<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/SOTG_APPROVED_COVER.jpg?v=1690910274" width="352">


Dear friends and supporters,

I'd like you to be the very first to know that Unbound has just revealed the front cover for Sew on the Go!

This is what will be popping through your letter boxes and onto bookshop shelves in the Spring of next year! Wow! It finally feels real!

It's such an exciting moment to be able to actually picture the book that we'll all be holding in our hands. I'm currently working with the editor on the placement of the illustrations, images and diagrams - it's the final few kilometres of the marathon that we all started running back in 2017. 

I'm absolutely thrilled with the look of the cover and believe it really captures the spirit of discovery and freedom that my journey around Europe in Bambi was all about. It feels even more important during these difficult and challenging times to remind ourselves of the privileges of physical liberty and to celebrate the limitless horizons of creativity.

A big thankyou to Mark Ecob, Unbound's art director, for his fabulous design, and to the team at Unbound for their professionalism and continued support.

Most of all - thankyou to all of you for sticking with me. I know it's been a long haul!

Do please share the link to the book with your networks so that they can pre-order a copy for Spring 2021 if they'd like to...I can guarantee an adventure lies within the pages! <a href="https://unbound.com/books/sew-on-the-go/">https://unbound.com/books/sew-on-the-go/</a>

Many many thanks for your support - stay well and take care of you and yours.

Big virtual hugs

Mary Jane xx

Cover design for Sew on the Go revealed!

Dear friends and supporters,

I hope you're all coping as well as possible during these strange and unsettling times and are managing to stay healthy in both body and mind. Like a number of people I'm currently mostly at home at the moment. I've been putting the finishing touches to my manuscript for Sew on the Go, the book that you've so generously co-funded, as well as doing press &amp; PR for <a href="http://www.gcda.coop">GCDA</a>, the charitable organisation I work for.

I've also been crafting away like never before!

Having driven The Mobile Makery (aka Bambi) all over Europe, it comes as something of a shock to be grounded. The Mobile Makery has become The Stationary Makery, sitting outside on my street with nowhere to go. As soon as I heard that people, many of them with children, were to be stuck at home for weeks on end, I immediately decided that The Stationary Makery would broadcast at least one craft project a week to help time go by creatively. So far I've offered weaving, lots of pompom projects, an upcycled embroidered plant pot, a junk rainbow and a beautiful butterfly! The response has been amazing and I've loved seeing  what everyone has been doing. 

Here are just some of the butterflies I've been sent!


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/butterfly.jpg?v=1690910327" width="500" height="500">


 

All this has been made possible thanks to my fantastic friend Gary, who has built me a wonderful new website in record time. I'd like to say a huge thankyou to him for all of his help and support. It means of course that you can now keep in touch much more easily and see what Bambi and I are up to week by week! 

Please do take a look at the new website<a href="http://www.maryjanemakes.co.uk"> www.maryjanemakes.co.uk </a>and especially the Craft in Quarantine blog where you'll be able to watch videos on many of the projects - all of them recorded on my iphone inside The Stationary Makery!

Please do subscribe if you'd like regular updates - all for free of course! There's also a shop on the site, should you be looking for a present or something special at the moment.

You'll be pleased to hear that the book is on track. It's not a quick process - production and editing takes some time, even more so given the current situation. So we're looking at publication in Spring 2021. I hope very much that I'll be back on the road by then and able to give Sew on the Go the send off it deserves!

Thanks so much to everyone for your continued support. Take care, and big hugs, Mary Jane xx

The Stationary Makery

<img alt="" class="doksoft_image_img" height="375" src="/images/11736/preview/medium" width="500">


 

I can scarcely believe it, but almost two years after starting my publishing journey with Unbound, I can report that we have now FULLY FUNDED Sew on the Go!

Thankyou all so much for your support and constant encouragement.

I can’t tell you what a boost it has been to see that line on the graph inch slowly upwards. Every single pledge has been incredibly important. I often felt like giving up, but each time I saw the total increase I felt as though a hand had reached out, grasped mine and hauled me up a particularly steep and arduous stretch of the mountain.

Publishing a book the old fashioned way, with the support of patrons, is an incredible experience, both exciting and humbling. It’s nerve-wracking too of course, as you’re never sure that you’ll be able to do it. But here I am, thanks to all of you.

I now have some concentrated work to do finishing the manuscript, then it’s a question of liaising with the editorial team over the images, illustrations and the final proof. My previous books, Chic on a Shoestring and The Modern Girl’s Guide to Hatmaking (which were both published with Kyle Books) took several months to come to press even after the writing was complete. I hope very much that Sew on the Go will be in your hands by the start of next year, if not the end of this one. I’ll be in touch too about your rewards of course.

The best way to follow what I’m doing, apart from through these updates, is via Mary Jane Makes on both Instagram and Facebook. I find that working a day job alongside my writing doesn’t give me much opportunity to update my blog. So please, if you’re a social media user, do follow me on Instagram and FB.

Exciting times. Hats off to you all!

Thankyou so much again, 

Mary Jane x

THANKYOU SO MUCH - WE MADE IT!

<img alt="" class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="/images/11592/preview/medium" width="410">


 

When my lovely friend Krassi showed me the secret weapon for making humble paper flowers, I was blown away. I have tried to make paper flowers before, but crepe paper is normally so flimsy that the results lack life and form and disintegrate pretty quickly. What you actually need is not just any old crepe paper, but (as M&amp;S would say) ITALIAN crepe paper, which has a totally different weight and feel.

You can find Italian crepe paper on ebay for about £2.50 a roll. Yes it’s a little more pricey than the party-hat staple, but not extortionate, and once you’ve tried it, you won’t go back! 

So, first up, buy yourself a roll of this stuff. You’ll also need some thin wire (I managed to find a twist of floristry wire covered in green paper), scissors, pliers (for cutting the wire), a few little double-ended stamens (cake decorating suppliers often sell these), glue (not super glue or you’ll stick your fingers together - agggh), a felt tip pen to complement the colour of your crepe paper, a knitting needle, thread, and floristry tape. 

