*Here’s a post I wrote back in the day and never posted. I find it quite funny, maybe you won’t. It features photos taken recently and also from 2014. I’ve also made some amendments here and there and added new information where appropriate, although hopefully it isn’t too confusing to read. Allders. Do they […]
May 23rd: I wore my dungarees again, but obviously didn’t take a picture. Why would I? May 24th: No me-mades during the day, but at night I wore my new pjs before realising that it’s too hot to wear pjs now. May 25th: Double whammy me-made day! I wore my floral Fumeterre skirt and an […]
9th May: No me–mades, DIY day 10th May: No me-mades, DIY day 11th May: Sunday Sweater again 12th May: I think I went to Leroy Merlin, and before I left I took a terrible overexposed photo of my crumpled 1940s jacket I never blogged about. And somehow between then and now I’ve deleted that. 13th […]
Part of my Me-Made-May thinking this year is to attempt to fix a lot of clothing I already have. UFOs if you will. I started doing this last year and even started writing a blog post on it, but then I moved and got too busy to continue. I’m also trying to address ‘holes’ in […]
What a time to be alive, eh? I was going to start a lockdown blogging series but have decided against that as the uncertainty of when it will be lifted is very real. In the meantime, here’s a jumper I finished last week and photographed this week: This jumper has taken around four months to […]
A month or so after deciding to return to this blog and attempt to document my sewing once more I got carpal tunnel syndrome. Massive bummer, as it meant I had to stop working, using a computer, basically stop using my hands for a while. The timing was wonderfully ironic, but the pain was super […]
To start where I left off, I made another Roxanne blouse by Victory Patterns. I don’t seem able to find it on their website anymore, so I can’t link it. As my last iteration of this pattern ended up as a mash-up of both versions, I wanted this one to be true to the original […]
Better late than never, eh? May 15th: I was on a flight, so went for comfortable basics. Jeans, a tiny tank in Indian cotton and my green monster coat as I was flying to England and the weather can never be counted on. May 16th – 22nd: I did not record what I wore. May […]
May 1st: A casual start, wearing a plaid cotton Archer shirt. I don’t love this, it doesn’t SPARK JOY, but it’s very comfortable and I wear it a lot. This shirt always makes me feel practical. May 2nd: I wore my new Roxanne shirt with some jeans and a cardigan. I later went out and […]
‘I sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May 2019. I endeavour to wear me-made clothes for five days each week during May 2019.’ It’s that time again, kids, Me-Made-May is upon us, and this year I am participating on a small scale. The last two times I have joined in, I became very frustrated but […]
Er, hi. For years I’ve considered getting back into blogging. There are many reasons for my absence, but I shant bore you with them. To be true to myself [that is, evasive] I shall simply say that lots of things have happened since 2014 and I found myself short of both time and inclination. I […]
The weather is changing for the colder, and I’ve been thinking about knitting. I’ve found I haven’t had a lot of interest in sewing lately. I think it’s because I currently don’t have a decent space in which to cut or sew, I feel very limited and very uninspired by it. Plans are in the […]
Roxanne by Victory Patterns has been in my possession for a while now, maybe over a year. I’ve always had the intention of making it, but never really got round to it. I finally managed it after scoring this polka dot chiffon from Goldhawk Road a couple of months ago. Although this is an unintentional mash up […]
Finished! This is the completed pattern from this years Steotchalong, and I’m pretty pleased with myself. For the last month or so I’ve been pretty absent from the internet. Lots of life changes and commitments have kept me from taking pictures and typing, but I’m hoping to get back on it and show some stuff […]
Unbeknownst to me until a week ago, everyone’s favourite stitchers Steotch are hosting another Steotchalong. Every five days they release a new pattern, and no clues are given to the final outcome (although it’s fun to read everyone’s guesses). I’ve very nearly completed pattern two, and today, pattern three was released. Very exciting. This time […]
A Liebster Award! For little old me! I’m not exactly a new blog, but I’m a very little one indeed. I’ve never actively promoted myself or told anyone about it, but using Burdastyle and Kollabora seems to have got me some attention. The lovely (and mysteriously named) C at Oh She Dabbles has very kindly […]
