LEANNE MILSOM
Your projects are very varied. What do you most
love to stitch? I love my garden, so I love to stitch
flowers and anything with a garden theme.
How do you choose your fabrics? Pretty colours
and fabrics with small prints always appeal, so
I tend to use those sort of fabrics in my designs.
Often, though, I pick the project first then look
at fabrics and see if they’ll work with my
stitching designs.
Is your studio/work area crowded with fabrics?
My cupboards are full of fabrics. I can always
find a fabric that suits a particular project. I have
a huge variety of prints, ranging from country
colours to soft and pretty prints. When I buy
new fabrics, I usually leave them on my desk for
a while to admire while I’m sewing.
Do you love to embroider? I love to do stitchery- it’s my favourite part of sewing. Every evening,
I’ll sit in the lounge with my family and watch
television while I work on a stitchery project.
Do you also do embroideries on their own?
I have designed and stitched quite a few
embroideries and framed them around an artist
canvas. I think they make really great wall art.
Does your family leave you in peace when you
want to do your craft? They sure do! I have
my own sewing room, which I spend a lot of
time in. Sometimes, the time gets away from me,
and my boys will have to pop into my room and
ask when lunch will be ready. They are often
so quiet that I forget they’re there.
What’s your ideal crafting snack? A nice cup of
tea and a biscuit is my favourite snack. I’ll sit back
and ponder my project while sipping my tea.
Your work often features outdoor subjects –
do you like to craft outside? I do like to sit outside
in my garden and stitch; it can be very relaxing.
Inside, do you work in clutter or do you need
order? I like to know where things are in my
sewing room, so I need some sort of order, but
often I can sew all day in a big mess.
What tools could you not live without? My
sewing machine is like my best friend – we spend
a lot of time together. And I also love my rotary
cutter; it makes life so much easier.
Gett ing to know...
Assembly
13
The table runner top is
assembled from right to left,
with the shorter rows running
vertically, as shown in Diagram 1.
Begin by choosing four assorted
hexagons and placing them one
under the other. (Refer to Steps
15 and 16 if you want to lay out
all the hexagons before you start
joining them.)14
With the fi rst two hexagons
right sides together, join one
side using small whip stitches in
hand-quilting thread, as shown in
Diagram 2. Repeat this step to join
the remaining hexagons in this
row and press it lightly.15
The second vertical row has
fi ve hexagons, four of print
fabric plus one of the stitcheries.
Sew them together on their
adjacent sides.16
Continue joining the
hexagons in vertical rows,
placing a stitchery in Rows 4, 7, 10,
13, 16 and 19 – vary their placement
in the different rows as shown in
the main photograph. Leanne’s
stitcheries all face the same
direction (perfect for a buffet orcoffee table in front of a sofa for
instance), but you could have some
facing each way if you plan to use
the runner on a dining table with
people sitting on either side. Press
the joined rows lightly.17
When all 20 vertical rows
are joined, match Rows 1
and 2, right sides together, and whip
stitch along all the edges to the end.
The seam zigzags, so bring the
corresponding hexagon edges
together in turn and sew in one
continuous line. Repeat this step
to join all the other seams between
the vertical rows. The edges of the
runner will be uneven on all sides.18
Press the runner lightly.
Carefully snip the knots of the
basting threads, unpick them and
remove all the paper hexagons from
behind the fabric.19
To square up the runner, use
a rotary cutter and ruler to
trim the protruding hexagon points
at the two short ends level with the
Vs between them. Trim the half-
hexagons from the two long sides
level with the edges of the whole
hexagons between them. Refer
to Diagram 3. If you do this carefully,Diagram 1 Diagram 2LEANNE’S STRANDED-THREAD TIP I like to separate the
strands of embroidery cotton and put them back together before I start to stitch. This helps
the stitches to sit flatter and prevents any tangles from forming while I am working.48 HomespunHSP1511_p040-049_A Summer's Day Project.indd 48 9/22/2014 10:27:23 AM
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