So-So Sewing

Being an interiors stylist means you have to L-O-V-E fabrics, the look and feel of them. A lot of stylists have a textiles background, and of course with all those shoots you end up with all sorts of gorgeous left-over bits. I hate to say that I have boxes of fabrics up in the loft 'just in case' they may come in handy.

I saw some great placemats with pockets for cutlery at a show recently, so I thought, ooo! I could make some of those! I had a free weekend so I decided to make some for the outside table ready for the Summer. I had a bench cushion in this green stripe which I think is Sanderson and was used in a shoot for Period Living at a lovely house in Deal, Kent a few years ago, so that was my base, I then used the grey, white and green floral for the reverse and for the pockets. They didn't take long and I am really pleased with them, even if they aren't exactly straight........The shamrock plate and liqueur glass are junk shop finds and the green and white shallow bowl belonged to my grandmother.

I have a bit of a thing about patchwork quilts. And obviously it's the best way to use up bits of fabric. They aren't well-made but they mean something to me. The first one I made when I was pregnant with my eldest daughter, Sydney, and as it was cot size it didn't seem too daunting.

The yellow Provencal-style fabric above I bought in France when Syd was 3 months old and I used it to cover the back of a dresser and also made a duvet cover with it (I bought some in red too). The white sheer fabric with the little green and purple sprigs was given to me by my Auntie Elsie, my Mum's oldest sister. All the others go back to my time on Living mag.

I started making this and then got bored so it just languished in a cupboard for years until my old au pair Monika mentioned how she remembered the one on Syd's bed, so in a drunken moment I said 'I will make one for Tereza!', her 18 month daughter. I found it, and thought 'hey, head start!' so first I had to cover up the paint splashes (don't ask). I bought little patches and hid the worst of them and added big rig-rac braid to cover up the other bits (don't tell her).

And here it is finished, with a nice checked edge.