Whether you’re a beginner looking to try your hand at a certain technique, or a seasoned maker searching for fresh ideas, we hope you’ll find lots to inspire here in our Projects classroom.
About the Projects
There is nothing nicer than making something by hand, either to keep for yourself or to give as a special gift. We have a selection of project workshops for you to enjoy ranging from making decorative items for your home, to wearables. Some are quick makes, some will take more time, whichever you choose, what better than the satisfaction of being able to say, “I made that!”.
Explore the projects
- All the projects
- Accessories
- Dressmaking
- For your home
- Free
- Gifts
- Needlefelting
- Panels
- Papermaking
Needlefelting: The Spirals Bag
Learn how to use your needlefelting (Embellisher) machine to create a colourful fabric with felt and wool fibres. Then decorate it with appliqué spirals, and enhance with machine and hand stitch before constructing a simple triangular bag.
Upcycled Purses
Work along with Laura to make beautiful zipped purses made from up-cycled quilts and samples. She’ll share her tips for achieving a perfect finish.
Painted Mirror Frame
Add a pop of colour and pattern to your home with this decorative mirror frame. Laura will show you how to paint and construct the frame using simple materials and techniques.
Inspired by Ceramics: Table Runner
Discover how Linda chooses a fabric colour palette for a summer table runner inspired by a collection of hand painted ceramics. Follow our lead and be inspired by your tableware to make a perfectly coordinating quilted table runner. She uses stitch and flip technique in a quilt as you go method of piecing. This is an ideal project for making use of many coloured scraps.
Embroidered Crazy Bookwrap
Decorate any book with a crazy embroidered bookwrap.
Inspired by Boro
Inspired by the stitch and repair notion of Boro and other textile traditions from around the world, Linda is constructing a textile using scraps and lots of hand stitching. To make the process her own, she’s chosen to needle-felt the fabrics making a strong fabric that’s a pleasure to stitch. In the second video see how she turns that fabric into a stylish and practical tote bag.
Inspired by…Samplers
Join Linda to see how she’s been inspired by her love of antique samplers to create a piece of folk art style needle-felted applique. Explore a playful use of motif and scale and complete with some hand stitch.
Quick Felted Vessels
Make satisfying use of scraps and recycle fabrics to create a beautiful felted vessel. Work with a needle felting machine (embellisher) to create a beautiful fabric before constructing your vessel. You can even embellish with hand stitch and beading if you choose!
How To Make a Box Bag
Work along with Laura and Frances as they show you how to make a box bag step-by-step. Frances will share her tips for a professional finish inside and out for this fully lined zipped bag. It’s perfect for make-up, art supplies, a small knitting project or as a travel bag.
Machine Embroidered Brooches
Work along with Laura to make pretty machine embroidered heart brooches. Learn how to free machine embroider and practice your thread blending skills.
Painted Patchwork Gift Box
There’s nothing nicer than a thoughtfully presented, handmade gift and with that in mind we hope you enjoy working along to paint your own patchwork inspired wooden gift box. The lucky recipient might be hard pressed to decide whether they like the gift, or the box best!
Handmade Accessories
Join Linda to make three different handmade accessories. Needlefelt and hand embellish an iPad case (or bag or book cover if you prefer), personalise a ready-made scarf using soluble stabiliser and machine stitching, and finally make your own ‘precious purse’ with needle felting and machine stitching.
Quick Make Collar
This quick make is perfect for adding instant colour and style to your look this season, or as a great gift for a stylish friend. Showcase a special fabric or up-cycle and old quilt into a collar that’ll dress up any outfit.
Paper Vessels and Jewellery
In this collection of 4 video workshops Linda will guide you through two projects. First, try your hand at making paper pulp and moulding vessels. Recycle paper and build some beautiful forms. In the following workshop she shows you how to decorate the vessels you’ve made. Next try making your own paper beads with a twist. These are made with special papers from your stash to add meaning and interesting surface design. In the final workshop Linda will show you how you can put your handmade beads to use in intriguing ‘talisman’ jewellery.
Pictorial Applique: Birds
In this set of two videos Linda shows exactly how she chooses a suitable photograph as reference, drafts a pattern, selects the perfect fabrics and uses double-sided fusible webbing to create an appliqué panel. She’ll demonstrate free motion quilting and the final details that will make your panel stand out from the ordinary. You’ll see step by step how to recreate something similar whether you choose to work with a bird motif as Linda does or choose your own source of inspiration – the techniques will work beautifully for any appliqué subject.
Stitching Into The Woods
This collection includes two videos in which you can follow every step Linda takes to create an embroidered and painted panel inspired by photographs of bluebell woods. She demonstrates every technique she uses to interpret her chosen subject in great detail so that anyone can achieve a similar result.
Heartwarmers
In this collection of three video workshops Linda and Laura take hearts as a motif and explore crazy patchwork, quilting and hand painting, and free machine embroidery! Join them to make hanging pocket bags from crazy patchwork in felt with hand embroidery. Make a charm to decorate a bag or mixed media textile project using machine embroidery on dissolvable fabric. And finally, quilt and handpaint a pincushion to add a little love to your sewing room.