I love Kew; ode to my favourite pattern

The Kew dress is one of my all time favourite patterns. When I first became interested in dressmaking I was living away and didn't have a sewing machine so set myself to planning (read: spending too much time on Pinterest) and the Kew was one I heavily pinned and bookmarked. Photo from the Nina Lee …

Lockdown loungewear – my favourite patterns

Who else can count on one hand the number of days they've worn a bra since lockdown? Strangely, for me jewellery was the first thing to leave my daily routine in lockdown - normally I wear a necklace, earrings and a minimum of two rings but stripped them all off in March and have barely …

Iris blouse by Le Camelia Rose

As you may know I recently launched my Modista French labels, as a little homage to both the time I cherished living in France and my love of all things French fashion. Hopefully you have discovered it by now, but the French DIY fashion scene is HUGE. And fabuleuse. As you might expect, French pattern …

New Look6461 trousers

Even before lockdown, I was dreaming of comfy linen trousers to lounge in. Linen makes me dream of warm summer evenings, romantic European city breaks and categorically not being sweaty. Aka, the ideal garment. I wanted a simple, wide leg shape and elasticated waist to be friendly to the extra tummy rolls I've gained during …

Over £1675 raised!

Wow, just wow! When I laid out my target of £1500 during #memademay2020 for the sewing labels, I really thought I was pushing the realms of possibility a bit. But here we are just halfway through #memademay and we've not only hit the target, we've SMASHED IT! When I released my French labels on Friday …

DIY Rouje Dorine dress

Earlier this month I used the Sew Over It Eve dress to recreate one of my favourite designer brands, Rouje. I really enjoyed the process of this, and not just because I love a bargain (and man, DO I) but because it helped to really focus my pattern and fabric planning. I don't know about …

Sew Over it Eve Dress

So. We all know of my borderline creepy francophile obsession with French style and its place in my #MeMadeMay2020 objectives. Having studied French since I was tiny and after living in France for a few years, I love their style and have come to really enjoy incorporating my adoration for la vie française into my …

My pledges for #MeMadeMay2020

The time is flying by this year and for some reason, the routine of lockdown is meaning for me the days pass even more quickly than usual, and suddenly May is here again! I am not a creature of routine. I have mentioned in previous posts that I usually travel 12 weeks of the year …

True Bias Ogden Hack

Sometimes you successfully hack a pattern, and sometimes you make a complete hack of it. Such was my experience of playing with the Ogden cami pattern this weekend. I had the insta-perfect idea of making a cute ruffle bottom Ogden hack in the half a metre of gingham I had left from my Burda Hepburn …

Burda Hepburn dress

It's mad how the lockdown changes your perspective so quickly. Usually I travel around 12 weeks per year for my work and rarely spend a full month in the UK; my main hobby besides sewing is exploring the places I'm lucky enough to visit for work and researching what to see and do. Last week …

Liberty Dress by Simply Sewing

For a long time I've fantasized about being as effortlessly chic as the French, who seem to have the knack for making a sack look classy. As far as I can tell from careful study and Instagram stalking, the common denominator between the French women who look so cool on their way to buy the …

Beginner-friendly sewing ideas during lockdown

With the Great British Sewing Bee starting on the 22nd April and the majority of people in the world now living under some sort of lockdown, it makes sense that a lot of people will want to start sewing as a new way to pass the time. A lot of people who have bought the …

Doll cardigan pattern

We all know of my deep affection for the Luna Lapin patterns by Sarah Peel. On her website she sells gorgeous patterns for knitted shawls and accessories but unfortunately I can't knit! So, I've had a play with crochet and come up with the below pattern that would work for any doll, in my case …

An update on #isewlation labels

Just over a week ago I launched a batch of labels I had cooked up, designed and ordered online with very little certainty of what I was doing except I wanted to try and do something positive in the current crisis. When a huge quantity of them arrived in the post I really thought I'd …

Claudie top

Last November I attended the Dublin Knitting and Stitching show with my mum. It was lovely to make the weekend of it and we love these huge shows that really show the scale of the sewing community in the UK. Whilst there I was lucky enough to win a prize draw run by Quilt Yarn …

The hoppiest Easter Bunny: Luna Lapin

Have you ever found a pattern that makes your heart beat faster than a rabbit? As soon as you see it your mind starts whirring with the possibilities and you are already trying to cancel every social engagement you have over the next few weeks in order to hide yourself away with it and sew. …

In the Folds jumpsuit

Sew, how has everyone's week been? In my flat we've settled into a pretty solid quarantine routine; I'm working from home which provides structure to my day and after work I'm giving myself 2 hours each day to sew; something that is so important to keep me sane and calm. I feel lucky to have …

Made in self-isewlation : sewing for good

A couple of weeks ago I was starting to feel pretty helpless about this whole situation. The whole world seemed to be struggling and on a personal level I was finding it hard to adjust quickly enough to this new reality, which had come upon us so fast. The fact is that the best thing …

Isewlation diaries

There's a group of people you don't hear grumbling about self-isolation or the lockdown or the queue in Tesco. They are the crafters. When the call comes to stay home, lock the door, ideally not see anyone else and busy yourself quietly for 3 months please, the crafters firmly nod and pick up the project …

Bags of time

In my last post I laid out some plans for making while I #stayhome; this week I ticked one of the first items off the list! This week I've been working through my #isewlation list; I made a toile of the Claudie Blouse which fitted well so I'm aiming to start that this weekend and …