Christmas Snowmen

Things are really busy here at Claire Hurd Design at the moment. Online orders are gaining a festive momentum, private commissions are flooding in and I am preparing stock for the Handm@de Craft Fair at Winchester Guildhall on Saturday 13th November.


With Christmas in mind I have made a new decoration - a Christmas Snowman. I am pleased with this one - I think he looks rather cute! He is now available to buy in my online shops.

Handmade Baby Bibs

I have been designing and making new baby bibs recently to appear in my online shops. I have had some great feedback from Facebook fans regarding their preferred fastening method for baby bibs (velcro) and have a bib sample I am sending to a friend to do a user trial for me. I want to be sure that all details are right, such as does the bib wash nicely (I have washed it a couple of times already but only from clean and not after a baby meal!), does the amount of velcro I have used hold well and is the size good?



As soon as I have some more feedback and have secured a plentiful supply of the base fabrics I shall be listing these. I have used a soft cotton jersey for the face and a brushed cotton reverse for both designs. I used 'anti-snag' velcro for comfort and have made the bibs nice and wide to keep baby as clean as possible.

I have also been experimenting with making my own baby blankets and am quite pleased with the results. I shall share pictures with you as soon as I have some. At the moment my little niece has the blanket to see if it gets her seal of approval!

Personalised Bunnies!

I have had a lovely sunshiney afternoon designing and making a new product for my shops. This cute little personalised hanging bunny decoration would make a great Easter gift or a unique keepsake to welcome a new baby in to the world.

The bunny is made from soft grey wool felt and has a fine cotton knit aqua stripe tummy and ears. Take a peek behind and you will see a matching striped bunny tail. The features have been hand-sewn and the hand-tied bow has been secured with a few stitches. The bunny measures approx. 13.5cm tall and has an 8cm hanging loop.

To purchase your very own little happy bunny please click HERE.

Personal Project - 1st Birthday Gifts

I have been working on a personal project alongside my other work this past week. My gorgeous niece turned 1 on Sunday and I wanted to make some truly personal handmade gifts for her.

I created some personalised birthday bunting which was used at her party and now hangs in her beautiful little bedroom. I also made a personalised Cupcake Brooch for her with 'I am 1' embroidered on it.

My main gift was a rag doll which I made from a combination of different patterns and with a little creative licence! My Mum made me a similar rag doll when I was little with removable clothes and a vast wardrobe of handmade outfits. I want to do the same for my Niece and will be making new outfits and accessories for her doll to be given as regular treats. I am really pleased that she seems to love her doll and has been cuddling and playing with it lots.

The Last of my Baby Blankets and Re-framed Embroidered Artworks

I wanted to share my final two personalsed baby blankets with you. My final girl's blanket for baby Ella was produced as part of a set with a matching personalised bib. This is the last of my stock of plain blankets. I am now searching for a new wholesale supplier with small minimum quantities so I can produce personalised baby blankets for my online shops.


I have also re-framed my embroidered artworks on sale in my NOTHS shop and introduced my new Boating artwork. These frames are made locally and are a nice solid wood design with a textured white finish that makes me think of natural linen. They are glass fronted and have a sturdy stand and hanging hooks on the reverse. I think they show my artworks off nicely.

To purchase any of the above artworks please contact me directly at studio@clairehurd.co.uk or visit my NOTHS shop here.

New Baby Cards - Baby Blue Bear and Baby Pink Bunny!

I have finally listed some 'New Baby' cards in my Folksy shop based on the Baby Blue Bear and Baby Pink Bunny applique characters I made recently.

I have made these cards by creating a textile transfer of my original appliqued characters. I have then applied the transfers to a fine white linen fabric and stitched it, along with a co-ordinating paper border, to the white card base. I have hand-stitched on a button as a finishing touch.

The 'New Baby' message is also a textile transfer and has been applied to a cotton tape with a hand-stitched border. The tape has been threaded through the card and secured neatly on the reverse.

I am still working on a personalised version for my NOTHS shop. So far I have come up with this design but am still not sure about it. It would be great to have some feedback from my lovely blog followers to let me know what you think.

I am not happy with the hand-written text, I feel it does not look professional enough. I am tempted to replace the congratulations banner (perhaps put it inside the card) with a personalised printed ribbon.

I look forward to your comments!

Appliqué Pink Bunny Motif

Remember a while back when I wrote this post about my Christening card design?

Well, I have finally managed to photograph the pink bunny motif that I have created to act as the girl's version of the baby blue bear shown before.

The two motifs are intended for use on personalised cards to celebrate Christenings and also for 'New Baby' congratulations cards. I shall add a new post soon showing the final card designs.

My Most Recent Baby blanket Commissions

I thought I would share my latest baby blanket commissions with you today. I am really pleased with how they have turned out.

I am particularly pleased with Dylan's blanket which was a special commission with extra motifs. If you look carefully I have even included the name of the family dog on the dog bowl!

Just One Baby Blanket Left!

I have just one baby blanket for personalisation left (in pink). I am offering it at my promotional price of £15.oo until the end of the day on a first-come-first-served basis. Simply email me your requirements at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

These blankets have proved so popular with almost every person who has received one as a gift then ordering another for a friend! In light of this, as soon as I am able to get hold of more blankets, I shall be listing them on my Folksy Shop. I shall let you know as soon as they are available.

New Design in Marks and Spencer

I picked up the new Marks and Spencer Autumn/Winter Home catalogue yesterday and as is my habit turned straight to the children's bedlinen. I was really happy to find that on page 205 one of my designs is featured in the new collection.

