One Stitch At A Time
I am a big fan of Tencel™ (otherwise known as lyocell – the difference is merely a case of copyright; Tencel is a brand owned by the Lenzing corporation). Tencel™ is a rayon substrate—a semi-synthetic textile composed of cellulosic regenerated fibres; it is produced using non-toxic NMMO instead of the highly toxic carbon disulfide that […]
It’s been the longest of months, ironically, given that it is the shortest month. Honestly, though, it has felt as if it was 8 weeks long. Work has started to take its toll (so too has the winter, I feel) and I’ve had less time than ever to sew. That’s not to say I have […]
I considered doing some fabric shopping for Valentine’s Day until it suddenly hit me – I have an array of items in my handmade wardrobe that are perfect for the occasion. Whether it’s for date night or to go for a few cocktails with the girls, it’s always nice to make the effort on Valentine’s […]
The second week into February and I have not done a lot of sewing this month yet, let alone take account of what I made in the month of January. Saying that, I did launch a YouTube channel where I made a couple of videos showing off my makes in January (of which there were […]
I have had a lot of people tell me they are surprised I have been sewing for less than two years because my clothes look so professionally made – it’s such a beautiful compliment to receive and if you’re reading this and you’ve been one of those people, know you have made my day. I’m […]
It has been a while since I read a piece of sewing-themed fiction but The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie did not disappoint. Natalie Fergie is a professional textiles enthusiast who owns numerous sewing machines and was inspired to write this multi-generational saga after buying a century-old sewing machine, manufactured at the Singer factory in […]
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 […]
Ever since I took up sewing (during the initial lockdown), I have been curious about the Cashmerette pattern range because of the fact they are drafted with curves in mind. As a curvy woman, I probably should have jumped on them, but I have never made one of the patterns until a couple of weeks […]
I bought Gertie’s Jiffy Dress book back at the outset of the lockdown in March 2020 when I started dressmaking. It was this book which pretty much taught me everything I know about basic sewing. I previously made this pattern when I wasn’t all that attune to making alterations and perfecting the fit so I […]
The cropped jacket version of this pattern has become my signature outerwear. I first made this a couple of months ago (and wrote a blog post on it for The Rag Shop. Having made another since then (and with the fabric for a third one going into the prewash) I thought it was worth chronicling […]