Wrapping Up Me Made May 2026
May has been and gone, and another Me Made May is finished. This was the tenth year I’ve done this wardrobe challenge. My pledge was: I made a big effort to take a photo every day – this isn’t necessary as MMM isn’t a photography challenge, but it’s very helpful to review the month and…
Read MoreMaking a Zero Waste Camera Lens Case
One day, Mr H came home from the second hand shop with a camera lens that fitted our teen’s camera. She uses the lens but it still lives in the shopping bag from the shop. I was thinking about this when I saw Danielle Elsener’s Zero Waste Travel Case, and I thought it could be…
Read MoreVested Interest (a tutorial and more)
I’ve been sewing a vest for my brother, by special request, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to share a tutorial on lining a vest. So, first here’s a tutorial for you to file away for when the need arises, and below that I’ll show you my brother’s vest. Over the years…
Read MoreAttack of the Moths
Moths have invaded! Follow Liz Haywood’s heroic fight back against this almost invisible foe…but how will it end? The backstory Pre-pandemic, Liz began knitting a vest in some lovely natural brown wool her grandma brought back from a New Zealand holiday. It was nearly finished when Liz got long covid and stopped. It fell down…
Read MoreNew Book: Sewing Without Scraps
A new zero waste pattern book has just been unleashed on the world! And I have the honour of being one of the authors. Sewing Without Scraps has new zero waste patterns by Birgitta Helmersson, Danielle Elsener of DECODE and me. The fourth author is Sae Hagino of Mirai Pattern in Japan. The book is…
Read MoreThe Second Dress: Mission Complete
I’ve been making a dress which was started by someone else circa 1970-1973. It was given to me in a collection of fabric, nine years ago. The dress consisted of a basted-together skirt and some scraps to cut a bodice. I started on it last week.… ….and have now put together the pieces. Funnily, when…
Read MoreThe Second Dress
I’ve been finishing two dresses from the 1960s (or 70s?), given to me in a collection of fabric. Last week I finished off the black and white sundress, and can report that it’s been worn by my teen with success. Attention has now turned to the second dress, consisting of a basted-together skirt and a…
Read MoreThe Black and White Dress, Finished 55 Years Later
I’m part-way through finishing off two dresses from the 1970s (or 1960s?). These two partly-made dresses came in a collection of fabric given to me nine years ago. Going for a quick win early on, as you do, I worked on the black and white dress first. It was already mostly sewn, just in two…
Read MoreTwo Dresses From the 1970s (or 1960s?)
Nine years ago, I was given a collection of fabric from the late 1950s-early 1970s, which had belonged to a friend’s mum. You can read about this interesting collection HERE. Most of the fabric I kept from this collection has been used now, but there were two partly-sewn dresses which I came across the other…
Read MoreAn Invitation to Making Zen 2026
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. Read more and register here for FREE. It takes place on 4th-8th of May. Each day, 6-7 workshops will be available to watch for 24…
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