At the beginning of the year, I committed to joining in the Burdastyle challenge at the prompt of Hila @saturdaynightstitch. Now we are already in the second half of the year I better do something about honouring my pledge. I have been nursing this piece of fabric in my stash for a long time, I… Continue reading Keeping a promise: I make something from my vintage #burdastyle magazine collection
Testing, testing: how to reach out by testing for others
One of the really rewarding things I have discovered in my first year as an online sewist is the benefit of testing. I've been lucky enough to get involved in a number of product tests and reviews which have allowed me to move ahead in my sewing. Did I hear you say "Freebies!" The overarching proviso… Continue reading Testing, testing: how to reach out by testing for others
Sewtogetherforsummer my SMYLY time.
This time last year I was bursting with joy over the brilliant challenge started by @sewsarahsmith, @rocco.sienna and @sewing_in_spain. so this year I had to enter again and it just so happened that the challenge garment was on my #2018makenine list. The Diane von Furstenberg Wrap dress is the inspiration and I wanted to draft my… Continue reading Sewtogetherforsummer my SMYLY time.
The No Sewjo Sojourn cannot go on!
You know when you've had one of those No sewjo sojourns where you just keep hiding from the stash, the WIPs, UFOs and your 'To Make' list. Well, that's where I'm at right now. A few months back I smugly congratulated myself on tidying my stash, organising and ranking my WIPs, actually finishing some UFOs… Continue reading The No Sewjo Sojourn cannot go on!
2018 Make Nine Premier Division
It's a little less than a year since I started sharing my sewing on social media so I'm still finding all the challenges and "traditions" of this community. I always want to join in and when my other love - travel - has allowed, I have taken part sporadically, in a couple of photo challenges… Continue reading 2018 Make Nine Premier Division
Blast from the Past: One of my DKNYs takes life
During 2017 I kept saying to myself I have to address my patterns stash as well as the mountain of fabric I have accumulated. I settled on a pattern the which I've had for many years and never made up. I actually cut this out months earlier on a trip to my sister's but my busy… Continue reading Blast from the Past: One of my DKNYs takes life
A Perfect Place to make: a new sewing space
I live in a little house in a terraced street which probably used to be a "Two up two down" once upon a time. We added a room in the loft/attic whatever you want to call it about 20 years ago to accommodate our home-based work. Both being teachers we needed a space to do all… Continue reading A Perfect Place to make: a new sewing space
Reflection: how sewing saved me in 2017
A look back on what I made in 2017 and how it helped me love myself a bit more.
Sleevetober? A twist in the tale.
I didn't have time to enter #sleevefest as I was travelling, nevertheless, I am bringing it with a sleeve AND and twist front on my latest make. This dress is my favourite RTW dress and I've worn it nearly to death. I have been trying to figure out the twist front for years without success!… Continue reading Sleevetober? A twist in the tale.
Self drafted T-shirt goes long – taking it to the Maxi.
In March I was getting my sewjo back with a vengeance and sewed my first self-drafted item for a while. I made a simple T-shirt based on an old RTW favourite and used some dramatic fabric to give it life. I'm going to use the same technique and extend that self-made pattern into a maxi… Continue reading Self drafted T-shirt goes long – taking it to the Maxi.
Evergreen: an adventure in colour and creating
A little while ago I blogged about drafting a dress from a photo I had seen in the Vogue Pattern book. I'll show you here how I turned that pattern into a real-life dress. The original was a shift style dress in denim and I had intended to make a close copy in the traditional fabric… Continue reading Evergreen: an adventure in colour and creating
Making it work – upsizing commercial sewing patterns.
I don't know if it was overconfidence, wishful thinking or both but I seem to have a number of patterns that are not the right size for me. Some of these date from my earlier sewing days when I would buy patterns fully believing I was going to make that item next week. These patterns don't… Continue reading Making it work – upsizing commercial sewing patterns.
LaineeMakes 