Next cut out 6 or 7 small petals and 6 or 7 large ones (you can see the dimensions on the materials picture above - 5.5cm and 7 cm long) from the crepe paper. Make sure the grain is going up and down and not across the petal. Next, add a little colour with the felt tip.  Not difficult. Focus on the top and the middle. Then, you need to shape the petals. I did this by rolling them over the knitting needle then stretching them in the middle so they curl just like real petals do. OK. Once you’ve prepared your petals it’s time to make your flower. Start by twisting the stamens onto a length of wire. Add a tiny dab of glue to attach your first petal and bind tightly with thread. Make sure each successive petal goes in a gap - not on top of the preceding one. Just keep binding with the thread and add an odd spot of glue here and there. 

Now. Watch closely and follow me! Let me see what you make. If you’d like to join me in person to create some of these flowers I’m taking part in The Great Get Together on Sat June 29th with The Collective Makers’ Market in Woolwich. Come along and say hello! 

XX

Supporters’ Exclusive - make your own bunch of celebratory roses!

<img alt="" class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="/images/11590/preview/medium" width="500">


This is a moment that I thought would never come.

To be on the cusp of completing the funding for Sew on the Go is as humbling as it is exciting. Two years since setting out on this incredible journey with Unbound, my book’s publishing costs have all but been met with the help and support of all of you. I have been amazed (and sometimes completely moved) by your incredible generosity and faith in me. 

It has at times been an uphill struggle, and there have been countless occasions when I thought I would have to give up. But then a friend would grab me by the hand, a wonderful surprise pledge would come in, and I would be urged forward yet again by your enthusiasm and my renewed hope.

Anyone who has ever tried to achieve an artistic goal knows the sheer slog of putting in the hours as well as the unadulterated pleasure that comes with bringing something heartfelt to life. 

Thank you so much to all of you. This book will almost certainly happen - we are only 3% away from victory!

As I can’t give all of you a hug right now, my supporters will instead receive an exclusive video showing them how to make these fabulous crepe paper roses, a technique that a lovely Bulgarian friend explained to me recently at her little daughter’s Birthday Party. It’s just a tiny thankyou for all you have done.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to Sew on the Go, now is your chance to join our gang and find out how to make these flowers too!

Come on  - we have only two weeks left to make it happen!  

SEW ON THE GO - THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!

XX

A bunch of thank you roses.....

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/50EC3D6B-0481-418C-89B8-FC192CBD328E.png?v=1690910319" width="500" height="500">


 

Well! What an amazing couple of weeks! You’ve all been absolutely incredible.

Over the last two weekends I’ve been taking part in Stroud Open Studios with <a href="http://www.atelierstroud.co.uk">Atelier</a> (a fantastic creative hub with affordable workspace in the heart of the Cotswolds). I gave a talk about ‘Sew on the Go’ to a very empathetic audience, sold a range of handmade and vintage goodies, led a macrame workshop using only sustainable materials and met a great number of wonderful people.

One of the loveliest surprises was being presented with this fantastic picture of Bambi (and me in my upcycled curtain dress!) by Janine Chisholm, an author and illustrator herself. She wrote the book Thrifty Style in 2012, all about repurposing your wardrobe with fashionable flair and came along to my talk at Atelier. The following week Janine popped down the road again and gave me this picture - I was bowled over. I love it so much that it’s going to feature in the book. Thankyou so much Janine. You can see more of Janine’s work by clicking here: http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/janinemeuk 

That wasn’t the only happy moment of the week. Imagine how thrilled I was to find that by yesterday evening ‘Sew on the Go’ had reached the amazing figure of 90% funded! Isn’t that just fantastic news? 


 
 90% !!!!
 


I’ve been completely touched by the support I’ve received and would like to thank you all so much for your faith in me. 

We’re so nearly there.....! Just 10% more to go......can we do it? YES WE CAN!!!


 I really need to try and finish my manuscript now!


Mary Jane x

THANKYOU for such an incredible effort!!

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/4FD8F4BC-9415-4DF9-A61F-8A89CFCCB694.png?v=1690910301" width="391">


Oh me, oh my!!!

Dear friends. You won’t believe this, but today we reached 80% funded.


 Yes! 80%!


That means if just 300 people pledged just £10 each - we would be over that finishing line. 

I know that as my supporters, cheerleaders, emotional pillars, kind confidantes and ass-kickers, you are the best people to talk to about persuading just ONE MORE PERSON to hop on board the Mobile Makery. I am almost certain that YOU will know ONE MORE PERSON who would like to eat a slice of Bambi. Hmmm. That sounds all wrong doesn’t it.....? But I think you know what I mean. Or perhaps you’d like to buy a present for a friend - a friend who hasn’t yet encountered Bambi - or me!

If over the weekend you have a conversation with just ONE MORE PERSON that results in ONE MORE PLEDGE of £10....we might just make it. If we don’t reach 100% - all our hard work will have been in vain. 

It’s do or die, my friends.

Oh, and there’s a special offer on too - until 24th May. Just type in the code OPENSTUDIO to receive a 10% discount.

And if you live near Stroud, I’ll be there this weekend, sadly without Bambi (who’s currently in hospital). I’m taking part in Stroud Open Studios with <a href="http://www.atelierstroud.co.uk">Atelier</a> a wonderful, pocket friendly co-working space in the heart of this wonderful Cotswolds town. Come and say hello and have a natter.

Lots of love - LET’S GET THERE!

MJ XX

SEW VERY NEARLY THERE!!!

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/712B4842-0C9F-4C59-ADB6-6C35F4947DFD.jpg?v=1690910292" width="452">


My three month residency with <a href="https://hoskinghouses.co.uk/wp/">The Hosking Houses Trust</a> is sadly nearing a close. During my time here in the beautiful Stratford-Upon-Avon countryside, I have completed the first draft of Sew on the Go, started a collection of poetry inspired by my stay, and created a range of hand-crafted artefacts based on a 1930’s floral tree made entirely out of wool and encased in glass.  This precious item, was kindly given to me by the Trust’s Director Sarah Hosking. It lived on a little shelf in the cottage here in Clifford Chambers the last time I was awarded a residency (whist I was writing my second book, The Modern Girl’s Guide to Hatmaking, Kyle Books). It completely fascinated me, and when I left, Sarah generously offered it to me. It has always been on my mind to make some work inpsired by it and I feel it is fitting that I have finally got round to doing so whilst in residence this time. I will be selling this work at Stroud Open Studios over the next two weekends to help raise money towards Sew on the Go (see my next Unbound update for further details).

