Esteemed guest in the sewing room

Lucy writes: It's always a pleasure to have company in the sewing room: today I was joined by Sophie Carter, who has taught me so much over the last few years about her own specialism. Sophie is an elite long distance runner who has competed for England. Not long after I first met her, she came second in Race to the Stones, one of the UK's toughest endurance running events, a 100km route following the ancient Roman road along the Ridgeway: this year she has won the Newbury Racecourse Half Marathon only a year after giving birth to twin babies. Her undoubted talent linked to great strength of will are a remarkable illustration of what can be achieved when we test what seem to be the limits of our powers.

On a rare half-day off, Sophie sat down with me for some stitching R&R: she is making Luna Lapin, from CoolCrafting. Regular readers will know how big a fanbase of Luna we have here at the Guild of St Clare!