Our grandmothers could whip up a party frock in an afternoon. A piece of spare fabric became a dainty clutch bag and blankets were lovingly embroidered with initials.

Life’s not quite as it used to be (and in so many ways we’re happy about that) but we believe it’s time we embraced our history of pouring a little bit of time and love into stuff. We find that it’s rather therapeutic and it doesn’t matter if our results aren’t quite as great as our grannies’…yet.

We’ve put together this box of bits and bobs so that whether you just need to sew on a button or fancy adorning your socks with sequins you’re ready to get started. Inside you’ll find: scissors, pins, needles, a thimble, 3 reels of cotton, ribbon, sequins, colourful buttons, white buttons and a few little messages of love.

Spring 2008 saw the launch of 2 new sewing boxes by Clare Nicolson. Clare is a textile designer from Scotland who creates pretty cushions, cards and accessories by combining vintage fabric with her own designs.