Found some Mood/Theme boards from previous projects today. I love layering sketches, drawings, fabric samples, prints and mixing textures together to create these inspirational starting points. Laser cutting acrylic was also pretty fun – the triangles and floral shapes were designed and cut out on gold, black and purple plastics.
One of my favourite other sewing blogs to read is Tilly and the Buttons. This blogger is unique as she is open, honest and includes the good, the bad and the ugly elements of sewing/dressmaking! One of my fave features of hers is ‘What’s on my sewing table?’. I have adapted this feature slightly to the above title as my half finished pieces live on the mannequin where I can ponder their success and see where changes to the pattern need to be made. Above is my current ‘work in progress’ of which I am very pleased with thus far. A viscose blend jumper, patterned in grey and black with wine coloured ribbing (berry is very in for A/W 2012 don’t you know?!). Watch this blog space for news on how my first ever jumper creation develops!
When this pattern is finalised I will be using it to create a range of jumpers to sell (perfect to keep you snug in the upcoming winter months!), mainly from vintage and reclaimed fabrics. Details to follow soon.
You can’t feel much better about shopping than when you visit New Life in Cannock, Birmingham. New Life is a giant warehouse-sized store, full of recycled clothing from some of the biggest High Street names. And…as well as everything being recycled and super cheap (prices start at around £2.99), all profits go straight to the ‘New Life’ charity to help disabled children and their parents in the UK. Membership to New Life is £4.49 per annum and I’ve been told that people visit from as far as France to stock their closets! Whilst there are many bargains to be had, it is also worth fully checking any items you would like to purchase as the clothing can sometimes be faulty or damaged e.g. a missing button or a pulled belt loop. Despite this I have found some of my favourite items here and would defnitely advise a look – especially as it’s for such a good cause.
As well as the items featured in the picture below, other New Life finds on this buying trip included…
Sound interesting? Check out the New Life website for more information….
http://www.newlifetrading.co.uk/docs/superstore/superstore.shtml
Has anyone else discovered a similar shopping experience? Do you feel differently spending money if it means supporting a local business or charity? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how to shop savvy in 2012!
It’s a rainy Saturday afternoon and I’m sat at my sewing desk with one of my favourite takeaway treats (a steaming hot cappuccino from the local coffee shop – lovely!). After mending a couple of garments (more on that later) I decide to finish my tutorial on sewing with shirring elastic as mentioned in the post Vintage Fabric Ruched T-shirt dress. Sewing with shirring elastic is a great way to add shape by nipping in a waist or decorating a cuff. I hope you enjoy the new ‘How To’ format. Again, if there are any sewing tutorials you would find helpful, don’t be shy(!), get in touch by commenting below…
Top Tip: It’s best to wind the shirring elastic onto the bobbin by hand as this stops the machine stretching it out too much.
This navy floral print T-shirt dress truly is a wardrobe staple. It is an easy to wear day dress and only takes a couple of enjoyable hours to make. There are 6 pattern pieces in total and the dress is shaped simply with 5 rows of stitched elastic at the waist. Details of how to shape a garment in this way coming soon…
Beautiful Plumage. 