Credit crunch crafting: raid your cupboards to make a wallhanging

This lovely hanging cost me nothing except for the time it took to make it. The fabric came from a swatch book I was given by a journalist who is sent lots of samples from shops - you don't need to be a journalist to get them, as many shops chuck away sample books regularly (previous season, discounted stock, etc). I asked a shop once and got some amazing swatch books that were going to be thrown away. The key is to ask posh shops as smaller shops might want you to pay for them!

This swatch book is precious to me as it reproduces William Morris' designs. I used to  live opposite the William Morris Gallery in London, I bought that house because it was across the road from this wonderful, free museum not many people know of. The archive of Morris's designs belongs to Sanderson, which sells reproductions for soft furnishings and of course wallpaper.

I found matching ribbon and thread among my stack of sewing materials, the bamboo canes inside the top and bottom of the panel are gardening canes I cleaned up and I had the hooks in my DIY box!

So look inside your cupboards, among your sewing materials and even in your garage, you might find unused materials to make a stunning hanging like mine.

Skirts for a little Madam

Here are two skirts I made for my little girl, now nearly seven months. One is made from vintage material, the other is made from a pair of jeans with appliqued flowers and sequins, plus a fancy button. They are securely fixed so she won't pop them in her mouth.

Here's one I made earlier

For the past ten years or so, I've been recycling fabric from various sources. For instance, the fabric for the E17 artwork was discarded by a seller of my local market. I suppose it was too short to be sold as an offcut! I picked it up, washed it and used it to make my textile artwork. It was the perfect colour, forest green, as the glorious Epping Forest! I think it was used for school uniforms as there's a local school that uses that colour.

This pretty wallhanging for my baby's room was made from curtain material (a leftover my partner gave me, it came from his old house), small pieces from various shop swatchbooks and a few bits and pieces from discarded things.