This week I finally went out in the coat I have been working on, very sporadically, for a good year or so. The wool cloth is from Marton Mills, which is 15 minutes down the road from where I live, and is lovely to handle. I have been guided through the main processes by the great Ann Ladbury, who is also delighted that she doesn't have to see it again in class! It started out as the pattern pictured below though I merged all of the front and back into single pieces and added welt pockets. When I was considering the pocket size and placement Ann Ladbury pointed out that the look and cloth I had chosen was sporty and...
I have just returned from a weekend of sewing in Derbyshire with 18 of my friends, some I have known for many years and others I have met more recently through a shared love of all things stitched. The location was a charming, if not slightly mad country house where Florence Nightinghale spent her childhood years. The soundtrack to our 3 days away was the whirring of sewing machines, the kettle boiling for endless rounds of Yorkshire tea and, most memorable of all, laughter. From 7am (when some of the hardcore ladies were up crafting) to 2am when the party animals finally gave in, there was always a lot of happy chuckling (or cackling in some cases) to be...
I have never met Laurie Meyers in real life as she lives far away in the US. However, we have become friends through Instagram, and I am pretty sure that we would get along very well if our paths were ever to cross. Laurie has been the most supportive and kind "virtual friend" during my 2 years of sharing craft related projects through my favourite platform. Laurie is full of enthusiasm, always encourages and is a huge inspiration with the quilts that she creates. Although I teach I do also spend a lot of time working alone on my projects at home, I find the possibility of sharing progress with other makers extremely useful and rewarding. Pre-Instagram I would have...
To begin with, thank you for stopping by and welcome to my blog Jenni Smith Sews. My post from earlier in the week tells the story of the recent portrait of Wilfredo that I stitched for Lisa Congdon. If you missed it then you can catch up on it here: https://www.jenni-smith.co.uk/blogs/news/90484161-my-portrait-of-wilfredo-the-dog-for-lisa-congdon I was over the moon when Lisa agreed to be interviewed and I really hope that you enjoy our chat below. Also, don't miss out on your chance to win Lisa's new range of fabrics Kindred for Cloud 9, see the end of this post for details of how to enter. Jenni: Can you tell me a little bit about Wilfredo and why he is such a big part...
Today I am sharing a recent project I stitched for the amazing Lisa Congdon. Lisa is an American artist, author, fabric designer and somebody I admire very much. Lisa has very kindly agreed to an interview which will be on this blog on Sunday (March 6th) so make sure you check back or sign up to Jenni Smith Sews on Bloglovin and don't miss it! There will be a fabric giveaway from Cloud 9 too. The textile picture I stitched shows Lisa's beloved dog Wilfredo, fast asleep beneath a quilt. It has now made its journey across the Atlantic from Ilkley to Portland Oregon and has been very well received, much to my joy. The story of how it...
