All Posts By: Mary-Ellen

Butterick B6556

This is a pattern that has been on my radar for a long, long time. It’s so long ago since I bought it that I had almost forgotten I had it. With Gertie’s monthly Patreon projects, I has plenty of her vintage patterns to work on. I bought this floral print cotton from The Rag […]

Gertie’s Swirl Dress

I finally made the Swirl Dress from Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses. This is the second pattern from this book I’ve now tried, and it didn’t disappoint. This book is a great starting point for anyone beginning on their sewing journey; it covers all the basics, from sewing techniques to fitting adjustments. They’re all expertly illustrated, […]

May 2021 Sew Diary

It was a pretty dismal May, until this weekend. With the weather having me at home more often than I would have liked, I managed to create quite a few garments. The Me Made May challenge was running this month – it’s been going for quite a few years but it’s the first time I […]

Skipper-eta

I was on a roll making basics for my wardrobe over the last few weeks, including a few bodysuits after Gertie released her Skipper pattern on Patreon last month. Skipper is both a bodysuit (check out my post on the history of the bodysuit here) and dress pattern and while I’ve made three top versions […]

This Feminist Sews

This post was born out of a throwaway comment that was directed at me recently: “sewing is a bit of an anti-feminist hobby, isn’t it?”. When I recovered from the initial shock of such an uninformed and uninvited opinion, I was not shy of explaining why this person were wrong in their rude assumption… I […]

Sewing with Double Gauze

Until I sewed with double gauze, it was a fabric I would have associated predominantly with babies; it’s interchangeably referred to as muslin, swaddling and even ‘baby cloth’. It’s easy to understand why; two of its main characteristics are that it is soft and squishy making it perfect for little people. What is Double Gauze? […]