Reloved is the name of my new line of upcycled home accessories made from recycled fabrics and beautiful heirloom linens.  I recently started buy lots of antique linens and needed to find something to make from them that allowed them to be useful again in a time when no-one uses tray cloths and embroidered linens anymore.  My preference is to keep the items intact so in theory you could undo the stitching and return them to their original state.  I tend to only cut things up that are damaged or badly stained and even then with great sadness as they often have hand embroidery that took someone time and love to complete.  As sewing is my passion and more recentlty hand sewing I wanted to combine hand stitching with the speed and accuracy of machine making.  The first item I have created is a needle case made from unique napkins or cloths, they are one of a kind unless I happen to get two or more of the same items in a bundle of linens.  The cases are made using felted recycled wool inside and vintage ribbon or button fastening along with hand embroidered words on the outside. 

I have also made re-usable coffee sleeves to allow regular coffee buyers to save on paper by using their own sleeve each day, this cuts down on paper and waste. 

Patchwork quilts are a real passion of mine and buy using recycled fabrics I can combine recycling with patchwork and create unique quilts that have a beautiful softness and use limited new items to save on materials.

Over the next few weeks I will be uploading some of my items to the main shop website for purchase and I will also be taking commissions for quilts starting with one of a kind childrens bed covers.

Since February I have been snowed in at a rare breed farm in Devon, finding retail outlets for my soap and inundated with free sample requests as well as teaching local people about natural cleaning via free workshops   more »

I have finally had time after a hectic Christmas period to get back to my blog.  As I sew for ...   more »

For the last few years I have made all my Christmas presents, it started out of necessity as we simply ...   more »

Today I have acquired yet another sewing machine much to the disgust of my poor husband.  I blame my mother ...   more »

Credit Crunch, recession or simple living, whatever the reason for trying to save money on shopping it can be done without compromising quality.  There has been a great deal in the press about the middle classes switching to supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi.  There is another way which means you can eat well and organically if you wish without spending fortunes each week.  I did shop in these supermarkets for a while but found the quality lacking in some areas and was not able to get everything I wanted. Instead I decided to plan my meals in advance each week, a particularly pleasurable past-time as I am a bit of a cookbook hoarder.  Once I had my meal plan in place I used my local resources and shopped every few days only buying exactly what I needed and getting it fresh.  Initially I thought that buying from the butchers would be more expensive but I have since found that it is cheaper, the meat is better quality and there is more choice.  There are no buy one get one free offers but I do get the odd extra rasher of bacon and my meat prepared exactly how I want it.  I also hate shrink wrapped meat so buying fresh means there is little time for it to sweat in plastic. I also buy my veg fresh from the farmers market each Sunday and every couple of days as needed for each recipe.  This means I am getting the freshest veg and it also does not cost as much as you would think.  I have a store cupboard of core ingredients which I top up as I need to and I make one large order of things like tinned tomatoes, baked beans etc monthly.  By purchasing exactly what I need for that week I have very little waste and get to be inventive with leftovers for the freezer.   I admit that this is easier to do if you are based at home as I am but it can be done with a 9-5 job with a bit of planning and making use of local shops and farmers markets at the weekend.  It can become a pleasurable past-time looking at recipes and trying to get the best food for the best price.   I will be posting my menu's each week and letting you all know how new recipes work out and my top tips on food frugality.  Now is the time to think quality not quantity and not settle for anything less.

For all my good intentions and plans I do have some bad habits that seem to go against my lifestyle ...   more »

I love snow and normally the only way I see any this early in the year is when I go ...   more »

For a while now I have been thinking that it is time I added a blog on my site so ...   more »