Why do I use production offcuts in my sewing?

Certainly not because it is cheaper. It is the challenge of combining something splendid from given materials, and the good feeling of saving material headed for the tip.

Violin case repair

Last school year, I repaired my grandchild's violin case. The loops meant for attaching the backpack straps had torn off. She cycles to school, and it’s impossible to ride while holding the violin in your hand. Naturally, the violin and case—which belonged to the school—went back at the start of the summer. Now that the new school year has begun, she has been issued a school violin and case again, but this one is in even worse condition than last year's. So, I undertook the repair once more. This time, I decided to replace the entire back panel—including the piping—and cover the torn section at the end of the case with a leather patch. I used reflective tape for the top layer of the piping. The video condenses six hours of work into three minutes. If anyone finds themselves in need of a similar repair, I will be able to take on a few jobs starting in February 2027, and I can handle a few at a time during the summer break.

Choosing and caring for a patchwork quilt

Quilt sizes by age, the materials we use, what sets the price of a quilt, and how to wash and dry it so it lasts.

A young sea dog's quilt for a grandchild

Thirty five of the most exciting ships of all time, transferred onto fabric and set among striped and checked dress shirt offcuts, for a grandson starting school.

The patchwork rug THE JOURNEY, A GREEN FOOTPRINT.

Four weeks of work on a rug where animals and people walk together around our green planet as one whole, made entirely from industry's leftover textiles.

The patchwork hanging THE SEASONS

A month of sewing: "The seasons and the dates of the Estonian folk calendar", 260 x 210 cm, with every season's birds, flowers, festivals and characters.

The patchwork rug SUN WHEEL

A round patchwork rug 310 cm across for a seaside village nursery hall: eight pointed stars, the sea with flounders, a passing ferry and an enormous sun.

Three quilts and 80 little bags as prizes for the dance competition

Prizes for the Estonian women's and girls' folk dance competition: 80 little bags and 3 large quilts, two in national skirt stripes and one with eight pointed stars.

The launch of the Patchwork Quilt 100 publication

The album "Patchwork Quilt 100. My Estonia today" was launched at the University of Tartu Library, with all 100 panels and their makers inside.

A homemade quilt frame

My quilts and a quilt frame I made myself, begun at an adult woodwork class: knobs turned one by one, slots cut and everything sanded by hand.

A present for the shelter dogs

The grandchildren's nursery is collecting Christmas presents for shelter dogs, so we sewed mats from fabric scraps together. Mathias chose the colours and cut the edges.

A portable changing mat. Plastic or cotton?

Every changing mat on offer is plastic, nylon or PVC and can only be wiped. So I made a washable one in linen, cotton wadding and flannel, with five pockets.

Who is the real beneficiary of a craft business?

A letter demanding data on my company's "real beneficiary". A micro business with one board member and no employees, so who exactly benefits here?

A waist bag for children

Why are children's waist bags on sale so big and bulky? A new model just large enough for money, a bank card and a phone, with a belt to go with it.

When a pet is bored, or mending horse rugs

What does your pet do when it is bored? Mine are hens. My daughter's horse, though, practises wriggling out of his rugs, so another pile of them came in for repair.

Baby quilts with bears

Another working day behind the machine gone before I noticed. No pattern would come, so it became small squares. How do you like a quilt this colourful?

Natural or synthetic material?

How far do you prefer natural materials? I cannot wear synthetics at all, which is why I put so much emphasis on the materials in my quilts.

A patchwork skirt and quilt from dress shirts (part 2)

Now the quilt: 240x240 cm to lay out so that every size of piece stretches and no two neighbouring colours quarrel. A memory quilt of the client's father.

A patchwork skirt and quilt from dress shirts (part 1)

A big bag of a client's dress shirts to become one skirt and one quilt. Step by step through the skirt: cutting, tapered panels, gathering and four hidden pockets.

Notebook covers, a special order

A wife wanted notebook covers for her husband's 9th wedding anniversary, with embroidery she commissioned herself. She measured his notebook in secret.

A calendar, electronic or on paper?

Our choir moved to a Google calendar and I resisted to the last. Meanwhile, 50 new linen and cotton notebook covers are up in the web shop.

A patchwork dress for the gas grill

My husband got a gas grill for his birthday and then ordered it a dress. Made in one go from artificial leather offcuts, with a zip for airflow.

A reflection on 1 September

A sweet day, and pure nostalgia for me. But seeing all those parents buying supplies, I am glad that annual murder of the wallet is in my past.

The new school year approaches, with a diary or without?

The approach of 1 September still gives me a happy nervousness. And a question: how many people still use a paper diary, and what size is it?