Posts by lizhaywood
The Jeans Recycling Challenge
The Challenge: Transform a torn pair of jeans into something useful, re-using every part of the jeans. These jeans belonged to my sister and were worn during The Maternity Years. What I have been wanting to make for a while is a jeans handbag, after a friend visited with one she’d made. There…
Read MoreYarn magazine issue 43: Getting closure
Yarn magazine issue 43 came out this week featuring my very last article, aptly named Get some Closure. It’s been almost six years since I began writing articles for Yarn, and ten years since they published my first project. There are no terrible reasons why I’ve decided to stop being a contributor; I’ve simply just…
Read MoreBook review Zero Waste Fashion
The book Zero Waste Fashion by Timo Rissanen and Holly McQuillan (Bloomsbury 2016) has arrived and I’m keen to share my thoughts on it with you. I ordered it last month when I wrote Considering zero waste fashion, which has become my second highest visited post. I cannot deny a frisson of excitement went through…
Read MoreSewing mythbusters: twisting thread
I’ve just tested a theory I heard of a long time ago and always wondered about. The theory is: When handsewing, does thread threaded from a spool twist more than if it were threaded from a bobbin? In other words, does it matter which end is knotted? Have you ever tried this to see? I…
Read More2 Good Reads
Lately I’ve been on a reading diet of fashion industry books, and just finished two really interesting ones. The Thoughtful Dresser: The Art of Adornment, the Pleasures of Shopping, and Why Clothes Matter by Linda Grant (Scribner, 2010) is a great book for reading in the bath while eating chocolate! It’s a book about…
Read MoreFree pattern: children’s shorts
Hi All, Last week’s pajama pants pattern draft has been tested on my favourite seven-and-a-half year old with great success! I made her a pair of shorts in a very brightly printed cotton. The fit is great and she really likes them. I followed the same draft with three changes: The crotch depth…
Read MoreFree pattern: pajama pants (or shorts)
Hello All, today here’s a simple draft for a pair of pajama pants. They could also be shorts, three-quarter length, or whatever length you like. This pattern is very nearly a zero-waste pattern. If your hip measurement is 39″ or less and your fabric width is 150cm, then you’ll have almost no waste at all.…
Read MoreI went to visit a farm one day
Yesterday my family visited the shearing shed of some friends. Sheep shearing was in full swing with three shearers, two roustabouts and two wool classers. Everyone was working very hard but there was a friendly ambience. Sheep shearing is extremely hard work, and is said to be the same as running two marathons -one in…
Read MoreConsidering zero waste fashion
Last week’s Wearing a square jacket has caused me to think about the concept of sustainable and zero waste fashion. I’m reading A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion by Alison Gwilt (library), and Shaping Sustainable Fashion edited by Alison Gwilt and Timo Rissanen (lent by my fashion designer friend Chiggy Schiller). I’ve just ordered Zero…
Read MorePattern Magic 2: wearing a square
Pattern Magic 2 by Tomoko Nakamichi has been in our bookshelf for some time, but I’ve just made my first garment from it. Wearing a square is a top made from, not a square, but a rectangle of fabric, with some clever cutting. If you like sculptural clothes, and quirky, interesting patternmaking, you’ll…
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