Our Blog

How I Made My Beautiful Punch Needle Polka Dot Cushion

WOW! My wonderfully 3D tactile punch needle cushion is finished! What is fabulous is that you can move the Punch Needle tool to different heights, so that the loops get longer and that means that my pinks spots were more 'raised' than the gold background...

July 25, 2022 — Gillian Harris

How to Sew Gingham Cushion Covers :-) xx

Want to make 3 gingham cushion covers for just £13.65? All you need is a couple of hours and a few easy ingredients! With just one metre of our 100% cotton gingham fabric, there is enough fabric to make 3 cushion covers! :-)

You can sew the covers together on a sewing machine, or you can hand sew them in you prefer - let me show you how! xx

April 10, 2022 — Gillian Harris

How to make a Valentine's Day Heart Shaped Wool Wreath

Make your own pretty Valentine's Day Wool Tops Wreath in about half an hour! So pretty to hang on your door at this time of year, - or actually any time of year, or make for a loved one! (Remember those ' Galentine ' friends as well as those Valentines too!) ...Really cheers everyone up ;-) xx

January 24, 2022 — Gillian Harris

Tags: Heart Shaped Wreath DIY How to Make a Valentine's Wreath Valentine's Day Valentine's Day Craft Tutorial Valentine's Wreath Wool Tops Wreath

My Kid Silk Mohair Simple Easy Knit SHRUG : Free pattern!

I am a MASSIVE fan of our kid silk mohair yarn, and wanted to write a pattern for a simple shrug project that anyone could make - even if you have very little experience! This is the perfect project for anyone that is tired of knitting scarves and wants something slightly more challenging but still easy! Essentially you are knitting a giant rectangle and then sewing up the sides to form a shrug - which is basically a cross between a shawl and a cardigan. This kid silk mohair yarn is light and diaphanous, and yet also super warm, - it is literally like putting on a warm hug! :-) The fluffy fibres add an instant layer of warmth, and yet this yarn is super soft against the skin too. #WINWIN!

October 04, 2021 — Gillian Harris

Easy Striped Cotton Crochet Tote Project

Say hello to our fab new striped crochet Tote Bag project! This striped cotton tote has a relaxed shape and vibe plus is a VERY generous size that makes it versatile and practical :-) a great project to crochet for yourself or as a gift for someone else! Carry it through the seasons for shopping trips or days out - our wonderful webbed canvas bag handles come in lots of colours and make comfortable shoulder straps once they're sewn on.

September 02, 2021 — Gillian Harris

Tags: Crochet Crochet Bag Crochet Tote Easy crochet bag Mercerised Crochet Cotton DK Stripe Crochet Bag Striped Bag

The Ultimate Craft Day Out : 12 Places to Eat & Drink on a Trip to Gilliangladrag

Fancy a 'crafty' day trip to visit us? A lot of our fabulous fluffy customers come to us from far and wide - and we are often asked where we recommend to grab a bite before or after a trip to The Gilliangladrag Fluff-a-torium. So whether it's the best 'crafted' coffee & cake, or a proper pub lunch, pizza, or something altogether far more elegant and upscale, I've put together a few of our favourite places to eat and drink that aren't too far away! X

June 07, 2021 — Gillian Harris

Tags: 12 places to eat near Gilliangladrag A day out near London An hour from London arts and crafts store near me Craft shop near London Craft shop near me Ultimate Craft Day Out Where to eat an hour from London Where to eat in Dorking Where to eat in Reigate Where to eat in the Surrey Hills Where to eat near Betchworth Yarn shop near London Yarn shop near me yarn shops near me

New Fun Jewellery Kit + Free Tutorial xx

This kit is a perfect starter kit for adults and older children and contains LOADS of beads, charms, letter beads, disc beads, heart beads and a whole pack of beading elastic and a whole pack of collapsible needles! Plus you can take a look at my fabulously FREE YouTube tutorial about how to make my Speedy Beady jewellery kit - I even show you how to make the extremely cool beaded daisies! x

March 31, 2021 — Gillian Harris

Tags: Beading kit beginners beading kit beginners jewellery kit Colourful daisy beading Free daisy beading tutorial free jewellery tutorial How to bead a daisy How to bead daisies How to do beading How to make bead daisy How to make jewellery jewellery kit for beginners jewellery tutorial Letter beads bracelet Letter beads kit

"Warm Hug" Super Chunky Easy Knit Blanket : Free Pattern

This blanket is most definitely a "warm hug" and is big enough to either sit around my shoulders of just over my entire upper body with just my head peaking out for essential viewing ;-) It's extremely soft and warm and feels really luxurious as it's knitted in the Malabrigo Rasta Super Chunky which is spun from superfine Merino and is über soft and squidgy. PERFECT! :-) xx

January 14, 2021 — Gillian Harris

Tags: Blanket knitting pattern Easy knitted Blanket Free Blanket Knitting Pattern Free Blanket Pattern Malabrigo Malabrigo Rasta Rasta Super Chunky Blanket Knitting Pattern Super Chunky knitted blanket

Free Hat Knitting Pattern : "Fashion Light Luxury Hand Dyed" How to Knit My Latest Hat! :-)

So quick to make! Here's my free hat knitting pattern for this lovely yarn. Perfect for these colder Autumnal days and as we move into Winter, top this soft warm hat off with one of our faux fur pompoms (they come in loads of colours) and all is well! :-)

November 15, 2020 — Gillian Harris

Tags: colourful hat pattern fashion light luxury free hat pattern Hat knitting pattern knitting pattern winter hat

How to make a Face Mask : Minimal sew : Easy peasy!

Finally it's obligatory to wear a face mask in enclosed spaces here in the UK - so why not make a few? Remember wearing a mask is like wearing underwear - they need to be washed after each wear :-) This is a super easy, minimal sew 'how to' make a face mask which is 2 layers thick with an opening for a filter; option for nose wire, and the option to make it water resistant too!

July 25, 2020 — Gillian Harris

Tags: easy face mask pattern easy face mask tutorial elastic for face masks Fabric for face masks face mask elastic face mask pattern fat quarters for face masks free face mask pattern Free face mask tutorial How to make a face mask Making face masks Mask Making

Quick Guide to Needle Felting 3D Shapes

One of THE most important things about needle felting 3D shapes is the way you 'wrap up' the merino wool tops you're working with. It's IMPERATIVE to get as much of the 'air' out of it as possible when you are creating a little shape. I don't use a different core wool, or anything inside, - I simply needle felt the merino wool tops into the shape I need...

Here's my quick and simple guide to needle felting 3D shapes, which accompanies my recent free live tutorial on YouTube.

June 28, 2020 — Gillian Harris

Tags: Free needle felting tutorial how to needle felt Merino Wool Tops Needle Felting Needle Felting Birds and Fish and Animals Needle Felting Kits Needle Felting Tutorial

How To Make My Easy (FAST) Extreme Crochet Cushion Using ' Wooltops ' Yarn

Giant Knitting or Giant Crochet (also referred to as Extreme Knitting and Extreme Crochet) is now - understandably - very popular. Making woolly snuggly oversized blankets and home accessories to cozy up to, is definitely a worthwhile cause and let's face it, look inviting, textural and not to mention rather chic too :-)

I've designed this cushion project which only takes 500g of Wool Tops, and is SUPER FAST to make! (No really - I'm talking about half an hour to crochet the front - if that!) Read on...

May 31, 2020 — Gillian Harris

Tags: crochet cushion crochet with wool tops extreme crochet extreme knitting giant crochet giant knitting knitting with wool tops