A heartfelt thankyou to all of you who have so generously supported me. We are now 77% funded. But there is still a gap to bridge! If you would still like to reserve your copy of Sew on the Go by pledging, or know of someone who might be interested in taking part in this truly creative project, there is still time to jump on board. Just click on the link:

<a href="https://unbound.com/books/sew-on-the-go/">https://unbound.com/books/sew-on-the-go/</a> 


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/AD720C97-6497-4E88-9924-7A59A7B24EC1.jpg?v=1690910293" width="500">


Having ‘a room of one’s own’ in which to write, make and contemplate has been the most magical gift, and the financial support of the bursary (which is awarded as part of the prize) has meant peace of mind for the duration of my stay. There has been one big change to the cottage since I was last here and that is the addition of a light-filled studio. This space has made the world of difference. Funded by The Arts Council to the tune of £37,000 and designed by Stratford-Upon-Avon architects Studio Spicer, it means that you are no longer working in the dark!


 <img alt="" class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="/images/11322/preview/medium" width="375">


I was thrilled to be asked by Sarah to take part in celebrations this weekend to open the new studio, a task that was performed with great aplomb by Dame Joan Bakewell, broadcaster, author, journalist and passionate advocate for older people. It was such a pleasure to meet her. She has always been a huge supporter of The Hosking Houses Trust, and indeed, gave Sarah one of her first donations - a cheque for £30 many years ago! Dame Joan was tasked with undoing 100 bows tied over the door of the new studio, each bow representing one of the writers who has stayed here ( I have the honour of being writer 100).

Sarah Hosking and her 100 writer bows


 <img alt="" class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="/images/11325/preview/medium" width="375">


Afterwards in the Clifford Chambers village hall, around 70 guests heard Joan quote selected passages from A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf, the title of which lends its name to the residency. It took me right back to my first reading of the book whilst studying for my English degree at St Andrews University. I felt the frisson of the words all over again, and offered up a prayer of thanks for the progress women have made since it was first published in 1929.

We have come so far, but we can never stop pushing further and fighting for more. There are women the world over who are still denied basic rights and freedoms, girls who have no chance to make something of their lives, let alone the luxury of a room of their own.

Meeting Dame Joan Bakewell

Hello all you lovely people!

I am currently on my writer’s residency with The Hosking Houses Trust near Stratford Upon Avon,  and am really enjoying the opportunity of working full-time on ‘Sew on the Go’ which you have all been kind enough to support. As a thankyou, I wanted to share an exclusive extract. Sent with special love to my friend Melissa and her three fabulous daughters, Olivia, Jo-Jo and Solveig.

THANKYOU ALL for you continued support. We are getting so close! A very generous pledge of £1000  boosted the crowdfunder enormously last week and we are now at 75%. If you can persuade even ONE more friend to pledge £10 (and possibly win a wonderful handmade brooch as well!) then we’d almost be there! I sense victory - but don’t want to count my chickens etc etc...so ...fingers crossed!

XX


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/D1B915D7-CD0E-40BB-A00F-62BF9CB8EF9F.png?v=1690910259" width="500" height="500">



 An exclusive extract from Sew on the Go by Mary Jane Baxter - where the author embarks on her journey around Europe in the Mobile Makery aka Bambi


I set off from London on St George’s Day, the 23rd April 2015. Over the last few weeks I’d found a friend to rent my flat, got the van fully serviced, paid for breakdown cover and even sourced a few spare parts, just in case I found myself stuck up a mountain with a broken Bambi. Armed with a map of Europe, my ‘Wild Swimming France’ book, a sat nav, a smart phone and an i-pad, I had sketched out a rough itinerary for my journey.  However, I also wanted to give myself the opportunity to amble and take the ‘road less travelled’. Having spent most of my career in an industry that’s addicted to adrenalin and works to constant deadlines, I needed a break from the depressing daily dose of despair that relentless bad news can bring. I vowed not to look at the papers, scan on-line stories, or tune into the radio for the duration of my trip. 
  
As Bambi eagerly revved up the ramp onto the boat at Dover I felt a tremendous sense of freedom and potential. I thought of my colleagues back in the BBC newsroom, up against the clock as they endeavoured to wrestle the latest story into submission in time for the bulletin. I breathed a huge sigh of relief that I was no longer part of it. I nudged Bambi up along the queue of small lorries and campervans, tightly packed side by side in the steel hull of the ferry. Then I locked the door, grabbed myself a coffee and found a cosy spot behind a window. I just wanted to sit and watch the land slip away and take a few deep breaths. I really was doing this! 
  
The upper deck  was full of over-excited teenagers heading for France – gangly giggling girls,   spotty schoolboy showoffs, teachers already getting tetchy. Some of these kids would be away from home for the first time and I remembered my own 14-year-old self full of nervous anticipation as I headed to Normandy with my classmates. It was my first trip abroad and as part of the preparation I’d been taken on a shopping trip by my Mum to buy some new clothes especially for the occasion. I thought I cut a real dash in the mint-green ensemble that I wore for my maiden voyage – a matching jacket and trousers. The trip was memorable for two other reasons, both perhaps an indication of the person I would become. First up - the Bayeux Tapestry. Over 9 centuries old and more than 70 metres long. I could hardly comprehend its meticulous making. I was fascinated. I imagined it being embroidered by a group of well-dressed women, poring over the canvas, skilled and serious. It was my first real brush with communal creativity. Secondly (and rather less intellectually) I spent nearly all of my French pocket money on a pair of white pedal pushers. They seemed so exotic that even though they were slightly on the small side, I splashed all my cash in one thrilling go. The fabulous sensation of wearing something out of the ordinary has never left me, and I’ve been a sucker for cutting a (rather unusual) dash ever since. 
  
