New favourite dresses alert! The Just Patterns Helena Wrap Dress is newly released but it has been months in the making. I worked on the pattern instructions for this and…

The Peppermint Paddington Top is the latest freebie from Australian lifestyle Peppermint Magazine. Every time they release a new issue they also have a new (free) sewing pattern and they…

Marketing via social media and blogs – with the use of “real” people (vs. paid models for example) – is prolific in the sewing world (and fashion, beauty, and a…

McCalls 7969 (M7969) -sewist cult favourite – is about big sleeves, so I thought the Merchant and Mills cotton hemp blend would work well. More than likely you have heard…

Seeing as it’s Fashion Revolution week again (my post about it is here), it seemed fitting to be writing about sustainable-ish textiles from which I made my Fibre Mood Aila.…

Fashion Revolution Week 2021 is here again. It is something I’ve been following for some years now and I like everything that it stands for. In particular, it is the…

Indie sweater (and tee) patterns are everywhere. But actually, how many patterns do you own? You can do a lot with just ONE pattern, if you hack away at it.…

Fibersort is one of many innovation projects happening in the textile recycling sphere. As you might have guessed from the name, it’s about fibre sorting! The project, which ran from…

A simple no pattern gathered skirt refashion this week – a spur of the moment project. It’s rare to go from “I like this” to “ta dad” within 48 hours,…

Late last year I heard Dutch sustainable fashion consultant Roosmarie Ruigrok speak about fibre blends and textile recycling. The context: the talk was at Impact Hub Amsterdam and mostly about…

Do you make sewing plans? Mine are always super loose, ideas on a postcard if you will. For 2021 I have decided that this is the year of fashion, starting…

The conscious consumer – a sustainability buzzword that many of us have probably heard by now. In the aftermath of the end of year Black Friday / Cyber Monday shopping…

In the second half of 2020 I still sewed all the things. I think this year, in particular, many hobbyists turned to sewing as a creative outlet. For me, sewing…

Be still my beating heart, because I have Just Patterns Tatjana Trousers! The story begins some months ago. I was lamenting to Delphine that I could not buy the high…

The Lotte Martens Cypres Box is a sewing kit containing all the necessary items to make a sweater. Don’t know Lotte Martens? I have been a long time admirer of…

I refashioned an unloved dress into a Fibre Mood Holly! (affiliate link) Sometimes things just don’t work out and earlier this summer I made a dress as part of a…

This year I want to wear all the turtleneck, so I made four. 3x Papercut Rise and 1x Fibre Mood Daniella (affiliate link). Excessive? Maybe yes but winter does not…

The Just Pattern Tyra Tee was released in August, and I’d already made 2 versions. Then I saw that the Sewcialists are having a mini #SewcialistsTNTee challenge (TNT = Tried…

Do you have a blog or Instagram account that includes ads, gift and sponsored posts? For example, did the owner of a sewing or fashion business give you something for…

A new make – a hacked version of the Fibre Mood Giulia dress from the latest edition of Fibre Mood (affiliate link). If you’re active on Instagram you’ll probably have…

When I first saw the Fibre Mood Norma pattern amongst the issue 9 spring/summer offerings, this was my favourite. Turns out it was also everyone else’s favourite! And it was…

For someone who is supposedly into sustainability, I’ve been sewing all the things in the first half of 2020. A few things happened: I started working in sewing, which gives…

Of all the sustainability topics out there, the issue of greenwashing is pretty problematic. Organic textiles – especially organic cotton – if certified GOTS, is one of those textiles widely…

If 2019 was all about dungarees and jumpsuits patterns, then 2020 is the year of elastic waist tapered leg pants. Or trousers for my UK friends. I’ve seen 5+ indie…

Fashion Revolution has rolled around again, can you believe it’s been 7 years? Last year I wrote about the big issues in fashion, and the year before that it was…

It’s been quiet around here in these parts, no? Besides us moving house fairly recently, like many parents we find ourselves suddenly more busy and more tired than before. Having…

As I write this, the Instagram hashtag #makeyourstash started by myself and Pilar 2 years ago has reached >8000 posts. Whilst it’s not all sewing challenge related – wow! What…

Did you see my last post thinking about the sustainability of natural dyes? I’d pretty much decided that if I was ever going to try it, then it would be…

Natural dyes – another buzz term in the sustainable world and I’m starting to see it become more popular in the sewing world. Being sucked in by pretty pictures of…

What’s the difference between a home sewist and sewing professional? How do you take your sewing to the next level to turn your homemades into couture pieces? Want to know…

One of the most common questions I get from friends, family, random emails in my inbox is about the choice of fibre for clothing. I had it again the other…

Ever made jeans, accessories or casual trousers? (I’m thinking Lander pants). A leather label on the outside for me is the ideal finish for stuff like denim but I never…

Did you see my recent blog post on a recycled fabric collaboration? It’s available for sale: a DIY sustainable tote bag kit with all the sustainable sewing vibes. *UPDATE 5…

Local or offshore production? Transparency in the fashion business is a funny beast. I love everything about apparel fabric and for the past few years I’ve always wanted to do…

If you’ve been following me on Instagram you might have seen I’ve been hinting at a new project. And you heard me right, it involves sustainably produced fabric woven with…

Deadstock. Over the last couple of years, I have heard a lot of people talking about buying deadstock (or overstock) as their method of incorporating sustainability into their sewing. The…

Ever thought much about what’s behind the amount of money you pay for your fabric? The questioning around how a could t-shirt could possibly cost £3 at a low priced…

If you’re into sustainable fashion you’ll have come across Clare Press, sustainability editor at large for Vogue Australia as well as the author of the books Wardrobe Crisis and Rise…

The title is a rhetorical question – it is I believe a truth universally acknowledged, that there is no such thing as “most sustainable” when it comes to textiles. (Sorry,…

Guess what? Come November, my toddler is going to be a big brother. Of all the joys that come with pregnancy, there are also a lot of pain points, whether…

Construction of a double faced wool crepe jacket with couture techniques – part 2 on pockets, collar and topstitching

Construction of a double faced wool crepe jacket with couture techniques

Do you make quilts? Today I’m sharing the first quilt I ever started, and the first one that was made solely by me. As it was for my son I…

A potential solution for small scale artisan textile dyers in developing countries to treat dye effluent

As Fashion Revolution gets bigger each year, so do the high profile events. This year’s Fashion Question Time event on 24 April had a panel discussion about the future of…

April to me means Fashion Revolution. Today I’m thinking of one of the most dedicated changemakers I know. Clare Farrell – academic, fashion professional and environmental activist – taught me…