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You know how autumn has that tingling anticipation? New term, new school shoes, new timetable… As October approached, I have been ticking off days before my first ever stint as tutor of the How to Cover a Traditional Lampshade course at the Women’s Institute’s flagship centre of education, Denman College. Denman was founded in 1948… Read more: Newbie Denman tutor joins Mary Berry, Linda Barker and May Martin

Susan Penny makes 2 simple brooches with an old zip balh de blah in here Find the project here  

Susan Penny upcycles an old zipper into a figure of eight flower brooch You will need: 28inch (Heavy duty closed-end zipper) – mine was plastic 5cm (2in) diameter circle of card from brooch back Fabric to cover card circle – 8cm (3in) diameter Brooch pin Small button Needle and thread This is what you do:… Read more: Upcycle an old zip into a flower brooch

This weekend I have put together a couple of gift ideas that look really pretty, yet will cost you next-to-nothing to make. The jar on the left contains material scraps, buttons, pins, needles and a couple reels of thread. It could be given to anyone interested in sewing, and even a child if packed with… Read more: These jars are a gift…

I have been having trouble with my sweet peas this year…I’m not sure if it’s the monsoon conditions we have been having, or the fact that according to Helen Yemm the gardening writer, they should have been planted last autumn. I have never been organised, particularly when it comes to gardening, and so my sweet… Read more: Sweet Pea Help

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A picnic would not be complete without cake, and so this yummy creation, decorated with flowers, is great to take on a summer outing. The cake will serve 12, and the fresh taste of lemon curd mixed with elderflower cordial is sure to be a big hit with everyone. It’s important to use Stork in this recipe, as… Read more: Lemon and Elderflower Drizzle Picnic Cake with Stork

It’s that spooktacular time of year again! Yes, it’s time to stitch our spellbinding Halloween sampler – complete with mini bead spiders! CrossStitcher is published 13 times a year, available in both print and digital formats – fully compatible with computers and tablets. If you’d like to subscribe, go to the Warners page here, or… Read more: CrossStitcher

Stuck indoors? You need an emergency stitching pack! Find this offer here

CrossStitcher has found a new home in the Warners craft portfolio, after nearly 4 years at Dennis. Production of the magazine stays with Penny Creative Media in Devon.

Susan Penny shows you how to make this pretty cross stitched ice cream bracelet with simple chart and instructions, first choose your ice cream motifs…

Stitch this cute Susan Penny sleepy bear design tonight, download a free PDF chart & key here. We made him into a phone pouch, but he’ll fit in a card or small frame.

Even if you are new to knitting, you can easily make this pink iced cupcake. Download the full pattern here.

No-one will be more surprised than us that we are the new owners of a famous name in the needlecraft world. Willow Fabrics is now Devon based, the business formerly near Manchester has been uprooted and is now ours! We will be an internet business only now, and just serving the retail trade, but we will… Read more: New home for Willow

Just in time for Christmas! Get stitching now and put this charming design under your tree. She’s available as a free PDF download – just click here.

Make these great little presents with Susan Penny. Finding nice stocking fillers without spending a fortune can be difficult, so I set about designing a set of hair bobbles that are purse-friendly. The bobbles can be made in any colour, using scraps of felt left over from larger projects. They are simple to stitch and… Read more: Quick Stocking Filler

After more than 20 years away, we are surprised to be at the helm of Cross Stitcher once again – it’s now owned by Dennis, well known for their technology and motoring magazines. Stitcher will now be created and produced by Penny Creative Media, with a team of staff of similar pedigree to ourselves. It’s… Read more: Back in the saddle

I really enjoy eating left-overs on Boxing Day. After the run-up to Christmas and then cooking for the big day itself, somehow a chance to just take things out of the fridge has always appealed. Pickles are an important part of that meal, and so in late summer and early autumn I make sure I… Read more: Perfect Plum Chutney

I am pleased we are having better weather this week, as having purchased these lovely sailboat napkins earlier in the summer, and with my mind awash with everything ‘boaty’, after a week in Cornwall. I decided to use them to create straw toppers and napkin rings that you can use at your BBQ’s and beach… Read more: Sailboat Straw Toppers and Napkin Rings

This is a favourite recipe of mine – make some super-sticky flapjacks today – your kids will love them. Download this free recipe here.