On this particular trip though I wasn’t bound for Bayeux or a pair of too-tight pedal pushers, but for Lille, where I was staying for the first few nights with Melissa, a friend I’d known since childhood who’d lived in France for many years.  We shared a passion for ‘brocantes’ or second-hand markets, and Lille has one of the biggest in Europe. Held on the first weekend of September every year, much of the city centre is cordoned off to make way for the hundreds of stalls and hoards of visitors all searching for that unique and elusive vintage bargain. Although I wasn’t there at the right time of year for Lille’s ‘grande braderie’, I knew that Melissa and I would track down a second hand sale of some description - perhaps a ‘vide-grenier’ the literal translation for which is ‘empty attic’. These events are held all over France and are the perfect opportunity for everyone to have a real clear-out. We all know that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, and vides-greniers provide a wonderful source of desirable junk and even antiques at knock down prices. Fortunately Melissa’s three young daughters Olivia, Josephine and Solveig shared our enthusiasm for attractive tat and so we were able to bribe them to join us by setting them the goal of finding something special for 2 euros each.  

To be continued!

An exclusive extract from Sew on the Go

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/54F14DB5-8D34-4615-80C2-40CB5CAA92D8.jpg?v=1690910331" width="500" height="375">


At the end of last year I heard that I had been awarded a prestigious writing sabbatical with <a href="http://hoskinghouses.co.uk">The Hosking Houses Trust</a> which offers women writers (over 40) a bursary and a residency in an 18th Century cottage in a small village just outside of Stratford Upon Avon. I was lucky enough to have been awarded a prize by the Trust before, five years ago in fact, when I was working on a previous book called <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Modern-Girls-Guide-Hatmaking-Baxter/dp/0857830872">The Modern Girl’s Guide to Hatmaking (Kyle Books).</a> 

Whilst I enjoyed my residency enormously, I found the lack of light in the cottage quite difficult. As a maker, as well as a writer, I need good natural light whilst I work, and to be honest, even writing is helped along for me enormously when I have a ‘room with a view’! Sarah Hosking who set up the Trust herself a few years ago, took me at my word, and set about trying to raise the funds to build a studio extension to the cottage. Over the last few months with a huge dollop of determination, sheer grit and hard work, Sarah has not only managed to bring in the finance, but has also overseen the building of the studio - no mean feat.

I am thrilled to be the first person to use it - and I couldn’t be more honoured! I am sure that the studio addition will open up potential residencies for artists as well as writers.

In my next update I’ll give you a glimpse inside!

For now - here’s a picture of Bambi and me in front of the cottage after arriving last weekend!

A big thankyou to The Hosking Houses Trust and to all of you for your continued support and enthusiasm. One more push and we’ll be there!

Mary Jane x

Three months in the countryside

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/BBD7CE1E-E44C-4884-9FFD-D120CA13A6E3.jpg?v=1690910308" width="500" height="442">


 

Dear friends and supporters,

It’s nearly Christmas – almost the end of another year and one that has seen the crowd funding campaign for Sew on the Go leap forward to a massive 65%. I have all of you to thank for that. I’m so grateful for your continued help and your enthusiastic cheer-leading on my behalf. I feel confident that the end is in sight. There’s no way we’re going to give up now! So please, if you know of anybody else who’d like to jump on board, do see if you can nudge them my way!

I’ve also got some fantastic news with which to end the year, and I’d like you, my supporters, to be the first to know. 

I’m honoured to have been awarded a three month residency with The Hosking Houses Trust (https://hoskinghouses.co.uk) starting in February. The Trust, the brainchild of the inspirational Sarah Hosking, supports women writers over 40, offering them a little 18th Century cottage near Stratford Upon Avon in which to do their work, and a bursary to help finance them. Sarah is herself a relentless raiser of money and an ardent believer in providing women with a creative, quiet and supportive environment to write in. Over the last few months Sarah has been working tirelessly to fundraise for a new artists’ studio in the garden of the cottage she offers to her residents. This means that for the first time next year, in addition to hosting writers, The Hosking Houses Trust will be able to accommodate artists, makers and other creatives whose work depends on abundant natural light. I shall be the first person to take up residence in the new studio space, and I hope to celebrate this by curating some special and exciting events on behalf of The Hosking Houses Trust during my stay.

Once we’ve settled on the programme I’ll let you know what we’re going to offer.  I hope to do this by the end of January.

In the meantime, may I wish you all a very peaceful, happy and kind Christmas.

Let positive creativity be our guiding light.

Mary Jane x

Some very good news in time for Christmas!

Hello everyone! I don’t know if any of you were lucky enough to catch the Frida Kahlo show at the V&amp;A in London - but if you did, you’ll hopefully have enjoyed it every bit as much as me. I had no idea that she was such a star during her lifetime - regularly photographed by celebrity snappers and appearing in leading fashion magazines like American Vogue. Seeing the exhibition persuaded me to have a go at sewing my own Frida-inspired Huipii - a traditional Mexican garment. It’s a simple make as it’s based on a square - and so it’s ideal for beginners. I thought you might like the instructions in case you fancy having a go yourselves. Mine cost just £8 to make using a vintage fabric remnant and some ricrac (one of my favourite haberdashery trims). I’m off to Ghana (yes really!) in 5 days time, and so I shall be packing mine. I can’t wait to see what fresh fashion inspiration I can soak up during my stay. I’ll update on my return. Sadly my Mobile Makery isn’t about to go global just yet and won’t be making the trip overland to Africa!  Bambi is over-wintering in London. She could do with some sunshine. She hasn’t started in about 4 weeks. Oh dear!!

Meanwhile, I’m thrilled to report we’ve now raised 65% of the total needed to fund Sew on the Go. If you know of anyone else who might like to jump on board then please do encourage them to do so! Thankyou so much for your continued support. MJ X

A Frida Kahlo inspired top:

 


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/8F02C66E-5F8D-4079-AF45-B91C98CF0607.jpg?v=1690910281" width="500" height="500">



 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/E73D0D01-0088-4CB6-88C8-68933A3E1883.jpg?v=1690910281" width="370" height="500">

Inspired by Frida

Sometimes, after a challenging few weeks, it’s all too easy to forget the things that we’ve accomplished and that we’re proud of. We feel dejected, despondent, and (if truth be told) a little despairing. This year, like everyone else, I’ve had my fair share of difficulties. Some of them have been nothing more than bumps in the road. I’ve picked myself up, brushed myself down and got on with it. However, I’ve also felt floored. Winded. Shattered. Many of you, I’m sure, will have been there too.

