Posts by lizhaywood
Goodbye, taupe corduroy trousers
Dear taupe corduroy trousers, I never wanted to hurt your feelings, but this is goodbye. When I wore you in Me-Made-May with that raspberry cotton cardigan, it was for the last time. You have great pockets and a classic leg cut, and we got plenty of compliments together from other corduroy lovers. Your versatile colour…
Read MoreKay Inverarity’s costume exhibition
Royalty and Others is an historic costume exhibition on at Auburn, in South Australia’s Clare Valley. We just got home from visiting it. It’s a charming exhibition. There are about 17 costumes, all with a medieval or Victoriana theme, and all except one were made by Kay for various events. As well as the costumes…
Read MoreI’m doing Me-Made-May 2019
Hi Everyone, it’s six days into Me-Made-May 2019. Here’s my pledge: “I endeavour to wear at least two me-made items each day (a top and a bottom) during May. As well, I will make one new garment, alter one so I’ll wear it more often, and finish a UFO.” To tell you the truth, I’m…
Read MoreIt was 20 years ago today
This week was our wedding anniversary and I got out my dress to try on. It last got an airing two years ago in this blog post. I can still get the zip up but the dress is uncomfortably tight. The days of trying this dress on are numbered: I got stuck both getting it…
Read MoreBook recommendation: Measure of a Man
Measure of a Man – From Auschwitz survivor to presidents’ tailor is the memoir of Martin Greenfield, considered by many to be the best men’s tailor in the United States. I read this book in one day! Martin Greenfield grew up in a Czechoslovakian village by the Carpathian mountains. When he was 15, he and…
Read MoreMust-have dress-ups: the bear costume
Here’s a statement you may or may not agree with: all households with children require a dress-ups box. Our household does, and has gone a step further by having an adult’s dress-ups box. I’m going to pause writing here because I know exactly what you’re thinking. No, it’s not an “adult” dress-ups box, it simply…
Read MoreVogue 2507, 30 years on
Not many people can say they still have something in their wardrobe they sewed 30 years ago and still wear. I realised that I do! I sewed Vogue 2507 when I was 16 years old in the late 1980’s. It’s designed by Claude Montana, whose runway collections didn’t appeal to me at the time. (I…
Read MoreA lifetime of sewing patterns: a tribute
Last week I got a call from a man offering me his late wife’s sewing patterns. Her name was Carol. I took the patterns to my sewing class, but before the class I looked through them all. Carol’s pattern collection reflected a lifetime of sewing, beginning in the late 1960’s with some cute maternity patterns…
Read MoreThe unexpected conclusion to the hug-me-tight experiment
Last week’s hug-me-tight experiment has taken an unexpected turn. You can read about the adventure so far here. This is the cutting concept I started with: I felt that the maroon double knit hug-me-tight that I was experimenting with was too short (it finished at my waist), although the sleeves were good and the collar…
Read MoreThe hug-me-tight experiment
Folks, I’m not sure what to call this garment I’ve been experimenting with this week. I’ve seen it called a hug-me-tight but does it have another name? Some sort of shrug? The cutting concept is very simple and can easily be zero waste: John Galliano did a very glamorous brocade hug-me-tight for Dior spring/summer 1998.…
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