About Me

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I am a lifelong fabric artist who loves bringing a home to life with quirky, unique and sumptuous pieces of textile art. I learnt my craft from sharing many a happy hour sewing with my talented mother. I particularly like collage, free-machining, needle-felting and creating home furnishings using a combination of machine and hand sewing. I love incorporating vintage and reclaimed fabrics, buttons, beads, jewellery and other items in my work to give them a second chance at being beautiful.

Wednesday 28 October 2015

WOYWW - Sunflowers and Christmas Pud

Hello all, welcome to my 'What's on your workdesk Wednesday' post. Bit late in the day as I've had a poorly boy with a chesty cough to entertain until bedtime.

My desk is looking decidedly sunny today in spite of the autumnal weather. I fancied a change from needle-felting poppies and pansies for my big pieces so I've been working on sunflowers this week.
This piece has been needle-felted and free-machine embroidered so it just awaiting a bit of beading and hand embroidery before it is complete.

I can't say the Christmas countdown has commenced yet at Tilly Tea Dance Towers, but I have found time to start this year's christmas card production line. Here are the first two.


Regular visitors may spot the similarity between these little puddings and the 'new home' cards I made a few weeks ago. Hopefully I'll find time to rustle up a few more over the next few weeks, though I have several ambitious sewing/crafting projects in mind for Ben's Christmas presents so I'll have to get myself in gear!

That's all for this week folks, thanks for stopping by.

Happy crafting x






Wednesday 14 October 2015

WOYWW - new home celebrations

Hello all, welcome to my 'What's on your workdesk Wednesday' post. Bit late in the day as I've been for a long overdue hair cut!

I've had a busy week with several different textile projects on the go.

I've produced more needle-felted pictures (dumflings) as I have the exciting prospect of supplying a few shops in the coming months! These are all ready to bead and mount...



I've also taken time to dabble with some new ideas this week. A number of my friends have moved house recently, or are due to soon, so I have made a few embroidered 'new home' cards. These have been both free-machine embroidered and hand embroidered.


Finally, I've enjoyed watching my little man find his feed as he gets ever closer to walking by himself...
(Note: the vase is on the table, not balanced on Ben's head!)

Hope you've all had a good week too. I'll hopefully catch up on your news when I swing by a few desks after the little man has gone to bed.

Happy crafting x

Wednesday 7 October 2015

WOYWW - Needle-felting inspiration from sunny climes

Morning everyone, Happy 'What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday'! Forgive my absence last week, we were in Portugal taking Ben on his first foreign holiday. More about that later.

After trawling through three loads of holiday washing, I've found a little time for some needle-felting this week.


I've been looking through all my photos of the many 'dumflings' I've produced over recent years while I've been adding a new gallery to this blog and have been inspired to rustle up some more background pieces.

Here they are...

During our holiday in Portugal I found lots of inspiration and new ideas for my needle-felting. Here are a few of my pics. I think some of these will make good subjects for needle-felting, hand embroidery and beading - especially the Hibiscus.

Heres my first attempt at needle-felted hibiscus. Hopefully this range will make use of some of the wild pink roving mum has got in her stash!

Obviously most of my holiday was consumed by watching Benjamin enjoy his first foreign jolly. Having flown on aeroplanes previously where small children made raucously loud (largely unwelcome) noises, I was slightly anxious about the flight, hence the busy book I made a couple of months ago. I needn't have worried - he was a star during both flights! We read lots, looked out of the window, he ate and slept and the three hour flights both went by in the blink of an eye. I think he really enjoyed himself, don't you?



Hopefully I'll have more needle-felting to share with you next week. Thanks for stopping by. I'll swing by some desks shortly. If you've reached my blog by happy accident and are wondering what WOYWW is all about, pop across to Julia's Stamping Ground to meet dozens of other crafters from across the globe who come together every Wednesday to share what they've been up to.

Happy crafting x