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Boiled Wool Coat Plans
Let's talk about boiled wool shall we?! I've been interested in this fabric for a while, primarily because sewing with it allows many shortcuts for the lazy amongst us (of which I am queen!) For those...
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Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge 2015
Marie from A Stitching Odyssey has just announced the return of the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge for a second year - hoorah! This year she'll be co-hosting it with Kerry from Kestrel Makes which  is...
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Tips for working with boiled wool
I'm getting there with my boiled wool coat. Despite a slight hiccup, my fabric has arrived and is now prepped and ready for cutting, wahay! The slight hiccup is that the beautiful light grey/blue...
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Sewing by the rules
For the past week I've been making another Mortmain dressby Gather Kits. This time round though, it's not for me - it's a sample for Badger and Earl, to publicise a future Mortmain dressmaking class....
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Come sew with me!
I'm delighted (and a tiny bit scared!) to announce that I'll be teaching a Mortmain dressmaking class at Badger & Earl in Chiswick. Yayyyyy! The class will run on two consecutive Sundays in March...
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Finished: Boiled wool coat
As of today, I'm the proud owner of a boiled wool collarless coat! I took my time making it, and apart from a couple of niggles, it's more or less exactly as I imagined it would be. It's an open coat...
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White Russian Sweatshirt - Jane style
It's been COLD in London recently. So cold in fact that three layers often aren't enough to stop me whingeing.  So when I saw that Emmie was selling off some sweater knit from her stash, I snapped it...
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All about bark cloth
If you've got a soft spot for vintage fabrics then you've probably come across barkcloth at some point. I often see it at vintage fairs and on vintage fabric websites, but have never used it or indeed...
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Sewing out of season
I don't know about you, but when the weather turns cold I tend to do two things on the wardrobe front. Firstly I sew a few functional, knit garments. Then I make a trip to Uniqlo and stock up on merino...
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Ghost in the machine
Let me tell you a story involving a lightbulb and an overlocker. No, please stay! It gets a bit more interesting than that, I promise! A little while ago, the bulb on my overlocker stopped working and...
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A springtime Granville
If you were looking forward to reading a long blog post all about Granville - Arkwright's long suffering nephew from Open All Hours - then I'm sorry to disappoint you. This post is all about shirt...
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Mother's Day gift idea
Stuck for something to give your mum on Mother's Day? Why not go the handmade route and make her a cute holder for her mobile phone? My step-by-step tutorial for making one is this month's featured...
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Fashion with Fabric book review
Just as the Great British Sewing Bee seems to have evolved as a TV series (more challenging tasks, contestants working with a variety of different fabrics and techniques etc), so too does the...
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Silk crepe de chine madness
I briefly lost the power of rational thought at the Knitting and Stitching Show last week. Not quite to the same level as the lady next to me who had four carrier bags of wool and was mumbling, "I...
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Barkcloth skirt
Behold my barkcloth skirt! I wanted to make a relatively simple garment to show off the lovely retro fabric design as much as possible, so decided on a vintage pattern from the 1950's. The pattern is...
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Tie by Joe
Today I have another gent-in-a-tie combo on the blog and it's not even Christmas! Let me introduce you to my friend Joe Alessi - actor, bon viveur, devoted uncle and snappy dresser. I've known him...
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Mortmain fest
For the past two Sundays I've been teaching a Mortmain dress class at Badger and Earl. The Mortmain pattern is a simple shape (fitted bodice, waistband and skirt), with a few interesting techniques to...
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One Seam Skirt Explained
After last week's post on the 1950's one seam skirt pattern, I received several comments and emails from readers all intrigued to know how such a skirt is put together. So I've written a post about it....
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Spring Liberty Giveaway
It looks like spring has finally sprung, so to celebrate the longer evenings and warmer days I'm running a spring giveaway, woohoo!! And what could be more suited to spring sewing than Liberty fabric?...
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A bit of crafting
Easter holidays + a horrible stinking cold = lots of lying around on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. There hasn't been much dressmaking going on I'm afraid, but I did manage to get on with a few...
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