New Classes!

First up - two new dates for Spring for my contemporary quilting classes. I'm really flattered these sell out so fast and love the day. It's wonderful to hear the stories behind much loved pieces of fabric or clothing. Even better to see everyone create pieces of beauty. 

So book for these two classes here.

Secondly - and most excitedly I have a new class in Spring. I think I've hammered on long enough about creating havens - more importantly, for you to create your own haven - creating your story as it were. So we have two dates in Spring where hopefully I can help you figure out what home means to you and help you 'get your story going'. I'm thrilled about this class and would love to see you. Book here for this one.

Much planning for this then!

PS: Still scraping paint but boy it's going to be a beautiful room. I'm a frenzy of hunting down pieces in reclamation yards, searching for restored door knobs etc etc. Only nine more rooms after this one...........

The importance of doing things properly....

Like turning up on time, and remembering to call when you said you would, doing up a home must be given thought and done properly.

I have been a little absent as we finally moved into our new home. Unfortunately although we knew it was tired, we didn't know how much of a botch job has been done on the house (not to mention the filth - ohh the filth!). So back we go to the bare bones. Nitrosol and I are destined to be close companions for some time, and I guess my dresses are to be traded for a fleece.... If only the central heating worked properly I guess Ed and I wouldn't be sporting rather impressive chest colds. 

Lily however is super happy and already there is a cat lingering outside the back door. I can see my beautiful studio and love our new area. The garden has great bones (off to Columbia Road for bulbs this weekend - please let it not be too late)and most of all, Ed and I finally get to create our haven - you can't want more than that can you?

I wish it wasn't so dirty though....

(The image is of a wall - part stripped, part nasty yellow painted lining paper, and a whiff of the new blue that Frankie covets).

Sofa update

Inspired by the beauty of this sofa from Canvas, I went the vintage way and bought the below antique beauty from Ebay.

Recover in hand-dyed cotton velvet like the below

and this will be the start of a very beautiful living room...

Things we love ( this week )

 Three fantastic antique/furniture stores - probably my favourite places in Brighton (except for Pub du Vin). Much of the same high street stores are in Brighton, but a walk to Hove, Kemp town and the North Laines found these gems.

 

I Gigi. Fantastically single-minded in their wares. All vintage linens, animal skins and wools and no colour. Wonki ware ceramics mix with antique furniture, books and scarves. Beautiful and only a brisk 10 minute walk from Brighton central.

I don't think that Swag have suffered much in the recession - which is great. Every morning Lily and I walked passed the store, and every morning stock had disappeared. Specialising in antique tables, leather chairs and clocks, it's has a lovely, well priced and slightly spartan mix of furniture.

Alex MacArthur's store is extraordinary. The pieces range from 17th century ecclesiastical to 20th century industrial, with an emphasis on the dramatic and decadent.

A brisk 15 minute walk the other way, in deepest Kemp town. If it's a nice day you could walk from I Gigi to Alex MacArthur, on the beach and promenade. Then wend your way down the hill to Swag and walk through the Laines to end up at the aforementioned Pub du Vin.

Delightful.

Come and visit!

I'll be selling at Mid Century Modern next Sunday 14th so please stop by. We'll have a few lovely quilts - lots of amazing lampshades and cushions, plus a few choice pieces of furniture that we love. 

Last but not least, all the info you need if you fancy commissioning a quilt, or working one on one with me to make your own. It will still be possible (just) to get something organised for Christmas....

New Class

My last two classes of the year have sold out so.... we've added an extra date - Friday 10th December. Book here - I know that numbers are filling fast.

Thanks to Time Out for writing this piece . It's a little odd reading about yourself and I have to remember to send a copy to my mother!

Have a lovely weekend and do something special.

Things we love ( this week )

I have always loved botanical art. I can't paint and draw badly, so are always amazed at the skill required to create something so beautiful, accurate and timeless. 

You'll be thinking this is an old painting. It isn't - it's by the very talented Riona O'Shea. I met Riona when we were sharing a large studio and loved seeing all the flowers in various states of 'blooming', waiting for her to create.

Riona has offered to create hand printed wallpaper for Breakspears. 

Can you imagine how lovely it would be to open the front door to a wall of flowers? Amazing and absolutely everything I want for the house. I'd like as many artisans creating as possible. 

Every young woman in the house wrote about flowers and how much they loved them, so flowers they shall get. 

Off we go!

 

 We'll we've done it. Today is the day we launch Breakspears Haven. 

You can find all about it here, but in a nutshell 

Breakspears Haven is a CSR project to transform a Centrepoint service into a haven for homeless teenage mothers and their children. We aim to do this through cost-effective, soulful design that offers much more than a functional environment.

Centrepoint provide an amazing service helping homeless young people. I wanted to redesign the environments they live in, into havens so that they have a chance to know what home is, and can be.

The very lovely Sarah Beeny is our patron - which will help me enormously and she was such a great person when we met.

We need furniture and fittings and we need tradesmen and labourers. We of course will be making quilts so we need lots of volunteers to make individual patches, but there is so much to do.

So, please visit the website. If you want to be kept up to date please send me your email address. And of course it goes without saying that I would be very grateful if you get in contact with any friends or family that may be able to help.

Off we go! 

Family

Tomorrow I launch the Breakspears Haven project. All day today I've been contacting the Press, flagelating myself at the lack of my html skills... and trying to ensure that everything is on THE list. 

And throughout the day I've been thinking about why I'm doing it. Partly to be able to redesign a home of course, but mostly because there are nine young women with nowhere to live and no family to support and surround them. Frightening enough on your own, but they also have to think about a baby. The start of their own family and an opportunity to 'wipe the slate clean', or turn towards or away from something. 

I think any form of family can be what you need, as long as you are happy, healthy, love  and are loved. For me this means adding Stan to ours. I know it's not a standard set up but we all eagerly await his homecoming and for our 'family' to be complete.