More and more, people are wanting something other than mass-produced items.  They have their place, of course, but we want to be individual.  We want our clothes and our homes to reflect us, and not what some anonymous buyer thinks we should want.   Are you part of that trend? If so, you probably want to find Christmas presents which are a bit different, too.  That means buying from small, independent makers and shops

  I can't believe it's Design Challenge time again!  This month's theme is Dance.  That might be people dancing (from street dance to ballet to folk dance in national costume), it might be things associated with dance or it might be how it makes you feel! As usual, designs will be shown on Facebook and the blog at fat quarter size (and, if appropriate,  also at swatch size).  The closing date will be

We're having a little blog Bank Holiday today, so no post!  Hope you enjoyed your Bank Holiday.   Take part in the Print Me Pretty Survey

When you're creating a fabric design, where do you get your inspiration from? It may be that you usually have so many ideas in your head that you don't have time to get them all down. But maybe sometimes you run out of ideas.  You just can't think of anything!   At those times, the best way to get ideas flowing again is often just to draw (or paint, or whatever you do - but most

Only one entry again this month, from Suzanne Jones aka Heckadoodledo.  Well done, Suzanne! Her entry is Puppy Dog Unisex Kiddies' Shorts.  Here is the fat quarter version: You need 2 fat quarters to make the shorts. Suzanne has also created a 2-pairs-on-a-metre version, which makes them much cheaper!  Thanks, Suzanne. Both versions will be in our Market Place soon.  If you want one pair of shorts, order 2 fqs of the

  How's your summer going?  It's been pretty good weather-wise so far, so you may be keeping your kids outside a lot of the time.  Although some days have been too hot to be out long, unless you're sitting quietly in the shade - not something children are well known for! So, have you run our of ideas yet? Have you tried sewing with them? Or designing? There are some ideas about both, below. Sewing

  Following on from last month's design challenge, this month's challenge is Cut & Sew Shorts. If you sew for boys, (and even if you don't!)  this is your chance to design something with them in mind.  Mothers and Grandmothers of boys often complain at the dearth of suitable fabric for making boys' clothes.   But girls wear shorts, too, so you can go to town with co-ordinating trims, frills, fancy pockets, etc

It has come to my attention that some of you may have missed the design challenge last month (Girl's Cut & Sew Skirt) because of difficulties creating and / or uploading a pattern onto which to put your design. I must admit, I'd sort of assumed that a simple skirt would be basically rectangles.  This month's challenge - Cut & Sew Shorts - is a bit more complicated, so I'll give you one way of doing it here

  Sadly only one entry to this month's design challenge.  Well done to Suzanne Jones, aka Heckadoodledo, for rising to the challenge!  Here is her design, Lia Belle Ra Ra Skirt:    You can Like or comment on Suzanne's design below or on our Facebook page.  It is available in our Market Place. This design fits into a square metre, which isn't available on the website.  If you'd like to order