New month, lots of exciting sewing plans. I have slowed down in the garment making lately – when the pandemic first hit and we went into lockdown, I was on fire when it came to sewing projects but I’ve slowed down a lot over the last few weeks, for a couple of reasons: My social […]
All Posts By: Mary-Ellen
Sewing children’s clothes – P4P Runabout Romper
I never imagined myself making children’s clothes… That is, until my 8 year old niece and goddaughter, who has absolutely NO interest in clothes, asked for a romper. The conditions? It has to be black or mint green, no prints and feel soft… I tried to sway her with pretty florals, gingham and novelty prints. […]
Fleur Pinafore by Untitled Thoughts
It might be an indication as to how shielding has affected me that I totally forgot to write up the pattern review for the Fleur Pinafore which I made back at the beginning of June! Firstly, a shout out to Felicity Fabrics from where I sourced the beautiful floral cotton for this project. It was […]
Hinterland Dress by Sew Liberated
I made a wearable toile of the Hinterland over a week ago which I am only getting to write about now — working from home has a few benefits (sewing on lunch hour, no commutes, etc.) but, genuinely, when it comes to the personal to-do list, I swear I’ve less time and not more – […]
By Hand London – Kim Dress
It seems like a such a long time since I last updated the blog – I was waiting for what felt like years for copy shop patterns to arrive. Three weeks is a long time to not make a new garment – I kept busy making masks for friends and family, so at least I […]
Stitch Your Way to A Better You: The Mental Health Benefits of Sewing
Roughly, 1 in every 4 people in the UK experiences some form of mental health concern each year. Given the prevalence of these issues, it helps to find ways that can help us to equip us to deal with common mental health concerns like anxiety or stress, which many of us will have experienced in […]
DIY: Sew your own face covering
The NI Executive is now recommending the use of face coverings in enclosed public spaces like shops and when using public transport. I thought I would dig into my cotton fabrics and make some of my own for myself and my family. This is the simple method that I have used; a two layered, pleated […]
By Hand London, Hannah wrap dress
When I first started dressmaking at the start of the year and was scouring through the hashtags for inspiration, Hannah was one that kept calling out to me and it has been on my ‘to-make’ list for the last couple of months. This is clearly an incredibly popular pattern and, now that I have made […]
Revamped ironing board
What they never tell you before you take up sewing as a hobby is that it involves a lot of ironing… It is surprising how your most hated chore becomes tolerable once it’s an essential part of a sewing project. My ironing board was a bit drab (still covered in the bland cover it came […]
By Hand London, Flora Dress
It’s not a cocktail dress unless it glistens. A personal motto When I saw this metallic floral brocade on the Fabric Guys website I only had a couple of garments under my belt. But this wishful novice knew that it would be the perfect fabric for a cocktail evening or a trip to theatre. I […]