Trying to come up with a post for Sew on the Go, I’ve been raking through my ‘making’ this year. It’s helpful to realise that in spite of the sudden and unexpected tripwires - I’ve somehow carried on crafting. There are clothes made with someone special in mind. Created with passion, they were stitched together in dawn raids. I stole hours from the night and flung my heart into their coming together. Next up, neck purses. Sliced from old advertising banners, I put on my crusader’s hat and came up with an idea that might help reduce landfill. Then there are the comforting crafts. I made these things to ease the pain: a macrame workshop taught me that knots can sometimes calm. The repetitive doing and undoing somehow helps loosen the twisted tangle inside. A friend’s request to reupholster a piece of furniture led me try something new. The pay off was a bountiful Sunday lunch and a fresh perspective on life. A little vase of flowers. Carved from wood and printed on my Birthday. A concerted effort to dispel my deep sense of disappointment. Yet I love the result.

Lessons? There are none. Just a sharing of one maker’s journey as Autumn approaches. An effort to MAKE things better. Little by little.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/8F223C3E-4333-4254-95D2-79FF72E0B9EB.jpg?v=1690910297" width="500">


X

Season of mists and mellow makefulness....

I’d like to start by saying a really big thankyou to several new supporters who’ve recently pledged towards publication of Sew on the Go. A little PR by one of my friends (THANKYOU Ms K!) has resulted in a much needed boost for my Mobile Makery project and has instilled in me a new positivity. We will get there! Welcome to the Sew on the Go fold all of you - I really appreciate your support and I’m ever so grateful to you for pledging. I’ve also received a very generous donation out of the blue from a good friend who would like to remain anonymous. You know who you are. I can’t tell you how touched I am. It will make all the difference - and now means that Sew on the Go is pretty much a reality. I am so grateful for your faith and belief in me, and will do all I can to make you proud. 

The book is now almost three quarters funded at 64% and I feel confident that we will get there. Now I just need to keep Bambi on the road and in good working order until Sew on the Go hits the shelves! Let’s pray for a mild winter!  

If you know someone who’s been talking about pledging but just hasn’t got round to it yet, then please pass on the link to them. I’ve been crowdfunding for a year now, and the end of the tunnel is almost in sight. Let’s see if we can make it happen!


 <a href="http://unbound.com/books/sew-on-the-go/">http://unbound.com/books/sew-on-the-go/</a>


Love, and thanks to all of you for your continued support, Mary Jane x

 


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/C442983B-9D0F-4F98-BC22-B2C098716EA7.jpg?v=1690910266" width="500">

Bambi’s back in business!

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/F36AA90B-9403-4C27-8134-61E864EF9788.jpg?v=1690910289" width="375">



 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/90B73575-2FCD-4E96-81DC-864A9BE72405.jpg?v=1690910289" width="500" height="500">


 

I’m currently working part-time for a sustainability charity, and noticed that there were a few advertising banners left over from previous events. They’re made of PVC and pretty durable, but often end up lying in cupboards as there’s not much call for them after they’ve served their original  purpose. I suggested to my boss that I turn them into bags - and fortunately she was good enough to give me the green light! All the profits from the bags go back into the work we do in the community. It’s win win really, and prevents the banners going into landfill too.

My Mobile Makery journey continues in all sorts of ways - even though Bambi and I aren’t out on the road so much at the moment. I’m learning that sometimes it’s not about travelling thousands of miles to search for inspiration, but about seeing what’s right under your nose that counts.

X

Let’s turn trash into treasure!

I’m thrilled to announce that my brother Chris Baxter has very kindly offered to illustrate my new book, Sew on the Go: a maker’s journey. It will be scattered throughout with his wonderful sketches of Bambi, and the plan is for each chapter to start with a small black and white illustration too. Thanks so much Chris. 

We’re now 38% funded - pretty good going. But still quite a road to travel to get to the tipping point! Please do spread the word to your friends and family and send them the link to my crowdfunder. There’s still time!

Thanks so much for all your support.

Mary Jane x


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/484034D1-331D-46A8-8F7D-BE0752CCF175.jpg?v=1690910270" width="500" height="375">


 


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/A12D084B-9710-413E-91A8-DD61E0DFF452.jpg?v=1690910270" width="375" height="500">

Brother Chris on board!

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/83982D82-3ED2-4C86-88EB-C0E37E56446D.jpg?v=1690910312" width="500">


 

It’s almost a year since The Mobile Makery (aka Bambi) and I hit the road to take part in Stroud’s <a href="http://Www.sitefestival.org.uk">SITE</a> Festival Open Studios which this year fall on 5th/6th and 12th/13th May.

SITE is a festival of artist-led projects that pop up in venues all across this wonderful little town which nestles in a valley on the edge of the Cotswolds. I have a big soft spot for Stroud. Not only did its mills help forge Britain's textile revolution, they literally stitched it together too as Stroud was a clattering powerhouse of pin manufacture. The town now supports dozens of artisans, boasts an abundant weekly farmers’ market and still retains links to its textile past - its home to a company that manufactures cloth for pool tables. A useful thing to know the next time you accidentally rip through the baize with your cue!

Last year I was lucky enough to team up with <a href="http://Www.atelierstroud.co.uk">Atelier Stroud</a> - a hub for a huge variety of unique creative workshops. You can learn how to put together a podcast, sew a teddy bear or fashion a reusable sanitary pad - YES - that’s right - Stroud’s always been ecologically minded! The lovely Katharina Hveger Child, who owns Atelier Stroud, responded almost immediately to my call out for a place to pop-up during open studios. She not only gave Bambi a generous spot in Atelier’s forecourt, she positively welcomed me into the creative world that she’s so carefully and imaginately curated in the town. 

