no stitching under my belt, instead I’ve been making the most of the cooler weather and working on some old crochet subscription boxes as well as using up some big chunky yarn on patterns that have been printed off for a few years. I was caring for a sick cat in the middle of the month so it was the perfect craft while giving her lots of lap cuddles for a few days. I’ve been working on a thick chunky blanket and she’s been snuggling up onto it on my lap every night which hinders progress but makes my heart burst 🙂 I’ve also been working on the Coriander Quilts border of the month quilt blocks and the Running With Scissors slow-along (ByAnnie).

Beanie One by Crate Crochet
Winter Warmer Scarf by Crate Crochet
Big Rib Scarf by Moogly
Claire Infinity Scarf by Crate Crochet
Tea Cake Cowl by Homemade Happiness
6-day Chunky Throw by Betty McKnit

Stitching question

Do you prefer to stitch on a rotation or one project at a time??

Honestly it depends on my mood and the projects being worked on. On the whole I prefer to work on multiple WIPs because I tend to get bored easily. But then again sometimes I love working on one single project for a challenge which has multiple milestones to hit, I just find my rhythm with one project and enjoy spending a large amount of time on it and watching it grow more quickly. Other WIPs I’m ready to change it out after just an hour of stitching (Stitching is the Berries falls into that category with the never-ending Queen stitches).

Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – July 2026

Anne S

No stitching completed this month as I’ve been doing a daily ‘Christmas in July’ cardmaking challenge as well as completing a few beginners watercolour challenges. I did have a VERY big sewing finish, though, this month that I’m super proud of, and that’s the Catch All Caddy by ByAnnie. It was my goal this year to build up my confidence enough to attempt one of the bigger ByAnnie patterns, and I’m so happy I met that goal thanks to a sew-along on Facebook. I do have to admit to giving in on the final piece of binding and ended up unpicking it and stitching it on by hand, but hopefully if I do more of these types of projects I’ll get better at sewing them on by machine.

Stitching question

What is your comfort zone regarding the number of projects to have kitted and in progress at any one time?

Honestly I don’t think I have a limit – I regularly kit and unkit projects on a whim, and just have tubs in my Kallax unit dedicated to kitted up projects sorted into sizes. I find if I have a project kitted up ready to go (or at least have the fabric selected/cut out) then I can start something whenever I get the urge. Kitting up, for me, takes all the fun out of new starts, and it often has me spinning my wheels and not stitching for a few days/weeks because I can’t get past the kitting up part of the process. If I get the urge to organise or kit things up I make the most of it, and don’t worry about the number of projects that entails.

Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – May 2026

Anne S

Thanks to Maynia I started to get a tiny bit of stitching progress this month – I named my challenge ‘Mix-it-up Maynia’, and the goal is to complete at least 100 stitches or 1 hour of progress on stitching projects. The projects could include existing WIPs, some new starts, or finish-finishing projects. Sadly I only lasted about 6 nights before getting distracted by other projects that weren’t eligible for the group running the challenge (it’s for cross stitch only). My stitching mojo definitely comes and goes, that’s for sure – I’m learning not to stress about it and to just go with the flow, and to embrace whatever craft is tempting my energy at that moment in time 🙂

Stitching progress:

Mill Hill – Conch Shell – as this was a new start I managed to get 300 stitches into, and it was a really enjoyable stitch. It’s nice to add some ‘new blood’ into my WIP pile, it keeps it fresh and makes me want to take the time out to stitch.

When Witches Go Riding by Prairie Schooler – This one has pretty much gone as far as I can go now until I rip all the dark theads out – there are basically three different shades of the thread due to dye lot issues that in hindsight really bother me. The only option to make me happy(-ish) is to rip it all out and replace with one dye lot, which has been ordered.

2024 Mirabilia Retreat Mermaid – I’ve somehow managed to misplace my entire skein of Bermuda Reef silk, so I’m plodding along with the hair for now. It’s still an enjoyable stitch, made even more enjoyable by stitching almost entirely with silks, just lush …

Finch Song by Shepherd’s bush – I’ve been jumping around a bit with this one, partly because one of the challenge items at the end of April was to stitch with a pink thread so I scrolled up to start the quaker block in Dried Pink Roses. I managed to finish that in this month’s Maynia session, along with 9 other stitches in a tiny sampler spot near the tree. I think I’ll be returning back down to the border again soon, if nothing else so I can finish off all those loose threads 😉

Stitching question

Give us five projects in your stash right now that you’d really love to start – and why you haven’t yet.

