Yep, it has definitely been busy round here!

Gosh, things really have been busy here at Claire Hurd Design these last few weeks. And as if I needed proof, look how many cotton reels I have got through recently! I have been collecting them so I can make chunky necklaces with my little Niece. They really do serve as a good indicator of exactly how much sewing I have been doing.


I am a little torn at the moment. I have so much I want to share with you but also so many surprises that I cannot spoil by revealing things too early. I want to keep you all updated straight away with what I am working on but am just going to have to be patient.


Alongside my design work I have also been creating lots of handmade details for our wedding. Again, I have really had to restrain myself from posting everything straight away but I do want these details to be a surprise for my family and friends on the day so they will have to wait. I shall be busy relaunching some of my most popular items and doing some work on my shops soon so once that is all done I shall schedule a series of wedding posts for you (currently pencilled in for the first week in October when I can really spend time picking the best images).


In the meantime, something I can show you..........

I have finally finished my little bridesmaids' handmade silk roses! They are a combination of ivory silk, dusky pink silk and ivory satin (matching the little bridesmaids' dresses). They all have tiny bead detail and half of the roses have fine netting detail layered in and half have been left plain. I am certainly glad to finally have these finished!

Fabric Roses Update

Remember back in April when I showed you my attempts at making fabric roses? Well, since then I have been tinkering with them whenever I have had time. Now, with my deadline looming, I am trying to get them just right.

The idea is that they become a small posy for my young bridesmaids to carry at my wedding. They are only little (the youngest will be coming up to 20 months) and it doesn't seem fair to give them fresh flowers to carry and then have them spend the afternoon being told to be careful! I wanted to give them something that they can fiddle with, can hold any which-way and can drop without doing any harm. They can also have them afterwards as a little keepsake.

I have now added a stem and additional leaves to my rose. The fabric I went for in the end is a raw silk and I have added tiny beads to the rose centre for a little bit of sparkle.

I shall share pictures with you again when I have completed the posies - this could take some time! Cx

De-Stashing!

'De-Stashing' - I love that term! I had not come across it until I got engrossed in the world of crafty bloggers. It always makes me smile to read it. It seems all of us arty crafty folk are the same; hoarding fabrics and papers, trims and ribbons, anything in fact! More than we will ever need but materials we cannot bear to be parted with. Every now and then comes a 'de-stash' moment when you realise that if you ever want to buy more gorgeous materials you are really going to have to use up some of what you already have.

Okay, so this is going to make very little impact on the space I have available on my fabric shelves, but I have been hoarding this wool felt since University! It was a small pack of wool felt samples just 3" by 4". I love the quality which is why I have kept them all these years. Today I finally decided to use them up and I have been making floral brooches with hand-embroidered detail. It has been good fun and I still have a little of the felt left so I shall be making a few more soon.

Fabric Roses

I have been experimenting with making fabric roses with the idea of using them as decorations at my wedding. The roses I have made are based on a pattern from the book 'Sew Pretty Homestyle' (ISBN-13:978-0-7153-2749-4) which I have tweaked slightly.

I have been experimenting using fabric scraps from my stash to help me decide what quality I want to use for the final flowers. The cream roses above look nice but are rather tough to sew by hand. The roses below are softer but the fabric frays badly making the seams less secure. I think I need to try a softer fabric with a fine Vilene backing and see how that looks. I altered the pattern more for these silver roses making them easier to gather and giving the leaves a more rounded appearance.

I have added brooch backs to these samples. The silver rose will be appearing on my grey jacket very soon!


I am rather enjoying creating these and think I may be listing fabric rose brooches in my online shops very soon!

60th Birthday Artwork Commission

I was recently commissioned to design and make an embroidered and appliquéd framed artwork to celebrate a 60th birthday.

This was a really enjoyable commission and I created the artwork based on the recipient's favourite subject matter, flowers, and the colours she will soon be decorating her living room in. The customer had seen my previous designs for Mother's Day cards and particularly liked my Aqua Flowers design, I therefore based the flower motifs and layout on this card design.

I built up the background using a white pigment print floral fabric and a beautiful lilac silk stripe fabric. I added lace trim, miniature ric-rac and satin ribbon to disguise the join. The flowers were appliquéd on and then detailed with beads, sequins, miniature buttons, lace trim and a combination of machine and hand-embroidery.

The recipient was really pleased with her present and said that she was very impressed with the quality and detail of the artwork and looks forward to putting it on display in her living room.

Handmade Bag Commissions

My handmade bags are proving to be popular presents at the moment - it appears to be the season for 30th birthdays! I have had a few commissions for bags which I would like to share with you. I shall have to wait until all of the birthdays have passed so as not to spoil any surprises but here is my first installment.

This bag is a generously sized shopper made from a sturdy chocolate brown brushed cotton and a mocha corduroy. The pretty little appliqué flowers are cream velvet with linen and textured cotton leaves. The red hand-embroidery and applied ribbon add a nice splash of colour. The bag fastens with a magnetic clasp.

Another birthday bag to follow soon!

New Floral Bags in my Shop

Today I have added two new floral appliqué tote bags to my online shop.

