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Haute stuff: My top 5 autumn trends…and patterns to sew your own

While most people are lamenting the end of summer, I’m getting really excited for the new season; clearly the back-to-school feeling of a fresh start has never left me!

However, as much as I love to track the seasonal trends, I think it’s really important to make sure you’re making (or buying) clothes that you’ll love year in year out. So herein is my round up of the trends for autumn/winter, but ones that you’ll want to wear well after this whirlwind of a year is over…

Pump up the volume

Big sleeves are still everywhere!!! They’ve been around for a while and from the look of it, they are here to stay. The easiest hack for this would be to make a mega gathered sleeve, but if you’re after some patterns to satisfy your sleeve needs, the Thea Boho Sleeve Shirt from Liberty, the Lima Dress from Cosedo Studios, and the Cologne blouse from Bella Loves are right up your street.

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An ode to the Kew dress!

Pattern review

I’ve previously written about my love for the Kew dress from Nina Lee, so this won’t be a hugely long post today, but I wanted to share my latest version and the hacks I made!

Part of the reason I love the Kew pattern is the potential it holds. Straight out of the packet you have two dress versions and a skirt – great value for money. It was only once I’d made a couple of versions of the dress that the real potential occurred to me – this pattern is friggin’ awesome. I’ve made a gathered skirt version, a dress with a tapered skirt, a tie-back dress, and my latest version has a few mods too.

Nina Lee Kew dress Continue reading “An ode to the Kew dress!” →

How to make your own pleated pocket

How to

I’m going through a bit of a style slump and decided that a guaranteed winner of a make was going to be a pretty summery dress. Out came my Nina Lee Kew dress pattern, one of my most-made and most-loved patterns. You know how books can get ‘dog-eared’? My Kew dress pattern is more like ‘mauled and torn to pieces by a pack of wild dogs’; that’s how many times I’ve made it.

In spite of my sewing slump, a lovely little gem arose in the form of this pocket, and, as requested, I’ve made a little tutorial for you here! There’s even a pattern to save you measuring it all out, because I’m nice like that.

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Bargainous sewing: ways to save the moolah

Bargain, Sewing ideas

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

Haute Stuff, Home sewn, Sewing ideas

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” →