‘If you have hope you have everything’. (Irfon and Becky’s Motto – Quote taken from Becky Williams, Irfon’s wife’s Facebook page.) This week I finished my fourth pair of Turia dungarees by Pauline Alice Patterns. I pledged just before World Cancer Day to sew #aweekofturias, seven pairs by the end of February 2015 to raise 250 euros for my […]
The #aweekofturias Charity Challenge: Will You Help Me?
I want to raise money for my friend’s cancer charity and I need your help! I’ve been making the Turia Dungarees pattern by Pauline Alice Patterns recently – it was a natural progression from all my jumpsuit making! Anyway, I’ve been wearing my Turias a lot and following the posting of a pic of my […]
How to Find the Best Sleeveless Jumpsuit Pattern.
As the jumpsuit trend continues in ready to wear, more jumpsuit sewing patterns are springing up on the market, but with so much choice, it’s difficult to know which one to buy. The good news is, I’m a ‘jumpsuit-a-holic’ and I’ve done a lot of the researching leg-work for you. Here’s my roundup of three of […]
3 Tips for Making a Denim Jumpsuit You’ll Love
Happy 2015, I hope the year’s treating you well and you’re sewing up a storm! I’ve completed a few projects already and although it’s soo last year, I’m still making jumpsuits and LOVING them! I’ve made 11 in the last 18 months. #jumpsuitobsessed Here’s my latest denim one. Love them or hate them, you can’t deny that […]
Pretty in Pink: 3 Reasons to Love Ralph Pink’s Kimono Tabard Shirt Pattern.
My pattern reviewing has been scant lately so let’s dive back in with the reasons why I love this kimono-sleeved shirt pattern from Ralph Pink. 1) Easy to Make – The pattern instructions are easy to follow, even for beginners and ‘tired’ sewers like me, with pictures to guide you through every sewing step. The most ‘challenging’ […]
Sustainable Textiles – Revealed: The Shocking Toxic Truth about Children’s Clothing.
I’m kicking off my new ‘Sustainable Textiles’ blog series with shocking breaking news from Europe. Recent testing by the Greenpeace Detox campaign of children’s and teen’s clothing and footwear from German, Austrian and Swiss supermarkets and other retailers, revealed numerous products containing dangerous levels of toxic chemicals, potentially harmful to our children’s health. Among the worst […]
Who Else Wants To Grab a Sewing Pattern Bargain?
‘That’s your fault,’ my husband teased after hearing this: “CONSUMPTION DROPS IN EUROPE DURING THIRD QUARTER OF 2014 The European economy has registered a new decline of the consumer propensity to buy indicator, according to the market research institute Gfk.” (from Sportswear International.) Ok so I’m probably not completely responsible for the economic downturn, but […]
Trendwatch: Get with the active wear trend with the Hudson Pants pattern.
It’s official. Active wear is trendy and will be around for at least another year. It’s become everyday wear and I say, it’s about time! Fashion reflects what’s going on in society and when we’re all putting our best health foot forward, then our clothes follow suit. Sporty clothing is comfortable and versatile so it’s not surprising […]
How to beat the sewing blues with Pattern Parcel #6.
‘I am having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, I told everybody. No one even answered. Next week, I said, I’m going to Australia.’ This sums up how I’ve been feeling lately and explains my blogging and sewing hiatus! Sometimes being a parent sucks! Sometimes being a parent in a foreign country SUCKS! Sometimes being […]
Holidaying in Europe.
As I mentioned in my last post, we’ve just returned from a family trip to Italy. Next week my older daughter starts school and we were happily spending her final weeks of freedom doing summery things in Germany, when the weather took a turn for the worse. We couldn’t accept such an abrupt end to our carefree […]