Archive for December, 2011
Things I still can’t make
One thing I really like about sewing my own clothes is that it has almost completely replaced clothes shopping. I like looking, but I’m so glad I’ve not had to see the inside of a fitting room for a couple of years now. It also gives me a new appreciation for what’s involved in making […]
Filed under: Techniques | 6 Comments
Tags: fashion, Sewing
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas! I hope everyone’s having a great day. The cute little Christmas tree was made by my mother – such a nice idea.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 3 Comments
Cotton or polyester thread?
I’m trying to use up some of my thread stash. I used to be obsessive about matching thread colour to fabric, so every new project required taking a little fabric swatch into John Lewis and carefully selecting the most appropriate shade of Coats and Clark thread. I’ve just checked the Coats and Clark website and […]
Filed under: thread | 18 Comments
Tags: Sewing, thread
Flowerpot
Fashion has yet to invent a hat that doesn’t look like a flowerpot on me. But on Friday it was snowing as I walked to work, and I ended up having to dry my hair with paper towels in the Ladies. I don’t do umbrellas; I always lose them. So without further ado, here’s my […]
Filed under: overlocker, Sewing | 3 Comments
Tags: beanie, hat, overlocker, Sewing
Tension trouble
My sewing machine’s not happy. The tension’s been slightly off for a long time, but recently it’s got a lot worse. For a long time I thought the problem was the needle tension, which I keep having to turn up higher to get even stitches. But this week the bobbin started rattling and sticking. The […]
Filed under: Machines | 10 Comments
Tags: Sewing, sewing machine, tension
The Dressmaker’s Dictionary
I’m slightly surprised to realise I’ve never yet blogged about one of my favourite sewing reference books, The Dressmaker’s Dictionary by Ann Ladbury. I was lucky enough to find it in a second-hand bookshop soon after I started sewing and picked it up in the hope of finding instructions on on zip insertion that made […]
Filed under: Books, reviews | 2 Comments
Tags: book, Dressmaking, review, Sewing
White fabric blues
Until I started sewing, I don’t think I ever owned a white dress. I think that was mostly due to fear: equal parts of ‘what if I get a dirty mark on it’ and ‘what if my underpinnings show through’. One of the great things about making your own clothes is that you can select […]
Filed under: Dressmaking, Fabric | 5 Comments
Tags: clothes, fabric, Sewing
Wrap dress construction details
I thought I’d post a few construction details about my wrap dress project because I think the design has some nice finishing touches. This is a copy of a Vivienne Westwood style from many years ago. I think it was from her Red Label line. I wore the original dress until it wasn’t much more […]
Filed under: Death Star dress, Dressmaking, Techniques | 4 Comments
Tags: construction, Dressmaking, Sewing