So end of term falls on deadline, what does a busy mum do? I needed to shop for teacher’s presents and had no time to do it. I decided to explore the possibility of each child making something original…how may bath sets, vases of flowers or bottles of wine can one teacher need! This led… Read more: Simple beaded key rings

I wonder if it’s World Cup frenzy or the spontaneous appearance of flags on cars and rooftops that has made me feel patriotic! Whatever inspired this project, I have just loved making this Union Jack cushion cover; everything came from my scrap bag apart from the cushion pad which cost next-to-nothing from Ikea. The best… Read more: Hooray for the Red, White and Blue

With the end of the school year approaching fast, I thought I would set about creating a simple and inexpensive teacher gift, these pretty pincushions take just a few minutes to make and will use up things you have in your workroom and larder. I used scraps of fabric left over from other projects: one is modern, and… Read more: Really easy pincushions

  One of the wonderful things about living on the coast is that sometimes you are lucky enough to take pictures on the beach…and today was one of those days when we were able to get some great shots of my sailing boat hearts. I thought, with the sun shining so brightly at the moment,… Read more: Sailing Boat Hearts

I have been having trouble with my sweet peas this year…I’m not sure if it’s the monsoon conditions we have been having, or the fact that according to Helen Yemm the gardening writer, they should have been planted last autumn. I have never been organised, particularly when it comes to gardening, and so my sweet… Read more: Flags not Flowers!

This weekend I have put together a couple of gift ideas that look really pretty, yet will cost you next-to-nothing to make. The jar on the left contains material scraps, buttons, pins, needles and a couple reels of thread. It could be given to anyone interested in sewing, and even a child if packed with… Read more: These jars are a gift…

Have been knitting calorie free cakes for a new book this week. Don’t get too excited, it will be a while before it’s published. The Eiffel Tower charms managed to sneak into yet another picture…I just love them! Thank you once again for all our lovely new likes. 26 so far this week! AMAZING! Please keep… Read more: A cake to share…

Thank you SO much for all the lovely new likes on our Facebook page. We have reached an amazing 600…you are all brilliant! Please share our posts and spread the word further, so that even more people can get the FREE patterns and advice on Handmade Home. We took this picture today, as the sun… Read more: Thanks to all our Facebook Likers

Susan Penny finds a bargain top, and adds a new collar in a few simple steps. I have always loved the idea of remodeling an item of clothing into another more useful item of clothing.  So, last week when I found this rather lovely t shirt in Primark, costing just £3, I snapped it up rather than… Read more: How to make a Peter Pan Collar for a t shirt

This little Susan Penny goldfish design is free!Download it here

If you have just remembered what day it is tomorrow, why not make this pretty gift bag using our FREE download, and fill it with sweets and treats for your children or loved one. Download and full instructions here.

Susan Penny has designed this pretty cross stitch nursery rhyme for attaching to a bag, purse or pencil caseI think we can all remember our parents telling us ‘This little Piggy’ when we were young. For most, it brings back memories of cuddles with mum or dad, feeling safe and loved, and laughing as you… Read more: This Little Piggy in Cross Stitch

Susan Penny shows you how to make a co-ordinated storage set With just a few days to go before I occupy my new work space, I have been thinking about how I can organise my fabric and wool.  I have bought baskets, but have been worried that the rough inside may snag the fibres. So,… Read more: Learn how to line a basket with fabric

Looking for a project to stitch with the kids as a Valentine’s Day gift? Susan Penny has designed this pretty key fob just for you. I wanted to design something that our youngest daughter could make and give her dad on Valentine’s Day. I have never really been into mass-produced cards, and have always felt… Read more: A Little Valentine’s Gift

Love making soft toys? Find out what Susan Penny thinks about this new book from Search Press

Whilst helping my daughter with research for a school project, I was once again reminded of the wonderfully skilled stitching found on clothing of the Elizabethan period.This sleeve panel (above right), which can be found in the V&A collection, is made using tailoring methods of the 17th century, where the sleeves are made in two… Read more: Elizabethan Cross Stitch Alphabet

Susan Penny blends some vintage treasures This project is my way of welcoming in 2014 – a new year, with new challenges and lots of new ideas. I wanted to make something that would remind me of new years past. It had to include tartan, because I have had a bit of a thing about… Read more: Out with the new and in with the old!

Susan Penny shows you how to make this delightful pincushion in less than an hour. As each new year begins, so does my need to get better organised. This January, I am about to move into my new workroom. It is slightly smaller than the one I am in now, but it is warmer and… Read more: Pretty Stitched Pincushion

Susan Penny shares a delightful sewing project As a craft writer I am often asked to pitch for a book idea without knowing if it will ever get published. A blad needs to be produced: this is a small section of the book; a taster to get the book buyers interested in the idea. To… Read more: A truly vintage pig

Find some relaxing holiday reading with Joanne D’Arcy As well as your own Christmas reading, I think books make a great gift. Easy to wrap, they are a gift that can last a lifetime, and be shared with others as the book gets passed on. And, you don’t have to worry about whether you have… Read more: Christmas reading: Trisha or Traditional?

