Featured Blog

Today's Featured Blog is Made By Rae. Rae Hoekstra, a young mum, has quite a few sewing projects on the go. She develops various patterns, including tops and bags. She has just started offering a very popular bag pattern - The Buttercup Bag - for sale in her Etsy shop. She also has a Toddler backpack pattern and a preemie sized baby dress pattern.

Recently Rae had a Spring Top Week, where ladies sent in photos of the tops they had made with her patterns. The tops were then voted on. Out of over 100 tops, a lady from Denmark won the contest with a very smart looking top made in a stripe with white contrast area.


Go have a look at some of the trendy things Rae has been making up.


And from me... here is another idea for a bag. Its another recycle idea as it is made from a pair of trousers. The photo shows one I made to hold a project for City and Guilds. For a very long time, it was the only bag I used for going down to the shops. (Oops, looks like it needs thrown in the wash!)

1-Chop the legs off the bottom of a very small size pair of trousers. This bag was made from a small size pair of stretch velvet trousers. Chop it just above the crutch.

2-Turn inside out and stitch across the bottom.

3-Make straps from strips of fabric from the legs. Pin to see where you like them placed. Then stitch them on firmly.

4- If you like, stitch round pockets, along straps and other areas with a machine stitch or by hand.

5-If you really want to get funky, make a bag pocket and stitch it to the inside parts of the zip...then open the zip to have a cool pocket so you can get to your phone or keys easier.