Personalised Presents

These drawers have been personalised especially for the children I have made them for. My gorgeous niece Georgia has a little treasure chest which I filled with gold coins for when she goes shopping with Mummy and Daddy. My Fairy God daughter Millie Moo has a make-up and jewellery box filled with treats. My God daughter Charlotte also has a little box which I will probably fill with stationery. I have made some for a few lovely little lads I know too. I'm planning on filling them with some magic tricks and jokes. 

Personalised Portraits on Vintage Postcards

I have always loved designing personalised pieces. Family portraits being one of my absolute favourites. When families send me their images I try to select fabrics from my wonderful collection of Liberty Lawn that resembles the clothes I see in the photos. I copy the hair styles and love adding little details like a bow or a flower! I often use vintage postcards as a background, ones with the sweetest of sentiments on, written in the most beautiful swirly script. The portrait shown was commissioned by a lovely family in Australia, so just as well it was on a postcard as it had a very long way to travel. 

Nursery Rhymes

'Ring a ring 'o' roses a pocket full of posies atishoo atishoo we all fall down'.
This design is one from a collection of circular pieces themed around childhood nursery rhymes and songs. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by the most wonderful children, my two beautiful girls, my gorgeous niece and the wonderful little girls and boys I teach. They are all a never ending source of joy and inspiration and my work very often reflects snippets of conversations that makes me smile. This piece was inspired by my gorgeous little baby niece who is happily listening to all the lovely songs mummy and daddy are singing to her from the books I send her each week. Her favourite this week is 'Row Row Row Your Boat' which is next on my list of pictures to stitch!

Happiness is a Butterfly

'Happiness is a Butterfly which when pursued is always beyond your grasp, but if you will sit down quietly may alight upon you'

This is another design from my collection of circular pieces inspired by my Nannys love of butterflies. I remember as a child a pair of beautiful ceramic butterflies that my Nanny inherited from her Aunty and had pinned to her curtains. I loved them as they looked as though they had flown there and were just resting a while.

I love all the different butterfly names in English and French.

Purple Emperor - Grand Mars changeant 

Painted Lady - Belle-dame

Red Admiral - Vulcain

Swallowtail - Machar

Peacock Butterfly - Paon du jour

Speckled Wood - Belle dame

SmallTortoiseshell - Paon du jour

Bumble Bees

'How doth the little bumble bee improve each shining hour and gather honey all the day from every opening flower'
This design is from a collection of circular pieces inspired by my garden and the lovely little bumble bees that often pay me a visit.

Here are some interesting bumble bee facts:
• Bees have been around for more than 30,000,000 years.
• All worker bees are female.
• The average worker bee produces about half a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
• Bees have two stomachs one for food, one for nectar.
• The worker bee would visit approximately one hundred flowers in one collection.
• It takes over a thousand bees to make 1kg of honey and they would of visited over 4 million flowers.
• Honey bees communicate by dancing
• In winter they huddle together to keep themselves and the queen bee warm.

I love the fact about the bee having two stomachs. It makes me smile as my youngest daughter used to say she had two compartments in her tummy. When her dinner compartment was full she couldn't eat anymore, but she could still eat pudding because that compartment was empty!