In this post I’m going to do a round up of the various swaps I’ve recently been involved in. I’ve been having fun with Swapbot , you can read about it here. I took part in a swap on the theme of “Monochromatic Purple”
I sent this card on the theme “Whatever”
I sent this handmade notelette…
Here are some handmade postcards I received as swapbot swaps.… Read the rest
A couple of weeks ago, another of my domestic sewing machines bit the dust. It’s gears crumbled, most likely due to the amount of zigzagging I subjected it to whilst making lots of brooches before Christmas. I had the choice of getting it repaired, getting another similar one, or taking the plunge and investing in an industrial machine that does straight stitch and zig zag.… Read the rest
I have long been a fan of the fabric designed by Kaffe Fassett and his partners Philip Jacobs and Brandon Mabley, collectively known as “The KFC Collective”.
The bright, bold, joyous designs are instantly recognisable and very appealing . However I had never actually bought, sewn with, or even been in the same room as an actual piece of the fabric.… Read the rest
A customer asked if I could customised this 2 piece suit she had made 24 years ago for her daughters wedding….
I googled the designer and found out that a wedding dress she made is in the V&A Museum in London
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O83520/wedding-dress-akers-douglas-julian/
There’s more information about her here..
http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/julian_akers-douglas.htm#.V_4juPkrLIU
so, no pressure, then!
look at the amazing smoking on the sleeves, this is the designers hallmark, all done by hand…
Because the suit is made from silk I decided to use silk to customise it, I bought these beautiful hand dyed silk ribbons from Hope Jacare Designs
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HopeJacareDesigns… Read the rest
This blanket was knitted by my other half Steve’s Great Granny from wool she unravelled from old jumpers, he inherited it about 40 years ago and for the last 15 it has covered the armchair he sits in. After washing it I noticed that some of the seams were coming apart, so I put it aside to repair, in that pile of stuff waiting to be repaired, you know, the tall pile.… Read the rest
Over the years I’ve been asked many times where I get my inspiration and ideas from for my clothing . My answer is always “the fabric”. To me, each piece of fabric is a work of art, an artist has designed it, chosen the colours, selected the fibres for it to be woven with, or printed on – they’ve put all of their experience and expertise into it.… Read the rest
I bought these shisha (or mirrored) embroidered pieces in India sometime last century, they’ve hung around in my workshop for at least 15 years. I intended making them into wearable belts, didn’t happen, and to be honest I think the market for mirrored belts is somewhat limited to belly dancers . They are very heavy and inflexible due to the large number of mirrors on each one, and that limits their usefulness on clothing.… Read the rest
