Making Zen 2025 – FREE Online Retreat
Registrations for Making Zen are now open! Making Zen is a FREE five-day online event for hand stitchers and crafters. 30+ textile artists will guide you through workshops on a range of stitching techniques and creative processes. Making Zen runs from 26th-30th May. Each day, there will be new workshops available for 24 hours which…
Read MoreThe Lost Wedding Dress Photos (and) The Curious Tale of the Green Neckline
Suddenly, 26 years have gone by and Mr H and I are about to celebrate another wedding anniversary. Here’s what we looked like on the big day: And here’s us in 2022, the last time I tried on the wedding gown: My dress trying on days are over, however, I’ve tried it on in previous…
Read MoreLaying Plans for Me Made May 2025
It’s nearly May and I’m giving Me Made May a whirl again. This will be the ninth year I’ve done this challenge. Me Made May is a personal wardrobe challenge with the goal of wearing your handmade items more often or differently. I have to say, it’s not an easy challenge if wearing me-mades every…
Read MoreMaking SKFK’s Zero Waste Habene Dress
SkunkFunk (SKFK) is an ethical clothing label in Basque country, Spain, and were early on the scene with using zero waste patterncutting for some of their garments. Their zero waste garments come with the pattern printed on the label as proof of authenticity. All of their zero waste patterns have been compiled into a booklet…
Read MoreTutorial: Tessellating Pattern Pieces
Tessellating is a concept I use sometimes when making zero waste patterns. It’s one way to add curves to a pattern. In this post I’m going to show you how I do this, and some examples of tessellated sewing patterns. This is a fairly long post, so settle in 🙂 Tessellations are shapes that fit…
Read MoreFree Pattern: Zero Waste Eye Mask, and how to sew one.
The zero waste eye mask quest is now complete. I’m very happy with how the mask turned out, and my teen and I have been wearing the samples for the past week. If you’d like to embark on your own quest, I’m here with the pattern, instructions and handy hints 🙂 Read about this pattern…
Read MoreTesting out the new zero waste eyemask
Following last week’s eye mask quest post, I’ve sewn a proper sample to trial. Actually, I sewed two (and was going to make a joke about a double-blind trial, reducing bias, but it all sounded funnier in my head). The reason I sewed two was to try out the suggestions in last week’s comments for…
Read MoreThe Quest for the Perfect Eye Mask
In my childhood, eye masks were only worn by Americans on TV. Carol Brady wore one, so did Maxwell Smart and Holly Golightly. It was something only worn by pampered movie stars. No-one I knew wore one. After all, we’ve got eyelids haven’t we? Isn’t it dark when we go to sleep? But somehow I’m…
Read MoreThe Tale of the Gigantic Waistband
Amongst some work trousers Mr H brought home from the op shop was pair of mid-brown RM Williams (an iconic sort of brand here in Australia). Back when he bought them, he didn’t bother to try things on in the shop – this has since changed – and the trousers were too big and too…
Read MoreFinished! The Shirt from Couture Zéro Chute
Continued from last week… The shirt I’ve been sewing, from the French book Couture Zéro Chute (translated: Sewing Zero Waste), is now finished. It turned out great and I’m very happy with it. After last week’s start, there was “only” the collar, hem and buttons to sew. The collar is interesting; it’s a conventional shape…
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