We’ve been busy stitching bags for Christmas presents. These simple hold-alls are made using two thirds of a half metre of fabric (if that makes sense!) plus the same amount of lining fabric and 3 metres of cotton strap webbing.

By the way, Kokka Cotton/Linen Print and Kokka Cotton Print fabrics are now available by the half metre which is great for smaller projects like these!

Twinkle Sews is a really fantastic, brand new sewing book from Wenlan Chia – more commonly known for her funky knitting books and her fashion line Twinkle. Before she knitted, she sewed and this book contains easy to follow instructions for 25 of her couture designs. Patterns for the garments come in 5 sizes and are included on a CD which allows you to print and piece together a full-size pattern.

This is a really stylish book and which includes lots of practical advice such as how to pick the best fabric for each project and valuable sewing techniques. If you’re a fan already you’ll love it, if not – check it out!

Click here for more details.

Another great sewing book but with quite a different style to Twinkle, Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing is also packed with ideas and advice. These 30 imaginative projects from Kathy Cano-Murillo in her distinctive colourful, Latin style have a definite thread of recycling, repurposing, and bargain shopping running through them. Great ideas for projects big and small.

Click here for more details.

And two more for the knitters and crocheters…

Click here to see details of Granny Squares Now.

Click here to see details of Knitted Wild Animals.

Just in are these two very beautiful patterns by Carol Feller for Fyberspates Scrumptious DK. The yarn is a gorgeous mix of 45% silk and 55% merino wool and its silky texture is perfect for highlighting the beautiful stitching details in these two patterns.

To buy the patterns, go to the Individual DK Patterns page, here.

To see the full range of Scrumptious colours, click here.

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Hello,

Welcome to our brand new news page. We hope you’re enjoying Ray Stitch so far! We’re now a few weeks in and all seems to be going well. Thanks for all the lovely feedback we’ve had from you, please carry on looking and spreading the word. We’re continually adding new products to the  site and this is where we’re going to tell you about them. We’d also love you to get in touch with any news of your own, there are such a lot of clever craftspeople making fabulous things out there, we love to hear about them.

Hot off the press are our new Ray Stitch sewing kits. We’ve created a range of five very pretty pincushion sets and three very swish aprons.

The pincushion sets contain full instructions and pattern templates as well as fabric, buttons and trims – all you need is a needle and thread. They’re an easy project for anyone over the age of seven and would make a lovely gift!

The apron sets include full instructions and fabric. Pick the fabric combination you like and the pack contains instructions for all three styles. Glam!

Find the sewing kit packs in Books and Patterns, here.