When you turn your hobby into a business it’s hard to find sewing that’s just for fun. Not a workshop sample, commission or exhibition piece. My go to fun activity is cross stitch, it’s portable, low on resources and there are so many amazing books. I picked up this book by Genevieve Brading a few years ago, it has some great patterns to follow and a puntastic title.

I’ve also been working on a new pincushion inspired by my upcoming move to the coast. The map is the area around my new house taken from a Google Maps screen capture. I traced the design on to a good quality tissue paper and glued it to the fabric with my Sewline glue pen. The stitching is done with Gutermann hand quilting thread.

Here’s a rare picture of me in my natural environment stitching away, I’m going to miss my studio but the new house has much more space so I’m looking forward to setting up my new workspace. The finished pincushion is made from the embroidered fabric circle wrapped around a stuffing ball. I was shown this technique by Ruth Singer in 2018 as part of a community project we collaborated on and they’ve become my favourite shape.

You can find more pincushions in my portfolio and for regular updates about my practice follow me on social media @hmillsstyles or sign up to my newsletter.