Category: Sewing
Step Away from the Seventies.
What *is* my problem? The women on the pattern envelope could have stepped straight from the rough-to-the-touch pages of my Bunty, Judy or Misty magazines. Well maybe not Misty as that was a little darker, the strap line on the envelope would have had to read ‘Little did Taffy know, the ring was bewitched’. Why… Continue reading Step Away from the Seventies.
Dating leggings.
No, not a new show on Tacky TV. A unimportant conundrum I challenge you to solve. You might want to pop on some sunglasses, it’s going to get bright. I have had these leggings a long, long, long time. They are vintage/original/so-old-the-elastic-is-starting-to-crackle Benetton. Now, without going into the loft and fighting through several boxes of… Continue reading Dating leggings.
I wear a fez now,
fezzes are cool. Oh, and a bow tie. Bow ties are cool. And a dress. Dresses are cool. This dress being an edited version of Simplicity 5803, view 1. I drafted a skirt section and added armhole facings to the neck facings to make it sleeveless. Two new (to me) stitches were employed. I forgot… Continue reading I wear a fez now,
Fit for a king?
What do you think? Fit for an audience with a king? Or, more accurately, fit to be in the audience watching the machinations of not one but two kings? Making this frock was part of some pre-play prep. There was homework of both a practical and a theoretical nature to be done. Want a new… Continue reading Fit for a king?
Separation, displacement and a sheep called Sheila
The youngest member of our family is away. Even the cats appear to miss her. Prior to her departure the short-haired cat slept on her pile of half-packed things, giving every impression of knowing that the suitcase symbolised imminent separation. Pack me too. Last night, youngest’s first night away, the long-haired cat was unsettled and… Continue reading Separation, displacement and a sheep called Sheila
Makes me want to nip behind the bike sheds
I’ve made something a bit twee you see. I could be more detailed with regards the garment construction but basically it’s a circle skirt. I have to put the blame fairly and squarely on the shoulders of Margaret McCrirrick. In her book Better Dressmaking, she blithely tells me that one of the few things that you can… Continue reading Makes me want to nip behind the bike sheds
Bronte Beach Babe
No, not me. As if! The eponymous Babe was admired from afar, she will never know of my existence or how she inspired me. Let me set the scene. We have travelled to The Other Side of the World. We are jet-lagged, we are hungry, we have embarked upon a possibly over-ambitious hike along the… Continue reading Bronte Beach Babe
Reverse Nasturtium
Is there a special place in your heart for the fashions of your early childhood? Do you hark after a pair of loon pants, a granny square waistcoat, a ra-ra skirt? I have a theory you see. It’s this. If you were too young to sport the adult fashions of the time they will forever… Continue reading Reverse Nasturtium
Not one for the purists
Is this cheating? Is this the sewing equivalent of a packet of cake mix? I’m going out on a limb here, I say not. I say that there is still room for a pinch of the personal, a dash of the different, a hint of the handmade. What am I talking about? My present to… Continue reading Not one for the purists