Friday 23rd: No picture, no me-mades Saturday 24th: No picture, no me-mades Sunday 25th: No picture, but I did wear this guy (the floral one). Monday 26th: I was at home caring for a potential hospital patient. Wearing my polka dot Blank Canvas Tee and some ropey shorts. Tuesday 27th: No picture, but I was […]
Me Made May may not be over yet, but I’ve already learnt a lot about how I currently dress for my lifestyle. I will go into more detail about this in my much anticipated MMM finale post, but for now, lets rest assured that I am aware that most of my wearable handstitched garments come […]
Highly sporadic picture taking, that’s the name of my game. Sunday 11th: I can’t actually remember, and I didn’t take a photo. Uh oh. Monday 12th: Plaid Archer for college. Tuesday 13th: My mystery Scout and an unblogged jacket. Wednesday 14th: An unblogged 80s knit dress I made last summer. I’m planning on making another […]
My second foray into lingerie sewing, and it’s been reasonably successful! This time, I used some of the newer Ohhh Lulu petterns – the Anna bra and the Ava knickers (which I can’t seem to find in the shop). I used a stretch lace from Tissu fabrics (now Tia Knight fabrics), and the elastics I’ve […]
Here’s my obligatory MMMay round up for the past ten days. Some of the pictures were really crap, so I haven’t used them. Instead you have links and some slightly less crap pictures. Thursday 1st: My first viscose knit Hemlock. Just working at home today, so nothing fancy. Friday 2nd: Red Moss skirt. Unblogged jacket. […]
In which I complete my first adult cardigan, and my second major adult knitting project. Granted, it is cropped with three-quarter sleeves, but it’s a cardigan no less. The pattern is Andi Satterlund’s Marion, and like Chuck, is an easy to understand pattern, and a relatively quick item to knit. I followed the pattern for […]
The Moss miniskirt pattern from Grainline initially didn’t appeal to me. I was in a knee-length pencil skirt mode. For working in an office, I prefer my hemlines to stay a bit longer. However now I work from home, and spend a couple of days a week in an upholstery workshop getting dusty, the […]
More knitting for little people. I wanted to send some gifts to my friend’s baby boy, but this also gets me in on the sewalong of sorts that Leah from Struggle Sews a Straight Seam is hosting. My friend lives in China, and I didn’t know that she was having a baby until the last minute, so these […]
noun sewing kit = housewife At college, part of our course involves a soft furnishing module. As someone who assumed anyone could make cushions and curtains, I learnt a lot of very nifty tricks, and predominantly the right way and wrong way to do things. Now I find myself getting upset when I see poorly sewn cushions […]
Fashionably late for Archer Appreciation month, here’s me appreciating Archer. This time around, out of curiosity I re-printed the pattern to the size it should be and cut. I wanted to see how it’s meant to fit, rather than me getting lucky that my first (not to scale) printed version fit really well. It’s definitely roomier, […]
Most of my sleepwear/loungewear is pretty tatty and old and embarrassing. This Christmas I wanted to look a bit more presentable in the morning. Enter Le-Roy 3138. I’ve made pyjama bottoms before – a modern McCalls pattern – with pretty bad results. I liked the slim cut leg of these 60s pyjamas and the natty little pockets. […]
In which I tell you all about the woes of being a student, working part-time, having no money and a little bit of an addiction to buying sewing patterns. In a bid to be more sensible, I’m selling some vintage patterns on Etsy. They are all pretty varied, and the shop is pretty shoddy. See […]
Another Scout. Obviously. I made this a good couple of months ago. No pattern alterations, other than an inch in the length. Due to the nature of the fabric, it drapes pretty well, but it’s not as floaty as my silk Scout. A lot heavier. The material is a crepe-y sort. I bought it second […]
Happy 2014 everyone! In no particular order I’m going to try to post my backlog of finished projects as speedily as I can. First up, a hat. This was knitted using up the last of my Drops Big Merino yarn I bought for Chuck. This yarn is way more suited to a hat than to […]
As the year comes to a close, I realise how many projects I’ve been working through these past couple of months. Too many to document successfully. Winter light is minimal, and is not good for photographing. Particularly in my dim flat. So at some point I will get round to them, but rest assured I […]
