What was the first thing you made when you began your sewing adventures? For me it was a cushion cover. As simple as you like, two squares of fabric and a zip. I didn’t know enough to be scared of zips, and I thought silk was a lovely fabric to work with, and I didn’t know a thing about interfacing. It stood me in good stead for longer than you’d think, considering how slap dash it was.

I was reminded of that cushion cover when I first looked at Made At Home, which Quadrille kindly sent me to have a look at. The chances are you’ve picked up a cushion cover in a shop and swiftly put it down after looking at the price tag, yet still been consumed with the desire to strew your home with textiles that make you glad all over. Making a house into a home is one of the biggest motivations there is to learn to sew.

The book has great style: slightly retro and homely, but with a funky edge that leaves you in no danger of creating old-fashioned furnishings. Not a pelmet in sight, in other words. The mix of photography and child-like illustrations gives the book a light-hearted ‘give it a go’ feeling, which is a nice contrast to the ‘must do it this way or be shot’ tone of some sewing manuals (not that there isn’t a place for that too). It’s a book to encourage rather than frustrate, I think. Lawks I wish this kind of book had been around when I started sewing…

I started the blog a little while after I started sewing ‘for proper’. This post is number 300. 300! Amazing. To mark the occasion I’ve decided to give away this copy of Made At Home to one lucky commenter, together with a metre of Heather Bailey’s Fresh Cut from my stash, so you can start sewing straight away.

Just leave a comment below by midnight BST on the 28 July (you can say something nice if you like) and I’ll pick a winner next Thursday. Thanks for the last three years, internet, and here’s to the next three!