55(^) sewmag.co.uk
As we head further into the chilly
seasons, I have to fight the urge to
cosy down and hibernate on a daily
basis. I love this season, but my natural
inclination during these months is to
hunker down, and so my pace wants to
slow to a virtual standstill. And if only
I could! This sounds great in theory,
but the reality of being self-employed
means that there simply can't be slow
periods – hibernation is not an option
and the pace has to be maintained. Self-
discipline is a must. I’m often asked how
I manage to make a living as a crafter
and the secret, for me, lies in diversity.
We now have a family farm, and some
years ago the farming community
cottoned on to diversification... literally,
the concept of not having all of your
(free-range) eggs in one (handmade)
basket! As much as my husband’s family
had been raised to farm, they knew that
farming alone wouldn’t put food on
the table, so they capitalised on their
proximity to a city with good networks
and branched out into haulage, too.
This notion of having several feathers
in one's cap also happens to be the way
with crafts...
THE CRAFTY DREAM
It’s many makers' dream to quit the rat
race and leave their nine-to-five jobs so
At home with...
that they can spend their days making beautiful
things that others will admire and buy. Friends
and family are always saying how lovely the things
we make are and that they would buy them, so
what’s stopping us? The reality is that our friends
and family can only buy so many lovely things, and
once we are faced with charging hourly rates for
our time, our makes become out of reach for many
people. As much as I love to sew and make, far
more of my time is spent designing, creating kits,
teaching others, and writing and presenting on TV
than actually selling my wares. It’s the wide range
of things I do that adds up to a whole career – none
could sustain me on their own, neither financially
nor creatively. I will still be getting cosy through
the winter, don’t get me wrong, but I’ll spend my
days designing, making and writing – with hot
drinks on tap, of course!
ALL THAT GLITTERS
One of my favourite interior trends for the cooler,
cosy season is rose gold. Every season has its
own metallic hue and right now, that gold finger
needs to be tinged with a rosy glow! Adding
metallics to an existing room scheme is super
easy and all about the accents... think clocks,
frames, candlesticks and bowls, or keep your eyes
peeled in the shops where I am sure you will see
a plethora of cushions, throws and pillows. All
of them are sure to bring warmth and sparkle to
those dark winter nights. I love some of the rose
gold sequin fabrics I have seen recently, which
are perfect for making accessories. You can find
tips for sewing sequinned fabrics on pages
10, 25 and 44! For those who don’t quite
fancy going full on sequin however, there
are some fabulous trims available. I am
loving the iron-on rose gold sequin trims
from Abakhan. They are easy to apply and
a great way to add sparkle to interiors,
clothes and bags in a jiffy. If you haven't
seen it yet, I've released my first fabric
range and I've been busy using it to make
so many projects like the hexagon quilt
(below), a sewing machine cover and tool
tidy, then a quick and easy tote bag made
from charm squares. It might sound like
a small thing, but seeing my name on the
selvedges of a piece of fabric sends a little
shiver up my spine!
Till next month!
Stuart x
You can check in with Stuart on createandcraft.com channels Virgin 748,
Freeview 23, Freesat 813 and Sky 674 or visit stuarthillard.com
This month, I’ve discovered how
all that glitters is (rose) gold!
STUART
HILLARD
sew PEOPLE
Retro copper patterned roller blinds
Metallic stripe cotton cushion, from £59.89, englishblinds.co.uk
£29, cultfurniture.com
Iron-on Stripe Sequin Trim Rose
Gold 15mm, £3.50 per metre,
and Iron-on Chevron Sequin
Trim Rose Gold 15mm, £4.80
per metre, abakhan.co.uk
You can find a range of sequin
fabrics at aliexpress.com
Rose gold and white wall clock,
£15, jdwilliams.co.uk
Rectangular rose gold basket,
£10, sainsburyshome.co.uk
What do you all think of my Bumble Bee fabrics?
Stuart Hillard 103.indd 2 08/09/2017 14:25