Being an avid gardener I was delighted when, late last year, I received a telephone call from garden designer and florist, Carolyn Dunster. She had seen my work whilst holidaying in Truro, Cornwall and wondered if we would create an exclusive collection of products to accompany the launch of her new book, Urban Flowers.
As many of you know, I am a keen baker and a big sourdough convert! Sourdough really is simple. I make my loaf before I go to bed, leave it on the side to prove overnight then put it in the oven when I wake.
We often have music playing in the studio….not always, but usually for part of the day. Often, when Meg and Hayley are sewing and I am screen printing, we bring up our favourite tunes on a Spotify playlist.
Having recently returned from Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham, I must admit to feeling somewhat shell shocked. For those of you who have never been, imagine the biggest superstore you can (think Asda, Tesco B&Q etc)… quite large, wouldn’t you agree? Well, now scale up your imagination and visualise the floor area covered by 20 of these superstores… there you have it Spring Fair…
In an ancient bazaar, situated behind the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, I squeezed my way into this narrow market stall to take a closer look at the amazing array of sparkly trim....some were so high up, the only way to reach them was to use a broom; poke them and hope you caught the one you wanted as it fell!!
Take a peek into the studio with these fantastic images taken for Period Living Magazine, by photographer Anya Rice. In this months magazine, you can read more about the story of Helen Round, learn more about the inspiration behind the designs and find out more about the day to day happenings in our Cornish studio.
Cowslip Workshops, located in Launceston Cornwall, is a dream destination for those of us who love fabric, sewing and sewing machines!! It's also a fabulous place to stop off for lunch, indulge in tea and cake and take in the wonderful views from the farm.
To celebrate the launch of the new 2016 series of the Great British Sewing Bee on Thursday 5th May, we have developed a lovely new pattern for a linen bistro apron, which is FREE to download on our website.
It's that time of year again, and when I asked my Mum what she would you like for Mother's Day, this was her reply! "Oh yes, one of your make up bags please.....mine's worn out". "Does it have to be one of my things?", I replied "....pick something else!"
With the forthcoming Contemporary Craft Festival soon to be held in Devon, I was really pleased to be picked by Polly Leonard, (the founder of my favourite magazine Selvedge)'s Top 5. Polly has chosen her 5 Festival Favourites, from over 200 designer makers, as the one’s to watch at this years upcoming Contemporary Craft Festival at Bovey Tracy.
The History of the Tea Towel - As I was drying up, yet again, the other day, I wondered where the term 'tea towel' came from. A little foray on Google soon told me that way back in the 1800’s the Great British tea towel was an elegant linen drying cloth that the lady in the home would use to dry her best china tea set.
The Garden Collection was a joy to develop. As a keen gardener and lover of flowers, it was very easy to find inspiration for this new illustrating some of my garden favourites, including Lupins, Hollyhocks, Agapanthus and Alliums.