We've had a very busy day in the workshop finalising designs that we've been working on for a while. Among them are these little Needle Cases in Ivory, Duck Egg and Old Blue Posy. The case is lined in pink merino wool and it closes with a little horn button. We think they're very sweet. They'll be in our new catalogue and available on the website shortly.

We're getting Christmas stock underway in the workshop now - Hayley and Marie have been working on this year's Noel Lavender Heart -which are in a lovely deep red this year. It will be available on the website when our new catalogue goes out shortly. If you don't think you're on our mailing list just drop us an email at info@twice.co and we'll make sure you get a copy.

This weekend we are very pleased to have been asked to be part of the very first Hopetoun International Horse Trials at the beautiful Hopetoun House near Edinburgh. The forecast is for good weather, so we are looking forward to a great weekend. It's an ideal event for us as we can work while the family enjoys themselves at the horse trials - and the children are all keen riders so it couldn't be better. It's a great chance for us all to see some of the best riders in the world in action and show Twice to a new audience at the same time. We look forward to seeing you there if you're planning on going - we'll be on the West Lawn.

Little did I know when I designed our Mr & Mrs cushions quite how popular they would become - definitely this year's favourite wedding present. They seem to be selling as fast as we can make them! We've used our gorgeous Natural linen and they are embroidered with our lettering which has a Scandinavian influence and with piping in our Old White linen. The neutral tones work in a multitude of interiors.

Congratulations to Georgie Futong and Clare Alexander of Kilgraston School, Perth who have produced the first issue of an outstandingly good magazine, The Habit, as a school project. It is a really professional publication.

Georgie and Clare approached me a while ago for an interview which is reproduced below. If you double click on the image you should be able to read it.


The girls have so far been nominated for 5 awards for their magazine including, rather amazingly, Scottish Magazine of the Year. Looks like there are some journalists and editors out there who should be watching their backs!

OK, how on EARTH did we not notice this?! Prepare to say 'Ahhhhh'.

This is where the children keep their riding hats. Some of them are too small now and so they don't necessarily get moved that often. Some of them obviously not very often at all because yesterday we discovered something in the hat right in the middle -

Right under our noses in a place where people are coming and going all the time a blackbird has produced this:

It is the snuggest nest you have ever seen, taking up the whole of the inside of the riding hat. It's got bits of baler twine and lots of hay and leaves and even some bits of plastic in it. And tucked in tight are four blackbird chicks.

I looked up blackbird nesting on the interweb and found this:

"The nest is an untidy cup built by the female from vegetation, such as grass and twigs, and bound together with mud and finer grasses. The nest is usually in a hedge or bush, though they will use shelves in huts and other outbuildings."

Apparently the incubation period is 10-19 days, so it's possible that she's done this in under two weeks. It is extraordinary that we haven't noticed as we've had two horses in the stables for most of that time. As you can imagine, we're all amazed, amused and doing a lot of 'Ahhh'ing!

Every so often there are real milestone moments for our business and yesterday provided one of them. I went down to the mill in Fife that we work with to make our linens to see our first woven linen ticking and ginghams on the loom. It was just amazing to see the fabrics that we have worked on for the months and months, choosing yarns, dying yarns, finalising patterns, actually coming into being. The quality of this fabric really has to be felt and seen to be believed. It genuinely doesn't get any better than this. It feels really good to be part of this process.

This image shows Angus at the mill showing me how they pick up a broken warp thread. Just look at all those metal droppers - each one has to be threaded by hand to set up the loom - and then if one breaks, it has to be found and reknotted before the loom can set off again.

This is a roll with the warp threads for our new navy gingham waiting to go - they will be attached to the ecru gingham that is currently being woven so that the blue follows straight on from the ecru.

Here you can see the back end of the loom with all the warp threads of the ecru gingham.

And this is the finished fabric coming off the loom - just wonderful!

Once they've been woven, the linens then go to be 'finished'. This softens and slightly shrinks the linens, and gives them the 'antique' feel that we are always striving for at Twice.

These new linens will be available in our new catalogue which should go out at the end of April. I cannot wait to see what they look like when they're used. Very exciting days.

Great news - at last our beautiful wooden Porridge Bowls are back in stock! I know lots of you have been waiting for them. There's a long story attached - looking back at my emails we started talking to our new makers last August - and it's a good illustration of some of the problems of trying to get things craftsman made these days. We did originally have our bowls turned in the UK but it became impossible to have them made at a price that we could work with, added to which there were problems with wood supply. I had resigned myself to the fact that we would no longer be able to offer them when someone brought wood turners in Slovenia to my attention. Wood turning is the oldest and largest home craft in Slovenia and particularly in the Ribnica region which has been known for it's wood work since the 1400's. These makers are right up our street! I have been working with the incredibly patient and helpful Stane to get the bowls just right - and we are thrilled with the result - the first bowls arrived here this week. And as a bonus, we have actually been able to reduce the price to our customers!

It's always rewarding to get feedback from customers and I was really pleased to receive this email today from Mrs L: "I just want to thank you for responding so promptly to my request for posting my daughter's birthday gift 'yesterday'. (I had left it rather late to order) I didn't think that was possible, but seemingly it was - because the parcel arrived the following day! And that was the day before....She loved her fragrant soaps and the dish ... has found a home in her lovely kitchen. Thank you again for your customer care - a rarity these days." Happy to be of service!