She’s been a huge supporter of my Sew on the Go project and I’d like to thank her and all those who’ve encouraged me on this journey. You’ll all be thrilled to hear that we’ve funded a massive 38% of the book and we’re now tantalisingly close to the half way mark.

BRILLIANT! THANKYOU!

Please tell all your friends about Sew on the Go - and see if you can persuade them on board too. It would be great to be able to take to the highways and byways of Britain in Bambi with my new book to promote!

Mary Jane x

Stroud Open Studios

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/A2D5A09A-A716-4F0C-92EF-075517F7BDE7.jpg?v=1690910263" width="500">


I love a market any time, any place, anywhere. 

But one nestled in the hollow of a prettily pastel Italian town, sun tempered by a light breeze drifting through the streets from the ocean below, rates pretty highly with me. 

I’m browsing Camogli market. 

Tiny multi-coloured tomatoes lie like tangled beads in wooden crates. Squeaky purple aubergines vie for space with bunches of punchy macho Italian basil. The abundant produce stars alongside the sorts of clothes designed to appeal to carefree holiday-makers dreaming of a better life.  

What do I buy? 

Well, apart from a pot of pungent homemade pesto, a paper bag bursting with cherries and three lusciously ripe peaches, I snap up a vivid emerald linen dress, lovely and loose and easy. Perfect for the hotter days to come and not too tricky to manoeuvre over your head within the tight confines of a dinky campervan. Also, some drawstring trousers, dark in colour and generously cut. They make me think of yoga retreats and hippy hangouts. I almost fall for another dress in a gregarious floral print - fabulous flashes of gold, yellow and turquoise. Purse poised, I recall just in time those dire warnings about holiday shopping errors - buying things on a whim that you would never dream of wearing at home. Can I really see myself in this startling dress back in Lewisham? The answer sadly is no. 

I’ve learned the hard way.

I’m fifteen and heading off on my first (and only) school trip abroad. We go to Normandy to see the Bayeux Tapestry. The tapestry itself is monumental, but I really only remember the holiday because of the clothes associated with it. All my spending money goes on a pair of newly-fashionable pedal pushers. I’ve never seen anything so stylish. I don’t really need them but that isn’t the point. I just desperately yearn for a slice of that fabled French glamour. But the charm wears off on reaching British soil. The bright white pedal pushers just don’t cut the mustard when I wear them on the streets of South Wales ‘sans bicyclette’.

Before going to France, my Mother had generously taken me shopping for a couple of special new outfits. I was thrilled with the mint-green bomber jacket and matching trousers that we selected. I’d always been rather fussy about the things I wore on school excursions. Once, getting ready for a year six trip to Cheddar Gorge, I refused to put on my summer dress in spite of it being the most sensible thing to wear. It was set to be a stiflingly hot day but I would not be GIRLIE. I would be a FEMINIST. I would wear TROUSERS (trousers meant feminism to me back then). And so I set off, clad in a thick pair of rust coloured cords and a cinnamon-coloured teeshirt. My statement outfit stuck horribly to my sweaty skin as I clambered up through the gorge. I was oven-baked and sun-blistered by the time I emerged at the top. I nearly collapsed through heat exhaustion.

I was not going to make ill-judged holiday fashion choices in Camogli thirty years on. No way!

An extract from Sew on the Go - to be read with your morning coffee. Have a lovely weekend!

<img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/EDF2DEA8-1358-4B2E-BC7A-32C2E8089464.jpg?v=1690910278" width="333">


Dear friends and supporters.

I hope you all managed a break of some sort over the festive season and that you’re struggling through these rather bleak January days with the help of a good glass of claret. There’s no dry January in this household!

I’m currently waiting (rather impatiently) for the RAC to come and crank Bambi (aka The Mobile Makery) into action. I haven’t driven her for a few weeks so the poor love has got a flat battery. She’s looking a little forlorn - our escapades around Europe traversing perilous cliff-top tracks seem a rather distant memory at the moment. But - back to the present.

With your help, we’ve so far managed to crowdfund an astonishing 28% of the total needed to publish Sew on the Go. What a fantastic effort - thankyou very much for your support. If you know of anyone who’d still like to hop on board, then please give them a gentle prod. There’s still a way to go!

I’m hoping to have some good news very soon about the fund-raising effort and meanwhile am thrilled to say that I’ve been offered a writer’s residency with The Hosking Houses Trust which provides female writers over 40 with a bursary and a free space to work. It’s incredibly exciting. A big thankyou to the energetic and utterly committed Sarah Hosking who’s run this charity supporting women writers for many years. It’s the second time I’ve been lucky enough to win a place with The Hosking Houses Trust. I completely relished my previous residency a few years ago now, holed up at the charity’s quirky cottage writing The Modern Girl’s Guide to Hatmaking.

I thought you might like a little excerpt from the forthcoming book to help banish the winter blues. So in my next update I’m enclosing a short passage about my stay in Camogli on the Italian Riviera. It’s for supporters only - so if you’d like to read it, you’ll need to join the gang!

Happy weekend X

Hello 2018!

Short on time to craft Christmas?

Dear friends and backers,

Thankyou all so much for supporting Sew on the Go. I’m chuffed to bits that you want to help us make the book a reality and I’m really grateful for your help and faith in me. The clock is now starting to tick and so I’m keen to keep up the profile of the project as much as I can - and that means asking you all to keep talking, posting and tweeting as much as possible!  

We’ve had some great press over the last month with both RELOVED magazine and SELVEDGE (a beautiful textile title) writing lovely features on the project. You can read the pieces on these links: Please do share if you’d like to and see if you can encourage others to come on board!

http://www.relovedmag.co.uk/sew-inspired/

and 

https://www.selvedge.org/blogs/selvedge/sew-on-the-go

In the meantime - I thought you might like a little upcycled BADGE project to keep young fingers busy over the half term holiday which is now fast approaching. This is a great project for using redundant picture books - perhaps ones that the kids have grown out of. Do ask their permission first though! I had one friend’s little girl get rather upset when her Mum used one of her favourite storybooks to make a badge for herself!

You KNOW who you are!!!!

