Know Your Product: Hand Sewing Needles
There are a large variety of needle types, and quilters tend to use mostly straws, milliners, sharps and betweens. It is widely agreed that the best needles for hand sewing and quilting are between needles and sharps are best for appliqué. The larger the size number, the smaller the needle. As a beginner it is recommended […]
Designer Edge: Merrin Shaw
Merrin Shaw’s tea cosies are about so much more than keeping a teapot warm. They’re an invitation for storytelling and a laugh. She lovingly refers to them as her “beanies for kettles” and says they are full to the brim of personality and charm. But they’re not everyone’s cup of tea… some of her designs […]
Salvage: Be seated…knitted upholstery/crocheted stool covers
How to breathe new life into little leftovers, small scraps and otherwise wasted remnants. Photographs: Olaf Szczepaniak. Production: Wilckens & Brückner/Zuhause Wohnen/Picture Media Brighten up plain dining chairs with these fun slices of citrus chair cushions Sitting Pretty Of all the furnishing items around the house, the ones that most often get overlooked are stools […]
Pattern & Palette Play – Xmas Woods Fabrics
We’re dreaming of a wild Christmas in July with frosty woodlands yuletide fabrics to lure you into the spirit of the stitching occasion. Patterns compiled by Janai Velez Top L – R Clockwise: 1. Northcott ‘Spruce Mountain’ 22227-11, designed by Deborah Edwards Northcott Studio. Distributed by Lloyd Curzon Textiles. 2. Art Gallery Fabrics ‘Blithe’ Dear Deer […]
Special Feature: Extreme Knitting
Eight-ply cardis knitted in the comfort of a fireside armchair? Way too easy! Knitting fair-isle socks and vests for hubby – a little more testing, but as nothing compared to some of the remarkable knitters Janai Velez has been meeting of late. Some ultra-creatives have decided that simply purling and plaining isn’t challenging enough, and […]
Welcome to Ingrid van Willenswaard’s Workroom
Handcrafts alone can make you go all warm and fuzzy, but wait till you combine them with the world’s cutest house/stitching studio. Ingrid van Willenswaard is a knitter, crocheter, artist and blogger and the happy occupant of the sweetest, tiniest, timber cottage in beautiful Amsterdam. She opens her doors to Homespun readers. By Susan Hurley […]
Winter Patterns: Keeping Warm with Cosy PROJECT
As the winter months approach we feel the temperature dropping. In some areas of Australia the temperature is certainly dropping faster than in others, but we feel it nonetheless! We here at Cosy PROJECT aren’t dreading the season. We’re looking forward to nights in, enjoyed with a warm drink and a cosy blanket, and new winter […]
Knitting BIG with designer Jacqueline Fink
“While I was asleep, a big, loud, booming voice said to me, ‘you have to knit and it needs to be big’. The command was as terrifying as it was profound and it woke me from my sleep. But I had asked for guidance from the universe for so long that I didn’t dare question my vision. There was no […]
Pattern & Palette Play – Cafe Society Fabrics
Coffee and chardonnay crowds now have fabric designs in their honour, featuring fashionistas and baristas, cocktails and cake, bongos and barbies, soirées and stilettos. The material of high society. Compiled by Janai Velez Left to right: 1. Windham Fabrics ‘Girls Night Out’ 43073-1, designed by Terri Degenkolb. Distributed by Leutenegger. 2. Liberty Fabrics ‘Garden of […]
Pattern & Palette Play – Black and Pink Fabrics
Pretty pink always has its place, but if you want it to pack a visual punch, try adding the might and power of black. Juxtaposing these giants of the spectrum bears stunning results, perfect for a Valentine’s Day project – Black and Pink Fabrics. Compiled by Janai Velez Black and Pink Fabrics: Left to right: […]