The design is called 'Patch Kitten' and is based on an artwork I sold to Marks and Spencer last year. Once again they have done a lovely job of remaining faithful to my original artwork. The range includes a single bed linen set, a double bed linen set, curtains and a rug.

I am really pleased with how the design has turned out and now can't wait to see it in the flesh.

Personalised Baby blanket for a Baby Girl!

Since introducing my personalised baby blankets I had strangely only had commissions for baby boys. Happily in this last week little Molly was born and I had a commission for a baby girl's blanket. It was nice to get out my pink fabrics and select nice girly prints for this order.

My customer was really pleased with the final blanket and very happy to get it at my current special offer price.

I shall be running my special offer of £15.00 for a personalised blanket with free P&P for one more week only so get your orders in quickly!

New Baby Blanket Commission

Today I completed my latest personalised baby blanket and bib set commission. This set is for a little boy called William - I hope he likes it!


There certainly seems to be a bit of a baby boy boom going on at the moment!


All wrapped and ready to go to their new home.

Personalised Baby Blankets

Having made one of these blankets for a friend of mine and posting about it on my blog I have had a lot of interest from my friends wanting one made to give as a gift to their friends.



So, I have stocked up on the jersey baby blankets in the colours shown below and am offering personalised blankets to my blog readers for £15 each including P&P. I have a limited supply so it will be first come first served!

The blankets measure approx. 75cm x 96cm and are pre-washed and ready for use.


If you do not know baby's name yet but would like to reserve a blanket then that is not a problem, just let me know. Also, if you would like a different motif to the elephant shown that is fine, we can discuss other options.

To reserve/order a blanket please email me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

Preview of Christening Card Development

Here is a little sneaky preview for my blog followers.

I am currently working on a contemporary Christening card for a private commission and am at the same time trying to develop a design that can be personalised and added to my Not on the Highstreet shop.

The image shows work in progress. I am creating digital designs from a scanned image of a handmade appliquéd teddy bear. I am then applying the images to the Christening card with layers of co-ordinating paper. I have added ribbon for that hand-finished touch.

I shall post about this design again once it is finished and available in my shop.

Personalised Baby Gifts

Now that I have passed this present on I can safely post images without spoiling the surprise!




I used a shop bought plain blanket and bib for this gift set and gave them the personal touch by adding appliquéd letters and an appliquéd tractor motif. As this gift is intended for much use and much washing I made sure that all the appliqué fabrics had been pre-washed before stitching down to avoid any shrinkage. This also gives the fabrics a softer feel and is nicer against baby's skin.

The recipient was very happy with this gift set and it was lovely to see the blanket and bib being used straight away.

New Design - Fairy Garden

Today I finally completed a design that I started working on a while back. It is an appliquéd and embroidered artwork for the children's market. This design would be suitable for both interior textiles and stationery products. It is a bright and cheery design with lots of nice fabric textures from suedette for the flower pots to glittering sheer polyester on the fairies' skirts.

Customer Feedback

As I am currently spending a lot of my time adding items to my Folksy shop I thought it was a perfect time to post some of the feedback I have received for a couple of my Christmas and New Year private commissions. It is so encouraging to receive positive feedback and really gives me a boost. I love hand-making cards and accessories, particularly when they are being designed for someone personally. It is such a delight to hear that what I have made is being used and enjoyed.

The recipient of this handmade Fairy Bag was a very happy little girl when she opened her Christmas present. The feedback that I have had is that she 'absolutley loves it' and has to be stopped from taking it to school and in to the bath with her! That made me smile, I am really glad she is enjoying it.


This image shows my new year Greetings Card commission all wrapped and ready to go. The customer that commissioned these cards wrote me such a lovely letter thanking me for them, it was really touching and a wonderful confidence boost. She described my work as 'beautifully made' and noted that 'such an excellent product and excellent service is worth every penny'.

So, todays post is a thank you to the lovely customers that I have had so far, many thanks for your orders.

A Gift For My Niece

Now that I have passed this gift on to my brother it is safe to post this image without spoiling the surprise.
I created this personalised appliqué and embroidery artwork to co-ordinate with a set of beautiful hot air balloon fairy lights destined for the nursery. The balloons are made from bright and glossy polyester fabrics with co-ordinating machine embroidery detail on top. The clouds are a really soft brushed cotton secured with satin stitch embroidery. The text and the birds are hand-embroidered using regular sewing thread to give a fine finish.

Welcome to the world Franchesca!

Laura Ashley - Bella Butterfly Design

This morning I received the new Laura Ashley catalogue in the post and as usual it contains a wonderfully stylish mix of classic and contemporary designs.

I was also really excited to see the extended Bella Butterfly range. I designed this Girl's bedlinen range for Laura Ashley back in 2005 for a Spring/Summer 2006 launch and am thrilled that it continues to do well. Wallpaper, printed fabric and a rug have been added to the range this season and they look great alongside the existing products.

Please visit www.lauraashley.com to see more of this range and the other beautiful children's designs they have available.

Christmas Gifts and Commissions

Firstly - I hope you have all had a very Merry Christmas!

Now that these handmade items have all been passed on the the relevant people as Christmas gifts I would like to show you a few presents I have made this festive period for friends and also as a private commission.

This wash bag was designed and handmade for Aimée. The tortoise fabric was bought mail order from Japan and is a really fun, bright print.


This Ipod case was designed and handmade for my friend Laura. I have a shop-bought one that is great for my Ipod but is a very tight fit when I add my earphones so I made this one with plenty of room for both. The silk lining was bought in a market in Shanghai.


This bag was designed and handmade for a private commission. It was a Christmas present for a 5 year old girl with a love of fairies. The wool base fabric makes it nice and strong whilst the deep pink colour makes it practical for a young child to use.