Patchwork cushion cover

In October, I had the pleasure of making a beautiful patchwork cushion cover under the guidance of Jo of French Knots Craft Studio. I was invited by a friend and we had a cup of tea and chocolate biscuits. Heavenly!

The magic Jo applies to the nine-patch square had me blocked for a while, I just couldn't figure out which way to arrange the four pieces.

But this thinking time was worth it, as here is the result:

Jo supplied all the fabrics, a sewing machine, iron and a fab feather cushion, just the right size, of course.

I have signed up for more patchwork and some crochet flowers next.

School Uniform etc.

My older son started school in September 2013. I tried to buy some of his uniform second-hand but missed the sale organised by the school. So he got three brand-new sweaters with the school logo. I bought these directly from the school. I can't say anything about the credentials of the company that produces these items.

School shoes were from Clarks. Very hard-wearing. Wellies from Tesco.

The rucksack is from John Lewis, plain navy blue with fluoro yellow piping - I wanted to get something that would get more use than a book bag.

The bottle was from Sigg.


I got the other necessary items (4 polo shirts, 3 jogging trousers, 5 pairs of black socks) from Marks and Spencer, based on a report by Ethical Consumer (2008). In hindsight, I am not sure why, as Matalan and Next scored better, but it was easier to get everything in one go. The labels state: responsibly sourced. After 4 months of use and washing and tumble-drying I am pleased to report they are wearing very well.

I looked into getting the polo shirts second hand at least, but the market is already bogged down with new Tesco et al polo shirts cheaper than chips so what is one to do?

Organic cotton polo shirts were just too expensive to be considered, but I'll try harder to get fair trade at least next time.