What a couple of weeks!

I've had quite a busy couple of weeks; between the bank holiday, my birthday and a crazy time at work I've hardly had time to think.

I'm still looking at purchasing an embroidery machine but the choice is now between the Brother Innov-is V3 and a Pfaff Creative 3.0 so it will probably come down to the one with the best software. Any feedback on either is still very much appreciated!

Last week I learnt I had won 3rd prize over at The Polished Button in their 1st birthday giveaway, a fabulous pack of vintage buttons arrived on my doormat a couple of days ago and I can't wait to use them!


They have some brilliant vintage sewing items on their website so if that's your thing head over and take a look (www.thepolishedbutton.co.uk)

I'm hoping to get a bit of sewing done this weekend, I see a new dress in my future but I'm not sure what kind yet :-). Will you be sewing this weekend or enjoying the nice weather outside? More likely than not I will be watching the FA cup final with the family...hhmmm.

Whatever you get up to this weekend enjoy it!

Charl x

A day out!

Last weekend we decided to take a trip to Erddig, a National Trust property near Wrexham. We put together a quick picnic and off we went.

We have visited Erddig once before, last summer, it was a gloriously hot day and to avoid wasting such rare weather we chose to walk the gardens and save the house for another time. The gardens are absolutely beautiful and they have gone out of their way to encourage the bee population, some of my photos from the last visit are below:






We were a little early for most of the flowers this year so chose just to visit the house. It turns out that Erddig house is full of surprises, most notably the head of the family actually had a connection with the servants. He arranged for a photo to be taken and wrote poems about each person who worked there, these are displayed in the servants corridor and make for a touching read.

I would strongly recommend a visit to Erddig if you are in the area, the staff are very helpful and although it won't keep you busy all day it's a good filler if you have a few hours.



This weekend I think we will try to visit somewhere new, not sure where yet.

Have a great bank holiday!

Charl x

Decisions, Decisions!

Over the past week I have been considering what I might like to do with my sewing hobby in the future. I thoroughly enjoy designing and creating my own items, but if the next step is to start my own business I will need to kick things up a gear!

Most of the equipment I think I would need is already sitting firmly in my sewing room (aka spare bedroom) but there is one piece of machinery that would give my items that professional finish - an Embroidery machine.

Before this week I had never even used one, they were merely the stuff of dreams. Yesterday I dragged my lovely husband to Bamber Sewing Machine Centre in Manchester (www.bambersew.com), they have everything from introductory sewing machines to embroidery machines to overlockers - plus a habadashery. The customer service was excellent and the sales person spent a good 45 minutes running through a couple of suitable options with me; they show you how the machines work, talk to you about the differences in the models, give an overview of what you can expect with the software and upload capabilities of the machine. The advice was invaluable and obviously came from someone who knew what they were taking about, giving me a total confidence in the after care service offered by them.

I now have a decision to make, if I'm going to do this, which machine will help me the most? I want to be able to offer my customers personalisation on many items and be able to use my creative side to develop my own designs. I have narrowed it down to two options:

Brother Innov-is 750e
Brother Innov-is V3

I welcome any comments and feedback to help me make the right decision!

Have a great sunday :-)

Charlotte x

Nappy Cakes

Happy bank holiday weekend to everyone!

This week I have spent a good chunk of my free time making Nappy Cakes. For those of you who haven't been introduced to the concept it involves a multi-tier cake made out of reusable nappies, a lovely gift for the parents to be who have lots of everything already.

I have made a few over the last 2 years and they are always very well received. To decorate you can include anything baby related; nappies, baby grows, brush, comb, baby wash, baby wipes, talc, toys - the list is endless!

The internet is a fabulous resource for all things baby, a simple search in Google will allow you to find tutorials on how to make nappy cakes, how to roll baby socks into roses and so much more. The possibilities are endless and with sites like Pinterest on the rise you will never be short of inspiration.

I have included images of a few cakes I have made, hope they inspire you to make your own.






Charlotte x