SEWRENDIPITY

Green 10 items capsule wardrobe outfits (10×10 challenge) | + April One Year Wardrobe Count Update
STYLE

Green 10 items capsule wardrobe outfits (10×10 challenge) | + April One Year Wardrobe Count Update

Dear readers, it’s May again and that time of the year when the sewing community is celebrating the self-made wardrobe. I’m not officially taking part this year, but it so happens that I still have a bit of sewn inspiration ready for you. At the end of March/beginning of April, I embarked on my minimalistic capsule exercises, and style a combination of 10 hand-made and RTW wardrobe staples in 10 different outfits. You can read more about it in this post. Today I’m sharing these outfits and will also do a quick update of the April Wardrobe count stats as…

7 May 2019
4 Comments
8 sustainable and ethical fashion documentaries you must watch
SUSTAINABILITY

8 sustainable and ethical fashion documentaries you must watch

On the 24th April, we are commemorating 6 years since the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013. It is considered the deadliest structural failure accident in modern human history, and therefore also the deadliest garment-factory accident in history with 1134 workers killed and over 2500 injured (source: Wikipedia). Fashion Revolution is an NGO whose mission is to ensure that accidents such as Rana Plaza never occur again, aiming “to unite people and organisations to work together towards radically changing the way our clothes are sourced, produced and consumed, so that our clothing is made in a safe, clean and fair way”.…

25 April 2019
5 Comments
ONE YEAR WEAR COUNT PROJECT | MARCH UPDATE + A NEW 10×10 SPRING CAPSULE WARDROBE
STYLE

ONE YEAR WEAR COUNT PROJECT | MARCH UPDATE + A NEW 10×10 SPRING CAPSULE WARDROBE

Urgh, already mid April… On the plus side, we are definitely truly on our way to spring here in the UK. I am actually going to work and it’s light and it doesn’t get dark before I’m home either! It’s still not warm enough to start wearing lighter outfits, but I still have plenty of milage in the cold weather wardrobe. Allow me to demonstrate… in the March One Year Wear Count update. Plus, keep reading for a new capsule wardrobe exercise, with a suitably spring theme: the colour green! What you can expect in this post: The March numbers!…

16 April 2019
2 Comments
Fabric Shopping in The Hague | A mini guide
MY FABRIC SHOPS GUIDES

Fabric Shopping in The Hague | A mini guide

Last weekend I enjoyed the most amazing mini holiday in The Hague (The Netherlands) with my best friend from Romania. I was at a work conference Monday to Wednesday, so we took advantage and squeezed in a few ‘girlfriend-time’ days as well. If you have not been, I definitely recommend as an antidote to the craziness of Amsterdam (and definitely less smell of weed everywhere!). And of course, what is a sewing nerd to do other than to find the nearest fabric shops, right? Whilst my friend engaged in some more traditional retail therapy, I did a whistle-stop tour of…

7 April 2019
3 Comments
SEWING PROJECTS FOR A ZERO-WASTE LIFE | SEWING VS WASTE IN THE KITCHEN (PART 1)
SUSTAINABILITY

SEWING PROJECTS FOR A ZERO-WASTE LIFE | SEWING VS WASTE IN THE KITCHEN (PART 1)

Sewing for a zero waste life is turning into a series here on the blog. If you missed the initial post on fighting the Big 4 of disposable plastic with your secret weapon, sewing, you can check it out here. I also tackled waste in the bathroom in this post. Well, dear readers, the time has come now to tackle the waste in the kitchen that can be defeated with the help of our sewing skills, therefore cutting out waste from our lives and benefiting the environment. Plus such great scrap-busting ideas as well… So here are a few ideas…

29 March 2019
10 Comments
ON SEWING AND MOTIVATION |11 IDEAS FOR WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR SEWING MOJO
SEWING

ON SEWING AND MOTIVATION |11 IDEAS FOR WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR SEWING MOJO

Dear readers, I haven’t sewn in more than a month. Ok, I took up a pair of jeans for my husband, but that doesn’t really count, right? I am in a massive motivation slump when it comes to getting lost in my sewing room – which even a few months ago was the easiest thing in the world. If anything, I had to stop myself from doing too much of that and not be antisocial. A few weeks ago, I even had a sewing date with my pal Kate from Time to Sew, and instead of actually sewing, I ended…

24 March 2019
17 Comments
Designer stories | Chelsea from Friday Pattern Company
DESIGNER STORIES

Designer stories | Chelsea from Friday Pattern Company

In January, I started a new bi-monthly series on the blog, where I am interviewing the designers behind sustainable pattern brands. You can read the first instalment with Kim from Ann Normandy Designs. So here we are with episode two, and I’m bringing you a Q&A with Chelsea, the designer behind a very interesting indie brand: Friday Pattern Company. The brand came on my radar because since the inception, Chelsea decided to donate 5% of all proceeds to a rotating catalogue of good causes. This, plus their lovely, modern minimalist style, really puts them high on my list. So I…

21 March 2019
2 Comments
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
10 Comments
Hand-made style | My favourite February outfits
STYLE

Hand-made style | My favourite February outfits

You might be expecting a Wardrobe Count post, but I must plead Mea Culpa. I’ve been a bad blogger and counter in February (and most of January, to be honest). I was away for most of January on my wonderful Costa Rican adventure and I really stopped recording, but I did not get back on the wagon properly in February either. Bad Alex, no cookies!
However, I have continued to wear me-made outfits and had just as much fun getting creative with my wardrobe options. So I want to share a few of my favourite combinations from the month of February and I hope that even if I’m not entertaining you with geeky figures, I am still providing inspiration for your own handmade style choices.

1 March 2019
1 Comment
7 blogs you must check out for refashioning inspiration
SEWING

7 blogs you must check out for refashioning inspiration

The final report of the British Parliament Environmental Audit Committee on fast fashion was published on Tuesday this week. It highlights that the average clothing consumption in Britain is the highest in Europe, yet we only wear them for an average of 2.5 times. Moreover, less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing at the end of its life. ‘A glut of second-hand clothing swamping the market is depressing prices for used textiles”, the report also states. And around 300,000 tonnes of textile waste ends up in household black bins every year, sent to…

22 February 2019
9 Comments