I acquired this pattern for the Coco Trouser from Ralph Pink patterns as part of my winnings in the Sewalongs and Sewing Contests group on Facebook. I was not only attracted by the photos, but by the description: “Uniquely Extraverted Coco Trousers: The 1920’s were an awe-inspiring era, and now you can bring a bit of retro-chic into […]
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I’ve been wanting a Mondrian dress since the late 1960s and have been looking for an affordable original dress pattern for a few years now, and even bought the Great British Sewing Bee book because it had the pattern in it. However, I was quite disappointed that it isn’t a very sophisticated pattern and seems to […]
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Remember my post on the making of a raincoat pattern? Well, the raincoat is made and I’m quite pleased with it! Followers on Instagram may recognise this photo taken in London, where the coat got its inaugural outing. The sculpture is called “Still Water” and represents a drinking horse. It is 10m tall – isn’t it […]
Read moreI’ve been participating in the Sew a Seasonal Wardrobe: Sleepwear Edition on Facebook, and I have to make six pieces. I managed five and then got distracted by other shiny things, and also couldn’t think of what I needed, and I hate sewing for the sake of it. Then the next SSW came out and […]
Read moreIt’s the Sleepwear Edition of the Sew a Seasonal Wardrobe challenge on Facebook and I decided to make lounging pyjamas reminiscent of the 1930s, rather than something I would actually go to bed in. I imagine myself draped languidly on a chaise, maybe with a glass of something splendid in my hand, as I twirl my […]
Read moreMy undies drawer has been looking a trifle tatty so I decided to make some new sets. I really wanted to improve the fit of my bras, so I used scraps of various sorts. My first effort was a set from tricot but I forgot to take photos, so here is set number two, made whilst […]
Read moreI needed to make a couple of shrugs to test the pattern for the tutorial, and these are the result. The first one is made from a wool blend from Textile Traders. It’s pretty stretchy and drapey and I thought it would be just right for the pattern. I added the long pieces to this […]
Read moreThis is a tutorial to make the shrug below which I blogged here. It’s called a “sneaky shrug” because I got the idea and (ahem) dimensions from one I tried on in a shop, and which cost, I should mention, $600! Mine is slightly different because the RTW shrug didn’t have those extra flaps at the […]
Read moreI used to own a top with ruched cuffs and collar and, although it’s long gone, I thought I’d have a go at copying it. Because I was working from my rather sketchy memory, I have experimented a little. My first try is this simple black top with the collar and cuffs (and my original was black). […]
Read moreI decided that I needed a skirt for my Sew a Seasonal Wardrobe challenge, and, given my impost of using a pattern I’ve never used before, I chose Vogue 1524, a skirt pattern from the 1970s, so it also meets my vintage pledge requirement. As you can see, it goes with my velvet jacket and my […]
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