Oh boy, how do we narrow it down to just five? I have sooooo many projects I want to start, and most of them are for the same reason … I despise kitting things up. Lots of people love selecting their fabrics and pulling all the threads, but for me it leaves me cold – I’m much more likely to start something if it’s already been kitted up, and more so if it’s been migrated over into Pattern Keeper – especially these days when lots of my challenges are based on stitch count, anything not in Pattern Keeper seems to take a lower priority unless I have a day or two spare to create a working copy manually in PC Stitch then exporting it for use in PK. But seeing as the question says to choose 5, let’s see …

  1. Freshness of Cold by Leonid Afremov / Artecy. The overall size puts me off because I’m still just getting my feet back into water stitching-wise again and I worry I’ll never get it finished. Of course I never will if I never start, so there’s that … This one is actually about 70% kitted up, and just needs to have the fabric cut …
  2. Walking the Water’s Edge by Diane Herrmann. This one is soooo high up on my to-do list, I really really want to get this one done and one the wall … and I have to admit I’m getting closer to starting. I don’t know why, but I’m intimidated by it for some reason. It uses stranded cotton floss with a laying tool, which isn’t my favourite thing in the world to do … but it will be so worth it I think – it’s a stunning project!
  3. March Aquamarine Fairy by Mirabilia. The two reasons this isn’t started yet is 1) I want to rechart it a wee bit which means putting it all into PC Stitch to play with it, and 2) I can’t for the life of me decide on a fabric. But she’s another one I really really want to see up on my wall, so I really should make an effort!
  4. Bright Bouquet by Sue Spargo. To be honest I actually bit the bullet a couple of months ago and started to cut out all the various pieces of fabrics etc that I need for this. And there it stalled again. I’m so far out of my comfort zone with this one, I really need to concentrate on it, and I’ve been struggling to do hand-sewing/embroidery lately … I just need to get out of my own head and ‘do it’, preferably before year end 😉
  5. My Treasures Workstation by Judy Odell. I bought the finishing kit for this one years ago when it was first released, but I could never decide on fabric and threads to use for it. I just need to pull my finger out and make a decision – the stitching itself is really simple, and I know once my decision is made and the fabric is all marked out that I’ll whip through the stitching quite quickly. Seems such a waste to have the hardware etc sitting there unused …

Sewing progress:

As mentioned in my last post on 28 May I managed a few stitching projects this month – some are still in progress and some were fully finished … and I’m really proud of every one of them!

The finishes:

New starts, still in progress:

Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, Tilda, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – April 2026

Anne S

Another month without a big number of projects being worked on, and after completing over 1,000 stitches on one big project I’ve decided to scrap it and start again … oops.

Sewing finishes

I managed one small finish this month as a practice piece for me … I came across two squares of ‘printing samples’ from a fabric order about 7 years ago and rather than try to find a home for it I decided it would be perfect to create a small basket try with Kam snaps. I still have two more squares to use up yet – I’m just awaiting inspiration for those 😉

My finish sewing finish for this month was completing an older (2020) sewing kit called the Little Box of Creativity by Kitty Rose Cottage. These monthly mystery kits contain all the fabric that you need for the project, and you just have to supply the sewing machine and thread usually. This project’s pattern was called Market Day Bag, and it’s an awesome size tote bag! I’m going to use this one for my crochet WIPs I think, but I definitely see myself making more of these, the size is awesome – of course my versions will use my favourite blue/teal fabrics, and I’ll leave off the lace and felt flowers in the next ones. Such a great project!

Next up I decided to put the final stitches into these two items from back in 2020 – the mannequin pomander only needed the bottom closure to be sewn up (!), and the lavender wardrobe sachet was waiting for the embroidery to be done before I could sew it all together. I still have one more lavender sachet waiting in the wings, but that’ll be for another day.

Stitching progress:

Sea View by Luca-S – I managed to reach 20% completion of this project before deciding I’m not happy with it, and really want to stitch it over-one on 28ct fabric instead of the Aida in the kit. So far now it’s been put aside until I cut out a piece of fabric and start again, then it’ll regularly continue to be my focus piece for the year. This is the stopping point for me.

Finch Song by Shepherd’s Bush – After putting Sea View aside, I turned to Finch Song for the remaining challenges for the month. While this hasn’t been my favourite one to stitch, thanks to not much variation in the green threads and the cream disappearing on the fabric etc, I’m already hankering to start another Shepherd’s Bush sampler kit …

Stitching is the Berries – I actually made some progress on this one in January, but forgot to post about it, so I’ve included it here for my own records. Those berries were taking me forever to work on so I decided to take a break from it – I really should get back to it again, because it’s sooooo close to a finish now, I think it’s just the berries, a handful of queen stitches, and my initials left to go.

2024 Mirabilia Retreat Mermaid – I managed to work on a bit of her hair this month. I’ve managed to mislay my skein of Bermuda Reef silk so her hair is the only focus for now. I swear sometimes I live in the Bermuda Triangle, I’m forever losing things!

Stitching question

What is your oldest WIP? Tell us a little bit about it.

I’d probably say it’s Mediterranean Scene from an old magazine – started in 1998. I was never happy with the colours of the blue shutters etc and it just fell into the UFO basket. Now the projects are so much more realistic these days I wonder if I’ll ever finish it. Perhaps if I add a bunch of embroidery stitches to give it a little more depth and texture I might like it a bit more. I’m thinking if I did that perhaps it’d work as the front of a zippered project bag or a tote bag – not sure. Then again, another part of me just wants to just ditch it and use what time I have to work on other projects that bring me joy … I wonder which side of me will eventually win out?

Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – March 2026

Anne S

My needles were on hiatus during March, so there’s little to show – I almost didn’t bother posting (hence the late publishing), but I think it’s good to remind me that at least I made some progress.

Sea View by Luca-S – I used this one as my focus piece for a Facebook group challenge in March. Not much stitching was done on it, but progress is progress 🙂

Stitching question

Which of your current WIPs do you consider your most difficult piece to stitch?

That would have to be Chatelaine’s Egyptian Garden Mandala. I absolutely detest the fabric I chose for it – the fabric is tightly woven with metallic threads in it, and it’s so difficult to see the holes for stitching. I’ve had to stretch it tightly on a huge cobbled-together Qsnap frame which worked for a while, but I stupidly added some treasures and beads as I went, assuming I could keep growing the frame and working outwards – I’ll never ever do that again! It’s such a chore working on this piece, I really struggle to give it any love. It’ll be amazing once (if ever) it’s completed, though.

    Challenges & SALs, Prairie Schooler, Quilting & Sewing, WIPocalypse, Works in Progress

    WIPocalypse February 2026

    Anne S

    Not much stitching to show for February due to a big mental health slump – I just couldn’t get overly motivated with anything, and when I forced myself to work on a sewing WIP that was almost finished I totally stuffed it up by lopping off the seam allowances by accident … that kinda sealed the fate of the remaining WIPs for February and I’ve been avoiding them all ever since in case I ruin anything else 😉

    Sewing

    Before my big sewing disaster I did manage to successfully complete one item at the end of January, though – a wrist pincushion that’s a free pattern by ByAnnie. I was nervous it would be uncomfortable to wear, but it’s an absolute dream to wear and use. So glad I made this, it’ll hopefully save me regularly sending my small tub of pins flying from my sewing desk (I’m incredibly clumsy these days, even more so that I’ve always been). I used Tilda fabrics from my stash for this … and had an unexpected furry model assistant in the background desperate for a cuddle 😉

    Stitching progress:

    When Witches Go Riding by Prairie Schooler – this is the only stitching project that saw progress during the last month. Surprisingly it just may get finished this year if I keep this up!

    Stitching question

    What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year?

    I signed up for the HAED SAL this year, and for the second year running I’ve decided to opt out from the stitching because I have so many pokers in the fire that need dealing with instead. Also I do a lot of cardmaking each month as part of Instagram hops etc, and that feels like enough commitment for the year so I don’t feel overwhelmed. From a stitching/sewing perspective, the only items I’m participating in are some monthly blog and Facebook challenges:

    • WIPocalypse
    • WIP Warriors (private Facebook group)
    • 52 week sewing challenge

    Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, WIPocalypse

    WIPocalypse January 2026

    Anne S

    Oops I missed the posting date last month – I haven’t managed much stitching throughout January, but I did manage a bit of sewing, as well as sharing the bigger finish of 2025.

    The final (BIG) finish of 2025:

    I finally put the final beads in place on 31 December, with just 20 minutes to spare before midnight! It was my biggest goal to finish this piece by the end of 2025 and I miraculously found the two missing sets of beads on New Year’s Eve – of course that was after I’d ordered replacements – I couldn’t believe my luck!

    “Three Kings” by Mill Hill / Jim Shore
    Stitched on recommended linen with purchased embellishment kit
    Started 14 August 2018 – Finished 31 December 2025

    Sewing finishes

    The small drawstring pouch was finished on 31 December 2025 (before I found the missing beads for Three Kings), and the remainder were staggered throughout January. I’m determined to upskill myself to be able to tackle a larger ByAnnie project so I’ve been working through the beginner projects as they’ve recommended.

    Stitching progress:

    Sea View by Luca-S – this will probably end up seeing some monthly progress using some challenges, as I’d quite like to see this one finished by the end of the year (that could be a lofty goal, mind you, considering the small amount of stitching I achieved overall in January!). I managed 629 stitches overall, which I guess is relatively decent progress, as that takes me to 13% overall completion. I’m currently in the progress of stitching my way up to the top so that I can start working top-down. The colours make this a really pretty one to stitch.

    When Witches Go Riding by Prairie Schooler – I managed 928 stitches on this one, because I used it for a few challenges. Once the main stitching is finished, I’ll need to decide which sections to rip out. Unfortunately when I converted the DMC threads to hand-dyed ones, I didn’t have enough of the dark chocolate thread – I then tried another skein of the thread from a new order and it was substantially different. I then reverted back to the DMC colour and that was totally different again … which means for me to get a consistent look I need to reverse stitch those of those dark brown colours pfffft :/ Oh well, at least I’ve almost finished the rest of the stitching now, so then it may have to sit in the naughty corner for a while as I mull that challenge over for a bit longer …

    2024 Mirabilia Retreat Mermaid – I worked on the hair during January, with a total of 410 stitches.

    Finch Song by Shepherd’s bush – this was mostly stitched using white thread, so I took a close-up of the stitched area for the progress. I completed 219 stitches in January.