New skirt July 2007

I bought a tablecloth from an opshop with my favourite combination of blues, greens and khakis. As a tablecloth it just would have invited pasta sauce stains, so I turned it into a circle skirt, perfect for sitting on American diner barstools and sipping milkshakes in.

Cushions July 2007

I wanted to use up some of my vintage fabric mountain, so I made a cushion embroidered with a Vauxhall Cresta. Otto was inspired by my efforts, and drew his own double-decker bus. He even did some of the stitching. He's a needle-point natural!

Rock garden July 2007

When we moved here, the original 1950s rock garden was completely overgrown. I have been reclaiming it, planting various spiky and succulent things in it, and adding rocks for a Japanese-style tumble.

The book arrives! July 2007

It's here! It's in the shops! I only have one copy which Gus bent the cover of, but you can't tell in the photos, right? If you buy a copy soon, you might get a book mark to go with it. It's freaky getting something printed. It's never quite what you imagined, and it always takes me a while to reconcile what was in my head with what is in front of me.

Demented dolls July 2007

I had made drowned sailors for my sea monsters exhibition, and they were sitting in a shoe box in my cupboard. Otto and I decided to resuscitate them, by giving them faces (Otto's drawings) and hastily stitched-together clothes. I love making dolls, as does my friend Helen. Maybe it's the same impulse that animates the characters in my stories. And polka-dots is a theme. What will I do when they go out of fashion?

Salvage July 2007

Whenever I think I need more storage space (like, every day) I go up to the wood shed and salvage something. Shelving fanatics used to live here, and on every wall of the shed, crates and cabinets are nailed. I prise them off, extract the rusty nails and turn them into CD cases (left) and spice cabinets (right). I love the old typography on the fruit crates.