You would have loved my Nan.
When we arrived at her house, she would greet us warmly, wiping her hands on her apron, with the wonderful smells of her morning's work wafting out of the kitchen to meet us.
There would be a succulent roast chicken sizzling in the frying pan, and waiting on the counter would be her Burnt Butter Biscuits and my favourite Honey Biscuits, both baked in her old wood oven.
They were soft, chewy and beautifully flavoured, baked at just the right temperature that only Nan understood.
To this day, nobody has ever made honey biscuits quite like hers.
Nan's kitchen wasn't fancy. In fact, it was as plain as they come. But her cheery smile, and loving, faithful work carried out in that kitchen made it the most beautiful place in the world to me.
The image of Nan in her apron has stayed with me because it represents so much of what I love about homemaking.
The honest, everyday work of preparing meals, welcoming people through the door, sharing news and caring for the people we love.
Nan in her apron was the inspiration of my Sunday Baking collection.
I wanted to create sewing patterns for beautiful, practical things that become part of the everyday rhythms of our kitchens.
An apron you love wearing, handmade potholders beside the stove, a lovely tea towel hanging near the sink — useful things you've sewn yourself and can enjoy putting to work.
Over time, those pieces begin to gather stories of their own.
The apron your children remember you wearing as you baked their birthday cakes, the potholders used for countless family dinners and the familiar handmade treasures your grandchildren will one day recognise.
Through the Sunday Baking collection, I invite you to use your creativity and sewing skills to make lovely, hardworking things for your kitchen, finding pleasure and purpose in the daily work of nourishing the people you love.
Here's to building your own handmade kitchen, stitched with care and baked with love.
