30th March 2019 Cushion construction workshop with Hilary Cairns

Hilary Cairns' talk on Friday evening about her stitching life was light-hearted and enlightening. She told us of the time her friend persuaded her to apply for the Great British Sewing Bee and she got down to the final 24 for selection but was very glad not to have been chosen, having realised that the programme was all about personality and not sewing skills and that she would have had to pay for her travel, hotels and even the fabric!!  Hilary also told us about her alteration business, where some of her customers were well known Blackburn footballers. This impressed her husband and sons who were season ticket holders!  When Hilary first started the alteration business she was bemused to be asked to alter a dozen pair of men's trousers to very specific requirements only to discover that, when she went to chase for payment that the customer had been stealing the trousers, one at a time from big shops, getting them altered and then selling them on!  She quickly learned her lesson.  Hilary's sewing is wide ranging though, from dolls and puppets, dress-making to embroidery and particularly quilting which she explained was far more skilful and exacting than dress-making.  Hilary's talk was very well received - it was just a pity that so few people attended!

The informative workshop was also, sadly, poorly attended, owing to a clash with the Lacemakers' open day. It did mean that those of us, who were there, got extra special attention from Hilary! She was a mine of information on zips. We had no idea how many different types there are and she clearly demonstrated how to insert them. Invisible zips, put in properly, are truly invisible! Piped cushions with neat corners are also no longer a problem. Thank you, Hilary.

getting started

A mitred join in bias piping

some finished or nearly finished covers.

We were joined after lunch by an enthusiastic bunch of Young Embroiderers, who had their own project of a flower design to embellish with stitching, beads and buttons. They seemed to enjoy themselves!