(to the tune of Breaking The Law) Months ago, I won an Ohhh Lulu pattern giveaway, over at A Stitching Odyssey. I was over the moon as I’m a HUGE fan of Ohhh Lulu, and the thought of creating my own gorgeous underwear is a happy one. Being the procrastinator I am, and being more […]
Of late I’ve been a bit absent. I am now a student again, this time studying Upholstery. It’s wonderful, and I hope I can turn it into something worthwhile. It doesn’t mean I’ve stopped sewing though, in fact I’m doing a lot more hand-sewing than ever. I just have to reign in my dressmaking habits […]
It’s not all doom and gloom. I finished my first knitted jumper! It’s a (slightly modified) Chuck by Andi Satterlund, knitted using Drops Big Merino yarn. It’s by no means perfect. It came out a lot bigger than I anticipated, and a lot longer too. The yarn may have stretched out during blocking, but all in […]
Sewing outerwear is something I usually enjoy. I love the fabrics, easing sleeves, pressing wool, but it rarely seems to work out. These last two experiences left me in a despondent sewing slump for a couple of months. After throwing away three unfinished jackets earlier this year, I knuckled down and started making the Burda Herringbone […]
I’m still in the middle of clearing through unfinished sewing projects. Whilst it is proving hard to knuckle down and get on with this, I am gaining an enormous sense of satisfaction from it. There is just one blouse that I am going to leave, as I don’t have enough experience with expensive silk satin […]
I’ve always really liked this pattern and planned to revisit it. I love early 1960s styles with slim pencil skirts, plus this pattern has pretty awesome patch pockets. I don’t really wear my first version as it doesn’t fit all that well and it’s pretty bold. As much as I love colour, I sometimes feel […]
After what must have been the saddest giveaway on a blog ever, I have some winners! Despite the low numbers, I still went to the random number generator, just to be sure. Style 3952 goes to Gemma Smith! Style 3205 goes to Amy! Massive buttons go to Mary! Ladies, please send me an email and […]
A few weeks ago I was powering through unfinished projects, following an incredibly inspiring post by Lladybird. After a lot of hand sewing hems, I got itchy feet and fancied a quick dirty project to give me some time with my sewing machine. I made a Hemlock. As you probably know, it’s a free pdf […]
Hey folks. I’ve been particularly busy but I do have several new things to post about. All in good time. Meanwhile I’ve got a couple of sewing patterns and some buttons that I’d like to giveaway to you lovely sewing folk. There’s Style patterns 3952 and 3205 from the 1970s… Style 3952, from 1972, is […]
A dress for my holiday – using vintage pattern Style 2718. I’ve had this pattern for years, it used to be my auntie’s. She doesn’t remember what version she made, but I’ve made a few in my time. None of them have really been much cop until now. This one is made in Liberty Edenham […]
So it turns out that By Hand London make an excellent sewing pattern. I was always interested in their Elisalex dress (such a nice bodice) and particularly the Charlotte pencil skirt, but never dipped my toes into their pool. I’m a big fan of sewing jackets, so was very pleased when I saw Victoria, but hesitated […]
At last, it is complete! I missed the stitchalong deadline, but I finally finished it a few weeks ago. Cross stitches are really hard to photograph well straight on. I am very happy with it though. It’s my first experience with french knots and backstitching, and the steotchalong was incredibly helpful, despite my tardiness. More […]
My first daliance into 1940s wartime patterns. This pattern has a reminder of the Civilian Clothing restrictions on the front, but also has a reminder inside of the present conditions as a reason for an unprinted pattern. You can read all about Civilian Clothing restrictions on the excellent blog Cargo Cult Craft. When you start […]
Up until recently, there was a tortoise in my life. A lovely, grumpy, ageing tortoise called Oswald. She had belonged to my nana, and been passed down through the family and ultimately ended up with me. She had been a constant all my life, and was one of my favourite childhood pets. She broke gender […]
It’s not escaped me that you are all desperate to find out my plans for Me-Made-May. I’m planning to participate, but in a similar low-key format like last year. My reasoning last year was that I had most of my clothes packed up and was about to move into a house and it wasn’t possible […]
crafty little bugger 