Like so many people, I fell in love with the Oscar de la Renta floral mini dress that Taylor Swift wore to the 2021 Grammys. I loved the organic beauty and romance of the embroidered flowers climbing the dress, and the blend of 3D elements with 2D embroidery. I also loved the shape – itContinue reading “Creating a designer-inspired dress”
Author Archives: Pippa
No Buy 2022: or what I learned from not buying fabric for 321 days
At the beginning of 2022 I decided that I would try to not buy fabric for a full year. The last purchase I made was on 1 Jan 2022 (a sale purchase – I made the decision to not buy a few days into 2022, so my year wouldn’t quite run for the full calendar).Continue reading “No Buy 2022: or what I learned from not buying fabric for 321 days”
Tutorial: replacing a back zipper with shirring
When I bought RTW, I almost exclusively bought garments I could pull on over my head. I hate zippers. I find them difficult to use (especially back ones), they get stuck, and the teeth can get out of shape easily and then your garment isn’t wearable. I also tend to find very fitted bodices withContinue reading “Tutorial: replacing a back zipper with shirring”
Pattern review: Make by The Fabric Store Poppy Coat
PR: I was provided the mustard vegan wool coating fabric by The Sewist Fabric Shop to make this coat for a paid guest blog post. I am under no obligation to write this post and will not receive any payment for writing it – it is an independent pattern review. You can read my guestContinue reading “Pattern review: Make by The Fabric Store Poppy Coat”
What I wish I could have known when I started sewing, Pt 1
Recently, I was trying to explain what would be involved in self-drafting and sewing a particular type of garment to someone, and it made me think about how much I’ve learned in my first year of sewing garments. And then I thought, if I could write a letter now to go back in time andContinue reading “What I wish I could have known when I started sewing, Pt 1”
Review: Cashmerette Roseclair wrap dress
(Pattern bought with my own money; 100% honest opinion as always.) I love a wrap dress. I always have; there’s something about the simplicity of it that I really love, whilst also being a genius bit of engineering. The lack of fastenings like a zip or button also make wrap dresses fantastic if your measurementsContinue reading “Review: Cashmerette Roseclair wrap dress”
Overhauling my wardrobe: an update, one month in
So in my last post I wrote about basically starting again with my wardrobe from scratch, as I had very few items that fit me, and I identified some gaps that I wanted to work on. For pretty much the first time ever, I’ve followed through on my plans. In the past I’ve tried #makenine,Continue reading “Overhauling my wardrobe: an update, one month in”
Overhauling my wardrobe
CW: talking about body changes It seems fitting to write about this now as it’s very much on theme with making my way to a handmade wardrobe, which is my ultimate goal. Recently I went on a few decluttering sprees. One of these involved tackling my clothing. I own a lot of clothing, not leastContinue reading “Overhauling my wardrobe”
.. and reset!
It’s been over a year since I posted and that isn’t for want of sewing and knitting. Personal moment: I have chronic fatigue syndrome. When I started this blog I was at the mild end of the scale; working full time and able to do some crafting and socialising around work. In June 2020, IContinue reading “.. and reset!”
BHL Hannah, part deux
So in my last post I said I was happy with the fit of the size 24 out of the packet. Well, this quickly changed. The 24 was very gapey on the neckline – about 6″ could have been pinched out – and due to the style, I couldn’t see a way to fix itContinue reading “BHL Hannah, part deux”
Sew Pippa 