How to sew an invisible zip (finally!)
Several people have asked me for a post on how to sew an invisible zip (although this might come too late for them), so here it is. Firstly, some notes: An invisible zip can be almost one of the last things sewn on a garment. Sew the zip in before you sew the rest of…
Read MoreMaking a Spectacle of Oneself
They said it would happen one day, and now it finally has. Yep, reading glasses. I’ve now reached That Age where I need glasses to sew and read. I can’t complain really; I’ve enjoyed superb eyesight my whole life. In my 20’s I could actually read the size number on machine needles. Since I turned…
Read MoreIntroducing The Dressmaker’s Companion
Dear Friends, I’m so excited I hardly know how to write this post. I’ve just finished writing a sewing book which I hope will be tremendously useful, outstandingly successful and a great blessing to anyone who sews clothes. The Dressmaker’s Companion is… “A comprehensive sewing reference you’ll refer to again and again for reliable, practical…
Read MoreLike or loathe it: Matching checks, stripes and junctions
A sign of a well-made garment is perfectly matched seam junctions, checks and stripes. I was reminded of this on the weekend as I dug out some checked fabric to make shirts. Cutting the checks is only half the job; they need to be matched when they’re sewn as well. …
Read MoreTime Capsule from the 1960’s
Recently I was given a gift of two bags and box containing fabric from a friend of our family, Will. The fabric had belonged to four women: Will’s mum, her two sisters and their mum. The fabric had been sitting in a caravan for years, untouched by mice or moths, and Will’s mum was having…
Read MoreFree pattern: Large beach bag
I know, it’s crazy: I don’t live anywhere near a beach and it’s wintertime. However, a beach bag this size is endlessly useful for things like swimming lessons (in an indoor pool right now), sleepovers, laundromat visits, taking parcels to the post office and taking fabric around to your mum’s. …
Read MoreMy ex-favourite skirt just became favourite again
Some time ago I went through a phase of using cotton fabric for skirt linings. I made three skirts this way: a dark brown corduroy skirt I wore for Me-Made-May, a long grey wool skirt also worn for Me-Made-May and a red corduroy Clothkits skirt. I thought a cotton lining would make the skirts warmer…
Read More3 Things I Learned From Me-Made-May
Me-Made-May is over and I enjoyed it! My challenge was to “endeavour to wear at least one me-made item each day for the duration of May 2017 AND to wear my clothes with imagination and thoughtfulness and get out of the rut of wearing the same few things all the time.” Did I achieve this? …
Read MoreMe-Made-May 2017 week 4: The final week
My first ever Me-Made-May is almost over and here’s my final clothing capsule. It’s a mixture of favourites and barely worn me-mades. Can you guess the favourites? They are the cord trousers and the floral shirt. I like the navy pinspot shirt but don’t wear it often because it doesn’t go with many things (good…
Read MoreMe-Made-May 2017 week 3
Three weeks finished and only one left! This week I wore some things that hadn’t seen the light of day in a decade. I also had a couple of Pajama Days this week (but wore me-made pajamas and dressing gown). Here’s this week’s capsule: Cheers!
Read More