Things to make during pregnancy – my hindsight list

I found it really difficult to know what to make while I was pregnant. Most of the time I make garments for myself and while I did have a go at a few maternity outfits I found it frustrating trying to fit to an ever changing body. I was growing faster than I could sew…

Me Made May 2020

I wasn't sure initially whether to participate in this year's Me Made May. My daughter is just six months old and at the moment there's only a small selection of my handmade clothes that a) fit me comfortably and b) are also nursing friendly. Oh yeah and there's the global pandemic so I'm not going…

Four Year Sewiversary – things I wish I’d known when I was a beginner sewist

This week marks 4 years since I first started sewing. It's something I really love doing and I often hear people say "Oh I wish I could do that!" so to mark my 4 year 'sewiversary' I thought I'd share some thoughts and resources for anyone new to dressmaking or thinking about getting started. (I'll…

Maternity/Breastfeeding Pattern Hack Tutorial

Inspired by a RTW maternity breastfeeding top I'd bought I decided to figure out how to hack a pattern to make more feeding friendly clothes. The idea of this top is that it's got a modesty panel so that you can feed without feeling quite so exposed. I thought I'd share the instructions in case…

2018 Make Nine in review

At the end of 2017 I planned out some proposed makes for 2018. Having participated in the Make Nine challenge before I know that for me, it's more of a guide, rather than an absolute "to make" list although this year I did actually try all of them. I got on better with some rather…

Sequin Scout Tee

I shared some pictures of my sequin top on Instagram recently and a few people have asked questions about it so thought I'd put it in a blog post 😊 My inspiration came from a blog post by Guthrie and Ghani who included a sequin Scout Tee in their Party Sewing series. I'd bought 1m…

Cloth Habit – Watson Set

Pattern This year I set myself 3 big sewing challenges - jeans, a bra and a coat. I've already checked jeans off my list and decided I was ready for my next challenging make so it was time to tackle bra making. I'm keen to make the Harriet Bra by Cloth Habit but decided to…

By Hand London: Kim Dress

Pattern I've been enjoying a long weekend off for the Shetland folk festival, and in between going to gigs I've been making this Paris icons Kim Dress. It's the first By Hand London pattern I've made and as my measurements fell between sizes I decided to make a toile first (something of a rarity for…

Cleo Pinafore

Pattern I'd made this once pattern before prior to when I bought my overlocker and had begun to find the edges wearing a little from being worn so often so I added it to my #2018makenine list. Fabric The previous Cleo I made in a midwash denim which I purchased from Fabric Godmother. While planning…

Ginger Jeans

Pattern Jeans have been a dream make for me for pretty much as long as I've been sewing. I put them on my 2018 Make Nine list to encourage me to get on with making them. I chose the Closet Case Ginger Jeans pattern and opted to make the mid-rise skinny version. I also signed…

Datura Blouse

This year I'm going to try to write a little review of at least my #2018makenine choices. A couple of weeks into January and I've ticked the first one off my list! Pattern Datura Blouse by Deer and Doe Patterns. I liked the look of this pattern because of the little details such as the…

2018 Make Nine plans

During 2017 I took part in the #2017makenine and completed 6 of 9 makes. Of those I didn't complete 1 I changed my mind about at 2 weren't really wearable. I found it a useful tool for planning my sewing though and at the beginning of the year nine garments seemed like an awful lot!…