Tools of the Trade

Can you guess the trade?

NY Resolution So Far...

So I thought I would give a little update on how I'm doing on my New Year's Resolution (or should I say challenge?) of making my clothes and not buying. And in a nut shell...it's going great! I feel like I've been making at a consistent pace, changing up the difficulty of garments I've been making, and types of fabric. The best thing I've got out of it so far (apart from a fabulous new wardrobe ofcourse!) is confidence in my own abilities. I feel like my dressmaking has come along leaps and bounds!

As I've been posting mainly photos of garments alone, I thought I would post pictures of my clothes in action. It's all well and good seeing a garment on a hanger, but it's supposed to go on a person and that's how you really know it fits! So here goes....

1.) Tartan Coco Jacket (and fur scarf!)

2.) Wool crepe trousers and mustard blouse (both Burda patterns)

3.) 'Joan Dress' (and there's the fur scarf again!)

4.) Aztec skirt (just about!)

...And many more!

I feel like this is the start of something new. When I took my dressmaking vow in January, I wasn't confident that I would be stick to it, but now I'm wondering why I didn't do it sooner. Making your own clothes is so satisfying! With every project I complete, somehow my mental list of 'to makes' gets longer, so there'll be plenty more to come!

My Mustard Blouse

Earlier this week my boss had a clear out of the fabrics she had hoarded over the years and I was assigned the job of packaging them up as remnants for the shop. Ofcourse, I couldn't do this without having first dibs on any fabrics I wanted to add to my personal collection at home. One of these was this lovely sheer mustard fabric-a blouse waiting to be made. And a fabric it became!

The blouse is based on a top from my BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook. I didn't want the bottom to flair out, as in the original pattern, because I know I'l be tucking it into all of my high waited shorts and skirts. Instead of having the waist go in, I simplified the pattern so that it went straight down. Easy! Well, not really. It was my first experience with such a light fabric, so it was challenging to say the least! 

I got there in the end though, and the best part was I got to use one of my vintage buttons that had been sitting in my drawer for years for the top of the blouse! Again, this wasn't featured in the original design, just an extra touch I thought I would add. Hope you like!

Wise Words

Who Doesn't love a Bit of Casserole?

The Map is Finally Here!

Happy Valentines Day!

Hope everyone is having a lovely Valentines Day, whether coupled up or not. As a singleton myself, I thought I would share a few things that I am loving at the moment:

• Sewing (obviously!). I am loving making my own clothes. It has bought me lots more joy than I expected it to and I'm all about doing things that make me happy this year. It's challenging, but so rewarding and the possibilities are endless. My 'dressmaking projects to make' list is ever growing. My recent creation inspired me to make a matching fold over clutch bag too!

• Drawing (duh!). Here's an original sketch for my 'Sewing Essentials' piece.

• Aaron Taylor Johnson/Anna Karenia. Having recently watched Anna Karenia, I can but help swoon over the tasty Aaron Taylor Johnson. Hunky men aside, I absolutely loved the film too! It was done so creatively- almost like a cross between a theatre play and a film. The costumes were also a feast for the eyes and it was jam packed with sexual tension. I'm not usually big on period dramas or Joe Wrights previous films, so I was pleasantly surprised! I definitely recommend it-just have a fan or bucket of cold water handy!

• Reading. Now I've never been much of a reader at all, which is why it surprises me that I have recently been devouring books at quite a fast pace! After my GCSE's I probably didn't read a book for about 5 years! Not even one. Then came Uni where I got into feminism via my dissertation (realising that I was one all along!), so I read anything and everything that relates to feminism and beyond. Still, I was never a reader of novels. I was of the opinion that if you're going to read, you may aswell be gaining knowledge while doing it. Now, having read some novels that actually interested me and that I enjoyed, I totally disagree with my previous ideas. What good book doesn't make you think? I'm totally hooked! Films are also a big part of this too. My film obsession seems to feed my book obsession and vice versa. I have no idea what I did on public transport before I carried books around with me!

That's what I'm loving at this very moment. Hope you're all doing things that you love too and that make you happy. Nothing is more important than your happiness.