Australian Homespun

This is essentially a Block of the Month club using Cottage Garden Threads, Liberty of London fabric, vintage-inspired stitcheries and journalling. When you join the Field Journal club, each month you will receive four Cottage Garden Threads variegat

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

• DMC Natura Just Cotton: 1 ball of each Yarn A – Lima (Colour N15), Yarn B – White (Colour N01), Yarn C – Rose Layette (Colour N06), Yarn D – Rose De Meaux (Colour N94), Yarn E – Bougainvillea (Colour N93), Yarn F – Pistache (Colour N13) • Crochet h

• One Jelly Roll or 36 strips, 21/2 x 42in of assorted print fabrics • 90cm (1yd) each of solid red and solid aqua fabric • 50cm ( 5/8yd) red print fabric (binding) • 3.4m (4yd) backing fabric • Batting at least 170cm (66in) square • Rotary cutter,

• Fat quarter light blue tone-on-tone print fabric (pincushion and outer folder) • Fat quarter light blue stripe print fabric (inner folder) • 20cm ( 1/4yd) off-white handkerchief linen (embroidery background) • 10in square pale pink tone-on-tone pri

What’s your idea of the perfect stitching day? My perfect stitching day would begin with an early rise (it’s no good wasting time in bed!), a walk with my husband down to the beach, followed by a leisurely breakfast. Then it is into the studio to spe

Stranded thread is the thread most often used for doing embroidery work. It is widely referred to as embroidery floss – ‘floss’ is simply thread that is divisible. Embroidery floss has six strands of thread. The number of threads you need is dependen

• Two squares, 20cm (8in) calico or cream homespun (embroidery background and backing) • DMC Stranded Embroidery Cotton in Ecru, Blanc (White), Dark Tin (4), Black (310), Red (321), Light Shell Grey (453), Bright Orange Red (606), Dark Burnt Orange (

Where do you live and work? I live in the suburbs of Birmingham, England, and work from home from a small workspace in my bedroom (though I confess I often find myself in the living room stitching in front of the television!) It is only a very small

Whether on holiday, on retreat or just enjoying a stitching day with your friends, this tote is perfect for all your necessities. The front features a sewing-themed stitchery design and the tote opens up to reveal a roomy pocket for storing patterns

This reference is a completely revised full-colour edition of Thomas's 1934 classic, Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches. This comprehensive dictionary offers more than 400 stitches, including 100 new stitches, all described and pictured in full-colour

Please describe where you live and your workspace. Shorncliffe is a pretty bayside suburb of Brisbane – a bit of a backwater in that it hasn’t caught up with the coming of age of our growing city. It’s one of the region’s special places, languishing

• 48 squares, 5in of assorted print fabrics (hexagons) • 15cm ( 1/4yd) each of three tone-on-tone print fabrics (diamonds) – Marilyn used turquoise, red and yellow • 45cm ( 1/2yd) multi-coloured striped fabric (border) • 30cm ( 3/8yd) pink spot print

• 50cm ( 5/8yd) each of 12 assorted print fabrics (Layer Cake blocks) • 60cm ( 5/8yd) solid cream fabric (Layer Cake blocks) • 65cm ( 3/4yd) mid-green solid or chambray fabric (Cookie blocks) • Batting at least 255 x 200cm (100 x 77in) • 1m (1 1/8y

Finished quilt size: 203cm (80in) square Note: Refer to the Fabric Key for the specific fabrics used in this project. Seam allowances of 1/4in are used throughout for the piecing. Instructions are given for working from the printed Pattern Sheet in

My love of English paper piecing all started with a very simple quilt pattern by fellow Aussie designer Leanne Beasley, which featured hexagons and embroidery. Leanne introduced me to English paper piecing at a time when I had three young children an