Can’t quite believe we’re already a third of the way through May, so I’m a bit late with my April review, but that’s life!

There’s quite a mix of needlework in this review, embroidery, quilting, dressmaking…I’ve finally finished my home decorating so hopefully I’ll have a bit more time for dressmaking in the coming months. I’ve still two rooms to paint (one of which is the landing with long drops over the stairs!) and lots of glossing, but having decorated nine rooms since last September I’ve decided to pay someone to do the last bit, I’m all painted out!!

My biggest finish was a quilt that is going to be auctioned this Saturday to raise money for a childrens cancer support charity in Wales. It’s a pattern called Paisley Splash and I called the quilt ‘Making a Splash for Emyr’, Emyr is the young boy after whom the charity is named, Emyr Owen Latch group.

I’ve stitched three little embroideries, two of them for our travelling sketchbooks at Embroiderers Guild and one was a pretty lavender cross-stitch sachet by Faby Reilly. I’m planning to hang this on a padded coathanger for Otley show next weekend. Of course my flower ribbon embroidery is still on going, making slow but steady progress on that one.

I finally made McCalls 6696, a shirtwaister dress that’s been all over the blogging world, I think I’m the last person to make it, though I have made it my own by making it a longer length. I wore it for the first time last weekend and I love it, you know you get those outfits that just feel lovely to wear, well this is one. The fabric drapes and swishes beautifully, I’m already planning my next one!

My stash report is very slightly improved! I made my dress, so obviously that’s one down, but when I went to buy the buttons I fell for a gorgeous length of cotton to make a vogue pattern dress! Fortunately when I was making my elephant quilt I found a length of dressmaking weight batik that matched perfectly for the backing, so that’s two lengths used from my dress-making stash!

Stash Report

Stash at end of March    54 lengths.

Fabric lengths bought     1

Fabric lengths used         2

Stash at end of April       53 lengths

Not much change but it’s going in the right direction!