UPCYCLED BADGE

YOU’LL NEED

A couple of old picture books, scissors, a cereal packet or two, some ribbon, sellotape and glue, glitter and a safety pin. You’ll also need a large decorative paper punch (Hobbycraft is a good source for these) - or simply draw around a glass to make a template.

1. Punch (or cut out) two shapes - one from your book and one from a cereal packet. The shape you see here measures 7cm in diameter.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/94AC1F3E-8A15-4861-B1EA-263FFF431488.jpg?v=1690910285" width="500">


2. Stick some decorative ribbon tails to the back of the cereal packet shape using sellotape. The ribbons here are around 10cm long.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/A24364DF-B68D-4E95-8301-2E897183E4C4.jpg?v=1690910285" width="500">


3. Stick the picture from the book on top of the ribbon using the glue and press down really firmly. Then tip the glitter into a saucer and put a little glue around the edges of your badge. Dip the edges in the glitter and allow to dry.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/BD6FE08A-CEBD-4FC0-A600-9191E94B3BDF.jpg?v=1690910285" width="500">


4. Sellotape a safety pin to the back of the badge.


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/A966AB72-2C93-47ED-B3F8-F012A79AD8B2.jpg?v=1690910285" width="500">


4. Pin on!


 <img alt class="doksoft_image_img" height="500" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0728/3615/3620/files/50A8CA8E-92F3-468F-AEB6-2E91EA5B201F.jpg?v=1690910285" width="500">


A cheap and cheerful way to jazz up a dull winter’s day!

Keep up the good work my Sew on the Go cheerleaders!

THANKYOU

Mary Jane x

Let’s get crafty!

Dear Friends,

I'd like to say a really big thankyou to you for supporting my project Sew on the Go over the last fortnight, and to all of you who've pledged previously. I appreciate your generosity very much and I know you're putting your faith in me. Something I take very seriously. 

It's been a tough couple of weeks as I've had a family bereavement to cope with, so my eye has been off the crowd-funding ball a little. I lost a wonderful and inspirational Aunt called Kate, a musician, writer, and the founder of an incredible charity "Muzika'  which uses music-based therapy to work with vulnerable children in Romanian orphanages.

She was very excited about Sew on the Go and was a huge fan of Bambi my Mobile Makery, having enjoyed many a Gin and Tonic on board! With her in mind, I'm now more determined than ever to reach my crowdfunding goal. 

Please continue to tell your friends about my campaign and help spread the word in whatever way you deem suitable. 

I feel galvanised and uplifted by your support. 

Time is ticking!

MANY THANKS again, 

Mary Jane (and Bambi) XX

Onwards and upwards

Thankyou to all the supporters who've kindly pledged to get my book Sew on the Go out there. I really appreciate your investment in me and hope that together we can make this book happen. I'm really excited that we're on track to reach our goal - but the more people who know about Sew on the Go the better. If you haven't done so already - please spread the word via social media and let everyone know about Sew on the Go. THANKYOU! Mary Jane x

Thankyou

In 2016, Mary Jane Baxter did what many people dream of: she quit her job at the BBC, rented out her flat and headed for the hills. Her home for the next few months was an upcycled 1986 Bedford Bambi campervan with a top speed of 60mph. She raided skips for vintage wallpaper and scoured second-hand emporiums to source stylish vintage accessories, creating her own travelling craft studio, packed with everything necessary for crafting on the road.
She then set off around Europe searching for inspiration, travelling from Belgium right down to the Cinque Terre in Italy then around France and up to Scotland. Armed with her trusty hand-cranked Singer, she spent a summer sewing on the go, foraging in flea markets, meeting artists and hosting pop-up events to help fund her trip. Like creatives the world over she decided to see where her travels would lead her and returned with a head full of new projects.
Fortunately, there’s no need for you to give up your job, wave goodbye to your family and rent out your house in order to re-ignite your own creativity; Mary Jane has done all the hard work for you. Sew on the Go is her guide to carving out more creative space in your life. From decorating your own budget-conscious bolthole to achievable projects including clothes and fashion accessories, beautiful gift ideas and child-friendly makes, this book is the ideal companion for those who dream of devoting more time to their craft.

An introduction to Sew on the Go and a Free Sample Project (click 'Read More')
 

 You know the score. You’re sitting at your desk thinking for the millionth
 time about leaving the rat race behind. It’s just you, your rucksack and a
 rough plan on a piece of paper. There are no e-mails to answer, no
 deadlines to meet, no daily commute, no people vying for your attention.
 Just the freedom of the open road stretching before you. Then the phone
 rings and you get back to work with a sigh.


 Of course there are many reasons why most of us can’t make our dreams come
 true most of the time. There are debts to pay off, family commitments to
 keep us at home, jobs to hold down and health issues to cope with - all the
 difficult stuff of life that means we can get stuck in a rut. But what if
 for a few brief, glorious months nothing was actually preventing you from
 breaking free? Would you do it? Would you dare quit the day job and take
 the risk? It’s sometimes very easy to find reasons for avoiding challenges,
 and frightening to embrace the uncertainty of saying ‘I do’.


 This had certainly been my story. For many years I’d combined several
 different jobs. Whilst working as a BBC correspondent I’d also trained as a
 hat maker. I worked for two years with milliner-to-the-stars Stephen Jones,
 sold my first hat collection to Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge and ran
 creative workshops for the likes of Liberty and Topshop. Somehow I’d even
 managed to squeeze in a series about ‘make-do and mend’ for BBC Newsnight,
 two weeks in Paris working for Marc Jacobs and a part-time teaching job in
 London. After a while I began to feel I was spreading myself too thin. I
 was juggling too many different balls and felt in danger of dropping them
 all.


 Around this time my Godfather died and generously left me some money. I
 immediately decided to spend part of my inheritance on an old campervan. I
 fantasized about doing it up and filling it with all the materials I needed
 to make beautiful things as I journeyed. I’d create the perfect travelling
 craft studio and then set off around Europe exploring French fleamarkets,
 swimming in rivers and meeting a clutch of colourful creative characters.
 My van of choice wasn’t a trendy VW (too expensive) or a quirky Citroen H
 van (too heavy on the steering) but something of a plain Jane - a boxy
 Bedford Bambi in need of some TLC. Once purchased, I drove it back to South
 East London and parked it on the street outside my little flat. It didn’t
 matter to me that Bambi’s top speed was 60 mph, that the interior electrics
 didn’t work or that the fridge was broken. Bambi would be my bolthole, my
 crafty retreat from the world - my very own Mobile Makery.


