One Stitch At A Time
We’ve all said it, haven’t we? When someone compliments our latest handmade dress? “Thanks, it has pockets” It’s such a commonplace thing now, the pocket. It’s fair to say it’s something we take for granted. The pocket, however, has a much more interesting history than you may be aware of. The history of the pocket […]
There’s a new sewing challenge on Instagram right now which is right up my street – #sewrecreatethelook, hosted by @sosewdressmaking and @jenlegg_teescreatives. The brief: take inspiration – whether it be from Pinterest, the catwalk, the high street or another makes – and recreate the look. For me, vintage fashion is my constant inspiration so I […]
In L. M. Montgomery’s 1908 novel, Anne of Green Gables, Anne Shirley dreams of owning a puff-sleeved dress. Set in the late 1800s, puff sleeves were the height of fashion and Anne’s longing for a puff sleeved dress speaks to her desire to fit in with all the other girls. Much to her disappointment, Marilla […]
Broderie anglaise is one of my favourite fabrics; here are some tips for working with it, a recent project of mine – the Kosedo Studio Lima Dress – and some other pattern suggestions for sewing with broderie anglaise.
I’ve always had a liking for bodysuits which has become even more pronounced now that I sew and can get the dimensions just right for my short, curvy body – thank you, Gertie! Charm Pattern’s Patreon recently released the Skipper Bodysuit and Dress Pattern, fully interchangeable with the Barbie Top pattern, and I can’t stop […]
This pattern comes in two variations – a bib overall and a bib pinafore skirt version. Both the bib overall and pinafores have a long history and their transition into modern styles is a long and interesting one. Consider the etymological definitions of the words (which are by no means definitive): How have garments that […]
I’ve always been fascinated by the ‘wild women’ of history – the women who broke the mould, challenged hegemony and refused to recognise limits; the writers and the artists, not least among them the iconic Frida Kahlo.
In Part One of this blog, I brought you a brief rundown of the symbolic significance of the cherry in culture from Medieval times to recent days. Fashion exists within that culture and so does the meaning of the fashion choices we make. As part of the #FruitSaladSewing challenge hosted by Yvette (@blossomsandwich) my plans are to sew up some cherry print. That could say a lot about me…
I was writing a short piece on cherry print in fashion (as I’m sewing with it for the #FruitSaladSewing challenge) but I could not resist a short cultural contextualisation of the cherry in history. I’ve made it a preamble to the fashion history blog post incase you don’t share my enthusiasm for art history and literature.
I really love this challenge Yvette (@blossomsandwich) has been hosting on Instagram (you can join in by using the hashtag #FruitSaladSewing). It got me thinking about how fruit has featured in fashion, historically. Fruit prints have been really popular over the last few years, instigated by a fruity revival on catwalks over the last couple […]