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The doorstop came about as an idea from a friend.  Her property has a very heavy door and she couldn’t find a doorstop that was up to the job so she asked me if I could make her one.  I needed to make a doorstop that weighed 3kg!

At the time I had just taken delivery of a red, white and blue spinnaker so the doorstop was made from this sail.  Generally I make them from spinnaker sails as there are a good selection of colours to work with.  The base is filled with sand and then I use a polyester filling to bulk out the shape.  The doorstops I sell are around 1kg in weight but I am happy to discuss heavier weights if you have heavy doors in your property.

The sewing of the doorstop is the easy part, filling them with sand takes time and most of my patience!  Luckily I managed to purchase a bag of spinnaker sail offcuts so I have a good mixture of colours to work with at the moment.

The door stops are just £15 and with a mixture of colours will brighten any home.

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Here is some basic terminology about boats…..

BOW – Pointy end at the front of the boat

STERN – Blunt end at the back of the boat

PORT – Left hand side of the boat

STARBOARD – Right hand side of the boat

HULL – Main body of the boat

KEEL – Part that sticks out underneath the boat (if you can see this you are in trouble)

MAST – Big stick that holds the sails up

SAILS – Flappy bits that fill with wind to propel the boat

COCKPIT – A place to sit to drive the boat (or relax)

TILLER – A stick to steer the boat

Now you can wow your friends with your new found knowledge

I make the washbag using sail cloth and a little piece of spinnaker sail for the handle.  Generally the washbags are made from traditional white sails, however at the moment I am also using an old Mirror Dinghy sail (orange) and a North Sails sail bag (dark blue) which look great.

When I made my first washbag I was planning on making a more rounded shape, however I found an old bag in the cupboard which was a perfect size and I decided to base my design on that one.  They all have a plastic chunky zip which suits the style and material.   The bag measures 22cm x 14cm x 8cm so all of your toiletry essentials will easily fit inside. 

You may want to use the wash bag for something different.  One of my customers is a keen cyclist and carries all of his puncture repair kit inside on his daily commute to work.  That’s why these products are great as they are so versatile.

I love making these wash bags although they do take a little longer than some of my other products, that is partly due to the addition of the zip but also the hem is double sewn to prevent fraying edges inside the bag.

At only £10 each these bags are a great addition to your travelling wardrobe.

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In the 1989/90 Whitbread Round the World Race, Tracy Edwards skippered the first all female crew on the 18m yacht ‘Maiden’. At the time the sailing fraternity was male dominated and Tracy and her crew had to overcome many obstacles just to get to the start line. They managed to win two out of the six legs of the race, earning Tracy the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy – the first female to receive it.

This documentary is captivating as it follows Tracy and her crews journey to the start line and then charts the highs and lows of the race. You can watch the trailer below and I would recommend watching the full programme if you can!

SailGP started this weekend in Sydney, Australia and Great Britain, with Sir Ben Ainslie as skipper, got off to a great start to the series by claiming the first event title. Great Britain are top of the leader board with 47 points.

The next event takes place in San Francisco on 2nd/3rd May 2020 where racing will take place in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Last year around 22,000 spectators watched the first US debut of SailGP. The sailors will then head to New York on 12th/13th June 2020 before heading to Cowes on 14th/15th August 2020.

Tickets will soon be available to buy for the Cowes event, you can watch the sailing from the shore at Egypt Point or book your space on the water and watch the event from the comfort of your own boat.

If you would like more information about SailGP then head over to sailgp.com

I recently bought this antique sewing machine and it looks just lovely!  Built by Frister & Rossman this machine is thought to be pre World War One and dates back to around 1903.

Frister & Rossman founded in 1864 close to Berlin, Germany.  Around 1870 they started shipping machines to England and it became Germany’s largest sewing machine manufacturer until 1902.  By 1903 they had produced over ONE MILLION MACHINES.

You can see from the photos, this machine was marked ‘Made in Berlin’.  Any pre-war machine proudly marked the country of origin however post-war, the manufacturing country was never mentioned.

The last Frister & Rossman family member retired in the 1990’s and the company is still a renowned sewing machine name in Great Britain today.

I’m not sure I’ll be using this one to make my lovely products, however it certainly is a great work of art to look at!

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St Valentines Day has been celebrated every year on 14th February since the year 496. 

It is believed that Saint Valentine was a Catholic Priest who lived in Rome during the 3rd Century.  He married soldiers in secret after Emperor Claudius II passed a law stating it was illegal for soldiers to marry as they should be devoted to their country.  Valentine was jailed for his crimes against Claudius and was executed on 14th February 270.

Hopefully you have received something from your secret admirer……

Whenever I attend a show the glasses/phone pouch is always a good seller, probably because it is something that we all use at some point. Most customers buy them for glasses however a few people have said they are going to use it for their mobile phone and I also have made some slightly larger versions for larger smart phones.

The pouch is made from spinnaker sail as it is softer than sail cloth. It is then lined with a fleece fabric which gives the contents protection and can also be used as a cleaning cloth when turned inside out. The pouch is secured with drawstring keeping the contents safe inside.

Very well made, with a soft fleece lining to protect your glasses, which also doubles up a decent cleaning cloth too. The vivid purple is stunning, a fab product, and the fact it’s been upcycled makes it all the better!

I was given one of these pouches as a gift and it’s great, would definitely recommend’

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The pouch was the first product I started making and I’m looking forward to making plenty more in the future!

The date for the annual Round the Island Race has been announced and it will take place on 30th May 2020 which is a little earlier than usual.

The race which is organised by The Island Sailing Club, is a one day yacht race around the Isle of Wight starting in Cowes and heading West towards The Needles, round St Catherine’s Point and Bembridge Ledge and finishing in Cowes.  The race is one of the largest in the world and around 1400 boats with around 15,000 sailors take place in the 50 nautical mile race.  The first boats will start at 0520 BST and if you don’t mind getting up early head along to Hurst Point as you have a great vantage point as the boats head towards The Needles.

Last year I was at Hurst Point (sadly not on a boat) and because it was a downwind leg there were plenty of colourful spinnakers passing by:

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 Early Bird entries end on 1st February so if you would like to enter the Race then click HERE

Maybe there will be some spare sails at the end of the race that could be made into some lovely bags!

I am looking forward to 2020 as I will be producing some lovely new items made from used sails, keep an eye on the shop and Facebook for the announcements.  I always love the challenge of making new items and even more so when a request for a bespoke order comes through as you never know what it might be. 

Before Christmas I was busy with bespoke orders and here are just a few of the items I made:

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If you would like to order a besoke item then please use the contact form and provide details of the item you would like making.

I am hoping to attend a few more events this year and I will give you plenty of notice so you can save the dates in your diaries.  Alternatively if you are hosting an event and would like us to attend then please let me know.

Thank you to everyone that purchased items in 2019 and I’m looking forward to making you more lovely things in 2020!  Happy New Year everyone.