 Whenever I had the chance I’d spend a few hours working on Bambi. It felt
 like I was building an escape-pod outside my front door. First I papered
 her interior with the pages of a 1950’s dressmaking book and then started
 reupholstering the seats with a mixture of funky fabrics and souvenir tea
 towels. I changed the curtains and added over-the-top trims spending many
 happy hours hunting down enamel mugs and crochet blankets to cosy up the
 space. The dream of having a Mobile Makery kept me going through the dark
 winter nights and the long shifts working in the BBC newsroom.


 My neighbours watched my upcycling activity with mild amusement and a
 certain amount of cynicism. But when I started découpaging the outside of
 the van with posh wallpaper foraged from a Brighton skip they decided I’d
 completely lost the plot. To me however, it seemed like a perfectly
 sensible idea. I couldn’t afford a state-of-the-art vinyl wrap, so why not
 just do-it-myself? It was extremely therapeutic. Once I’d finished, I
 coated the design with several layers of outdoor varnish and hey presto! My
 Bambi had been transformed into a Magical Mobile Makery complete with a
 travelling craft library and a mini gas stove - essential for fry-ups on
 the go...

 
 
<div dir="auto">
 Suffolk Puff Shrug
 
 
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_9999+copy+SHRUG+USE.jpg" alt="">
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 You'll need:
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 Scraps of fabric (ideally all of a similar weight - ie all cotton)
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 Scissors
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 Needle and thread
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 A pencil or fabric pen
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 A template (I used a plate) for the puffs
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 Pins
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 NB For the shrug featured here I used a plate 15cm in diameter. For a shrug
 to fit UK 10-14 you'll need to cut out 76 circles of this size
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_0878.jpg" alt="">
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 HOW TO:
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 On the wrong side of the fabric, draw around your plate using a pencil and
 cut out 76 circles.
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_0879.jpg" alt="">
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 Use a double thread for strength and knot it at the end. Secure your thread
 well to start with, then work a small running stitch around the edge of
 each circle, turning the fabric over by .5cm to the wrong side as you go.
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_0880.jpg" alt="">
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 Start gathering up your fabric as you go so that it begins to puff.
circle being tightened up:
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_0881.jpg" alt="">
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 Pull it up fairly tightly and secure your thread really well. Then tuck the
 thread inside the puff before you snip off the ends so they don't show.
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_0882.jpg" alt="">
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 Carry on making the puffs - six rows of twelve plus four extra. Lay them
 out so you can decide what colours you want to go where.
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_0883.jpg" alt="">
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 To sew the puffs together place them back to back and overstitch 1.5cm as
 shown. You must make sure your thread is really secure, so stitch twice if
 necessary. Open out and attach the next puff to the first two and so on.
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_0884.jpg%20" alt="">
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 Sew twelve puffs together to make a row and repeat to make a further five
 rows. Now sew the six rows together (overstitching as before) to make a
 rectangle. Use pins as you go to help keep it all together. Finally, fold
 in half lengthways (smooth sides together) to form a tube.
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_0886.JPG" alt="">
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 To make the sleeve openings, pin together the first two and last two puffs
 on the outer edge of the tube and overstitch together as before. Create
 shaping at the neck by sewing two extra puffs into place on either side of
 the neckline.
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 
</div>
<div dir="auto">
 You're done!
<img class="img-responsive" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media.unbound.co/download/books/sew-on-the-go/IMG_0806+(1).jpg" alt="">
</div>

Sew on the Go: a maker's journey

Sew on the Go: A Maker's Journey

Ebook

Hardback

Signed Bookplate

Be a part of our community! 334,112 people from 207 countries have pledged £11,980,334 to fund 646 projects - and counting!

About us

How it works

Jobs

View our catalogue

About

Help centre

Delivery

Refunds

Contact us

Help

Footer menu

Politics & Social Justice

Memoir & Biography

Nature & Folklore

Gaming & Pop Culture

History & Sociology

Food & Drink

Science & Technology

Language & Literature

Philosophy & Ideas

Gift & Humour

Fiction

Health & Wellbeing

Art & Photography

Business & Economics

Psychology & Self-Help

Unbound Firsts

Genres

Crowdfunding

Published Books

Pre-Order

Second column

Our Books

Shop Now

Tom Cox Collection

Jackie Morris Collection

Jonathan Meades Collection

Ian Livingstone Collection

Daniel Hardcastle Collection

Russell Jones Collection

Column

Author Collections

Submit Your Work

Trending Now

white

black

eBook
Paperback
Hardback
Signed Hardback
Signed Paperback
Fox
Otter
Patron
Ebook
The Readers - a print by Mick Cox (plus signed hardback).
Advanced Book Proof (plus Signed Hardback).
Name a character or animal. (Plus a signed hardback).
Personalised Hardback - Your Photo on the Cover
Ebook via Glassboxx
Be on the Podcast
Virtual Meet the Author
Executive Producer
Hush-Kit article chosen by you
Your name written on a warplane in the book plus a print
Hand drawn illustration by Joe
Patron plus Hardback
Dedicated Hardback
In Memoriam
An Evening with John Healy
Lamp Fish Print Bundle
Unicorn Autopsy Print Bundle
Exclusive Mystery Print Bundle
Surreal Trio Print Bundle
Signed First Edition Bundle
First Edition Bundle
'Cockatrice' Dayglo Poster Bundle
Foil Postcards and Poster Bundle
'One With Nature' T-Shirt Bundle (M)
'One With Nature' T-Shirt Bundle (L)
Patron Bundle
Ebook
Signed Proof Bundle
Book Club Bundle
Annotated Copy Bundle
Afternoon Tea with Natalie Bundle

Trending Now

Crowdfunding

Sew on the Go: A Maker's Journey

About The Book

Join Our Newsletter

Your Bag