Life: January 2026: Red Dress, Starling Murmuration, Sewing Handkerchiefs

Happy New Year! Here are some of the things that I have been up to in the past couple of weeks.

Red Dress Project

Just after Christmas, I finally got to see the Red Dress that was being exhibited at Killerton House. The dress has been embroidered by hundreds of people across the world. They have been encouraged to tell their stories through stitches. It looks like it won't be back in the UK until 2027 now, so I am really glad to have seen it.

To find out more about the project, have a look here.

Starling Murmuration

Last year was the first time I saw a starling murmuration and was absolutely blown away by it. This year, I was really keen for my youngest son to experience it too, so we took him along to Ham Wall RSPB reserve just after new year. It was a crisp January afternoon and we were wrapped up pretty well but wondering where everyone was (we had been turned away from the main car park as it was full), only to find we were standing in the wrong place.

We hot-footed it back over to the Ham Wall side just in time for the murmuration to begin. It wasn't quite as spectacular as the first time we saw it, but the colour of the sky and the almost full moon made up for it. I took no decent photos this year.

Eco Sewing: Handkerchiefs

Literally every time I go for a walk (and I do this often) at this time of year, my nose starts running. On one of these walks I was considering why we don't use cloth handkerchiefs any longer. Fair enough if you have a terrible cold, but for the odd nose wipe, it seems mad to be using disposable tissues. 

As do most sewists, I have plenty of suitable scraps of fabric, so I just hemmed a few up and now I have some pretty and functional hankies. The added bonus is that if you leave one in a pocket when you wash it, it doesn’t disintegrate into a pulpy mess like a tissue does!

Eco Crafts: Christmas Tags

Just before my Christmas cards go in the recycling bin, I like to have one last read through before selecting a few to make Christmas gift tags for the next year. It’s something we used to do as children. A pair of pinking shears and a one hole punch and you have yourself a bunch of eco tags!

Love Mrs Jones x