A new home for Strandom

Hallo there! 


I've been very busy working on a brand new blog and website (hopefully an online shop too!) the past few weeks. I will be posting over there from when it goes live (or launches...) and I'll leave the new address here for you all. It'll probably be another week or two before it's all done, but I'm looking forward to it! All the posts from this blog have been transferred over, so once it's all up and running I'll delete them here and leave the link to redirect people. 

New website: www.strandom.com

I'm so happy no-one stole my name before I needed it either, haha! 

A sketch of Queen's House in Greenwich, London - from a few years ago!

Kathelle x

Strandom - Block of the Month sneak preview!

Ah my poor blog... neglected like my diaries of old! Hopefully not any more though.  It's been a very busy few months here, as I'm sure it has been for most of you!  I've done two workshops at The Sew Room in Alford now, so I'm semi-officially a sewing tutor :) (More details and pics soon!) 

In summer holiday terms we've been to John O'Groats and back, Dunrobin Castle (after 5 years of nearly getting there!) and a lovely wedding of dear friends of ours.

This is a sneak preview (you saw it here first!) of a Block of the Month sampler quilt series we're hoping to start very soon at The Sew Room.  I decided to play with solids for a change, which is quite fun :)

Kathelle x

Background Story - The "Flora" Tote Bag

 Also known as the "I can nearly sew it in a nap-time bag"!  

Why the name "Flora" you may ask?  Well, I named this bag after my sister-in-law, as the style reminded me of her - practical, pretty and one of a kind!  We both very much enjoy our sewing and crafts, exchanging ideas and tips!  And she likes yo-yos (the fabric flower variety!) so I put one on too.  Just because ;)

This lovely bag is a great size for the necessary essentials when you don't want to carry a huge handbag with everything in it bar the kitchen sink!  (Though as a mum of two tiny toots these days are rare now!)

The tweed is a beautiful weave of teal and moss green and beige - a very limited edition by Handmade by Heather - Isle of Harris.  It was her first lot of Harris Tweed for sale and sold out within 24 hours!  I can't wait to see what else she'll come up with.

My inspiration was from a very old faithful friend of a bag - the very first one I made!  I was on 3rd year in school (Heather was there too!) and I used it all the time - patched it, repaired it, replaced the button... and now it is in retirement in my wardrobe.

Worn corners patched with different tweed

Hand stitched label - slightly wonky!

Well worn and loved!

So here's the finished article... posing against my cabinet of curiosities! Looks sane enough but it's crammed full of crafty stuff haha!  My sister's sign is in the very background, and my granny as a young 20-something in the corner! :)

For sale at: Strandom - Flora Harris Tweed Tote Bag

Kathelle x

Sneak Peak...

 

 Some progress on the Strandom front...

Four days to go until shop opening!  I shall have to work like a busy bee to get it all done, so I'd better get cracking.  Didn't get as much done last week as I'd hoped, DJ & EJ keeping me busy :)

Kathelle x

Strandom - 2 weeks to go...

I received a few lovely parcels in the post this morning and earlier on this week which mean that I can finally get started on new projects for Strandom! I've been itching to get going for a while, though it won't be easy with the two little ones! I'll try my best ;)  Aiming for 23rd May... we'll see how it goes.

 DJ's at that stage where he's into everything... (It's a cliche for a reason!) I was working on EJ's quilt last night and he was going through the extra squares and using one to wipe his face as if it was a facecloth! pah, little boys haha!   Remember this from my last post? 

 
And he loved the new zips...  They are both down now (a wee bit of P&Q - also know as peace and quiet!) so I'm having a cup of tea while I sort these photos for you :)  

Eilean Glas lighthouse - stone wall by my very talented uncle!

 While I was home on holiday last month I popped up to Tarbert, thanks to my Dad for driving as I STILL have not got my license... one day!  I went into the Harris Tweed shop and dithered over the gorgeous choices while he drove the kids about to keep them happy :) Here's some of what I've chosen for Strandom.

 

The pink and blue with cream ones at the top of the above photo were woven by Heather, she has a Facebook page called Handmade by Heather - Isle of Harris. They're gorgeous, looking forward to seeing what else she does!  You can see the pink one more clearly in the middle photo.

Amazingly they are still sleeping, so I'll see what housework I can do before the little man gets up and EJ needs a feed!

Kathelle x

Introduction :)

Hallo!

I’m Kathelle MacLeod, designer/maker for Strandom.  I’m a Christian, a wife and a mum of two and I love sewing and all things crafts related.  This blog is about the behind-the-scenes life of Strandom and running a craft business and a home with two under two!

 

A selection of items from last year

I'd wanted to sell my sewing for a while, and I finally plucked up the courage last June (though starting up with a baby on the way and a tiny toddler maybe wasn’t the easiest way to do it, but heyho!) I opened a shop on Folksy and sold a few items in a local shop, “The Sew Room” in Alford.  It was all starting to pick up nicely when I had to stop in November as I was 8 months pregnant.   

   This is me coming back to it all after having my daughter in December.  (She’ll be called EJ, and my little boy shall be called DJ for the purposes of this blog!)  

DJ and EJ a few months ago! :) x

I hope to get both Etsy and Folksy shops up and running and stocked up in the next few weeks and I shall keep a diary of sorts of my progress.  I was quite bad at keeping diaries as a child…I hope to improve!

So let’s see how we get on! :)