The chocolate brown floral pocket bag is really nice and sturdy having been made from thick brushed cotton and corduroy and lined with calico. The size is nice and generous too making it a great unique shopping bag. This is an exclusive design with only one bag available so if you like it then nip over to my shop quick smart!

The grey wool floral appliqué bag is a delicate looking bag but still nice and strong being fully lined and having reinforced handles. The flowers are all linen and have eye catching bead and sequin details. Once again this is a one off so if you like this design then don't miss out, pop over to my shop and place your order!

'Mum' Cards

I have just finished designing three different 'Mum' cards all on a floral theme.

All three cards have been created using collaged textured and patterned paper with hand-sketched details. Ribbon has been added to cards 1 & 3 for a more tactile quality and the text on cards 2 & 3 has been added digitally.

Greetings Card Collection (part 3)

My previous commission for floral greetings cards for any occasion has led to another commission for more of the same. I am therefore filling all my free time with card making once again. I am making each design in small groups so that although each card remains individual I have a small amount of stock ready for any future requests.

With the starting up of my online shop this year (keep your eyes peeled - coming soon!) I need to keep building up stock as I make things in the most time-efficient way I can. I am enjoying the challenge of making items in this way whilst still giving each product an individual touch to make it unique. The quality of my work and attention to detail is very important to me and I intend to maintain this in all that I produce.

Appliquéd Floor Cushion

Happy New Year!

Now that I have made all of my festive visits and passed on all of my gifts I am able to show you images of this floor cushion that I made for my brother. It is a 65x65cm cushion and has been made using corduroy and pre-washed wool base fabrics making it attractive yet robust. I really like this combination of green/teal/natural with brown and have used a stem appliqué design that co-ordinates with the smaller cushions I made for our house.

I am pleased with this mini 'collection' and look forward to developing it further producing handmade cushions for sale. I shall be setting up and online store this year so keep your eyes open for more details soon. In the mean time simply email me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk if you would like to purchase anything you have seen on my blog or if you would like to commission me to make something for you personally.

Greetings Card Collection (part 2)

Following my previous blog post regarding the production of a collection of greetings cards suitable for any occasion here is my range contemporary floral cards. These have all now been passed on to the customer and I am pleased to have positive feedback.


I have also produced a small range of fish cards suitable for any occasion but mainly designed for the male recipient where a floral card is less likely to be appropriate. The images have been created by printing from a perspex plate on to which the fish have been etched by hand based on original drawings.

Tartan Floral Appliqué Design

In keeping with the current trend for tartan I have created my new floral artwork using a muted grey/duck-egg tartan fabric and co-ordinating geometric prints on a cream ground. The overall effect is contemporary yet soft, making the design suitable for interior textiles such as bed linen.
The stitch detail is a mixture of freehand machine embroidery and hand-embroidery. The result is fresh and crisp whilst still maintaining a soft and organic feel with the muted colour palette and floral motifs.

Floral Appliqué Design

I am taking a little break from repeat pattern designs this week and working on some more floral appliqué designs. The details above have been taken from a larger artwork combining scattered floral appliqué motifs with ribbon and ric-rac stripes. The overall effect is contemporary and crisp with a handmade touch.
This design would work well as either bedlinen or kitchen textiles such as table runners and napkins.

Aqua Floral Repeat Pattern

Following on from my previous two posts here is another floral repeat pattern designed for use on stationery or giftwrap. Regular readers of my blog will recognise the motifs from my original blog header. The repeat design has been created from a collage artwork that I produced a while back, I really like the colours and textures of the papers used.

Again, I think these designs would work well as a double sided wrapping paper but could also be used for a giftwrap set with co-ordinating greetings card and gift tag.

Floral Repeat Pattern in Colour

Today I am posting the floral repeat pattern I created last week as a new colour version. I have refined the repeat pattern and am pleased with the results, I think the motifs flow nicely. I have also created a co-ordinating repeat design that is much more simple. I really like the idea of these patterns being used as a double sided wrapping paper.

I shall work some more on the co-ordinating design to get the spacing a bit more even and will then experiment with further colouways.

Floral Repeat Pattern

I am currently working on a floral collection and am experimenting with putting my designs in repeat. Much of my previous work, as with most embroidery designs, has been single motifs or illustrative scenes. I am therefore taking the opportunity to do some repeat work whilst familiarising myself with features of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator that I have not made great use of so far.

Above is a sneak preview of one of my repeat designs. I shall refine it in Illustrator and then experiment with colourways. I am aiming to compile a collection of floral print designs with embroidered co-ordinates.

Appliqué Artworks - Butterflies and Flowers

Today it is back to children's designs, although I feel that these two designs would also be suitable for older girls/adults products. These designs have actually turned out to be two of my favourites and I would love to see them not only on textiles but also on stationery products. I think they would make really pretty cards and gift wrap.

The butterflies on this design are made up from strips of fabric and ribbon/trim and then appliquéd to the jersey base. All of the flower outlines have been embroidered by hand. The frill finishing off the bottom of this design makes it suitable for use on children's fashion, I imagine it as a layered skirt and t-shirt set.