Sewing 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…
Read MoreShortening a metal zip
Shortening a metal zip is a little tutorial for you to file away until you need it. Use it for shortening separating zips for jackets. How did I learn to do this? One season, the designer I worked for used a lot of zips in her range. Zips were IN. She did zip fronted jackets,…
Read MoreFree pattern: dress-ups cape
Every dress-ups box needs at least one cape, preferably several, for any fancy dress situation. A cape can outlast those fairy dresses, cowboy vests and Buzz Lightyear suits and still be going strong at fancy dress parties a decade or two later. This adult or child-sized cape is a semi circle of fabric with a…
Read More…still knitting BIG
Last week’s chunky shawl knitted in 72ply Nundle Mills wool has been unraveled and re-knitted as a scarf. Last week after blogging about the shawl, I happened to see a woman in the town wearing a skinny scarf knitted in similar-sized chunky wool. Hers was cream chenille (to co-ordinate with her…
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