Teaching sewing is such a brilliant job to have, and I nearly always come home from every class totally buzzing from another spent in great company teaching the thing that I love. But the reality of my sewing life at home is snatched moments here and there and WAY too many ideas than I have time to sew! 

The Start to Stitch classes have been filling well from word of mouth and social media likes and shares but a website felt like a natural progression.  A significant reason for this was my desire to have a place to share my sewing projects in more detail than Instagram or Facebook allows, and to share some of my hopes and aspirations for my sewing projects to come. And so the Cutting Table Diaries should become an online journal of my stitching adventures, my hand made wardrobe and my brilliant sewing finds.  I hope it becomes a place of interest and inspiration to many sewists in Cornwall where I live, and beyond.

This is my cosy corner of my garden sewing studio where many things happen on my trusty old Bernina. Once day I'll write a blog post in honour of this loyal machine!

I have big dreams for 2020, and a rather ambitious project in the offing, so watch this space to find out more! 

Annie

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I love a free sewing pattern, and this is no exception!

It's a departure from my usual style, I love the look of swing cropped peplum tops like these but I worry that with breastfeeding boobs, and a mummy tummy it's just entirely the wrong thing for me to attempt wearing. 

But, when I found this gorgeous teal double gauze from My Fabrics, I just knew it would become a top like this so I stepped outside of my comfort zone, searched for and found the perfect pattern in the form of the Peppermint Peplum Top and spent a wonderful couple of hours in my studio while Mr S2S took the girls out for a swim so I could sew in peace.

I LOVE this pattern,  Its very simple, easy enough for a beginner and a satisfying and quick make.  The only thing I did differently from the instructions was stay stitch the curves first as the weave of the muslin I used was so loose, and I think with hindsight I would probably add an inch or two to the length of the main bodice so it is slightly less cropped for this 'approaching 40' mumsy-mum.

I have a LOT of trouble keeping track of what patterns I want to make, and which fabrics I have in my stash to make them up with.  ​
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I am in the habit of downloading all the free patterns I can find and storing them in a folder on my computer desk top, and my paper pattern storage  in the studio is pretty organised ( more on that another day ) but I have fabric hidden in every corner of the studio and house, and much of it bought with a specific pattern in mind.  The problem is, sometimes i forget the pattern between the buying and the opportunity to sew, and that's where this brilliant journal from Patterntrace comes in!

I have made a little vid so you can see the inside of it but I am absolutely certain that this is going to revolutionise my making habits and help me HUGELY with my upcoming 2020 project...

How do you organise your thoughts? Have you a tried and tested system for keeping track of all the ideas, and all the fabric?  I'd love to know!

Annie