I  love the idea of patchwork quilts made from pieces of fabric that have memories built into them - one of my most treasured possessions is a Victorian quilt sewn for a grandchild over three years from pieces that have very obviously had a previous life.  The care sewn in with the tiny stitches and the careful embroidery is so touching a century and a half later.

Over the years I have squirrelled away pieces of fabric from my life - bits left over from  the curtains in my childhood room, snippets from my green gingham school dress, from a bridesmaids dress I wore when I was 5, from graduation, weddings and then from my daughters early years.

Like evocative fragrances caught on the breeze, each pattern triggers a memory.  I had been keeping these for a quilt - but their different weights and scales would have made it a difficult one to work so instead I have decided to make up family bunting.

We use bunting a lot - it gets strung around the house on high days and holidays and the veranda wears it all summer long - with the greenhouse taking over when we dine in there on summer evenings.  It is easy as pie to make and a great way to use up scraps - so I thought I would do a simple how to here.

	Make a template for your bunting by folding paper in half and drawing a diagonal - you want an isoceles triangle.  Remember to add in seam allowances on the two sloping sides. Cut out 2 pieces for each flag
	Putting right sides together stitch along the sloping sides. Trim seams and press.
	Turn the right way round, poking out point with a pencil. Press Make lots of flags like this
	Pin the flags onto the bias binding as in photo with the edge of the binding along the top of the flag.  Space them regularly along the length - I leave about 15 cm between flags and remember you need a length clear at either end to tie up. Stitch along the crease line.  Trim any fabric that is above binding.
	Turn the flags over, folding over the binding and pinning it down on the other side - stitch right along the length of binding. Though all the photos showing binding made with a sewing machine it is perfectly easy to make by hand - I made the bunting in the top photo by hand several years ago, stitching away in front of the tv in the evening.

This type of bunting washes well in a machine - in fact I prefer it when it has been washed as the binding goes thin and soft - but make sure that you fold it up and put inside a pillowcase. Otherwise the string tangles up terribly and it will take you as long to untangle as it did to make in the first place.

My workroom.

The latest are on a batch of small (A5) notebooks made from vintage wool blankets with freehand embroidery and applique .  The notebooks inside are a decent quality cartridge paper sketchbook which can be replenished easily at any art shop.

The feedback when I showed these on my blog last week was very positive so i thought that I would offer them to newsletter subscribers first, before putting them up onto the website next week.

What is more there is a special subscribers price £10.50 (instead of £12.50) including postage within the UK.  The offer lasts until 14th July.  If you fancy one you know what to do! - Or e-mail me if you prefer to pay cash or cheque.

Making Buttonholes

One of the things that people ask me most often about is how to make flower buttonholes.  I can see why - when you are getting ready for a wedding the last thing that you want to be doing is trapsing into town to a florist to collect buttonholes.  With a bit of practice it is quite easy to make them yourself.

1. select flowers that will last well out of water - sea holly, scabious, hyacinth pips, seedheads, berries, rosebuds.  Pick them the night before and put them somewhere cool overnight (the fridge is ideal)

You will also need green stub wire, stemtex wrap and sharp scissors.

	To wire a rosebud cut the stem just below the swollen area below the flower. Insert a wire vertically up into the swollen area and another horizontally through it.
	Twist the wires together to create a false stem
	Cut small pieces of wire and fold them into hoops to pin down calyx.
	Choose a leaf with a bit of body that isn't going false stem of the rosebud to wilt quickly - thalictrum with its tough skeleton works well - wrap wire round the lower part which will be hidden by the rosebud. Leave enough wire to twist round the rosebud stem.
	Twist the wire from the leaf around the false stem of the rosebud so that it is secure.  Cover the wire and stems with stemtex.  Attach to lapel with pearl headed pin This is a very basic version - obviously you can jazz it up with more flowers, ribbon and beads. Buttonholes will keep fine overnight in a box in the fridge. If you have any queries drop me an e-mail snapdragnjane@googlemail.com.