Tips & Tutorials

Mordanting wool and protein fibres with alum

1 September 2013

If you want to dye wool, silk or other animal fibres using natural dyes, such as onion skins, you will need to use a mordant in order for the dye to bond with your yarn… Read more

Three needle bind-off

6 March 2012

Three needle bind-off* is an excellent technique for joining two pieces of knitting horizontally. It is especially good for shoulder seams because it gives a neat, non-bulky join, with the reinforcement and rigidity provided by… Read more

Pattern cutting: Skirt block worksheet

1 May 2011

Recently I hosted a pattern cutting workshop on drafting a basic skirt block from body measurements. The first time I did this was for the I made last summer. I found the hand-outs from the… Read more

Sewing with lace

7 September 2010

Seaming lace is just one of the new techniques I’ve had to pick up for Zoe’s wedding dress. The effect of the all-over lace is stunning, but sewing it is not high on my list… Read more

Dyeing wool with Kool Aid - immersion method

26 March 2010

Why Kool Aid? If you’re new to dyeing, there is no quicker, easier, safer or more reliable introduction than immersion dyeing wool with Kool Aid. Kool Aid is technically a food stuff (although you wont… Read more

Photographing your work: Studio lighting on location

19 January 2010

I wanted the photography for to be special, so I enlisted the help of a couple of talented friends; model and actor Kathryn and photographer and studio lighting enthusiast Joseph Hughes. We headed for Hampstead… Read more