A few years ago, before I really entered the blog scene, there was a blog challenge called Self-Stitched September. A group of sewing bloggers signed up to participate by wearing at least one handmade garment every day in the month of September. Wow! I want to get in on that party! Wait…it was years ago, you Read More…
Category: Clothing
The Great Tee Shirt Measuring
One problem with sewing is that often the easiest projects aren’t the ones you wear most often. There’s actually a widely-accepted term for this in the sewing blog community: you sew too much frosting and not enough cake. In other words, you focus all your efforts on making the kinds of clothes that are special, oddball, Read More…
Practical Sewing
I’ve started sharing more of my sewing projects here, but one temptation in getting to ‘show off’ your creations is the temptation to focus on little details, complex construction and fitting. I’m going to share a project today that has nearly none of those things! This is a skirt I made, the first time around, Read More…
Maxi Dress
This dress is a recent project which I planned for a while but saved for after I handed in my thesis. I wanted it to be something I took my time with, rather than filling the role of stressed-out sewing as some garments do. In the final result I love this dress, and so far Read More…
Overdressed: A Book Review
I recently read Overdressed by Elizabeth L. Cline, a book which according to its subtitle is about the shockingly high cost of cheap fashion. From reading reviews beforehand, I knew it was a book about how the West buys its relatively inexpensive clothing, and the global systems which support the industry: about ‘fast fashion’ as the Read More…
Pattern Drafting and a Blouse
I haven’t mentioned it yet, but since the new year I’ve been drafting my own sewing patterns. My mom gave me a pattern drafting book called Make Your Own Dress Patterns for Christmas, along with a fitting session to get a basic pattern fitting me well so I could use it as as a sloper (a basic Read More…
Some Vintage Knitting
I have finally knitted a wearable sweater! I found this 1950s pattern in a local charity shop, and bought it because I’ve always wanted to try a vintage sweater pattern. In fact it was very easy to knit, and I did big portions of it watching TV and on the train into London, nearly finishing Read More…
Charity Shopping
I’ve already posted about my recent plan to try my hand at refashioning clothes from charity shops, both for the creative satisfaction but also as a thrifty way of adding to my wardrobe. Of course, much of this goes back to my discussion, much earlier in the year, about finding ways to save money. As Read More…
Make Do and Mend
One trend I’ve noticed in recent years is that of ‘refashioning’ clothes (or ‘restyling’). This is different from simply altering clothes which don’t fit, but usually involves making some significant style changes to the garment as well. If you start looking online, you’ll find dozens of blogs chronicling the transformation of old tops, sweaters and Read More…