I confess that I am not good at crocheting...only simple stitches and patterns! But I'm adding to my pile of scarves that will go to the homeless next winter! It's hard to think of a bad winter in Australia particularly now we are having some +40c days and bushfires again. But last winter we had some very cold nights & mornings...so these may help somebody keep a little bit warm!
This site is to show off my hobby of creative hand sewing. It has been a love of mine since I was 10 years old. Now, not only is it a very meditative past time, but it also exercises my eye & hand co-ordination after a battle with a huge brain tumour that didn't take my life but it took from me a lot of skills I took for granted. NOTHING ON THIS SITE IS FOR SALE. Items I make are for me, my family, my friends and occasionally, charity. Enjoy!
11 January 2026
01 December 2025
25 November 2025
20 November 2025
17 November 2025
Panel for a Japanese Style Bed Cover Using Boro & Sashiko sewing techniques
This is the 2nd panel in an eight panel Boro style bed cover with Sashiko highlights. The bed cover is for a king size bed. Each Panel Size: 50cm x 150cm (20 in x 1.6 yards) Panel backing material: Medium weight linen. Materials Used: Scraps from my scrap box, Japanese materials from a lovely Japanese- Aussie lady who has a stall at most of the local markets around the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia, from my travels overseas, vintage kimono fabric pieces from Japanese retail outlets in Australia and Spotlight Australia for the linen and plain cotton pieces. Thread: All Japanese brands: Olympus & Daruma. Sampler Centrepiece: ‘Temari’.
17 October 2025
Modern Hand Sewing: Wall Hanging Inspired by Klee
Heavily inspired by the Expressionist artist Paul Klee’s modern masterpiece ‘In the Desert’ and the Japanese sewing art of Sashiko and Boro, I’ve used scraps of fabric from my off-cuts box and mixture of Japanese threads and balls of colourful cotton I recently found in a local charity shop for this art piece. It can either be a wall hanging or table centre piece. I will sew in a discrete Velcro rod pocket at the back so it can be hung and taken off when used as a table centrepiece. Klee was inspired by his travels in Egypt and if you can imagine his view from on high down to segmented farmland made up of fields of produce in the sun.
09 October 2025
Japanese Quilt: 1st Panel
First of 8 panels of 50cm x 150cm each of a Japanese Boro and Sashiko inspired quilt cover. I used Japanese cottons and scrap materials from my off-cuts stash. Upcycling is something I love to do! It’s so satisfying to give a ‘home’ to otherwise useless bits and pieces.
16 September 2025
Table Runner
22 August 2025
13 August 2025
Sashiko Japanese Dragon Panel
Sashiko panel Ryu no kamon (竜の家紋) ‘Dragon Mon’. Sewn in various Daruma threads. I took the creative liberty of using tiny gold sequins for the eyes.
Crocheted Scarves for the Homeless
I confess that I am not good at crocheting...only simple stitches and patterns! But I'm adding to my pile of scarves that will go to the...
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Thread used is Daruma thick unbleached and red. I love mid century modern design hence the red koi facing the other direction. I used an emb...
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81cm x 37cm (36 in x 17in) 114,000 stitches on 16 count Aida. I just now have to complete George and do the solid black areas.
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Japanese Sashiko sampler ’Noshi’ (Gift) sewn with Olympus variegated thread.











