My Etsy Shop sells the designs created by Laura & myself. Laura & Sarah Designs@Tortoisecrafts

My Redbubble Shop sells prints of some of my favourite Postcards

I had an Etsy store for a while, originally for my Quilted Postcards, Patchwork and Quilting Patterns, and I had good intentions to put loads of patterns from my teaching work up on it - but life got in the way!!! Then 2020 arrived and the focus of our lives changed. I finally completed my dream of publishing a book - Quilted Postcards - followed this year by the Second and Third ones.

My life wasn't the only one that changed focus, our daughter Laura's also did, she finished her BA during the lockdown but the job she had in the historic sector fell through, so she had time on her hands.

Whereas I work with fabric, Laura does embroidery, she loves cross stitch and Blackwork, something that I used to do and picked up again during 2020. With time on our hands we began to collaborate on ideas for patterns. We throw ideas between us and then I head to my workroom to create rough drawings - I design cross stitch and Blackwork in the same way I do patchwork!! I know this isn't the way it is possibly meant to be and years ago I did design it on graph paper but I find it really difficult to do - so, I create rough drawings, to size. I then trace these designs onto Aida and give Laura a project bag, with the drawing, Aida and threads and its over to her.

Laura takes my rough drawings and works them into completed designs, deciding on the stitches and adding bits she thinks. Once it is complete she then charts it up and passes it back to me to frame!!!

We then do all the wordy stuff and pass it all to Tony to photograph and work his technical magic and create the patterns that are available on Etsy.

Life will continue to evolve, Laura has a job in the historic sector and is working towards her MA, but she loves embroidery and we will continue to collaborate on designs, as we both have many more ideas and enjoy working together.

I may even get round to creating some patchwork designs to sell!

Click below to go to my shop

A few examples of the designs that are available in the Etsy Shop

My Redbubble Shop is new!

I have been looking for a way to sell some of my Postcard images and this looked to be a good way. Tony has photographed each one and worked on getting them to look just like the original Postcards and suitable to be created as different items.

These are some of my favourite designs and they are available as Cards, Postcards and a few other items also!

Click below to go to my shop

A few examples of the designs that are available in the Redbubble Shop