SEWRENDIPITY
BALLOON SLEEVE QUILTED TOP | FIBRE MOOD NALA HACK
HANDMADE WARDROBE

BALLOON SLEEVE QUILTED TOP | FIBRE MOOD NALA HACK

After 10+ years of sewing, I find that it’s quite hard to just sew something right out of the pack. I just get this itch to add a twist or change even a small detail, or downright hack the life out of a pattern. Case in point, the Fibre Mood Nala top. This is from the very first issue of Fibre Mood magazine. If you’re not aware of who they are just yet, check out my review and more details here. I can call this my ‘name day (or saint day) jumper’, as I bought the fabric with the money…

25 February 2020
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DIY SCUBA RUFFLE SLEEVE SWEATER | FIBRE MOOD ROSALIE HACK
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DIY SCUBA RUFFLE SLEEVE SWEATER | FIBRE MOOD ROSALIE HACK

I have never been a sweater person. No, not me. People used to describe me as more of a pencil skirt + button-down shirt lady. And heels, definitely heels. But lately, comfortable casual has become more and more a thing for me. Enter dressed up sweaters. And by dressed up I mean fancy sleeves, ruffles, cute necklines and more. Yes, ruffle sleeve sweaters, it’s a thing! Meet Exhibit A, a ruffled sleeve sweater that appeared in my life and my wardrobe by complete accident. Yes, this top was totally meant to be a dress. And by that, I mean that…

28 January 2020
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HANDMADE, LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE | TIME TO SEW ZERO WASTE BAG KIT REVIEW
HANDMADE WARDROBE

HANDMADE, LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE | TIME TO SEW ZERO WASTE BAG KIT REVIEW

[GIFTED] I’m so excited about this project, dear readers! This is a really special product review, as it’s probably one of the most sustainable collaborations I have ever had. It’s a bag that is quite high up on the sustainability scale: it’s made with fabric from post-consumer recycled garments woven in the Netherlands, recycled leather, uses a zero-waste pattern and it’s handmade. FULL DISCLOSURE: Kate (Time to Sew) is a good friend and she offered me the fabric and pattern for free to test the kit out. She didn’t actually ask for a review, just my honest feedback on the…

6 November 2019
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DIY JACQUARD OVERSIZED JUMPSUIT
HANDMADE WARDROBE

DIY JACQUARD OVERSIZED JUMPSUIT

Hopefully, by now you know that I am all about building a meaningful and mindful wardrobe. That means thinking hard before jumping into a sewing project so that the resulting item fits into my life, wardrobe and style just right. This way, it will get loads and loads of wear (well, at least 30) and fulfil its life mission and respect the use of resources that went into making it. Well, I have to say that this jacquard oversized jumpsuit was not necessarily very well-conceived, but it did end up being one of my most worn items of the summer.…

13 October 2019
7 Comments
DIY TIERED A-LINE DRESS | FIBRE MOOD MIRA REVIEW
HANDMADE WARDROBE

DIY TIERED A-LINE DRESS | FIBRE MOOD MIRA REVIEW

You might remember that a few months ago I was complaining about my lack of sewing motivation. Well, I am definitely over that. And the reason is that I’ve fallen for Fibre Mood, and fallen hard. I made 5 of their patterns in the past couple of weeks and I don’t think I’m stopping any time soon. 3 are from Issue 5 which I reviewed in the previous post, one is a free pattern, Frances, which I thoroughly recommend and this is Mira from Issue 4. Reviews for all coming up on the blog soon. I still can’t say what…

26 August 2019
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VINTAGE FOR THE MODERN MINIMALIST PART 2 | HOW TO DO FASHION MADRID TROUSERS REVIEW
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VINTAGE FOR THE MODERN MINIMALIST PART 2 | HOW TO DO FASHION MADRID TROUSERS REVIEW

[Advertorial feature] Thank you for your love for the Vanlose top in my previous post. You and me both, dear readers, as I have been wearing it loads. I was quite surprised at how versatile a vintage-ish top can really be. Now it’s time to share the second part of this collaboration, the one that was actually the more challenging out of the two. I give you How to Do Fashion Madrid trousers, because everybody needs blush pink culottes in their lives, right? (Please go back to the previous post to learn more about how I ended up working with…

27 June 2019
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VINTAGE FOR THE MODERN MINIMALIST PART 1 | HOW TO DO FASHION NO. 7 VANLOSE TOP REVIEW
HANDMADE WARDROBE

VINTAGE FOR THE MODERN MINIMALIST PART 1 | HOW TO DO FASHION NO. 7 VANLOSE TOP REVIEW

[AD] Readers, the sewjo is back! With a vengeance, I might add… It’s been a shameful weekend of binging, both sewing and…wait for it, Killing Eve. My husband was away for the weekend, so I took the opportunity to sew, guilt-free, to my heart’s content. And I also switched my laptop on and dived deep into Villanelle’s awesome pink wardrobe. If you have no idea what I’m on about, check the show out on IMDB (and if you’re in the UK, also available to binge-watch both seasons on the BBC iPlayer). These two binges are weirdly connected, as you might…

13 June 2019
8 Comments
The shirt dress to end all shirt dresses | Ralph Pink Sahara review
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The shirt dress to end all shirt dresses | Ralph Pink Sahara review

It really is about time I shared my version of the Ralph Pink Sahara shirt dress with you! It only took me a few years, but she is finally hitting the blog. I have been wearing it loads lately, so it’s only fair that I do a write up of the pattern as well, in case anyone feels like giving it a go. To me, this is the mother of all shirt dresses, and not just because any other shirt dress you can think of could probably fit into it a few times. If you are into this kind of…

30 May 2019
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A white shirt with a twist | Mood Patterns Melia blouse review
HANDMADE WARDROBE

A white shirt with a twist | Mood Patterns Melia blouse review

Have you picked up the fact that I just used Mood in relation to a pattern? Yes, it is the same Mood as in Mood Fabrics, perhaps the most famous fabric shop in the world. And it turns out that they also do patterns, and free ones at that! If you are curious to see what they could be like, read on for a full review of my first attempt at a Mood free pattern and my thoughts on the Melia blouse. Mood Patterns Melia blouse – The pattern I saw this pattern last autumn on Instagram and my first…

8 March 2019
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How I stopped worrying and learned to embrace the creases | Linen Ann Normandy Maxi Dress
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How I stopped worrying and learned to embrace the creases | Linen Ann Normandy Maxi Dress

[Advertorial Feature] Readers, for the length of this post, let’s embark together on a bit of a fantastic journey. If, like me, you are looking out the window and can see frost or even snow, talking about a linen maxi dress might be a bit unrealistic, even crazy. So let’s suspend our disbelief for a second and imagine we’re in the Southern Hemisphere, or in the Caribbean or somewhere else that feels like a holiday. If you’re already living in one of those places, that’s ok, no fantasy journey for you, just a regular ol’ pattern review. Right, are you with me? Mentally…

15 February 2019
6 Comments