Make this fun project with Susan Penny These miniature Christmas trees cost just a few pence to make using things from your garden shed and your sewing box. The trees are made from soft plant ties bought from a garden centre, wrapped around a central stem – similar to pipe cleaners but with a wire… Read more: Pipe cleaner Xmas trees

Susan Penny shows you how to make a simple tree decoration This pretty bauble is made by gluing torn pieces of vintage fabric onto a polystyrene ball – I was lucky enough to have some French ticking left over from another project, but any fabric scraps could be used. Add ribbon, net, a button and… Read more: Editor’s Wednesday Craft Special

Susan Penny shows you how to make this lovely Advent Calendar. Our children love having an Advent calendar. They count down the days to Christmas, enjoying the special treats found in the calendar. This year, after seeing my project, they decided to leave the old Advent calendar in the trunk, and use these bags on the… Read more: Last Minute Advent Calendar

Susan Penny shows you how to turn some scraps into miniature crackers If your drawers are full of brown paper grocery bags, then this Christmas cracker project is a great way to recycle them into something pretty. With advent just round the corner, these miniature crackers are a great project for the weekend. The crackers… Read more: Recycled Christmas Crackers

Susan Penny shows you how to make these simple knitted Christmas drum decorations. These delightful knitted drums were inspired by the Christmas rhyme ‘On the twelfth day of Christmas’. Quick to knit in scraps of wool, they are so simple to make, you are sure to find yourself knitting at least twelve to hang on… Read more: Drumming up a knitted Christmas

  Susan Penny reflects on her childhood baking experiences My first ever sponge cake was made for a Stork margarine/ MacDougall’s flour baking competition at school. Although my rather uneven, slightly burnt offering didn’t win, it did get me a highly commended certificate, and a desire to improve my cooking skills. As a child I… Read more: Margarine for the quintessential 60s housewife

Susan Penny picks up some cones and a bargain With the weather forecast looking good this weekend, now might be a good time to take the kids out into the woods foraging for fir cones. Once collected, leave them somewhere warm to dry out for a few days. Then, using white acrylic paint, dab the… Read more: Editor’s Weekend Tip No 1

When I visited Odense in Denmark a few years ago, I was inspired by the wonderful papercuts by the writer Hans Christian Anderson. It seems he was an addict to paper. He wrote on it, he drew on it – and he cut it. Just like a potter uses clay or a sculptor uses stone,… Read more: Stitch Papercut Hearts

Every year, when the first striped, sugary candy canes appear in the shops, I think of Christmases past. Fun filled times spent in New York come to mind, surrounded by jolly Santas; twinkling, fairy lit trees; carriage rides through central park; ice skating in the open air; the magic of Hamleys toy shop; and the… Read more: Christmas Candy Canes

  Knit for Victory is a non-competitive vintage knitting challenge, which started on November 4th, and runs through until January 31st, 2014. You can make anything you like as long as it has a 1940s feel.  It could be a hat, gloves, or cardigan, in fact anything that takes your fancy!   And you don’t have to dress… Read more: Knit for Victory

You know how autumn has that tingling anticipation? New term, new school shoes, new timetable… As October approached, I was ticking off days before my first ever stint as tutor of the How to Cover a Traditional Lampshade course at the Women’s Institute’s flagship centre of education, Denman College. Denman was founded in 1948 in… Read more: Newbie Denman tutor Joanna Heptinstall joins Mary Berry, Linda Barker and May Martin at WI HQ

When I was a child I liked to visit my gran in late summer for afternoon tea: fresh bread and home-made jam, sticky buns and seed cake. For me, the favourite part of the visit was exploring her garden. Out from under the watchful eyes of the adults I would find amazing places to sit… Read more: Plum Jam

I have always liked the idea of food for free: so this summer whilst on holiday in Cornwall, I couldn’t resist foraging for hips from the heavily- laden rose bushes in the woods around the property where we were staying. Rose hips are the cherry-sized red fruit of the rose bush, stuffed with vitamin C,… Read more: Food for Free

Lavender is one of the easiest, evergreen shrubs to grow in a sunny border or container. Without almost any help, each plant will produce masses of highly scented flowers above green or silvery-grey foliage. Over the last couple of years I have changed the layout of my garden, and as lavender is a shrub that… Read more: Cut and Dried

When I think of strawberries I think of the British summer and Wimbledon. Somehow those words conjure up the magic of lazy days in the sun. I have always wanted to go to Wimbledon. Not just for the tennis, but to see the mammoth catering operation that goes on behind the scenes. On the official… Read more: Homemade Strawberry Jam