Sewing is a wonderful hobby, but we have to admit, it ain’t cheap. I tend to live a fairly thrifty lifestyle but sewing can be really bloody expensive. I have a friend (not naming names), who started to track her sewing spend and one month it almost hit £1000! So, in the name of saving a bit of cash, I thought I’d share some tips for ways to save while still enjoying this awesome skill of ours. Continue reading “Bargainous sewing: ways to save the moolah”
A Miu Miu-inspired Sew Over It Vintage Shirt Dress
I love looking to the runway for sewing inspiration, and the Miu Miu Resort 2020 collection is beyond beautiful! Typical of the brand’s style, the collection offers up quirky tailoring, bold prints and girly-yet-edgy details; everything I love in a garment!
I basically want to make my own versions of every item in the collection, but this dress really sang to me:
Continue reading “A Miu Miu-inspired Sew Over It Vintage Shirt Dress”
Eh, oh! Palazzo!
A new pattern company, The Pattern Preacher, got in touch with me on Instagram and kindly offered me one of their patterns. They didn’t specify what they wanted in return so although the pattern was ‘gifted’ in Instagram terms, in this blog post I am expressing my own views (and I’m not going to say everything was wonderful because it was gifted!) about the Sienna palazzo trousers.
Haute stuff: The white shirt edit
You can’t deny the power of a good white shirt. They’re easily boxed into being ‘crisp’ and ‘smart’, but the possibilities are literally endless, just have a scroll on any good retailer’s website and you’re swamped with inspiration. Although I’m generally drawn to a bold print (I have been known to wear 6 at a time, but who’s counting?), the lure of the white shirt has got me. Here I’ve put together a few inspiration images from some luxury brands and paired them with patterns so you can hack your own! Allwhite, enough faffing (and enough puns), let’s get down to it…
This preppy shirt from Red Valentino is so gorgeous and I love it! One of my most-made shirt patterns, the Juliette from I Am Patterns, would be perfect to recreate this. I’d curve the collar and add a ruffle, plus little ruffles to the sleeves and add a zip at the back instead of buttons – or just keep the buttons as it’s those front details that are so beautiful! All that’s then needed is a straight necktie which you could then wear with other shirts, too.
Lockdown wardrobe: because comfort doesn’t have to mean tracksuits
The lockdown has allowed many to indulge in the guilty pleasures that come with the ‘invisibility’ of working from home; not needing to wash your hair, not having to get dressed, not feeling any need to wear makeup. For the last couple of years my sister has exercised the mantra “no shower, no makeup, no bra” for her wfh Fridays. (Sorry, Els, your secret’s out.)
However, I just don’t fit into this camp. When working from home (and on my days off) I still like to put on ‘proper’ clothes and do my makeup. It makes me feel good about myself, ready for the day, and more proactive. Comfort is still key, though, and I’ve realised over the past few weeks that I keep going for similar styles. Clothes that are comfortable but still look a bit polished are my go-to, so here are some pattern suggestions to strike the balance between being comfy, but still a little bit fancy…
The pattern that sparked this thinking is the Safiya from Tilly Walnes’ book Make It Simple:
It’s so comfortable, versatile, a little bit quirky, and it looks really nice. This pattern is brilliant. Continue reading “Lockdown wardrobe: because comfort doesn’t have to mean tracksuits”
