The Nutty Seamstress

When I set out my goal at the start of the year, the one colour in the colour palette that filled me with trepidation was Orange.  I have never owned anything Orange.  It's not a colour that appeals to me and therefore to meet this goal I thought I'd be making a small token piece.  Never would I have imagined I would create 3. It just so happened at the start of the year, my sewing inspiration or guru if you will; Emily Hallman, was creating a Navy and Orange collection.  And one of her fabric choices, a rayon-cotton blend Ponte Knit from Mood Fabrics really caught my attention. As soon as I saw it I knew what I was going to make with it.  My favourite and most made summer dress; McCall's pattern M7130.  I have made so many versions of this dress that the tissue pattern is getting quite worn and I should really buy a back up. This dress is actually strapless, but I always add spaghetti straps because they add that extra layer of comfort and I find that I'm ...

The one thing I like about observing a fashion trend is how it gets interpreted.  From how it is constructed to how it can be worn.  The pleated skirt is a classic example of this and there are so many different constructions that I'm inspired to draft my own. As simple as this self drafted skirt was in reality, it actually took me a while to figure out the silhouette I wanted and how I was going to create it.   From scouring Google for inspiration (above pictures from Shopbop and Reiss), my heart was set on something light, free flowing and dynamic, with an exposed waist band that cinched in at the waist. I toyed a lot with fabric choice.  My original thought was to go with an accordion  pleated chiffon, but then I found this grey metallic pleated jersey on Minerva Crafts that I thought would fit the bill better. This fabric had lots of little pleats and to ensure this translated into the final skirt, I tacked all the pleats in place before I cut into the ...

What a strange year 2020 is turning out to be.  If you'd told me in January that we'd be in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, I'm not sure I would have believed you.  If you'd have have told me that I would be making face masks for myself, friends and family, I also wouldn't have believed you.  But here we are. Since the pandemic started, I've been in 2 minds about making face masks.  The scientist in me is dubious about any benefits it has on preventing transmission of Covid 19.  But what I've come to realise, is that the true benefit is in reminding others to keep their social distance. I decided to originally make face masks due to concern for my sister's welfare, as she was on the frontline for the NHS and had no choice but to use public transport to get into work.  And if I had to make one then I may as well make a couple dozen more. I got the pattern off The Great British Sewing Community.  A great resource if you are looking for a way to equip...

My birthday, if I can, is a month long celebration in February.  I am not one of those people that hates their birthday.  What's the point.  It will come round each year like clockwork and rather morn for the earlier years I start the new year as I mean to carry on; with positivity and promise. A big event for this year is that I have bought a new build property.  A dream home if you will, because it is a spacious 2 bed flat, in the city centre (essential as I am a city girl at heart) and makes me feel extremely grown up.  Because of this I have been determined to have "grown up" art in the flat.  And so for the past few months, I've been scouring the art galleries to figure out what type of art speaks to me. The week of my birthday I walked into Castle Fine Art Gallery in Birmingham and was blown away by a piece of art by Nic Joly.  The piece is called Colour Me Up, but the actual sculpture spells Love Life.  It's the most joyous thing I've ever ...

I'm a big fan of this pleated skirt trend that has been going on for the past couple of years.  There is an effortless elegance that comes with it, particularly at mid-length and paired with a nice pair of heels. I decided to make my first skirt out of a designer fabric that I got from Mood Fabrics; a Rag and Bone black cotton twill.  It's a lovely fabric and a bit of an indulgence - but I did get it during Moods designer sale. The pattern I used to create this skirt was McCalls pattern M7906.  I am not sure why I decided to choose this as my first pleated skirt.  I think I was lured in by how classic it looked on the model on the image and the fact it had pockets.  But it wasn't as plain sailing as I thought it would be. For starters this pattern has a gazillion buttons.  Ok this is some what of an exaggeration.  But buttons are some what of a nemesis.  I can always guarantee that no matter how many times I test the buttonhole on the fabric, the ...