Author: Ruth Singer

Life continues to fly by at an alarming rate. Work doesn’t half take up the sewing time! Ho hum. However, I still managed, a few weeks ago, to do a spot of shopping on Folksy, the new UK-based online shopfront for people who make stuff. I was only passing through, just looking, honestly. This stopped…

In the tradition of Slow Food, my next book is all about slow sewing; being eco, buying small, taking things gently, appreciating old stuff, not chasing the new. It is a slow book. But it is coming together fast just now. Text is speeding from my fingers onto the page. Photos are coming together. I…

I’ve had a lump of plastazote* knocking around the studio for ages. I kind of knew there was something I could do with it, if only I could work out what that was. Eventually I worked out it was destined to be the pinboard I so desperately need by my desk at home. What fabrics…

Fun with friends out and about (photo courtesy of the social secretary) New yarn (Lang Mille Colori) Plus Selvedge too. The Meaning of Sunglasses. I’m behind the times here. I really ought to write a proper review, but I’ve not finished it yet. There seem to be about 4 different covers for this book. This…

One of the many things I learned working on Sew It Up was the importance of filler images. Nice, pretty photos of things that look good on spare pages and gaps in the book. On that book I had professional photographers doing it for me. This time I’m doing them myself. Its REALLY good fun.…

Time to confess to my secret life. I’ve mentioned a few times that things were changing around here. Nothing too exciting, but simply that I’ve got a new job. Part-time and freelance, but definitely a major piece of work which will keep me busy for most of this year. I’m project managing this, a collaborative…

When I was a child, I had a red cardboard mini-suitcase. I loved it. Absolutely loved it.I still have it, somewhere. And a bigger blue one. But the red was my first love. You can still buy them sometimes, in toy shops. I bought one for my godson a year or so ago, thinking every…

Just before Christmas, I got a surprise extra present – a whole huge box of dress patterns! I guess they came from a car boot sale, picked up by my dad and his wife, having heard my plea of “patterns! any patterns! (not 1980s ones though)”. These are mostly 60s, with a few 50s gems…

Its taken months to get my spinning wheel up and running, since Sarah got it going last year. She even gave me some fibre to get started with! Here it is: I splurged some birthday money on masses more fibre from Sarah to spin. I got this one to ply with the yarn already on…

You will probably not be surprised to hear I have a love of vintage sewing stuff. I’ve been after some glass-headed pins for quite some time, but they are pretty pricey on ebay. I was deeeelighted to find some in a job lot of cheap nasty ribbon and random sewing bits where the seller clearly…