Getting closure on the denim jacket

This blog post has been two weeks in the making – I was thwarted by an electrical storm last week which took out our modem and phone line. But after services were restored and I was ready to hit publish, Mr H happened to see it and said he didn’t like what I’d done with…

Read More

Absolutely riveting: re-using jeans pockets

The jacket I’m making from old jeans now has pockets unpicked off one of the original pairs. (Are you also making a jacket from jeans? The previous posts are here and then here.) I’ve had lots of useful advice for re-using the jeans pockets; thank you for all the ideas. The two big issues were…

Read More

Progress report: denim jacket

A couple of weeks ago I began making a jacket out of denim jeans. The jeans had been rejected by the opshop and I used 3 pairs. The jacket is my sew-a-long project for Zero and Zen, a course I’m co-presenting with Kate Ward. I’ve since started the sashiko stitching which is going across the…

Read More

Jacket Making for Zero and Zen

During the week I started sewing a jacket as my project for Zero and Zen, an online course that artist Kate Ward and I are offering. We offered this course last year and it was very popular; it combines sewing a modular jacket (with me) with learning to stitch various sashiko stitch patterns (with Kate),…

Read More

Indigo Fabric meets Xanthea

Coming up this month, I’m presenting a course in collaboration with Kate Ward. The course combines learning how to create special fabrics using indigo with sewing a zero waste Xanthea top. Xanthea is a zero waste pattern I published in 2021 and is my most popular pattern. It comes in 19 sizes to fit up…

Read More

Finishing that Sashiko Jacket

Have you ever started a project without thinking the design through clearly? “Guilty, your honour!” I’ve now finished adding sashiko stitching to the jacket I cut from an old army blanket, which I’ve been making for Zero and Zen, a course I’m presenting with textile artist Kate Ward. (Btw, it’s not too late to register…

Read More

Sashiko meets Jacket

Right at the beginning of this year, my friend Kate Ward of ZenStitching said I’d like to make myself a jacket and put some stitching on it. Would you like to do a collaboration? Would I! Kate is a textile artist who is passionate about recycling and mending, and is also the person who really…

Read More